Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (No Refined Sugars!)

Saturday mornings. You gotta love 'um. Especially when you've been traveling a bunch and haven't had a day off in a while. Brett and I got home Friday night from Arkansas and went to bed excited for a weekend without work. 

When we're in town, we love the Saturdays mornings when we get to spend time with our friends Mary and Justin and their two kids. What started as Brett and Justin working out every once in a while has turned into Saturday morning workouts with sometimes all four of us in their garage lifting weights, jumping rope and getting our sweat on. Since I often do cardio to workout, these high-intensity interval workouts are always a welcomed change of scenery...not to mention they kick my butt. Also if you're injured like I am and can't run, interval workouts are another great way to get out some endorphins while you (patiently) wait for your body to heal. At the bottom of this post you can find the 30 minute interval workout we did (or check out the new workout tab for other workouts I've posted before!)

Yesterday Mary and Justin were free so we planned for a late morning workout with lunch afterwards. Since I had the morning off I figured I make some banana bread to take over. I've been wanting to try out an oatmeal banana bread recipe, with minimal sugar, for a while and I'm happy with how this loaf turned out! It's subtly sweet, but if you add the chocolate chips you won't miss a thing!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

(Makes 12 servings)

 Ingredients:

· 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3-4 ripe bananas)

· 1/4 cup agave nectar (or liquid sweetener of choice)

· 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

· 1 flax egg (1 T ground flaxseed + 3 T water)

· 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

· 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

· 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

· 1/4—1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl mix make your flax egg by whisking 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of water together. Set aside for 5 minutes

3. In a medium sized bowl combine the wet ingredients, from the  mashed banana to the almond milk.  Then add in your flax egg and stir until well mixed.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, from the whole wheat flour to the nutmeg.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

6. Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips.

7. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Let the loaf cool and then slice and enjoy!

This bread was delicious right out of the oven (of course I had to try some before I served it to people. Each slice has almost 5 grams of fiber and almost 4 grams of protein! If you like a sweeter bread, up the liquid sweetener to 1/3 cup.

30 Minute "Spartacus" Interval Workout

1 minute for each exercise.

15 second rest between exercises.

1 minute rest between sets.

1. Spider Man Push-Ups

2. Russians

3. Plank Push-ups

4. Side Plank Arm Raises (30 seconds each side)

5. Groucho Walks

6. Mountain Climbers

7. Squats with Press

8. Alternating Bicep Curls

9. Calf Raises with Shrugs

10. Hand Stand (against a wall)

For definitions or pictures of each workout see below!

Spider Man Push-Ups 

Russians:

Start in a table top position with one leg raised. Then quickly alternate kicking one leg up at a time.

Plank Push-Ups:

Side Plank Arm Raises:

Groucho Walk:

Get in a low squat and stay squatted as you take six steps forward and then six steps back. Repeat.

Mountain Climbers:

In a plank position, alternate bringing one knee up to your chest and then back out. Move quickly.

Squats with Press:

Alternating Bicep Curls:

Calf Raises with Shoulder Shrugs:

With weights, raise up onto your tip-toes and while on your toes do two shoulder shrugs. Repeat.

Hand Stand:

Hold a handstand as long as you can while your feet are resting against a wall. 

Eat Consciously,

     Faith