Heart-Healthy Banana Oatmeal Muffins

My wonderful friend Heather made some of these for Ray while he was in the hospital, and we've been hooked ever since! I tweaked the recipe a bit (no surprises there) to make them a little more in line with Ray's dietary restrictions, and also to reduce the sugar because they were a little too sweet between the mashed bananas and all the honey. 

Even if you aren't on a diet, I highly recommend making these because they're delicious, my uber-picky toddler loves them, and the abundance of oats make them great for breastfeeding moms like me ❤️ They're the definition of a crowd pleaser!

Heart-Healthy Banana Oat Muffins

Yields 1 1/2 dozen

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

2 tbsp flax seeds

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use 0% Fage)

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts - whatever your preference)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin pans.

Place the oats in a food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds. Pour in a large bowl, and stir in flax seeds, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients - Greek yogurt, eggs, honey, vanilla, and mashed bananas

Make a well in the center of the dry mix, and pour in wet ingredients. Stir in pecan pieces, and spoon batter into muffin pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

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No Sugar Added Sweet Potato Muffins

 

I am not a morning person. "Cave troll" would probably be the most accurate description of what I'm like in the morning. But now, with having to make all our food from scratch, it took me about 2 days to discover I didn't want to wake up early enough to make breakfast for the family every.single.morning.

The answer? Making muffins and overnight oats the evening before. They have been my savior. Not only that, but my picky toddler will actually eat muffins because she thinks they're "cake cake". This recipe was  born out of my desire to make muffins that are actually healthy, but have *just enough* sweetness to continue tricking my toddler. I know you feel me moms of toddlers ((fist bump)) 

These aren't overly sweet, but I promise they don't taste like your typical "healthy cardboard" muffins. They're really dense and moist, and I imagine if a sweet potato pie and a muffin got together and had a baby, this is what would happen. 

And if blueberries aren't your thing, I think toasted pecans would be an amazing substitute! 

No Sugar Added Sweet Potato Muffins

Makes roughly 1 1/2 dozen

About 2 1/2 cups boiled and mashed sweet potatoes 

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a medium bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, honey, and vanilla. Stir in baking powder and baking soda (I know it's weird to add them to the wet ingredients, but it actually distributes the levening agents better than mixing them with the dry, which is important because these muffins are dense and need all the help they can get).

Add the flour and cinnamon, and stir until just combined. Right before spooning into the muffin pan, gently fold in blueberries. 

Spoon batter into muffin pan, filling almost to the top (these won't rise much). Bake for 25-30 minutes, erring on the lower end because baked goods make with honey instead of sugar tend to brown faster (but it all depends on your oven). 

Remove from oven and let cool on rack for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!

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