Is there anything better than crust?

Saturday mornings always used to be the favourite part of my week and they have formed some of my fondest memories. Combining my favourite meal of the day together with being a big foodie led Matt, the boys and I to driving around the suburbs of Melbourne trying new cafes for our Saturday breakfast. This used to be our ritual for many years.

Sure, there were always the favourites we would go back to, however, travelling 30 minutes to try somewhere different was always a highlight.  The boys would bring their games or loom bands with them to keep them occupied whilst Matt and I were able to spend a few moments reading the paper and enjoying our coffee in peace.

The standard order for the boys was a serve of multigrain toast with peanut butter.  Whilst it may be a 'boring' meal, the best part about this was that they both hated eating the crusts and that was my absolute FAVOURITE.  I mean, how could they not??? It's the best part of fresh bakery bread..... right!!!!

Therefore, I would snack on the crusts whilst waiting patiently for whatever egg, salmon, avocado, spinach, mushroom, tomato, etc, etc, etc dish I ordered which would give me some more toast to enjoy.  I was in my element.

BUT then as I discovered more about nutrition and the impact foods were having on my body, these indulgent Saturday mornings came to an end.  I swapped my crusty toast for chocolatey smoothies and chia puddings, which is definitely not something to be upset about.... chocolate in the morning, who wouldn't want that, especially when it's guilt-free??? However, there were definitely times when the crunch of that toast was going to be sorely missed.

With my love for cooking and constant inspiration to find healthy, alternative swaps to the foods that I love, I spend a lot of time flipping through recipe books and trialing new foods. After all, changing the way that you to eat to encourage health doesn't mean that you have to deprive yourself of the things that you love.  You can imagine how excited I was when I came across Teressa Cutter's Pumpkin Paleo Bread (recipe below).  I could get my 'toast' fix whilst feeding my body with nutrients that were going to support my health.  

So, for all you toast lovers out there, I just had to share the recipe with you.

​Method:
Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Line a loaf tin with parchment paper.
Place your grated pumpkin, eggs, salt, nutmeg and olive oil in a bowl and combine well.
Add your almond meal and baking paper and mix so that it is all combined.
Spoon the mixture into your prepared loaf tin.
Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours until golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 1 hour before removing.

Toast or grill and serve with your favourite toppings.

Makes 12 slices