Banana Bread Muffins

If there is one thing that makes my heart break, it is to throw away fruit that has gone bad. So when I have a few bananas that are just too ripe to eat, I go for my collection of muffin recipes.

Banana Bread Muffins

Cooking spray

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2/3 cup unpacked brown sugar

3 large ripe bananas, mashed

2 tsp lemon zest

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp table salt

1/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat muffin tins with cooking spray. Blend together oil and brown sugar. Beat in bananas, lemon zest, egg and egg white.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Gently stir half the flour mixture into banana mixture; stir in buttermilk and the remaining flour mixture.

Divide batter among muffin tins. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 15-16 minutes. Let cool in pans and enjoy!

Yoga Muffins

Ok, guys, be prepared. After making/eating these muffins, you will wonder why you ever made any other kind of muffin.

Although we live in a world of giant chocolate Costco muffins which have (don't look if you want to keep eating these without fear of imminent death) about 690 calories, a whopping 38 grams of fat, and 48 grams of sugar, we deserve better. Talk about diabetes-inducing food. Terrible. And delicious. Terribly delicious.

Luckily I found this version of muffins - perhaps not as dessert-y, but much more appropriate for a breakfast and much more filling. I actually thought they were sweet enough that I could eat them for dessert!

I'm telling you, these are amazing. And healthy. And super easy. Can't get much better than that!

 

Yoga Muffins
modified from Tasty Kitchen
makes 12 regular-size muffins, or 6 jumbo muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
1 large egg OR 1/4 cup egg beaters
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup mashed ripe banana, about 2 small
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12 or 6 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix together brown sugar, egg, applesauce, and mashed banana.

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

Fill each muffin cup completely with big spoonfuls of batter. Bake for about 30 minutes. Do some yoga in the meantime, then eat one warm from the oven and smile. :)

Enjoy!

*Notes: On the Tasty Kitchen version, she suggests adding chopped apples and walnuts to the recipe, but I don't love either so I just used the blueberries. It's a pretty flexible recipe, so you can use different kinds of flours or fruit.

These also freeze really well - I usually make a dozen, then freeze half the batch and take them out one by one at night for breakfast the next morning. Delightful!