THE NEW ME... EUREKA (DAY 9) - A gluten free, natural sugars, no alcohol diet

 

Gluten free, coconut flour, banana tray-bake

With regards food, my day went OK, starting off with a chickpea salad for my early breakfast snack... super yummy!  However, my backlog of writing and paperwork caught up with me yesterday, so I decided to knuckle down.  With a 12 hour working day, sadly I didn't have the energy or inclination to go to the gym.  I think what I'll have to do is go to the gym first thing in the morning and get it over and done with, as I'm a morning person. 

Also, I had a relapse and consumed some wonderful chilled chardonnay as a treat. It was the research on English biscuits that did it, particularly as I'm a Rich Tea addict.  So what have wine and biscuits got in common?  Not dunking, as one dunks a biscuit in one's tea.  It was the fact that I was treatless.  I had nothing to look forward to.  Selfish I know, but I love making cakes, I love eating them, and I love wine.  I'm determined to remain gluten free as much as I can.  Thus I gave way to alcohol. 

Then a 'Eureka' moment came.  Taff walked in with a bag of 100% coconut flour.  Thanks to William Davis (author of Wheat Belly), I discovered that you can use this flour as a gluten flour substitute. 

As most of my cakes are based on the 4, 4, 4, 2 method - 4 oz SR flour, 4 oz sugar, 4 oz butter, 2 eggs - I thought I'd wing it and try and make a cake.  Unlike gluten free flour, where you just substitute gluten flour with gluten free flour, coconut flour behaves differently.  Yet, knowing what consistency I was aiming for I was able to produce a wonderful tray-bake. Even Taff (who's on a special diet, which is also gluten free) had some.  I was well chuffed.

Gluten free, coconut flour, banana tray-bake

Ingredients
4 oz salted butter
1/4 cup Stevia (sugar replacement)
2 very heaped cups of coconut flour
2 bananas (squashed)
ground mixed spice (approx. 2 heaped tsps.)
2 heaped tsps. baking powder
3 eggs
tap water

Method

1. But the butter, sugar and flour into a bowl.  Using your clean hands, mix together as if doing a
    crumble topping (although as you are using coconut flour don't expect a crumble texture).

2. Add the bananas (squashed with the hands or mashed), spice and baking powder.  Mix together
    with your hands.

3. Add the eggs and stir.

4. Add water to get a smooth thickish consistency.

5. Pour into a lined (with greaseproof paper) rectangular tin and press down the top with the back of
    a spoon to level the mixture.

6. Bake in the oven (gas mark 4, 180 °c, 350 °c) until brown on the top and cooked in the centre
    (approx. 20 - 30 minutes even longer depending on how wet the mixture is).

7.  When still warm, empty the cake onto a wire rack or clean chopping board.  Peel off the
     greaseproof paper.

8.  When cool, cut into slices.


Yummy!  Why not have a go.


Going back to my diet, this is what I ate.


What I ate yesterday (Day 8)

Snack
1 pint water
Chickpea salad (olive oil, red wine vinegar, ground black pepper, garlic, cucumber, garam masala,
        sliced raw leeks, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, coriander.
        - different recipe to the previous day as I tend to use up what we've got in the fridge, in that we
          had no spring onion, so I used leeks.  White or even red onion would do just as good.

Brunch
1 slice ham
1 slice turkey
Grape nut and celery salad - with a small amount with salad cream and Greek style yoghurt
1 bowl Greek style yoghurt - pudding
1 glass water

Snack
1 slice turkey
1 small potato with salad cream

Dinner
Ploughmans - mature Cheddar cheese, 1 slice ham, 1 slice turkey, 1 hard boiled egg, fried potatoes
       (coconut oil), cucumber and cherry tomatoes in a red wine vinegar, pickled beetroot
1 glass water
Wine
2 pieces coconut flour banana cake

I still MUST TRY HARDER, particularly when it comes to giving up wine and doing exercise. 


Signing out

Pam
:)

Writer, creator and thinker
website - pamandtaffjones.com
Mummy of Nancy Jones (star of 'Tales of Nancy Jones' children's book by Taff Jones)