Dark Chocolate Banana Bread

Dear Future Me,

If I could share one tiny piece of advice with you, it would be exactly this…

Live your life being the best you that you can be and don’t have regrets. If you want the stick, go get the stick!

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Do what your heart leads you to do and know that despite the outcomes in life, your intentions are always pure. The sky is yours beautiful.

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Lastly, when in doubt, make this Dark Chocolate Banana Bread. It will make your head, heart and tummy very happy!

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If you are looking for a moist banana bread with sweet dark chocolate throughout, this is your lucky day!

Dark Chocolate Banana Bread

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Ingredients
  • 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup swerve sweetener (honey, agave, maple syrup or sugar)
  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix dry ingredients together and put aside.

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In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas, vanilla, eggs, coconut oil, applesauce and sweetener. On a medium-low speed, mix these ingredients together until combined. You can also mix these by hand.

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Add dry ingredients to the large mixing bowl with wet ingredients. Mix until combined.

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Then fold in your dark chocolate chips.

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Grease a large bread pan with butter or coconut oil. For easy clean up, you can use parchment paper.

Pour batter into prepared bread pan and place into oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the edges and top of bread are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

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When done baking, remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from pan.

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You can store the bread covered on the counter or in the refrigerator. We enjoy our sweets cold for some reason!

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Happy Eating!!

Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

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You know those days that just keep on giving, even when you’ve asked the man upstairs to please stop?

I have the solution to those days.

Chocolate. Dark, rich, gooey, delicious chocolate.

It’s right up there with ice cream, which would probably be my first choice to dive my face into, but I’m trying to be healthier in my indulgences.

Because any dessert that you make with fruits and vegetables is considered a summer salad, right?

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These babies are ready for baking!

Not quite. A girl could dream though, and dream about these, I will!

Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Yields 8 muffins

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Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup nut butter**
  • 1 ripe medium-sized banana
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup sweetener (swerve, honey, agave or sugar)**
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup zucchini, shredded and squeezed of excess liquid
  • 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips

**I used this brand of peanut butter (amazing! but rather thick) and swerve sweetener (to make lower carb) but it didn’t allow recipe to have enough liquid so I added 1/8 cup of coconut oil, melted and 1/4 cup of water to recipe. If using honey or agave, you shouldn’t have that issue. It depends on the nut butter you use too, so if feeling that the batter is too thick- add 1/4 of water! (It won’t dull the taste, I promise)

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I used the chocolate coconut peanut butter and it’s yummy!
Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place nut butter, banana, egg, sweetener of choice, cocoa powder, ground flaxseed, vanilla extract and baking soda into a blender. Blend until smooth.

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Fold in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips.

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Spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin cavity.

Place a few chocolate chips on top if desired.

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Bake for 20-22 minutes until tops of your muffins are set and a inserted toothpick comes out clean.

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Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Then enjoy!

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These muffins may be little, but they are fierce! Have fun trying to stop at just one!

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Happy eating!