sugar free

Aunt Shirley’s Sugarless Banana Walnut Cake

This week my Great-Aunt Shirley went to be with the Lord. She was remarkably witty and kind, and very much a part of my childhood. She was also a diabetic, although I never heard her complain. She and my grandmother were diligent in controlling the disease as much as possible with their diet. In her memory, I wanted to share one of her recipes. I think this is my first purposefully published sugar-free recipe; which seems befitting. And I’ll tell you what I love about it (besides that it came from my great-aunt), is that she didn’t try and substitute the sugar with something artificial. The bananas are the only sweetness, and the walnuts actually shine. I think it would be great served warm with a small pat of butter in the morning with your coffee. Or, depending on your GI intake, I might drizzle a small amount of honey (maybe a tablespoon or so for the whole cake – 9 servings) over the top while it is warm and can soak it up to represent more of a dessert to which we are accustomed. Enjoy.

As organic as possible:

2/3 cup mashed Bananas (approx 2)

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine, softened

3 Eggs

2 cups all-purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

3/4 cup Water

1 cup Walnuts

In a mixing bowl, beat bananas and butter until creamy.

Add eggs and beat well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon; add to banana mixture alternately wit water, beating well after each addition.

Stir in nuts.

Spoon into a greased 9 inch square baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool. Yield: 9 servings.

Because I just have to, here is a picture of my grandma (top left) with her brother and sisters, Aunt Shirley is top center.

And this is Aunt Shirley as I will always remember her.

 

Loving Lately ❤

I am a huge advocate for eating well. I am not a dietician, and I certainly could practice more moderation, but I am whole-heartedly in agreement with trying to eat your vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. through your food. I have said before, and I’ll say it again; I am a believer in eating organic and non GMO/GEI crazy food experiments. I understand it can be costly which is why I always say “as organic as possible,” because every bit is a step in the right direction.

I am also always interested about specific foods and they’re health benefits. Not too long ago, a fellow blogger wrote an interesting post on the benefits of parsley. I believe herbs (and spices) in general have health potentials we haven’t begun to fully understand. And when I see something as informational as this, I’ve got to pass it along!

Loving Lately #1: Parsley

From Cooking Without Limits: Click “Parsley” for the full read.

Loving Lately #2: La Croix

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Sometimes you just got to have some fizz in your drink and nothing else will do. Honestly diet drinks scare me. Fake sugar of any kind is linked to cancer and all sorts of other issues, and no joke I think it erases peoples’ brains. So, I try to avoid it. On the other hand too much sugar is a bad thing too. I personally don’t do well with big doses of sugar, and I certainly don’t need the extra calories. Enter La Croix, sparkling water but better! It’s just right. It’s flavored; it’s fizzy; it’s zero calories; it’s sodium free; it’s love. Currently my favorite flavor is Peach-Pear.