Hanging in the sun has allowed these beauties to ripen nicely

My neighbor has banana trees that bore a bumper crop this year. One bunch fell off early and he gifted us the ultra-green bananas about two weeks ago. Being the rednecks we are, we used a tywrap and bungee cord to hang them from a porch rafter to see if they would ripen up.

They did!

So, as these bananas ripen, I’ll be using them to make some simple recipes. Today, I harvested four that had black spots and were perfect for a cake. These bananas are not super sweet but they are full of flavor. They are also smaller than most, only being about 4” long.

I used a tube pan for this cake, but you could use a bundt pan or make cupcakes, or even two loaves. Use what you have available. I like to serve it warm with butter or heavy cream.

Other upgrades you could make include adding dried fruit, nuts, or cinnamon chips. Play with it and make this recipe your own!

Spiced Banana Cake

INGREDIENTS:

4 Small Ripe Bananas (about 1-1/2 cups)

4 Eggs

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

1 t Vanilla

1 t Pumpkin Pie Spice or 1/2 t Ground Cinnamon + 1/4 t Ground Nutmeg + 1/8 t Ground Allspice + 1/8 t Ground Ginger

1/2 Cup Otto’s Cassava Flour

1-1/2 Cup Almond Flour

2 t Baking Powder

1/2 t Baking Soda

1/2 t Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat your cake pan with ghee or line your muffin tin with parchment liners.

Add bananas, eggs, syrup, and vanilla to a high-speed blender and mix until frothy, about 1-2 minutes on medium-high.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients.

Pour the banana mixture into the sifted dry ingredients and fold to combine. Pour batter into the prepared pan or cups and let set for 10 minutes.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the thick portion of the cake comes out clean. For muffins, bake 20 minutes and test for doneness before removing.

Serves 12 / Cal 109 / Fat 3.5 g / Carb 17 (15g net) / Protein 3.5 g

After a six, no wait, seven... Okay. For real though, it was probably actually about a year out of the routine of three to four and sometimes five days of group classes each week at a cross-fit style gym. There were a lot of contributing factors with my hiatus, but that's for another day.

I've signed up with Amber at Rising Tide Fitness to help me get back into the swing and lift of a regular training routine. My focus is on retraining proper lifting form & technique, and core stability. Amber is a US Marine and has a teacher's heart. She pushes me further than I can push myself, and that is what I want in a trainer. She & I sat down and had a conversation before she ever asked me to move a muscle. I really appreciated that. She was prepared and had several questions for me, and listened to what I expected out of one-on-one training versus the class setting I had experienced before.

Training with Amber at RTF.JPG — Squat Form

I've worked with Amber before, but never one-on-one. Right now we are keying on basics like squat form & shoulder progressions. Here Amber is guiding me about collapsing knees and strong posture. It's like I'm starting over again but it's a good thing.

Previously at Rising Tide, I attended the classes rather than going the personal training route. This decision was mostly based on the cost consideration and my husband & I attended class together a lot. However, no matter how much I loved the camaraderie of the class setting, it was too hard on me. I'm competitive and pushed too hard in classes to keep up with others or do the workout as prescribed (Rx). Autoimmune conditions require consideration when determining what physical activity will best suit. Working with someone like Amber who wants me to succeed as much as I do makes the needed adjustments easy.

Here are some things you should consider when determining how your own personal physical activity will look:

Cost. Yes, get the money question out of the way up front. You know your budget. Adding a cost that increases your stress can negate any positive results. Walking at the park or in your neighborhood is free. Gym memberships cost money. Personal Training can get expensive. Have that awkward conversation before you sign anything.
Time. How much time do you have to invest? Be realistic. Realize something else will be compromised to carve out time for classes, training, or walking the neighborhood. Consistency equals results.
Personality. Should you choose to go the route of a personal trainer, as I have, you need to make sure that your personalities are going to mesh. Lots of things can be taught, but personalities in adults are usually pretty set.
Comfort. If you're interviewing a trainer who makes you uncomfortable, ask for a reference to a trainer who will make you feel comfortable. Trainers & trainees may cross some awkward personal space lines. 'Nuff said.
Listening. Amber listened to me. She heard what I said about pace. She listened to my goals and wrote them down. Don't use a trainer who wants you to follow their agenda rather than programming for you. The opposite is true as well. Your trainer is a paid professional. Listen to them! I'm not paying Amber to be my therapist, she's there to help me improve my physical fitness. I'm sure as heck going to listen to her.

I'm going to be able to do one unassisted push-up by the end of 2018. I will listen to Amber and follow her programming. We will evaluate progress and adjust accordingly. I will groan & cry out in frustration. I'll show up. I'll work. I'll sweat. I'll be so much better for it.

Do you have anthing to be added to the list above? Have you had any good or bad experiences you would like to share? Comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say.

Nutrition Nuggets

Spiced Banana Bundt Cake