Banana and Date Smoothie

I had this smoothie at a cafe in the Middle East over Christmas. Such a perfect combination of flavours – I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it earlier. At the time I was hungry but didn’t feel like eating a large meal. This smoothie was the perfect remedy for curbing the hunger pangs. I was determined to make myself one as soon as I got home but forgot all about it until this weekend when I rediscovered it in a café in Avalon. It was a hot day, too hot to eat a proper lunch, so once again I turned to this smoothie for a quick fix. I use full fat milk and yoghurt so I get a good combination of fat, protein and carbs in one drink. You can of course swap for low fat dairy options or soy.  Dates are high in fibre, non haem iron, selenium and potassium. They can help reduce cholesterol, improve bowel function, build blood and prevent oxidation in the body. They are also rich in other vitamins and minerals such as B complex, calcium and magnesium. Dates contain lots of simple sugars making them ideal for an instant energy boost. Bananas are also high in potassium, fibre, magnesium and B6 and in simple sugars when ripe. I like to combine these fruits with full fat dairy in an attempt to slow down the absorption of the sugars into the bloodstream. You could add a couple of prunes for extra fibre if you like. This is a calorie-laden smoothie but it tastes good and its full of good stuff.

• 1/3 cup of boiling water
• 4 dried dates (pitted)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 ½  tablespoon of organic full fat natural yoghurt
• Organic unhomogenised full fat milk

Soak the dates in the hot water for 30 minutes until soft. Then combine the dates, soaking water, banana and yoghurt in a blender and blend until smooth. Add milk to a smoothie thickness of your liking as you blend.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

I don’t know whether it’s the word ‘bread’ but there is a misconception that banana bread is a healthy option for breakfast. In actual fact, you might as well eat cake to start off your day. With lots of sugar and fat and being pretty much devoid of protein and good fibre, banana bread should be seen as a treat, not part of the everyday diet. Yes, the sugar will give a boost in the morning but an hour or so later, the high will wear off and you will be left feeling tired and reaching for coffee and snacks (see my July post on breakfast). However some banana breads are better than others such as those made with very ripe bananas instead of sugar, yoghurt in the place of butter and healthy alternatives to white flour.

The carbohydrate in an unripe banana is mostly in the form of starch, but in a ripe banana, the starch is converted to glucose giving it a much sweeter taste. Therefore, very ripe bananas, the black ones that look like they are ready for the bin, can be used to sweeten banana bread instead of copious amounts of sugar. These are the ones I have used in this recipe so I only need to add a small amount of honey to the mix. But don’t forget, although you are eating natural sugar, it’s still sugar! This recipe also substitutes yoghurt and a small amount of olive oil for butter which reduces the saturated fat content found in many banana breads.

Finally, there are few banana breads out there that cater for wheat free or gluten free diets. I have used a mixture of buckwheat flour and coconut flour, neither of which contain any wheat or gluten. Coconut flour has the highest fibre content of any flour with a staggering 38.5g of fibre per 100g and has a low concentration of digestible carbohydrates. Clinical studies have found that coconut flour lowers the GI of foods when used in baking.


1¼ cup organic buckwheat flour
¾ cup organic coconut flour
1 tsp low allergy baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1½ cups ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup low fat natural yoghurt
2 tbsp honey
2 large eggs
¼ cup olive oil

Heat oven to 180 deg C, mix all dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together and then fold carefully into dry ingredients until combined. Pour into a greased loaf tin and put in the oven for 50 minutes until golden brown. Can be stored in the fridge for a few days.