Banana Oat Muffins
Okay, if you know me, I am forever obsessed with peanut butter and bananas. You can always make this recipe with almond butter too! These muffins do not have any added sugar and use applesauce for sweetness!!
These muffins could be paired with yogurt or hard boiled eggs to make it a full meal or snack!
Banana Oat Muffins
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup milk/almond milk
2 overripe bananas
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup toasted almonds, or other nut or seed
How to:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a muffin tin with oil.
Mash bananas and mix in with other wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Spoon into muffin tins and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Let cool and remove from tins. Store in fridge or freezer until ready to eat.
Chocolate Mint Energy Bites
I am always looking for new snack ideas! I have been making energy bites a lot lately. I have also been wanting chocolate mint EVERYTHING, so decided to channel that craving into a fun snack!
When I make these energy bites, I make a couple swaps to the ingredients to decrease the added sugar and increase the protein- making them a more balanced snack. I generally sub out unsweetened applesauce for most of the honey. The consistency of the applesauce helps bind the ingredients- which is one of the purposes of the honey. I also generally add protein powder. Protein powder is tricky and usually I am not a huge fan, but I do tend to use it in snacks like this and smoothies. I don’t have a favorite kind, but I do look for brands that don’t have a lot of added ingredients. And for instances like this, getting a powder that doesn’t have a sweetener or flavor is good too. This time, I used Trader Joe’s Pea Powder.
I morphed this recipe from a recipe I already make for chocolate coconut pistachio energy bites, so you can totally take the basics of this recipe and make it your own too!
Chocolate Mint Energy Bites
Ingredients:
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup oats ground to make 1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup almond butter
2 TBSP honey
6 TBSP unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp mint extract
1/4 cup protein powder
How to:
Grind oats in a food processor until they become a flour like consistency. Place in a large bowl.
In the food processor, pulse almonds to chop into small-ish chunks (you can also hand chop)
Mix everything in a large bowl. I usually mix with my hands, because without fail, every time I don’t believe it is going to mix fully. Just keep mixing, and everything will eventually stick together.
Make into bite sized balls. I try to make 24 per batch.
Store in fridge for a couple days or freezer if you’ll have them around longer.
Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
Who's stoked about pumpkin spice anything?! Funny enough- most pumpkin spice products don't contain any pumpkin at all. It is generally the spice mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves/allspice (or a synthetic version of this) that we crave. And all because those spices are generally linked to positive and cozy memories!
This weekend, we tried making a pumpkin spice coffee creamer (kinda like a latte) and used real pumpkin because pumpkin is full of vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants! Here is what I came up with:
2 cups almond milk (or other milk)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 TBSP cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
dash of ginger
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Mix in a blender until well combined. Pour desired amount into coffee and then add maple syrup to sweeten to your preference. Store the rest in the refrigerator for later use!
O and yes, the pumpkin will separate out, so mix well before you use it again. And, mix into your coffee well too!
Hope you enjoy!
Trail Mix Bar
Alright, I am coming at you with another post about snacks. One of my goals in life is to create a perfect bar- so I don't have to buy them. When I look for a bar I look for calories, protein, and how the bar is sweetened. Ideally, I find a bar with about 200 calories is a good snack amount. Protein is hard- but I usually look for 7g or more, but avoid ones with too much protein (because it is unnecessary). I look at the sugars and then check how that bar is sweetened. I tend to choose bars that are naturally sweetened with fruits. I also always chose one with mostly whole ingredients. On my quest for a good bar recipe, I found this one! It is sweetened with banana :). The protein comes from nuts. It is spiced up with some dried fruit, cinnamon and I added cocoa nibs too! I found it was easy to make, easy to store and quite delicious!!
Ingredients:
1.5 cups ripe banana, mashed (about 3-4 bananas)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 TBSP cinnamon
1/4 cup cocoa nibs
How To:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.
In a bowl, mash bananas and add vanilla extract.
Add oats to a food processor and pulse until oats are coarsely chopped. Add to banana mixture
Place cherries in food processor, pulse until chopped. Add to banana mixture and mix well.
Place walnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and almonds in the food processor and pulse a couple times until coarseley chopped. Add to banana mixture along with hemp seeds, cinnamon and 1/2 of the cocoa nibs.
Mix well. Spread into prepared dish, pressing down and evenly distributing.
Sprinkle the rest of the cocao nibs on top.
Place in oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool. The cut into 16 pieces. I wrapped mine individually and stuck them in the freezer.
A few fun facts about the ingredients:
Hemp seeds: are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Also, high in protein. These seeds contain about 25% protein for weight, which is comparable to most meat sources. Also, they are considered a complete protein- meaning they have all the essential amino acids- which is very hard to come by in the plant world.
Cocao nibs: Come from the husk of the cocao bean- which is removed during the drying and fermentation of the cocao bean to ultimately make chocolate. The chocolate we know has things (sugar) added to it to make it sweet and delicious. The cocao nib doesn't. It still has a slightly sweet taste- but don't expect it to taste like the chocolate you are used to! It is considered a superfood. It is high in antioxidants, has caffeine, and contains nutrients like magnesium.
A healthy muffin?!
We are always searching for new snack ideas. We often find ourselves relying on bars as snacks, which is okay-especially if you find a bar made with whole ingredients and limited added sugar. On days that we aren't working out, I try to choose a non-bar option. In my search I came across a recipe for some pretty healthy looking blueberry muffins. I decided to play with it a little and decrease the added sugar and increase the protein to make it a healthier snack option. Here is what I came up with!
PS I suggest eating with a little bit of peanut butter or almond butter:-)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup ground flax seed
1 cup oats
1/3 cup maple syrup (or honey)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 1/2 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
How to:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray
- In a large bowl, combine flour, ground flax seed, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix until combined.
- In a smaller bowl, combine maple syrup, yogurt, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix until combined and yogurt is dispersed.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined. Add blueberries (if using frozen don't allow them time to thaw or they will turn everything blue!) Fill all 12 muffin containers with equal amounts of batter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops are golden brown.
- Store in refrigerator if they will be eaten in about a week. If not, wrap individually in foil and store in the freezer.