Banana bread has to be one of the tastiest snacks and one that my Miss 4 year loves too. This recipe for lunch box friendly banana bread is one of our favourites.
We’ve been making gluten free banana bread recipe for years but now my oldest is old enough to go to kindergarten and school next year this has opened up a whole new look at what food’s can be taken to schools. Most schools here in Australia are nut free to create an allergy friendly and safe environment for kids with severe food allergies. With this is mind and to support those in our community with allergies to nuts and eggs I set out to create a lunch box friendly banana bread recipe for you.
The recipe is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free and soy free. Using just the natural sweetness of bananas to sweeten the recipe is free from added sugars or sweeteners.
Scroll down for the lunch box friendly banana bread recipe.
How To Add Protein, Vitamin B12, Iron and Omega 3
If you want a surprising way to add more nutritional value to this recipe, here’s a twist I bet you didn’t see coming! You can add 1-2 tbsp cricket powder to the recipe before baking. This is an optional step to the recipe but a unique way to disguise this superfood powder in baking.
You can add what?!
I’m all for nutrient dense foods and finding ways we can easily include nutritious ingredients into our diet. Not too long ago I was introduced to a pretty interesting and impressive ‘superfood’ that is fast becoming a future food in the world of sustainable food. Enter crickets. Yep, crickets. But before you freak out, hear me out. More than a quarter of the world’s population already eat crickets.
Why Crickets?
Crickets are a high protein food that are also rich in vitamin B12 and iron. Other than meat sources, crickets provide this unique combination. One of the reasons you might be interested is to provide a food source of iron into your diet easily (they come in powder and chocolate flavoured so keep reading for ideas) and its also great if you are someone trying to increase these nutrients but perhaps aren’t so keen on red meat. They’re also just a simple and sustainable way to add nutrition to your diet.
Crickets contain 69% protein. For building lean muscle mass and supporting metabolism, growth and immune function. Protein also helps satisfy hunger, keeping body composition goals on track. Crickets contain all 9 essential amino acids – the building blocks of protein that we must get from food – making it the ideal ‘complete protein’ source for optimal health.
They contain vitamin B12. For energy production, healthy nerves, immune function and production of red blood cells. Vegans and vegetarians are particularly at risk of B12 deficiency, as it is found almost exclusively in animal products. Salmon is often touted as a great source of B12 but did you know that crickets have 12 times more vitamin B12 than salmon? Insects are packed with vitamins!
They also contain iron. For growth, brain development, strength and energy metabolism. Crickets contain heme iron for maximum availability and absorption. Did you know that crickets have twice as much iron as beef (gram for gram)?
On top of these key nutrients they further provide a source of omega 3, calcium and potassium. Yep, I told you, real super food.
Lastly, this future food is a leading sustainable source of protein. There are significant economic and environmental reasons to be eating insects: Crickets require less land, water, feed and energy than many other popular protein sources including beef, chicken or pork.
How Do You Eat Crickets?
Well, if you’re hard core, you can eat roasted crickets straight out of the packet or if you’re like me I prefer to use the powdered crickets in baking like my banana bread recipe below or added to smoothies. If you are a first timer to trying crickets I would recommend starting off with the chocolate flavoured cricket protein powder.
Brave enough to try them? Here’s Your Free Sample.
I’ve teamed up with Grilo Protein so you can order a FREE SAMPLE of cricket powder to try. Head to this unique website link to order yours.
i’d love to know what you think. I’m hope you get to try adding them to this gluten free banana bread recipe. Share with us your experience in our Facebook Community or leave a comment below.
Hop you enjoy. LOL! Get it, hop! Face palm.
Here’s the recipe for my Lunch Box Friendly Banana Bread…
Lunch Box Friendly Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 large over ripe bananas chopped
- 1 large banana to decorate
- 1/3 cup coconut oil melted
- 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
- 3/4 cup organic desiccated coconut
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla bean powder (or good quality vanilla extract) (or extract)
Instructions
- Pre-heat fan-forced oven to 180°C.
- In a blender or food processor blend banana and melted coconut oil until smooth (be careful not to over blend)
- In a medium mixing bowl combine buckwheat, coconut, baking powder and vanilla. Add banana and coconut oil mixture and combine well.
- Pour batter into a lined loaf tin. Top with extra banana.
- Bake in oven for 55-60 minutes or until cooked through.
- Allow to cool on a baking before slicing.
Notes
This banana bread freezes well when sliced.
This recipe is one from my free recipe e-book. If you haven’t yet signed up to our newsletter click the FREE RECIPE EBOOK link at the top of our website.
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This recipe was created by nutritionist and recipe developer Casey-Lee Lyons.
