This nut-, gluten-, and dairy-free banana bread is what dreams are made of: moist, just sweet enough, and the ideal lunchbox treat. It’s safe for school lunches because it’s completely nut free. This bread is made with hearty and fulfilling ingredients such as coconut flour—perfect to keep little tummies satisfied.
Tips:
- If you’re enjoying our banana bread as an after-school snack, try slathering some almond butter on a slice—it’s magical! For an extra-special treat, you can omit dried blueberries and use mini chocolate chips instead.
- I recommend refrigerating this yummy banana bread once it’s completely cooled, as it will hold together even better.
The Perfect Lunchbox Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut flour
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown rice flour
- 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (1 tsp) ground nutmeg
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) maple syrup
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) coconut oil, melted
- 4 organic eggs, whisked
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) dried blueberries
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories216
- protein5g
- fat10g
- saturated fat7g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates23g
- sugars14g
- fibre3g
- sodium223mg
Directions
01
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Generously grease a standard-size loaf pan with coconut oil, or line with parchment paper.
02
In large bowl, combine coconut flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and mix together.
03
In separate bowl, whisk bananas, maple syrup, oil, and eggs together. Be sure melted coconut oil isnu2019t too hot, to avoid cooking the egg when you combine everything. Add banana mixture to flour mixture and combine well. Fold in dried blueberries.
04
Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until fork inserted comes out clean. You may want to cover the bread with a piece of foil for the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent it from burning.Keep in fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Joy McCarthy, RNCP, CNP
Joy McCarthy, RNCP, CNP, is a holistic nutritionist and best-selling author of Joyous Health and Joyous Detox (Penguin Canada, 2014 and 2016).
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Farro, Lentil, and Vegetable Soup
Adding farro, with its nutty bite, is a delicious and convenient way to increase your soup’s fibre and nutritional value. This hearty soup is the perfect remedy to a cold January day. Lemon and chervil add a bright contrast to the fibre-packed earthy flavours. Farro timesaver With a long cooking time, it’s worth it to cook a larger amount of farro and freeze it in small-portioned batches which can be thawed quickly. Using a ratio of 1:4 farro to water, cook on medium-high heat until farro is al dente, in a similar manner to the way you would cook pasta. Drain, rinse, portion, and freeze for later use. To thaw, simply run frozen farro under water or add directly to soup.
Arugula Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash, Pomegranate Molasses, and Pine Nuts
Oven-roasted delicata squash makes a crispy treat atop this green salad. As its name suggests, this squash has a thin, delicate skin that’s tasty when cooked. Pomegranate molasses, an ingredient common in Lebanese and Middle-Eastern cuisine, brings a sweet and sour flavour to the dressing. No pine nuts? Use squash seeds! Simply collect about 1/4 cup (60 mL) seeds from cleaned squash, rinse, and mix with 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) of the spice mix used to roast the squash and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) olive oil. Roast at 425 F (220 C) on parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Cardamom and Ginger Scented Farro Breakfast Porridge
Look for whole grain farro, which leaves the germ and bran intact, for this satisfying porridge that’s sure to kickstart your day. While the cooking time is longer than for pearled or semi-pearled varieties, you’ll get more nutrition. Take the time to enjoy the delicate scent of cardamom and ginger wafting through your kitchen as you prepare this. Ancient grain Farro (also referred to as emmer or einkorn) is a variety of wheat known as an ancient grain, which means that it hasn’t changed over time through breeding as is the case with many varieties of modern wheat.
Chocolate and Orange Chickpea Pudding
Spanish-inspired flavours of almond and orange and a good punch of protein make this pudding a delicious and nutritious breakfast, snack, or dessert. The tiniest amount of large-flake sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil help bring all the flavours together. Amp up the orange For some additional orange flavour, when cooking chickpeas from dry, add a few strips of orange zest to the cooking water. Tastier toast Take your toast to the next level by using this pudding as a satisfying spread.