gluten free vegan mango bread

Two days after graduating college I hopped on a red eye for Costa Rica with two girlfriends, one overstuffed backpacking bag, and a fresh passport that had never been used before.  This trip could have been called the "coming of age" trip for me, filled with so many firsts.  My first international flight.  My first big trip with friends.  My first time using just a backpack.  My first experience with giant crabs attempting to crawl into my shoes.  And my first experience with Costa Rican coffee.  

Oh, that coffee.  

This trip will forever be stained on my brain as it was filled with tons of adventures that changed me, molded me, made me take a chance and use a little courage, and brought out my independence.  

As we traveled from town to town, the first one just stayed with me.  I don't know if it was the frightening yet thrilling zip lining adventure or my first taste of this delectable coffee.  Yes, I'm going back to that coffee.  But to accompany the coffee, the little cafe we sat at gave us fresh mango.  Now this was my first time with a mango.  This fruit always seemed so foreign to me, I had no idea how to eat it, and never really had a chance to.  So when this sweet goodness touched my lips for the first time it was heaven, sweet, sweet heaven.  And ever since that day, the moment this sweet fruit comes near me so do the beautiful, wild, and crazy memories from Costa Rica. 

Enter Joy's Mango Vegan bread.  I first made this bread two years ago, after finally looking up how to cut a mango on You tube, and was completely surprised at how moist and delicious this bread was.  And from that moment it has become a summer tradition to make this bread, and most likely devour it all by myself.  

This summer I came across the ripest mango that was begging for me to take it home and turn it into bread.  But then I got to thinking...how could I make this gluten free AND sugar free?  Now, this was my first time ever experimenting and creating a recipe completely on my own AND it is delicious! 

Oh, and in case you need a little lesson like I did on how to cut a mango go here! 

As I mixed my ingredients together, placed my hope into the oven and set the time, I kept watching the clock-just waiting for it to go off to see how it turned out.  And what came out of the over was something extraordinary!  The first piece was a bit crumbly, but still so moist.  Oh, and this was husband approved, which means a lot since he isn't always a fan of baked goods! 

Gluten Free Vegan Mango Bread

2 large bananas or 3 medium bananas

1/4 c. coconut oil, melted

1/2 c. honey

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. gluten free flour (I used Trader Joe's)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1 ripe mango, sliced into chunks

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. 

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well.  Add the oil, honey, and vanilla extract, and whisk briskly to incorporate. 

Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt.  Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.  Fold in mango chunks. 

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with coconut sugar if you'd like.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a toothpick inserted through the center should come out clear. 

Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

half way there...

 I've officially reached the half-way mark in my pregnancy, and tomorrow I'll be at 21 weeks.  It feels surreal that we are half-way there, and at the same time some anxiety swells up inside of me thinking about everything we have to do still. 

This week was filled with lots of emotions.  The knowledge of the cyst definitely made us think in ways we have never had to think before.  Fortunately, God is so amazing.  He wiped away our worries with an angel of a midwife, and calmed our fears.  And in the midst of all of this, I could finally feel our little guy kick!  I officially know when he is moving, and Daniel has even been able to feel him.  It never fails that as soon as we lay down at night, he becomes very active.  And our nights have become filled with my quickly grabbing Daniel's hand so he can feel the kicks amidst tears brimming in my eyes over our sweet little gift.  

Sadly, sleep has become rather difficult and the last month I have struggled to fall and stay asleep.  But the greatest of joys should be arriving in the mail by this weekend...this body pillow!  After much research and going back and forth between a regular body pillow vs. a pregnancy one, we decided to go ahead and make the investment so that we both start getting some good sleep.  Heavens knows that sleeping will only get worse the farther along I am.  

So far, pregnancy is the greatest joy we have experienced and we can't wait to see our baby boy continue to grow!  

Just for fun, here's a blooper from pictures my ever so patient husband took...

{virtual} coffee date

If we were having coffee together this morning I would tell you that this week has been one where I have had to learn more and more about grace.  It seems that the moment I think I have a handle on grace, God shows me even more of what grace looks like.  I woke up Tuesday morning with only one thing on my mind: reading my bible.  It was all I wanted to do.  And it was as if the Lord was calling me to invest some time in Him, and remind me that I've been spending it in other places.  And that time with Him was precious. 

If we were having coffee together this morning I would share that we had a little scare with our little peanut.  Our "big" ultrasound was last week, and the following morning the doctor's office called (which naturally puts anyone in a state of uneasiness).  What we learned was that one marker popped up on our ultrasound, which is a choroid plexus cyst.  It's where the spinal cord fluid enters the brain and a tiny bubble forms.  Naturally, it scared us to pieces but once they reassured us that it was perfectly okay they then had to cover all their bases and scare us once more, telling us that it could be linked to trisomy 18.  All I can say is that my midwife is an angel.  A true angel.  She assured me that everything was perfectly fine with our baby, that all of his organs are developing wonderfully, that his cardiovascular system is perfect, and she just kept saying the word "perfect".  That amidst this little cyst, he was still perfect.  Not flawed, but made more perfect.  And this cyst will dissipate on its own, just. like. that. 

If we were having coffee this morning I would tell you that I walked into Bath & Body Works on a whim and picked up the most amazing pumpkin smelling candle ever.  I immediately wanted cozy weather, pumpkins galore, fresh baked bread, falling leaves, and apple cider.  Yes, my dears, I'm ready for fall.  And it was all I could do to not buy that candle.  However, as soon as I see a coupon it is top priority! 

If we were having coffee this morning I would tell you that my patience has been a bit off lately.  I'm usually a pretty patient person, but let me just say...it's been a struggle.  And I was definitely that girl at Redbox last night.  Standing in line while someone couldn't make up their mind, fidgeting like mad because it was driving me crazy, and fighting the impatience swelling up inside of me.  When it was finally my turn I got a piece of my own medicine when the movie I had planned to rent was gone.  Gone!  And then I turned into that person... frantically scrolling through the movies trying to pick something meanwhile ignoring the glooming stares from behind.  So I picked one I had never heard of, but looked like a girly movie, and bolted.  And the movie was terrible.  Lesson learned: work on my patience! 

If we were having coffee this morning I would tell you that this week Daniel has been so amazing.  When we got the news about the cyst he came home from work (which never happens) because he could hear the panic rising in my voice.  He came home and hugged me.  And it was all I needed.  After my little overnight adventure with my mom, I came home to the prettiest gerber daisies ever.  I'm reminded daily of how amazing he is!