Recipe Roundup – Protein Loaf

First, let me preface this by saying, don’t judge the recipe by the title. While I don’t think the title sounds bad (I’m a big fan of loaves of all sorts), most people I have mentioned this recipe to find it a big turnoff.

This recipe is a great recipe for those of us who are trying to find low-carb options but who have a weakness for baked goods like muffins, cookies, and banana breads. The fact it also has high protein is just a plus!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of banana, mashed (It helps if the banana is very ripe)
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/4 plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (I subbed in the Greek yogurt as I don’t like cottage cheese)
• 1/2 cup of oats
• 2 cups of walnut, ground (I found it’s easier to buy walnuts and grind them myself)
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• 150 grams of whey protein powder (I used chocolate, but the recipe calls for vanilla. You’ll need to check how much your protein powder scoop holds, it varies from brand to brand, but 150 grams is usually 4-6 scoops)
• Olive oil cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
2. Combine the oats, ground walnut, protein powder, and baking soda in a medium – large bowl. Stir until evenly mixed.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and then combine with the Greek yogurt (or cottage cheese) and mashed banana.
4. Slowly add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients until evenly incorporated. This will have a sticky, slightly clumpy consistency.
5. Lightly coat a 9×9 (I used 8×8) inch baking pan with the olive oil spray and transfer the mixture to the pan.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the edges (it may not come out fully clean from the middle, but it will finish once removed from the oven).
   • Note: Be careful not to overcook (ie. do not try to get a toothpick to come out clean from the middle, etc.) as this recipe will dry out very quickly if left in the oven too long.
7. Let cool, slice, and enjoy or store in the fridge or freezer, individually wrapped.

I found this recipe extremely good, even if my first try at it turned out a little dry as I was aiming for a clean toothpick from the middle. I cut it into 4 big squares and take it for lunch or breakfast at the office. Since I had 4 scoops of protein in my mix, each serving comes to about 30-35 grams of protein, which is perfect.

2 quarters of my protein loaf. Each has 30-35 grams of protein and makes a very fulfilling meal.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find I could cut flour out of my loaf baking as well as sub in protein powder. Baked goods are one of the things I miss the most with this new low-carb/no-starch eating style, so this is a big find that will allow me to still enjoy some of what I had to cut out. I’m messing around with substitutions like peanuts or almonds in place of walnuts, and coconut or other fruits either in place of, or in addition to, the banana.

If you give this a try, or plan to, feel free to let me know how it goes and your thoughts on the recipe! I’d love to hear how others find it.