Double Chocolate Banana Salted Caramel Muffins (Gluten Free, Grain Free, Low Sugar)

It’s December 1st, aka. The month of baking!  I whipped up these Double Chocolate Banana Salted Caramel Muffins over the weekend – yes it’s a mouth full.

But I’ve been obsessed with using the Lily’s Sweets salted caramel chocolate chips in pretty much all my baking lately. All of Lily’s sweets chocolate is SUGAR FREE and you honestly cannot tell the difference! I order these off of NaturaMarket.

Now of course, you can always add more sweetness to this recipe if you like as cacao can be slightly bitter, but I much prefer them without the sweetness and the extra guilt.  Not to mention the insane cravings that start to follow once you consume too much sugar. Ever notice that? You go sugar free or low carb for a while and then – BAM – one bite of a sweet cake or cookie or piece of bread and your cravings come back full force?

It’s normal. Sugar triggers pleasure receptors in your brain, which cause you to want more and more and more.  This is why I like to keep my sugar intake very low and my fat intake high. It keeps my sugar cravings at bay, it helps to balance my blood sugar, it keeps my brain fuelled and it provides me with lots of energy. Plus, fat is incredibly important for hormonal health. 

Fats are structural components of some of the most important substances in the body, including prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances that regulate many of the body’s functions. You need fats because they regulate the production of sex hormones, which can often be the reason why some teenage girls and women in general can experience amenorrhea (no period). 

High fat and low carb recipes are the main thing on the menu inside my Metabolic Reset program but they help to bust through sugar cravings like nobody’s business (and it might be going on sale real soon, so stay tuned 😉

😋 Here’s the recipe for ya!

 

Double Chocolate Banana Salted Caramel Muffins (Gluten Free, Grain Free, Low Sugar)

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Course: Treats
Servings: 12
Author: Samantha Gladish

Ingredients

  • large bananas mashed
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil melted
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups almond flour finely ground
  • 1/2 cup cacao powder or cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup salted caramel chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin tray with muffin cups.
  • Add all ingredients except chocolate chips into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
  • Stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Transfer batter to the lined muffin pan, filling the holes 3/4 of the way up.
  • Bake on the centre rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes, or until muffins are puffy and cooked through.

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Sun Butter Bark (Paleo, Keto, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free)

Do I dare even say the word? …. CHRISTMAS!

I know I know, it’s still over 2 months away, but every time I make a bark of some sort, I can’t help but think of Christmas. And this Sun Butter Bark is seriously off the charts.

And listen friends, Christmas will be here before you know it, so you better start getting your shit together 🙂 Honestly, that’s advise I have to take myself because I hate being a last minute shopper (which ends up happening most of the time and I tell myself every year that I’m going to be organized and prepped, but my schedule always seem to get the best of me!). 

Not this time folks! My plan is – 1. to take time off. At least 2 weeks over the holidays, 2. to spend time baking up a delicious storm and 3. to begin my shopping in October. 

But let’s talk about this bark. Because I will definitely be baking it again over the holidays, although there isn’t anything to bake. It’s more of an UN-bake. It’s a mix together, pour on a tray and freeze kinda recipe. Meaning, it takes minutes to make!

And for all you peanut butter lovers out there, you’re gonna LOVE this recipe. I love peanut butter myself and yes – you could swap the sun butter for peanut butter, but unfortunately peanuts are an aflatoxin – meaning they contain a type of mould, so they are not a go to in our home. 

The odd time I’ll buy a container of peanut butter just for a quick fix, but truthfully, sun butter is such a close second that I don’t even miss the peanut butter. And you can also swap the sun butter for any other nut butter – almond or cashew would be great!

It’s treats like this that I love having on hand. It’s high fat, low sugar and I can keep it in the freezer for months. If I’m feeling like a little treat with my evening tea, then I have something on hand that’s delicious and healthy to reach for. 

For you momma’s out there who are wanting to send treats to school with your kids that must be nut free, this recipe would be perfect. BUT… the only thing is that it does melt and come to room temperature quite fast. So it could get a little messy in your kids lunch bag. You might need to pack it with a cooler pack. 

Ok, let’s get un-baking…

ENJOY! 🙂 

Sun Butter Bark
Paleo, Keto, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Egg Free
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup coconut oil, softened
  2. 1/2 cup sun butter (sunflower seed butter), be sure to look for sugar free
  3. 1 tbsp maple syrup (optional, omit for keto)
  4. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  5. Pinch of sea salt
  6. 1/4 cup shredded or finely chopped chocolate (I used a 70% dark chocolate bar)
  7. 2 tbsp cacao nibs
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients, except the chocolate and cacao nibs, in a medium bowl and mix together to combine.
  2. Pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out evenly across the sheet.
  3. Sprinkle with chocolate and cacao nibs.
  4. Place baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to freeze and harden.
  5. Remove from freezer and break into pieces.Store in an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
  1. *Feel free to add in dried fruits, chopped nuts or seeds.
  2. *You can swap the sun butter for any type of nut or seed butter.
Holistic Wellness https://holisticwellness.ca/
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Easiest Protein Bars You’ll Ever Make!

I promise, this is the easiest recipe ever!

I’m always on the lookout for ways to make simple, easy and healthy protein bars as they make for a quick grab and go snack. 

This recipe is great as it requires no baking and very little clean up, which is perfect if you’ve got a kitchen full of hungry little monsters running around!

Feel free to add your own unique twists to the recipe. Dried fruits, cacao nibs, goji berries; these all make for healthy and tasty add ons. I kept my recipe simple with only a handful of ingredients. 

These bars are loaded with healthy fats from almond butter, slow releasing carbs from wheat free rolled oats and the right amount of satiating protein. This combo is perfect for balancing blood sugar levels which will prevent you from reaching for that unhealthy sugary cookie at 3pm!

Enjoy!

 Gluten Free Vanilla Protein Oat Bars-4

 For more delicious recipes check out my ebook, The Qualitarian Cookbook! It’s full of 40+ whole food, gluten free and dairy free recipes. From juice to smoothies, breakfasts, dinners and dessert (yes… there are more protein bar recipes in the book!), I’ve got you covered for delicious and nutritious meals you can feel about about feeding to your family! Get your COPY HERE!

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Chocolate Chip & Cinnamon Banana Bread – Paleo Style

Chocolate. Cinnamon. Bananas. What a combo!

I love baking, as you know, and it’s been a while since I whipped up a banana bread. Let alone, a gluten free, grain free, dairy free banana bread, with NO added sugar!

This bread is DA BOMB! It’s so full of flavour and free of many allergens.

I got the idea from Make Ahead Paleo to include a cinnamon-y topping. I’ve never done this in the past and couldn’t resist testing it out! This delicious “crust” added the perfect sweetness. I highly suggest you test it out! I guess you could say there is some added sugar, since it’s included in the topping, but you can feel free to omit this.

So let’s get baking! Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do 🙂Image 3

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Paleo Chocolate Cinnamon Banana Bread
Makes 1 LoafIngredients:

DRY:
1 ½ cups almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup arrowroot starch
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground vanilla bean
½ tsp sea salt

WET:
3 large ripe bananas
4 eggs
1/3 cup hemp milk (almond or coconut work well too)

EXTRAS:
1 cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
½ cup walnuts (optional- I didn’t use any)

TOPPING:
1 tbsp coconut sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp almond flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl combine all DRY ingredients. In a large bowl combine all WET ingredients using a hand mixer. Mix until bananas are well combined and mixture is fluffy. Add DRY ingredients into WET and stir until fully incorporated. Stir in EXTRAS. I used chocolate chips. Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil and pour in batter.

In a small bowl combine TOPPING ingredients and sprinkle evenly on top of loaf. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until center is set and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from loaf pan and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with grass fed butter or your favorite nut butter. YUM!

Enjoy xo

To your AMAZING Health and Abundance,

Samantha xoxo

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