In The Kitchen - Healthy-ish Muffins

Muffins. Not always the most exciting thing going on in our kitchen, but my family has grown to love them – even the ‘healthy’ ones. As I’ve mentioned before (many, many times) I do my best to offer my children healthy options when it comes to meals and snacks. But I am not a short order cook, and unfortunately we don’t live on an organic produce farm. Also, my kids like cake and donuts and anything that is offered in ‘snack size’. That’s why I am so into these muffin recipes. They are a treat without all of the junk. Cindy has a lot of good recipes that are gluten-free so I’ve gotten some great ideas from her and started to incorporate those into our rotation as well. Lucky for you, I’m sharing our favorite recipes here!

My favorite muffins are these Flourless Chocolate Zucchini ones. I found this recipe on the Running With Spoons blog. I make them often, freeze some, and keep the rest on hand for snacks. They are a cross between a muffin and a brownie – but the bonus is there is a fruit and vegetable in them. They hit the spot when the kids want a treat and take care of any chocolate cravings.  They are gluten-free, grain-fee, oil-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free. 

Cindy adores this Fall Muffin recipe from Thrive Market (the recipe specifies our favorite vanilla!). They’re tasty and have no white sugar or gluten. And the berries combined with the pumpkin seeds make them look so festive – especially in the fall (but we eat them all year long).

 

If you happen to be into bananas (we are), you’ll love these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and Banana Energy Bites (recipes below). In the muffins I use whole wheat flour and yes, there is sugar and chocolate – but like I said, I give them to my children as alternatives to high-sugar processed cookies or cakes. Bonus, the Banana Bites (pictured below) are one of Cindy’s favorites and have no white sugar in the recipe. They contain rolled oats with bananas, flax seeds, nut butter, and chocolate chips. (Both of these recipes are listed below). She keeps them in a covered sheet pan in the fridge so her girls can grab them after school.

 

Do you have a favorite muffin or ‘healthy’ treat recipe? We would love to hear them – always looking for a new version to add to our repertoire.

--Cassandra

 

Banana Energy Bites

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups rolled oats
⅓ cup peanut butter, almond butter or your favorite nut butter
2 tablespoons of raw honey
2 tablespoons chocolate chunks or mini chips
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon of flax seeds
1 tablespoon shredded, unsweetened coconut

Directions

Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl until very thoroughly mixed. Then scoop into balls with a small ice cream scoop.

Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and store in refrigerator.

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed
6 tablespoon oil (I use coconut oil)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour (I use whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Mash bananas, add oil, sugar, and salt. Beat until well mixed. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat again. Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Then, stir the dry mixture thoroughly into wet mixture and add chocolate chips.

Drop into buttered muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min.  

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If you enjoyed this post you might also like Ina's Decadent (Gluten Free) Chocolate Cake.