Banana and choc chip cake - slow cooked

Who knew you could make a cake in a slow cooker? Well it seems you can. I was sceptical and refused for many months...until today.

This cake is light and moist and versatile. You can omit the choc chips, substitute with white or dark choc chips, add chopped nuts or even some seeds. This is how it's done...

Ingredients:

• 2 Eggs
• ½ cup butter (melted in microwave)
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup plain white flour
• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 medium bananas -mashed
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Method:

1. In a bowl combine butter, eggs and sugar. Mix well
2. Add in baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 cup flour. Mix well
3. Add in the other cup of flour. Mixture should be thick
4. Mash Bananas well and then add to mixture. Mix well
5. Add the choc chips and mix well 
6. Place 3 metal egg rings in the bottom of the slow cooker and add 1 cup of water to the empty slow cooker
7. Place the cake mixture into a round silicone cake mold and place the cake mold on top of the egg rings
8. Cook for 4 hours on low with a tea towel placed under the slow cooker lid
9. The cake is cooked when a skewer comes out clean.

Banana & Coconut Muffins - guilt free

Using wholemeal flour and no butter or sugar makes these muffins guilt-free. This recipe makes 12 and they go well with a morning or afternoon cuppa!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups wholemeal flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted slightly in the microwave if it isn't already a liquid
• 1-2 tablespoons of honey, depending on how sweet you like them. I only used 1
• 2 ripe bananas, peeled 
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius
2. Spray your muffin tray with coconut spray oil
3. In a large bowl mix together with a wooden spoon the flour, baking soda, salt, desiccated coconut and baking powder. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and drop in the eggs, coconut oil, and honey. Mix with a fork until it just comes together and set aside. The mixture will look a bit dry but it's OK
4. In a small bowl mash the banana with the back of a fork
5. Fold the banana into the muffin batter and mix well with a wooden spoon. You'll need to distribute the clumps of banana and coconut oil around the bowl and kind of 'press it' all together with your spoon. When it stops resembling a crumbly dough - stop
6. Spoon into a 12 cup muffin tray leaving room at the top for expansion
7. Bake until they begin to brown on top and a toothpick comes clean when inserted in the centre, about 15-18 minutes

Banana Muffins with Pecans and Dates

I love these. They are made from wholemeal flour (also known as whole wheat flour) and are packed full of goodness. This makes 10-12 muffins depending on your muffin tray.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups wholemeal flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup olive spread, melted
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 very ripe bananas, peeled 
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup chopped, pitted dates

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius
2. Spray your muffin tray with spray oil
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and drop in the eggs, butter, and syrup. Mix with a fork until it just comes together and set aside. The mixture will look quite moist but don't panic.
4. In a small bowl mash the banana with the back of a fork
5. Carefully fold the banana, pecans and dates into the muffin batter and distribute evenly into a 12 cup muffin tray leaving room at the top for expansion
6. Place leftover pecans on top of each muffin
7. Bake until they begin to brown on top and a toothpick comes clean when inserted in the centre, about 12-15

Note: Freeze some in pres-seal bags for the week :)

D-E-L-icious  XD

Banana and Kale Smoothie

I always thought smoothies consisted of fruit blended with milk. How wrong I was!!! You can add fruit AND vegetables to a smoothie and it doesn't even need milk.

I created this smoothie 6 days ago and have made it for breakfast EVERYDAY and am not bored with it. It's packed full of Vitamin B and Iron so give it a go - you will be pleasantly surprised.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 6 green grapes
• 1 kale leaf (stem discarded)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon almond meal
• 1 cup cold water (refrigerated, not straight out of the tap)
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Method:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender, NutriBullet or Ninja - whichever you use for blending and blend... viola. How easy is that?
2. Drink up!

Delicious  XD

Banana and Walnut Cake - fast, easy and healthy

This cake was made by accident when I forgot to add eggs. So if you're out of eggs...no worries! If you're out of oil...no worries! If you're out of butter...no worries! And if you're out of milk...still no worries. This cake takes all traditional cake ingredients of butter, oil, milk and eggs and throws them out the window. Buy yourself some low-fat natural Greek yoghurt - it is versatile and is an excellent substitute for cake mixes. This cake is low-fat, simple to make and moist as!

Ingredients:

• 2 small or 1 large very ripe banana, mashed
• 4 tablespoons low-fat natural Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 and 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius
2. Throw all ingredients into a medium sized bowl and mix with a wooden spoon
3. Pour into a cake pan or loaf tin
4. Cook for 30 mins or until a skewer comes out clean

Could it be any easier? No way!  D-E-L-icious  XD

Low-fat sugar-free banana cake

This is by far the healthiest cake I make. It has no oil, butter or sugar and is sweetened only by the pineapple. If it isn't sweet enough for you, it probably wouldn't hurt to add a little sugar to your liking, but I think I'm sweet enough XD

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
• 1 cup pineapple pieces and reserve about a tablespoon of the juice 
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• 3 tablespoons low fat natural Greek yoghurt
• 2 cups self raising flour (or 1 cup wholemeal and 1 cup white)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda

Method:

1. Place the mashed banana in a large bowl
2. Add beaten eggs and pineapple and stir with wooden spoon
3. Add yoghurt and walnuts and mix
4. Add flour and bicarb soda and mix through. Don't mix too much!
5. If too dry, add the pineapple juice, if too moist, add more flour
6. Bake in a pre-heated180 degree celsius oven for 30 mins. Poke with a skewer and if the skewer comes out wet, cook for a further 10mins.
7. This cake is naturally moist because of the fruit, so take it out of the oven before it gets too brown and let it cool and set.

If you want icing - mix icing sugar, boiled water and pineapple juice to make a light glaze. Drizzle over the top and serve. However I just sprinkle a light coating of icing sugar over mine. D-E-L-icious  XD