There’s something that just feels so naughty yet so right about eating a donut, especially, for breakfast. I personally consider donuts to be high up there on the comfort food/I’m-going-to-treat-myself-because-I-totally-deserve-it pyramid. But here’s the thing, I don’t just want to eat a donut once in a while. I want be able to eat donuts often, and for breakfast! That being said, and although I’m a firm believer of the 80-20 rule (eat really good-for-you food 80% of the time and indulge 20% of the time), I can’t eat a regular donut every morning. That’s way beyond the 20% of indulgence, even according to my standards. Bakery style donuts are heaven in your mouth but they are literally the not-so-good-for-you kind of calorie/fat/sugar bombs. And although they taste amazing, they leave me feeling slightly lethargic. Like, I need to take a nap after this, kind of lethargic. Not something I can afford to do on a Tuesday morning, with a to-do list that looks like Santa Clause’ gift list!
So what to do… make a healthy donut!
So this is what I set out to do. I wanted my donut to resemble the texture and softness of a real donut but I also wanted it to have a little more consistency, not like when you bite into those air-like fluffy donuts, so I don’t have to eat 5 of them to feel like I had a decent breakfast. It also had to be something I was ok giving my 15 month old because he is now at a stage were he wants to eat everything me and my husband eat. And I mean EVERYTHING…
So with a few trials and errors, I think I finally nailed it. This donut is nutrient packed with bananas, oatmeal, high protein pea mylk and almond butter. And I can personally attest to the fact that you don’t need to eat many to be satisfied. I ate 2 and was happily full. No lethargy, no guilt. And this is definitely something you’ll feel good about feeding the entire family. My son had one for breakfast, along with a glass of almond mylk.
Now before we continue on with the recipe, I want to come back to something I wrote at the beginning of this post that I want to clarify a bit: the “I’m-going-to-treat-myself-because-I-totally-deserve-it pyramid”. A few blog posts back, I talked about rewarding yourself with food and how I wasn’t against it at all. Truthfully, that is how I personally reward myself, because food is such an integral part of my life. A passion, really. But here’s something important to take into consideration: I don’t use food to fill a void. I don’t use food as a coping mechanism because I don’t want to deal with certain things/people/emotions/situations in my life. I reward myself with food because I love food, I love cooking food, I love sharing food with others and I get great pleasure from the experience of it all. I don’t indulge to numb some deep hidden pain or forget about what’s going on inside or outside. Rewarding yourself should come out of self-love. To offer yourself something you enjoy and that is good for you. For some, it’s taking the time to sit down with a cup of tea and read a book, for others, it’s going to the spa for a massage, others will choose to do a yoga class or take a bubble bath surrounded by candles and essential oil diffusers. Me, I choose to go to my favourite restaurant with my loved ones or have friends over and share a meal. It’s as much about the experience as it is about the food, which makes it feel so rewarding. And it all comes from self-love, not self-sabotage.
I hope you guys enjoy baking and sharing these donuts with your family and loved ones. Leave me a comment and let me know how you like to reward yourself.
xx
- 2 Tbs chia seeds, ground
- 6 Tbs water
- 1 Cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 Cup spelt flour
- 1/2 Cup large rolled oats
- 1/4 Cup agave nectar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Cup bananas, mashed
- 2/3 Cup mylk alternative (I used pea mylk)
- 2 Tbs coconut oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup creamy almond butter
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Grease a donut pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the ground chia seeds and water and set aside. Allow to set for at least 5 minutes.
- In a medium size bowl, add the mashed bananas, agave nectar, mylk, oil, vanilla extract and almond butter. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Add in the chocolate chips after batter has been mixed.
- Spoon batter into donut pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
EN 
FR