Banana Bundt Bread with Muesli Topping

As many of you know, I've recently had twins.  In fact, they turn six weeks on Wednesday, which is insane.  Most days it seems like the time has flown.  Of course though, there are the days that seem so dragged out, it seems impossible.  But hey, I think that's pretty normal when your sleep schedule (or lack thereof) is all over the place.  Often I am disoriented and my husband regularly catches me checking the mailbox on Sundays, and putting the garbage and recycle cans out on random non-pick up days of the week.  So forgive me; I said I would post this days ago, but hey, they fact that I remembered at all is pretty good.  Plus I still have my mom around to help babysit, though that alas, ends tomorrow.

Honestly though, recipe creation has helped my constant disorientation and sleepless state. Baking has and probably always will soothe me, and as an added benefit, I have something tasty to nibble on when I'm famished at 4:30am after already having been awake for hours and completed several sessions of pumping milk and feeding the girls.  Basically I have no plans to stop baking though it will be much longer until I resume running my own business.  Plus the twins were very used to being in the kitchen in utero; I'm sure that's why they don't mind being wrapped in a carrier or the Weego while I move around the kitchen to bake or clean bottles.  (Nope, I haven't been cooking.  I actually love baking but usually hate cooking, so having babies as an excuse not to prepare full meals has been pretty nice).  In the meantime though, you should be able to find some great allergen-free healthy treat recipes here, and trust me, they will all be relatively easy and quick to make, as I have found my free time dramatically limited thanks to these little nuggets.

Blair and Ivy: sneaky little sleep-robbers

Banana Bundt Bread with Muesli Topping
yields 4 mini bundts or one loaf

Ingredients:

1/4 cup gluten-free oats, ground into flour*
1/4 cup almonds, ground into flour*
1/4 cup gluten-free flour*
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
1/2 plus 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large banana, mashed (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup muesli or granola**

Directions:

1.  Spritz pans with oil and preheat oven to 350F.
2.  Whisk dry ingredients together.  *You can use 3/4 cup gluten-free all purpose flour, or all or partial oat or almond flour.  I ground oats and almonds into a flour-like consistency, and used 2 TBSP garbanzo bean flour and 2 TBSP brown rice flour, but any combination of gluten-free flours will do except coconut.
3.  Whisk wet ingredients together, and gently fold dry ingredients into the wet.
4.  Spoon muesli or granola into the bottoms of the pan (this will become the top, and you can also make a layer in the center between batter).  Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and depan.

** I used Seven Sundays Cocoa & Granola Muesli; a new gluten-free flavor that was sent to me as a holiday gift from the brand.  I love it, inhaled it, and am sad now that I cannot find it in my local Whole Foods.  Any muesli or granola should work great, though I have to say the cinnamon-honey-cocoa pieces in the Seven Sundays Muesli is pretty amazing if I do say so.

This recipe pairs pretty wonderfully with chamomile tea.  I also suspect coffee would be a tasty combination.  Or a coconut milk latter, perhaps.  Oh my, I would love one of those so much. With this bundt recipe.  I suspect a repeat of this treat is in the near future!