Guest Post: Gluten Free Banana Nut Bread

I recently put out a request for some guest bloggers. Sandi from flamidwyfe jumped right on it. She has an amazing story about her own personal journey. Take a look below and check out her blog at flamidwyfe.wordpress.com. Sandi, tell us about yourself.

I am a retired midwife now working full-time in the health and fitness industry.  I lost 111 pounds from August 2011 to May 2012 on the Dukan diet, a low carb, low fat diet. I have kept the weight off for 7 months following the Paleo diet and feel great!

Wow! Tell us about your weight loss journey.

I was living in Abu Dhabi, UAE (near Dubai) and was unhappy with my weight. My friend Lucy and I were at the bookstore and she suggested the Dukan Diet. I bought the book and put it in my luggage to read while on vacationing in Florida the following week. I was home for my 30th high school reunion. A picture of me from behind sent me reeling! I could not believe how fat I was! On the flights home to Abu Dhabi I read the book, twice. It all clicked and I started the Dukan Diet August 20th. I stuck to the diet religiously and blogged daily about it to hold me accountable. It was quite a journey! In December I was introduced to the book Wheat Belly, by Dr. W. Davis and that brought everything about my health full circle. I lost a total 111 pounds in 8 months and I’ve kept it off for the last 7 months. I FEEL FANTASTIC!!!

You mentioned you had a little help in making this recipe.

I made the banana nut bread with Fiona, my 8 year old photographer. I delivered Fiona when she was born. Her mom had a home birth and was seeing another midwife, who couldn’t attend her delivery. A midwife colleague of mine was called to assist her and brought me along. I ended up not only doing the delivery, but also delivering her sister 2 years later and we’ve remained friends. I flew over to Abaco, Bahamas to visit them this week and we’ve been eating gluten free for the past 4 days!

Why did you make this gluten free?

I’m making it gluten free because I found that after eliminating wheat from my diet in August 2011, because of the Dukan diet, not intentionally, that I didn’t have migraines, vertigo, indigestion, sore knees and many other issues I had suffered from for years. After reaching my goal weight and after dozens of hours of research, I decided to lead a gluten free life. I weigh less now than I did in my senior year of high school (I just celebrated my 49th birthday last week) and I feel better, too! I run 5K 3 times a week, I do a cross-fit type program called DIRT 2 times a week and yoga 2 times a week. I never thought I’d ever use the word runner in reference to ME!

Thanks for the opportunity to share my story and my recipe on your blog 🙂

Gluten Free Banana Nut Bread

This recipe is gluten, grain and dairy free! Yields: About 24 muffins

1 cup coconut flour 1cup almond flour 1/4 cup flaxseed meal 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 2/3 cup chopped walnuts (any nuts will do) 4 very ripe bananas, mashed 2 Tbs honey 4 eggs 1 1/2 Tbs coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, add the mashed bananas,

 eggs, honey, and vanilla and mix well.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.

Fill greased muffin tins, baking cups, mini-loaf pans or big loaf pans about 3/4 full. Bake muffins for 23-25 minutes and loaves for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool slightly and enjoy with a pat of almond butter, coconut oil or grass-fed butter. Mmmm.