Whole Wheat Banana Oat Muffins (No Sugar Added)

Thank goodness it is Friday! It has been one heck of a week. I'm looking forward to a weekend of relaxation and fun... bring on the sunshine.

I gave up sweets, junk food, and really anything that tastes great for Lent, in hopes of losing some weight. I've put on a few pounds since last summer and I'm determined to shed it! It really hasn't been too hard, but I've had my moments. Sometimes, I just want a muffin. Or some ice cream. Or a brownie. Or a caramel macchiato. OK, so maybe it's been sort of hard. BUT, I can now have a muffin and not feel bad about it with this recipe! These Whole Wheat Banana Oat Muffins are a healthy alternative to the muffins at the bakery or grocery store. They're packed with good-for-you ingredients that you can actually pronounce and there's no added sugar. 

These muffins are the perfect breakfast, mid-day snack, or dessert. They're moist, delicious, and nutritious-- you can't go wrong. Try them today!

Whole Wheat Banana Oat Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour (or half wheat and half all-purpose)
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, mashed (the riper the banana is, the sweeter the banana will be)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon olive oil

*Optional: I didn't add any sweetener to my muffins, but if you want to add some sweetness add in 1/4 to 1/2 cup sweetener (brown sugar, sugar, honey, etc.)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350* and line a muffin pan with foil-lined baking cups (if you don't have foil-lined cups, spray paper cups with non-stick spray- otherwise these muffins will stick!). In a small mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients. (I mash the bananas in the large bowl and beat the eggs in a small bowl, then transfer them to the bowl with the bananas.) Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until well combined. Pour the batter into the baking cups and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Oh, and I need to mention that a slather of nut butter takes these muffins over the top. You won't even miss not having sugar. Promise!

Do you have any favorite "skinny" or "lightened up" dessert/snack recipes?

Blueberry Muffin French Toast + Bosu Circuit

Good Morning and Happy Saturday. I just love weekends :)

Remember those Blueberry Muffins that I shared with you on Wednesday? Well, if you didn't make them, you're missing out! Why, you ask? Because today, I'm turning the leftover muffins into French toast- that's right, Blueberry Muffin French Toast.

It all starts with my go-to French Toast recipe. First, scramble an egg. Next, add a splash of milk, a pinch of salt, and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Mix all of the ingredients until well combined. Slice your leftover muffins in halves or thirds and dip into the wet mixture.

Cook the muffin slices over medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides.

Ahhhh, Blueberry Muffin French Toast perfection!

And it only gets better with a drizzle of syrup. Ok, maybe two drizzles.

 

And after you indulge with this ah-maz-ing French toast, you can get moving with this Bosu Blast Circuit I created.

If you're not familiar with Bosu balls, they have a flat platform on one side and a rubber dome on the other. It naturally creates instability and it encourages you to use your core to keep balanced during your workouts.

Don't have a Bosu ball at home? If you have a gym membership, your gym probably has one that you can use. Otherwise, most of these exercises can be done without the Bosu.

And if you don't feel comfortable using the Bosu, please do the exercises without it-- Bosu balls create instability and I don't want anyone to injure themselves. Listen to your body!



Any plans for the weekend?
I've got a run scheduled today (4 miles) and plan on doing nothing else for the rest of the day, but try to stay warm! We went from kind-of-like-fall to winter weather here on the island.

Easy Blueberry Muffins

Hello, hello. It's Wednesday!

I hope your week is off to a great start. I'm working on some new material for my classes and I'm right on schedule with my running plan- today's run is an easy 2 miles. I never thought that I would actually be excited to run again, but it really is exciting and I feel so refreshed after each run. I have noticed that my left knee starts to ache when I try to work on my speed, so I back off a bit and listen to my body when that happens. Otherwise, it's all good; my cardiovascular endurance has certainly improved since last year, which really helps :)

Anyway....

Do you guys like blueberries? Blueberries never go to waste in my house. I love topping oatmeal or bran cereal with fresh blueberries and I also eat them by the handful. I know they're not quite in season anymore, which is a shame, because it seems that I want them the most when they're not fresh and local.

Blueberries.

I've been searching for the perfect blueberry muffin for years. You see, my boyfriend loves blueberry muffins. His favorite ones are from Whole Foods- right in the bakery area- the kind with the streusel and sugar on top. If you've ever had a blueberry muffin from Whole Foods, you know what kind of muffin I'm competing with... it's not even a competition. Needless to say, I've tried quite a few recipes over the years, hoping to make something that compares. And while this recipe didn't quite pass his test, I still thought they were great. I've even included a streusel recipe that will take this muffin to a whole new level.

These muffins are great at breakfast or alongside your afternoon coffee or tea.


Makes one dozen regular sized muffins.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup oil (vegetable, canola, or even applesauce)
1 egg
1/3 cup skim milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*F and line a muffin pan with liners or spray with cooking spray.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, oil, and milk. Combine the wet and dry mixtures.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Evenly distribute the batter between the muffin tins. Optional: top muffin batter with streusel topping (see recipe below).

Bake for 18 minutes or  until done.

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Mix ingredients together with a fork and sprinkle over muffins before baking.


Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Happy Saturday everyone! I have a full weekend free from work-- I can hardly believe it! Before I go on my training run, I wanted to share a delicious recipe with all of you. Blogland has been on a pumpkin rampage since fall rolled around, so it's about time I pitched in and celebrated fall with a pumpkin recipe.

It's the weekend and weekends call for special treats! I made these White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins last weekend while I was on my pumpkin kick and oh my... they were pretty tasty! Totally decadent, but really moist and flavorful. You should make these ASAP.

Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

2 eggs

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

heaping 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup white chocolate chips (feel free to use anywhere between 1/2 and 1 cup)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400*F. Fill the muffin pan with muffin liners (if you don't have any, cooking spray and flour work well).

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add the remaining wet ingredients. Mix well.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.

Slowly incorporate the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Fold in the white chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Banana-Coconut Wheat Muffins

Happy September! I'm so ready for fall weather, boots, scarves, and cool evenings!

I know I just posted about my Banana Muffin Tops a few days ago, but while the recipe was fresh in my mind, I played around with it to make it a little more "me". You need to make these right away. They are so good! AND, the best part, they are just 71 calories each!


PS- these muffins freeze beautifully and defrost in no time at all. Paired with a cup of coffee, one of these muffins make the perfect pick-me-up snack. Don't ask me how I know...

Banana-Coconut Wheat Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1/4 cup light butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375*F and line a muffin plan with cupcake tins.

In a small bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until well combined.

Divide the batter among the tins and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Banana Muffin Tops

Hello, hello. I hope you are all having a great day. I'm sharing another yummy muffin top recipe today. I've used the pan twice now and I absolutely love it. It was the best $6 I've ever spent!

I love banana bread and I love banana muffins- naturally, it made sense that I would make banana muffin tops. These muffin tops are perfect for breakfast or a snack and they freeze well, which makes breakfast so quick and easy! I think this recipe would be a life savor for getting adjusted to the back-to-school routine with kids.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375*F and spray your muffin top pan with cooking spray (mine really doesn't need to be sprayed- it's that awesome).

In a small bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until well combined.

Divide the batter among the cavities (do not overfill- 1/2 - 3/4 full is perfect).

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Tops

I finally bought a Whoopie Pie Pan.

 

I had been eyeing them on Amazon for quite a while, but I wasn't sure that I'd really use it very often. When I found one at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago for only $5.99, I just had to buy it!

 

My first baking experience with the pan turned out really well, so I wanted to share the recipe with all of you.

 

Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Tops

 

 

Ingredients: 

 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 egg
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray muffin top pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, poppy seeds and lemon juice.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir only to combine.

Divide batter equally into pan cavities.

Bake 9 - 11 minutes or toothpick inserted in center of muffin top comes out clean.

 

 

Tip: Don't overfill the cavities or you will end up with a few sloppy looking muffin tops like mine :)