Nutrition is kind of a passion of mine. When you are diagnosed with a somewhat life-threatening illness at the tender age of 13, you kind of lose the ability to have an 'I'm invincible type attitude' that most young people rightfully have. After two weeks in the hospital, one week of physical therapy, and only weighing 90lbs soaking wet, I was instructed to see a nutritionist. It totally changed my life. At first I thought my life changed in a negative way, but then I realized later how much of a blessing it truly was. I mean, how lucky was I to learn the importance of taking care of myself at such a young age! I became aware of foods I was putting in my body, and learned how to live a healthy lifestyle. Something most people don't appreciate until later in life. My husband always gives me a hard time by calling me a hypochondriac. And maybe I am, but I've learned over the years how to listen, and be 'in-tune' with my body. Its something I encourage everyone to do, because It might just save your life! Sooo, on a less dramatic note, I'm here today not just to share a recipe, but to also give a little testimony as to how a gluten free diet has positively impacted my life.
Right after Rob was born, I developed a really annoying skin problem called keratosis pilaris. It's completely unharmful, but such a nuisance. There is technically no cure, which really stinks. But after doing extensive research, I found many suggestions. One of those suggestions was to get rid of gluten. At the time I thought their was not enough evidence to support the idea that my KP was caused by gluten, so I kind of just waved it off. It wasn't until months later when I started producing more symptoms that I began to look back into it. I started having unbearable headaches, nausea, and just a general feeling of malaise. Being a mother, my health has never been more important to me! Nothing is more frightening than being physically unable to take care of your child. I needed answers, ASAP. Long story short, I came across the gluten free lifestyle again. Seeing as most of my symptoms matched, I decided to give it a try. It worked! After two weeks I noticed a HUGE difference in how I felt. No more headaches, no more nausea, and my energy was almost fully restored. My skin also cleared up, It was a miracle! Embracing the gluten free lifestyle has not come without it's challenges though. You don't realize how much food contains gluten until you give it up. I'm not an expert by any means, so I don't feel it would be right for me to spit off all the gluten possibilities. Plus, that would just be a whole other paragraph in itself! I also have to say that im not perfect by any means, and have had my fair share of splurges. I mean my last blog was me eating hamburgers on the square for heavens sake, so yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm gluten sensitive like most people are, and not completely intolerant, so a few splurges here and there doesn't seem to hurt me. Moderation is key!! Always remember that.
The hardest part about being gluten free was how much I missed baking banana bread. I've always grown up with banana bread, and not being able to put those beautifully ripe bananas to use in my kitchen was rough. Thankfully one day at the grocery store I spotted Glutino's All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. <- I added the link for any of you who want to check out their website. You would have thought I won the lottery, I was so happy. I came home that night and made some fresh, oh so delicious gluten free banana bread.
I'm so thankful to live in a generation where lifestyles like these are fully embraced and acknowledged. Being a mother is one of the most rewarding, yet physically demanding jobs. Being up all night, and hauling around a baby all day can take a toll on my body over a period of time. I definitely have a greater appreciation of this body God has given me after becoming a mother. Fueling it properly is the least I can do. I wish everyone of you the best, and hope this recipe brings some goodness to you. Happy Baking!
Recipe:
3 or 4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup butter- I prefer Kerrygold Irish grassfed, but its a little hard to measure
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups Glutino flour
No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
Click here to see where this recipe is from. All I did was change and substitute the flour in mine. I also greased the baking dish in coconut oil instead of butter.
