A special post to my dear friends at NUTS! When I heard about their almond project, I was ecstatic. How could I neglect one of my favorite foods in the world?!

Food comas are one of man’s most frequently repeated mistakes. Birthdays. Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Year’s. Valentine’s Day. Potlucks. We’ve allllllllll been there. It’s very hard to not resist those goodies and crazy homemade dishes all the guests make, especially if it’s your favorite. Actually, I find it harder if something’s been healthified because I feel as if I can eat more of it when in reality…nope. Food coma AGAIN.

I’ve made a rule for myself from now on. If I want to have a second helping, I’d have to drink a giant glass of water or cup of green tea. Most of the time I wouldn’t crave for the second portion. Except with this family-enjoyed almond banana bread recipe. After one slice I went back for a second. Or third. Or fourth. Or the entire loaf. *drops to the floor*

But how can you blame me? 😉

You can add 3 or more tablespoons of cacao powder to make this chocolate banana bread, or my personal favorite: powdered peanut butter. I also like to serve one slice of this warm with melted almond butter and dark chocolate on top. You have no idea how many times I’ve fallen into a coma because of that combo.

Son of a gun.

RECIPE (makes 12 slices but it really depends)

• 1 cup oat flour; can be subbed for regular, all-purpose GF, whole wheat, or more almond meal for paleo/keto version
• 2/3 cup almond meal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more!)
• 1/2 cup sweetener(s) of choice (if using Stevia, add only 1/4 cup or even less)
• 2 eggs; can be subbed for flax or chia eggs
• 3 1/2-4 overripe bananas
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil; sub applesauce or extra banana for fat free recipe
• 2 TBSP Greek yogurt or coconut yogurt
• 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coconut shreds
• Dark chocolate chips and slivered almonds to top
• Opt: cacao/cocoa/peanut powder, mashed fruit

PROCEDURE

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Take a large bowl and mix your dry ingredients well.
3. Take your eggs and whisk with the sweetener, vanilla and Greek yogurt until well-combined.
4. Mash your bananas and mix with the wet ingredients.
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients evenly. You can also fold in the chocolate and almonds if you would like to, but I prefer to place them on top to make a nice crust!
6. Spray a 8×5-in loaf and pour in the mixture.
7. Bake for 45 minutes for moistest results.
8. Let cool and serve.

Throwback when I had a slice with my Memorial Day breakfast! Loaded Sweet Potato Bomb recipe here.

How many times have you been in a food coma? It actually happened again to me recently. Went a taaaaaaaaaad bit overboard with grilled teriyaki. I really am an Asian at heart.