Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins

Easy, healthy, delicious!  Great for breakfast or snack.

Ingredients:

• 4 over ripe bananas mashed up
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or reg whole wheat)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 TBS brown sugar
• 1/4 cup whipped peanut butter (Jif Whips){I assume reg peanut butter would work too}
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix everything together in a large bowl and let sit while you prepare muffin tins.

Distribute between muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes.  

That's it!  Makes 24 muffins.

(I made some with no chocolate chips.)

Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup light domino sugar & stevia blend for baking
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

For topping:

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 brown sugar, not packed
• 2 TBS light domino sugar & stevia blend for baking
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a muffin tray with liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a larger bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar/ stevia blend, eggs, and orange zest.

Add the milk and make sure all ingredients are combined well.

Take a small bowl and pour your chocolate chips in it along with a few big spoonfuls of your dry mixture, stir around to coat the chocolate chips in flour mixture.  This prevents them from sinking to the bottom when you add them to the batter.  

Now slowly pour your dry mix into your wet mix, stir to combine.  Add your chocolate chip mixture and stir until all the flour is mixed in.

Divide your batter evenly into muffin liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for topping and use a fork or your hands to mix everything and break up the butter into small pieces.

Scatter topping evenly over the muffin batter.

  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes 15 large muffins.
Nutritional Facts: (per muffin)  183 cals, 7 g fat, 26 g sodium, 15 g sugar, 4 g protein.

Recipe adapted from Laura in the Kitchen

Carrot Pineapple Muffin Bites

These are BY FAR the best carrot cake anything I've ever had!  They are so moist and scrumptious!  I definitely think it's the pineapple in the batter.

Ingredients:
For muffins:

• 1 cup moist style yellow cake mix (like Pillsbury Moist Supreme)
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup light domino sugar & stevia baking blend
• 2 TBS brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded, and chopped if shreds are long
• 2/3 cup crushed pineapple in juice, not drained
• 1/4 cup raisins

For frosting: (optional - I preferred them without)

• 4 oz light cream cheese
• 1/3 cup greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
• 1/3 cup light domino sugar & stevia baking blend
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl combine cake mix, flour, sugar, brown sugar, spices and baking powder.  Mix well.

In a large bowl combine pumpkin puree and eggs.  Add in dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Stir in carrots, pineapple, and raisins.

Spray your muffin pan with nonstick spray.  Distribute batter into cups and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. 

While muffins bake, combine the frosting ingredients and whisk until blended.  Put in refrigerator to chill.  When muffins are done, allow to cool completely before frosting.  I thought this frosting was too runny, and I tried to thicken it but to no avail. So I recommend only frosting them right when you are eating them.  As I mentioned, I preferred them just as muffin bites with no frosting.

This recipe makes 38 mini muffins.  Great for sharing at a party or taking to work to brighten everyone's day!  And the nutritional facts will make everyone even happier.

Nutritional Facts (for one mini muffin):  40 cal, .5 g fat, 30.5 g sodium, .5 g fiber, 1 g protein.
For frosting on one mini muffin:  12 cal, 0 g fat, 10 g sodium, 0 g fiber, .5 g protein.


Recipe adapted from: Hungry Girl

Light Blueberry Muffins

I found this recipe in a Hungry Girl cookbook.  I adapted it a little bit because it was actually a little too sweet the first time I made them. I also wanted to use real eggs instead of egg substitute.  This recipe makes either 36 mini muffins or 18 large muffins.  I love the minis myself...it just feels like you can eat more without the guilt... Of course that's all in my head, but they're still cuter in mini form!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour - (reserve out about half of this flour in a soup or small batter bowl - I'll tell you why later!)
• 1/2 cup light domino (sugar & stevia blend for baking)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (I always use fine sea salt for baking)
• 1 cup light vanilla soymilk or almond milk (or any milk you want really)
• 1/4 cup sugar free or light pancake syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 4 TBS light whipped butter, room temp (I use Brummel & Brown yogurt spread)
• 4 TBS unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups blueberries (I recommend frozen for best turnout, keep in freezer until you need them)

Line muffin tins with baking liners or spray with nonstick spray.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl whisk together flours, sugars, baking powder, salt.  In a large bowl combine milk, syrup, eggs, butter spread, applesauce and vanilla.  Whisk until thoroughly blended.  Butter bits may not break up completely but that's ok.  Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until completely blended.

Baker's Tip:  Put your 2 cups of frozen blueberries in the small bowl of flour we set aside earlier and stir to coat the blueberries in flour.  This prevents the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the batter when you bake!  It's worth that extra little step I think.
Pour that blueberry & flour mixture into your bowl of batter and mix to combine.

Evenly distribute batter into muffin tins, filling each cup only 3/4 full or you will have overflow.

Bake for 15 minutes for mini muffins, 20 for large, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Look at that BLUEBERRY GOODNESS!!!

Nutritional Facts:  114 cal, 1.8 g fat, 13 g sugar, 45 g sodium, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein. (for one large muffin, or 2 mini)

Banana Nutella Muffins

Bananas?  Good.  Nutella??  Double GOOD.  Put 'em together and what do you get?  A fabulously moist banana-y chocolatey (but not too much) piece of heaven!!!  I really can't imagine a person who wouldn't like these unless they are allergic to bananas or chocolate.  Even then, I'd chance it!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 cup unsweet applesauce
• 3 very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• about 6 TBS nutella

Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin pan with liners or nonstick spray.
In medium bowl whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt until well combined.
In large bowl smash up your peeled bananas with a fork then whisk together with sugar, brown sugar, egg, applesauce and vanilla.  Slowly stir in flour mixture until there are no lumps.
Fill muffin tins 3/4 full then top each muffin with about 1 tsp nutella and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter.

Bake for 15-17 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.  Delicious warm from the oven!  Store the rest in an airtight container.

Nutritional facts: 138 calories, 2 g fat, 17 g sugar, 9 g sodium, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein.  Based on 18 muffins.

Recipe adapted from The Novice Chef

Vanilla Spice Yogurt Muffins

These are really moist because of the yogurt and applesauce, and only 121 calories a piece (*using the less fattening butter alternative for topping).  Perfect for breakfast or dessert!

Vanilla Spice Yogurt Muffins

Makes 18 regular size muffins.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of Unsweet Applesauce
• ½ cup of Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup of Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• ½ tsp of Cinnamon
• 1 tsp of Nutmeg
• ½ tsp of Ginger
• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• ½ tsp of Baking soda
• ¼ tsp of Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

For the Streusel Topping:

• ½ cup of Brown Sugar
• ¼ cup of Raw Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, melted (*or you can use something with less fat like Brummel & Brown yogurt spread, my favorite butter alternative!)
• ½ tsp of Cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and line a muffin trays with liners.  
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.  
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, applesauce and sugar. 
4. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and mix until they are combined, but don't overmix.
5. Divide the batter in the prepared muffin trays and set aside. 
6. In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the topping, scatter the topping evenly on top of each muffin.  
7. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until fully cooked through and golden brown. 

Nutritional facts: 121 calories, 1 g fat, 14 g sugar, 23 g sodium, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.  Based on 18 muffins.

Recipe adapted from Laura in the Kitchen