Are you a banana and chocolate lover? and do you also have a sweet tooth? well, then the universe has brought you to the right page! :) I promise you will enjoy every bite of this recipe, specially as an afternoon snack.
Does it happen to you too that, as the days goes on, you start feeling drained and with zero energies by the time you close your laptop or the evening arrives? At least to me it happens. Day jobs can be energising but also draining. And maybe it is not the job itself, but the people you need to interact with in order to accomplish your tasks. Either ways, when we are having this low battery level, our body starts craving for sugar - leading us to make unhealthy choices!
I mentioned in the previous blog posts, and I will do it in this one was well: if we want to make healthy choices, we need to enable our environment to allow us to do so. We need to plan meals and snacks ahead. And how we do it? Blocking at least one afternoon, better at the end of the week (e.g. Sunday), to create a meal plan and a shopping list of wholesome food. Additionally, we will also need Tupperwares to have the meals and snacks stored for the busy week. If you work in an office, having a bag to carry your meals is also very useful.
Bananas and Dark Chocolate are wholesome options to give us that energy kick that we need, when we fail drained. They are rich in fiber and magnesium, nutrients we need also for the optimal functioning of our muscles. They are also full in antioxidants and may also aid to weight loss. The content of the rest of the square is also very rich in fibers: oats, almonds, flax seeds. The extra virgin coconut oil is bringing us an additional benefit, by increasing the good cholesterol levels. Studies have also proven that the coconut oil has antioxidants properties and can help improving digestion.
Date syrup, on the other hand, is maybe the less "healthy" ingredients over here. Although, taking it in a moderate manner, I would still consider it as healthy! it is packed with fiber and natural sugars, ideal to give us also an energy kick when we feel completely exhausted!
Overall, together with the Healthy Snickers Squares, the Banana Chocolate Squares are one of my favorite self-love treats!
Ingredients:
50gr gluten free oats
50gr almond meal
Flax Eggs (1 tbsp flaxseeds, 2 tbsp + 1/2 water, soak for 10mins)
Date syrup to taste
1 1/2 tsp coconut oil (no need to melt it before!)
1 banana
Dark chocolate half package (I use the 70% Cacao from Lindt)
Optional: Sea salt to taste
Start with the Flax Eggs. In a small bowl, add a tablespoon flax seeds and then the right amount of water. Set it aside and let the flax seeds soak for 10-30min.
In a dry blender container, add the oats and blend them in high speed until reaching a flour-like consistency. Add the almonds meal, the coconut oil, date syrup and part of the Flax Eggs to the mix and blend it in medium speed until reaching a sticky consistency. Then add the rest of the Flax Eggs and blend everything further together in medium speed for about 20 seconds. At the end, the dough should be sticky and consistent!
Transfer the dough to a square baking tin (Tupperware also works, like I show it in the video). I use clips to hold the baking paper, so it does not move around when working on the dough. Give the square shape to the dough, making it thick rather than flat.
Cut the banana in slices and add on top to the dough. You can leave it outside or place it in the fridge, while we melt the chocolate.
Melting the chocolate al baño maria - add water to one pan, and on top of it, place another pan (smaller size) with the chocolate. You boil the water of the first pan, so the pan on top starts heating and melts the chocolate. In this way we are avoiding many KCALs of butter ;-)
Pour the melted chocolate on top of the banana and set it aside for on hour to the fridge... or if you like to have the chocolate extra hard, then leave it longer in the fridge!
You may wanna make extra jealous your pet ;-)
Hope you enjoy this yummi treat as much as I have enjoyed it!
Use #eatwithzohar to find out your yummi guilt-free versions of my recipes!
xx
Zohar