CARROT CAKE BANANA BREAD (EASY, HIGH PROTEIN)
IF YOU ARE A CARROT CAKE LOVER LIKE I AM THIS HIGH PROTEIN BREAKFAST BREAD WILL AWAKEN YOUR SENSES AND CREATE A MACRO FRIENDLY BALANCED BREAKFAST!
My all-time favorite cake is carrot cake, so I’m constantly perfecting my “healthified” version to taste as close as possible to the real thing. After making this most recent version, I think I’ve finally done it! This recipe is a must-try if you love carrot cake as much as I do!
This high protein carrot cake recipe combines gluten free flour, spices, and protein powder with freshly grated carrots, eggs, and apple sauce to create a low fat cake that’s still incredibly moist.
Even if you don’t really watch your calories or macros, you can rest easy knowing every slice of this delicious carrot cake has 7.9 grams of protein.
Protein Powder - why cook with it?!
Well, most of us don’t get our daily recommended amount especially if you are training daily. Protein participates in practically every process of a cell. It plays a part in metabolic reactions, immune response, protein provides a source of energy, assists in cellular repair, form blood cells, and more! See where I’m going here?!
How much protein do you need?
Protein provides the same energy density as carbohydrates. BUT! The body does not store proteins in the same way it stores carbohydrates and fats. This means that you need to consume protein everyday. There are differing opinions about just how much protein you need each day. This is due in part to the number of things that affect how much protein your body needs.
The amount of energy your body uses, your age, sex, body weight, activity levels, health conditions, and a number of other factors influence how much protein you need on the daily. This makes it a little more trial and error for each individual to try and establish an exact number for how much protein someone should consume on a daily basis. I’ve been told to eat a certain amount based on calculations but it was simply a bit too much for body so I had to back off. I now hover around 130-150g daily.
Something to note, if you’re an athlete, or you do strengthening exercise every day, you may need more protein than the average recommendation.
Carrot Cake Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup applesauce (low fat version) or you can use 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 3T maple syrup (optional) I find the bananas are sweet enough!
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
- 2 eggs / sub flax eggs for vegan!
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa flour
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease + line loaf pan and set aside.
- Shred carrots in food processor.
- In a large bowl, mash bananas, add all wet ingredients, including carrots and whisk to combine.
- Fold in dry ingredients until well incorporated.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool before slicing and enjoy! I HIGHLY recommend eating with a slather or grass-fed butter, cream cheese, or a sprinkle of chocolate chips!
What are the best sources of protein?
Many people look to supplements to increase the amount of protein they consume, but most people can get the protein they need each day from foods. You got that right from REAL FOOD! The foods you eat also provide other essential nutrients so I find it’s best to consume from real food always as a general rule of thumb.
Both plants and animals provide good sources of protein. One thing to note, as plant based is becoming more popular by the day, it’s important to note, that while many plants provide protein, most do not provide all of the essential amino acids. Foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, quinoa, and soybeans are all sources of complete protein – which means they provide all nine essential amino acids. Yes, please!
There are so many foods that from plants as well, including fruits, legumes, seeds, nuts, whole grains, cereals, all provide protein. However, since plant proteins are not complete proteins, it’s important to know which amino acids these foods provide, especially if you do not eat meat or dairy. You should try to make a point to eat a variety of plant protein to ensure that you get all of the essential amino acids.
Within my coaching practice I typically like as a rule of thumb, if you get half your protein from animal sources, those complete proteins mean you can get the rest of your protein from plant sources without worrying about how complete those plant proteins are. Plant protein is lower in saturated fats than animal protein, so there’s a health advantage to increasing the proportion of plant sources.
A healthy diet is important to maintaining good health!
My favorite protein powder to bake with?! I thought you’d NEVER ask!
The recipe calls for my favorite NuZest Protein Powder, I love baking with this! If your carrot cake batter seems very runny, add some more protein powder to help thicken it up!
Banana Bread Ingredients: The ingredients to this recipe are pretty similar to a normal paleo banana bread, but with added protein:
Nutrition: Calories 139 Fat 2.4g, Carbs 21.7g, Protein 7.9g, Sugar 7.7g
