Lemon Blueberry Seed Loaf

This quick bread is super easy and super delicious. Just throw it together in one bowl in about 10 minutes. The hard part is waiting the hour it takes to bake!

It's also super healthy with all those seeds and NO butter or oil.

If you want to make it even healthier with some extra protein, you could try subbing in some chickpea flour.

The Recipe

makes one loaf

1 tablespoon each of flaxseeds, chia seeds and poppyseeds

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons water

1/2 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon honey (or more according to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest and juice of one lemon (divided)

2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half chickpea flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Mix all seeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for a few minutes while preparing the pan.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly oil or grease one standard loaf pan.

Add sugar, milk, rest of water, applesauce, vanilla and lemon zest. Add about 1/2 of the lemon juice. Blend well. Gently mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the blueberries just until blended.

The batter should be moist, but not runny. If necessary, add a little more water. Pour batter into prepared pan and top with some more lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake for about one hour. Let cool before slicing and serving.

Zucchini Coconut Muffins

These zucchini muffins are extra moist from the addition of coconut flakes. I used unsweetened, but I'm sure you could use the sugary kind -- your muffins will just be sweeter.

I adapted the recipe from this version from Tried and Tasty.

The muffins are perfect for a healthy, but still delicious breakfast. I also like them for an afternoon snack. I'd recommend storing them in the refrigerator...if you don't eat them all in the first day or two!

The Recipe

makes 12 muffins

1 medium-sized zucchini (shredded)
1 tablespoon flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup oil (I used avocado oil, but I'm sure any kind will do)
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons agave nectar
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened flakes)
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup wheatgerm
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly oil or butter a 12-cup muffin tin.

Put flax in a large bowl with water. Let sit for about five minutes. Add applesauce, oil, egg, vanilla, sugar and agave. Mix well. Stir in coconut flakes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not over mix! Scoop into prepared muffin tin and bake for about 25 minutes. Let cool just a few minutes before removing muffins to cook on a rack.

Banana Oat Bars

These bars are delish, and great for guilt-free snacking. The way I made them, they are both vegan and gluten-free, but you can skip the gluten-free part if you're not concerned about wheat.

The batter is a cookie dough consistency. Make sure to press it into the pan.

I made them for my toddler so they're not super sugary. They are lightly sweet. If you want a more decadent taste, add more maple syrup. I suspect you could substitute brown sugar, as well, but haven't tried this version.

You can see I put chocolate chips and chopped walnuts on the "adult" side of the bars. I left the toddler version plain.

The Recipe

makes about 20 medium-sized bars

2 ripe bananas
1 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds + 4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup maple syrup (or more to taste depending on ripeness of bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil)
1 1/3 cups oats
1 1/3 cups oat flour (or sub white or whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
pinch salt
5 ounces dark chocolate chips (optional)
chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with wax paper and oil lightly.

Mash bananas in a large bowl. Add chia seeds and water, maple syrup, vanilla and oil. Mix well.

Stir in the oats, oat flour, baking soda and salt. The batter should clump together like cookie dough. Press the dough into the pan. Top with adult toppings, if desired.

Bake for about 30 minutes until light brown on top. Let cool before cutting. I recommend storing these in the refrigerator.