This morning I pushed my way through a solid 45 minute bike ride for day 20 of the Oxygen Challenge with Christmas Abbott, which resulted in over 10 miles on the saddle, which is my longest ride, to date. I usually give in around 5 miles and call it a day, but this morning I stuck with the plan and let me just say that it feels amazing! However, after cooling down, I felt a craving for something starchy creeping up on me. While this isn’t exactly part of the Bad Ass Body Diet, I thought I’d share a delicious “nearly” paleo bread recipe, as it’s one of my favorites, super simple to make and holds up great for days after in the refrigerator. Enjoy…

Coffee Cup Optional

This one has some simple, but tasty ingredients. I used superfine almond flour for this batch, which turned out great, but I have also used standard almond meal – it’s really your preference. As for the liquor, the Evan Williams bourbon is our house whiskey, but you could get creative here and use what suits your specific tastes. You won’t use much, so it’s more of a water replacement for the moisture, but with a little kick of flavor.

The almond oil is also optional, you could go with your favorite oil here – but I prefer the flavor and lightness of the almond oil. It’s also my go-to product for salad dressings, even alone it’s delicious!

Parchment paper is my friend!

Let’s talk about parchment paper. If you haven’t used it for baking, you might want to consider giving it a try. I’m in love with the ease of parchment paper. In this case, I line the pan with the paper, and pour in the batter. No greasing the pan, no mess, and easy clean up. When the bread is done you just lift up the paper to remove the loaf from the pan. Simply brilliant!

Bourbon Banana Blueberry Bread

Ingredients:

1 Cup Almond Flour
1/4 Cup Coconut Flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Soda
3 Eggs
1/4 Cup 100% Pure Maple Syrup
2 Tbs Almond Oil or Oil of your choice
2 Tbs Bourbon or Whiskey of your choice (substitute water for full paleo)
2 Very Ripe Bananas
3/4 Cup Fresh Blueberries – Use a bit more or less, depending on your preference

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
• Combine all of your dry ingredients into a large bowl
• In a separate bowl, mash your ripe bananas, then mix in the rest of your wet ingredients
• Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and use either a hand mixer or a whisk to blend together well
• Slowly fold in the blueberries
• Place parchment paper in a loaf pan and pour the batter into the center of the pan and distribute evenly
• Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick or fork come out clean
• Grab opposite ends of the parchment paper to lift the bread out of the pan, set aside and allow to cool on the paper
• Give it some time to cool as the blueberries will be very hot – then slice and enjoy!