Paleo Pistachio Fig Newton Bread
Fig season BEST season, am I right or am I right!? I fell in love with figs last summer and you could say it’s getting pretty serious. I don’t see a breakup in our future anytime soon, especially with this paleo fig newton bread (with pistachios!!) in the mix.
Okay that’s a little lie because once these babies are out of season, I’m saying bye bye to them until next summer. By now you guys probably all know that I’m extremely passionate about sustainable eating. I try to do my best to eat local, eat in season and eat organic to help reduce my environmental footprint. Of course, I’m not perfect, but I truly do try to always be aware and conscious of what I’m buying and eating.
So many of us focus so greatly on treating our bodies with respect, so why not focus just as greatly on treating our planet with respect? The planet that PROVIDES us the healthy food we place in our bodies. But seriously… we only have one planet people!!! Let’s treat it as well as we treat our bodies.
With that being said, I know eating sustainably can seem intimidating if you’re new to the concept. How do I start eating in a way that doesn’t increase my environmental footprint like crazy? There’s so many aspects that go into it, so I’ll try to put it simply…
Eat organic: this one can be debatable but there is some data on how organic farming is better for the environment. This article from the Washington Post discusses this a bit and I like that it shows both sides of the argument really well! Organic can be better for the environment due to the lack of pesticides, using less energy and locking more carbon into the soil (among other reasons).
Buy produce without plastic: bring your own produce bags (I love these from Chico Bag) to the grocery store / farmers market and avoid pre-packaged produce. I know this can be hard, but just try your best. For example, Trader Joe’s? The WORST with prepackaged produce! It drives me nuts. I simply don’t buy produce there because why do my peppers need to be wrapped in plastic?! This can also get into not buying packaged food in general, but that’s a little hard to avoid at all costs. Just being mindful and conscious and not buying too much is helpful.
Eat locally: buying locally grown produce is better for the environment because it’s typically grown on small scale farms that use less energy, it travels fewer miles and it isn’t stored in massive fridges/freezers (once again cutting down on energy usage). Check your grocery stores for any local produce or shop at the farmers market! This also ties into my next point, because when you eat locally it’s a lot easier to eat seasonally.
Eat Seasonally: Eating with the seasons once again uses less energy because your food isn’t traveling from all over the world. Mind you, eating seasonally is dependent on where you live. This website is extremely helpful because you can just put in your state and the time of year that it is and find a whole list of in-season produce. I love shopping at the farmers market because it’s the easiest way to know everything you’re buying is in season! If it’s at your local market it was grown locally and therefore is in-season.
I know it can sound overwhelming and seem like the weight of the world is on your shoulders while grocery shopping, but the more you practice making sustainably-minded choices while at the store, the easier it will become. The more you choose seasonal eating over satisfying a craving, the more you will realize how our world depends on these choices.
It’s easy to not see how our individual actions can make a difference, but they DO. So let’s all agree to think more about the planet and how our food effects it. Our food doesn’t only determine the health of our bodies, but also the health of our world and our future!!
Okay, but back to this paleo fig newton bread. I love that it celebrates the tastes of summer with the figs and you bet I’ll be making it a few more times before figs disappear until next year. And if you love this recipe and love figs, grab a copy of my ebook to get the recipe for paleo fig newton stuffed cookies!!
XO nat
Paleo Pistachio Fig Newton Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup mashed figs about 5 fresh figs
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp almond butter
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped dried figs
- 2/3 cup pistachios
- 2 fresh figs
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a 9X5 inch bread pan by "greasing" with coconut oil.
- Start by mixing your dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Place your fresh figs (leaving at least 2 out for the top) in a food processor and blend until you have a liquid consistency. Measure out 1/4 cup and place in a separate large bowl.
- Then add your eggs, honey, melted coconut oil, almond butter and vanilla extract to the smashed figs and mix well.
- Slowly add your dry ingredients and wet ingredients, mixing until fully combined.
- Add in the chopped dried figs and pistachios and mix well.
- Pour batter into your prepared bread pan. Chop your leftover fresh figs and place on top, pressing into the batter.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, let cool and enjoy!