Vegan Coconut Banana Bread Recipe

 

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well consider this flattery for The Simple Veganista.

I love Banana Bread and have made so many by now I thought I'd hate it! But alas no.. there is still a part of me that loves a good moist piece of Banana Bread with my freshly brewed coffee in the morning. Maybe because it takes me back to when I worked at Starbucks and had those early opening shifts. That Banana Bread and hot coffee was may reward to myself for rolling out of bed so early in the morning. Oh how good it was....

This recipe was taken from said above blog and then tweaked a bit :) Enjoy!!

Level of Difficulty: Low! I had the baby on my hip the whole time, he gets to lick the spoon at the end too!

Special Equipment: A good mixer or some strong forearms  

 Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups flour of choice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
•  1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
• 1/3 cup warmed coconut oil 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup organic pure cane sugar or finely chopped dates
• 4 small or 3 large bananas (preferably overripe), mashed 
• 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spice and salt in a medium/large size bowl and set aside. In a small bowl mix oil, sugar, coconut flakes and vanilla. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and mix briefly, set aside. Mash bananas, you should have approx. 1 3/4 cups, add to batter and mix until combined. Pour or spoon into a well greased loaf pan...I used coconut oil to grease mine.  Bake for about 50 min to an hour. You can also do the toothpick test in the center of the loaf, if it comes out clean it's about ready. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 min.

Running Along

(image borrowed from http://www.wellwornsoles.com/2013/10/half-marathon-update.html)

So, since my blog is called Vegan Runner Mommy I decided to start adding in some more about well....running! I am far from the professional runner with all the sponsorship and metals. But for me running is my stress reliever, the me time and the quiet I need to refocus on life and sort things out. So I don't want you thinking that I know all the answers to your running issues or questions but more just like a companion to feel your pain and a fellow mom who knows how hard it is to run with children and be a vegan on top of it all :)

I started running seriously right before we got pregnant with our second child. Really I was running here and there when I was a teenager and on into adulthood but never was very good at it or had the stick-to-it attitude I needed for it.
But when there was a group of friends doing a 5k in our local area it sounded like like a lot of fun! So me and another friend started training for it. After that I was hooked! My first 5k I felt the endorphins kick in and the excitement of waiting in that crowd of people near the starting line was like a roller coaster to me!

After that I kept running but found out we were expecting our second child so didn't train as hard, still we ran a second 5k 3 months later. I kept my running up until about halfway through the pregnancy and then just stuck to walking. After he was born I couldn't wait to get back on to my schedule! Once I got the all clear I started back up again. 

No one told me that trying to fit in runs with 2 kids was hard! Where are you?? Why didn't someone warn me!?

I got the trusty double running stroller (another post on that to come), so it wasn't that. I had the desire to run, so it wasn't that. Getting 2 small children aged 2yrs and a newborn out the door took twice as long. Here is a summary of what would happen:

8am - Breakfast is done I'm ready to get dressed to go. Dressed, check! #1 (oldest child) needs to get dressed but first there was the struggle to get clothes on him, it was like trying to convince a cat to swim in the pool, not happening! 

8:20am - Ok threw the cat in now, uh I mean got #1 dressed... now the baby (#2) he wants to nurse, ok fine. Good thing I invested in that nursing sports bra! Sit, nurse. Check!

8:40am - Baby is done. Now dress him. Check! Oh wait #1 is now half dressed in the bathroom with the mess on the floor that can only be cleaned up by a sanitation crew with gas masks. Clean up said mess, change his clothes, try not to get the mess on me. And the baby is now crying in the other room. Hurry!!! Go, go, go!!

9am - nurse baby again, and #2 also needs a new diaper. Ok.... change #2's diaper. Another crisis is averted!! What were we doing? oh yeah going for a run... #1 wants a snack... bring in with us in the stroller. Check!

9:15am - Finally out the door and ready to go! Oh great its raining......

So there you go.... the day in the life of a mom who just wants to run.

Kid Friendly No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls

Super easy quick snack! Very kid friendly! Our oldest did all the work mostly himself :) minus the stove top part

Special equipment: Nothin!
Level of difficulty: 0! Super easy!!

• ½ cup vanilla-flavored protein powder
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 Tbs. brown agave nectar 
• 2 cups crushed mini pretzels
• ⅓ cup sweetened flake coconut, chopped, or unsweetened

1. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Whisk together protein powder with 2 Tbs. water in bowl. Stir in vanilla.

2. Warm peanut butter, sugar, and agave in saucepan over medium heat 2 minutes, or until smooth. Stir in protein powder mixture. Stir in crushed pretzels and coconut until evenly combined. Pinch off 1 Tbs.-size chunks of dough, and place on prepared baking sheet to cool. Cool cookies 10 minutes before serving