Banana Coconut Quinoa Loaf

When Oil & Grain posted a recipe for Quinoa Cinnamon Loaf it made it into my breakfast recipe rotation pretty much instantly. While it was baking the smell minded me of banana bread (YUM!), but the problem with most banana bread (especially if you're buying it and not making it yourself) is that it's packed with far more sugar and fat than necessary and there's definitely not much in the way of providing any nutritional benefits (hello sugar crash 1-hour later!!). Enter a little kitchen creativity, and I found myself a nice little banana bread substitute that registers way higher on the nutritional scale for you than traditional banana bread (high five)! And because my fridge has a continual supply of fresh cherries this time of year I added some in for an extra little pop of flavour - though I imagine cranberries, raspberries, or blueberries would be delicious as well.

Banana Coconut Quinoa Loaf

Makes 1 loaf: 8 servings

Per serving: Protein 8 g || Carbs 37 g || Fat 6 g || Calories 220

3 cups cooked quinoa
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk - your choice: dairy, unsweetened almond or coconut
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 ripe bananas, mashed (small to medium sized)
4 TB unsweetened dried coconut, divided into 2 equal parts
3/4 cup cherries, pitted & halved (optional)
1 TB cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle 2 TB of dried coconut evenly on the parchment paper. Place in 375 degree oven for 2-4 minutes, watching carefully and removing immediately once toasted. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, remaining 2 TB dried coconut (non-toasted), and cinnamon. Mix in mashed banana until well blended. Stir in quinoa, and optional cherry halves. Pour into parchment lined loaf pan, and sprinkle the 2 TB toasted coconut evenly on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Makes for a great snack during the workday either morning or afternoon. To make life easy for yourself, once it's cooled separate it out into 8 zip lock bags, boil 8 eggs, and you've got yourself a complete breakfast. If eggs aren't your thing make a protein shake to-go: 1 cup water or milk + 1 scoop protein powder and you're out the door with an awesome and nutritious breakfast.

Enjoy!!

Protein Pancake

Fluffy pancakes are being served up all over the city for Stampede, but this version will most definitely keep you satiated longer with the protein punch they pack, and the lack of over-processed sugary toppings makes for a much healthier choice. My current favourite toppings are nectarines doused in cinnamon.

3-Ingredient Protein Pancakes

Makes 2 servings (2 large or 4 medium pancakes)

1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup egg whites
2 scoops protein powder

Optional mix-ins: based on some feedback (thanks!), the below also work well if you're looking for an even more robust pancake
Oats
Cottage cheese

Optional toppings: these are the ones shown above, but feel free to get creative with your own!
Cinnamon - I also sprinkle some into the batter before cooking
Fresh fruit
Plain Greek yogurt (or coconut yogurt for a non-dairy option)

Mix the mashed banana and egg whites together until well blended. Stir in protein powder and add cinnamon to taste. Cook over low heat in a frying pan with 1/2 tsp melted coconut oil. Once bubbles form, carefully flip.

Depending on which protein powder I use I've either used a little less egg whites, or added 1/2 - 1 TB of milk to get the right consistency batter.

Enjoy! Let me know which topping concoctions you come up with:D

Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfait

Due to my life-long love of Reece's and all things peanut-butter, this is one of my favourite kitchen experiments to date. The basic idea of yogurt+protein powder+banana is my staple post-workout snack as it only takes 5 minutes to make, requires very few ingredients that can easily be interchanged with what you have on hand, and contains 27 grams of protein (yay!).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Parfait

Makes 2 servings

Per serving: Protein 27 g | Carbs 25g | Fat 8 g | Calories 268

Chocolate layer:
1 frozen banana
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 Tbs cocoa (optional - will add an extra dark chocolatey taste)

Peanut-butter layer:
1 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
2 tsp peanut-butter or nut-butter of choice *sub 1/2 tsp cinnamon if you aren't a PB fan

Topping:
1 Tbs dried unsweetened coconut
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Blend banana, protein powder, and cocoa in blender until smooth. Mix yogurt and peanut butter in a separate bowl. Layer it up, and top with coconut & cinnamon. Adjust portion sizes to meet your individual daily needs.