Low-Cal Banana Muffins/Banana Bread

Since I have company in town I can actually make a lot of baked goods without fear that I'll eat them all before they have time to even cool. So I busted out an old recipe for Banana Muffins. I have no idea of its origin, but I do know that I changed it significantly from whereever I got it anyway.



Ingredients

• 1c white all purpose flour


• 3/4 c wheat flour


• 2 ¼ tsp baking soda


• 1/2tsp salt


• 2/3c sugar


• 1 TB ground flax mixed with 3 TB water


• 1 TB oil, I used Enola which is allegedly not all absorbed by your body


• 2 TB unsweetened applesauce


• 2 TB vanilla soy milk


• Vanilla extract, I omitted this becuase I have none


• 2 mashed bananas, I used 2 from my freezer that I let thaw on the counter for an hour


• 1/2c chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc)
  

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Mix the wet together in a small bowl. Add the wet to the dry and mix until batter forms. Bake on 350 for 25-30 minutes if making muffins (recipe makes 12) or for 45 minutes if making bread. Each muffin has 140 calories without nuts and 175 with nuts.

The apartment definitely smelled amazing while these baked, and they turned out nicely. They were moist on the inside and had a nice crust on the outside. It seemed, though, like they could have used more salt or maybe a little more banana.

Baked Bananas

I was doing a little blog checkup this morning and noticed that somehow I've never posted about Baked Bananas- the greatest healthiest treat of all time! I make it every single Saturday and Sunday that I'm home and thinking about making it the rest of the time. Overripe bananas are the best for a lot of things because all of the sweetness comes out. And as I mentioned in another banana post, you can just throw them, peel and all, into the freezer and use for Baked Bananas, smoothies, baking, etc.

Bananas are also very good sources of vitamin B6 and good sources of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and manganese. Not to mention they protect cardiovascular health, soothe ulcers, improve elimination, protect your eyesight, build better bones, and promote kidney health. And who know how amazing cinnamon is! It's an excellent source of manganese and a very good source of fiber, iron, and calcium. It's anti-clotting, anti-microbial, controls blood sugar, boosts brain function, improves colon health, and protects against heart disease. And how can unprocessed cocoa be bad for you with its flavanoids and healthy fats? Baked Bananas = Super Snack.

Ingredients

1 banana

1TB cocoa (unprocessed and unsweetened)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees.

Slice 1 banana lengthwise, careful not to pierce the bottom skin. Place banana, the older the better, on foil lined baking sheet or in a Pyrex dish (there are juices that leak out that may harm an otherwise nice baking sheet, though I don't line mine in foil because mine are not nice). Add about a Tablespoon of cocoa inside the banana. You may have to slightly open it up so the cocoa doesn't get all over the pan. And it's probably best to try for about a teaspoon at a time for the same reason. For extra excitement, you can add a half teaspoon of cinnamon. Bake for 15-20 minutes (the peel will be black). It will be soft and mushy so be careful transfering to a plate. Savor and enjoy. And then let me know how amazing I am for introducing you to the greatest food ever.

More Mint

I'm a little obsessed with the mint now that I know I didn't exactly ruin it in the freezer. This morning for breakfast I decided to go with something crazy, mostly because I forgot to buy oatmeal last week. So I threw a frozen banana (when they start to get old I just throw them in the freezer, peel and all), frozen fresh but now dried mint, postum, unsweetened cocoa, and a splash of soy milk in the blender. But it came out too watery so I added a few cubes of ice. I poured it into a bowl and topped with a cup of cheerios. I've been dying to use cheerios in something other than cereal. I was too hungry to take the time to crush the cheerios like I wanted.

By now, you should have realized that I essentially made ice cream for breakfast. I love being a grown up.