I’m Nuts for Muffins

One of my favorite things about baking is how odd and end items in my kitchen become part of a delicious treat.  Those bananas that have turned almost black sitting on top of my microwave…the oatmeal I bought by mistake instead of the instant kind…the extra quarter pound of walnut halves that I would have put on my instant oatmeal if I had bought the right kind…these ingredients became the foundation for the delicious banana nut muffins I made yesterday after class.  Even better news?  These muffins are actually HEALTHY, so you can eat 2 of them (like I did) right out of the oven and not worry about seeing it in your thighs in a few weeks!

I’ve never baked from scratch in a dorm before.  Boxed brownies, sure, but all that requires is dumping contents from a box and beating a few eggs in.  A two-year-old could do that.  But when resources are limited, when mixing bowls are few and far between, and an electric mixer might as well be a hidden treasure of the Sierra Madre...there isn't a lot of room to get creative.  But since I coincidentally had a lot of the ingredients already in my kitchen, I decided to take a stab at it.

With only minor speed bumps along the way (I had to borrow some eggs from a lovely German exchange student down the hall…and trust me, miming the word “egg” is no easy task), the muffins came out great.  I’m attaching the recipe that I received from my favorite sister-in-law, and once you take a look, I know you will be running to your kitchen.

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

1 ¼ Cup Oatmeal

½ Cup Rice Flour

¼ Cup Ground Flaxseed

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

2 Eggs, beaten

¼ Cup Plain Yogurt

3 Medium, Ripe Bananas, Mashed

½ Cup Agave Syrup

1/3 Cup Grapeseed Oil or Applesauce

¼ Cup Walnut Pieces

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.

Large bowl: Combine oatmeal, flour, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda

Medium bowl: Combine eggs, yogurt, bananas, syrup and oil (or applesauce). Add flour mixture and fold in walnuts.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes.

*note: I used applesauce for added sweetness and density as well as nonfat Greek yogurt

A true MacGyver...k not really...but a little credit here for making due with a plastic fork and paper bowl?  Anyone??

My babies...they do look delicious, don't they?