All-in-One Breakfast Muffins

These muffins are really taking my breakfast routine by storm. First of all, they are so easy to prepare ahead and freeze. When its time for breakfast, pop it in the microwave for a bit and you've got a fresh from the oven tasting muffin.

On top of all that, these muffins take the stars from all your favorite breakfast classics and roll them into one quick bite. You've got your eggs, some oatmeal, bananas and throw in some chocolate chips for good measure. I mean, who wouldn't want to start the day with some chocolate.

To make a dozen muffins, you are going to need

3 medium bananas, extra ripe
1 cup milk (I've used both regular and almond milk and they both taste great)
2 large eggs
1 tbsp baking powder
3 1/2 cups oats (see note below)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat up your oven to 375F degrees and prepare a muffin tin by lining each cup with a muffin liner.

Now we can 'prepare' the oats. To do so, I use old fashioned oats and pulse them in a food processor until about half are shredded. Make sure to leave some of the oats whole as they add a nice texture to the muffin.

Ready for the really easy part? Put all of your ingredients in one bowl (EXCEPT the chocolate chips) and mix together using a hand mixer or your stand mixer. Yup, toss them all in there for one big party.

Toss in your chocolate chips and mix in with a spoon.

Scoop the mixture into your muffin liners so they are just filled, right to the top. These muffins do not have a big rise, so don't be afraid to fill them right to the top. Sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top for good measure. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool completely before you freeze, or enjoy them right away.

Peanut Butter Chocolate 'Banice Cream'

Banice cream is a name I have completely made up but basically is 'ice cream' made from frozen bananas. If you love ice cream, but probably shouldn't be eating a bowl of it every night (guilty!), this is a great alternative. Using frozen bananas is a healthy way to create the ice cream texture, with plenty of flavor but severely lacking in calories. I created mine into a peanut butter chocolate flavor - but get creative and try any flavors you may enjoy.

Recipe yields 3 servings

Ingredients
3 ripe bananas, frozen
1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp peanut butter

Freeze your bananas for a few hours or overnight. I figured this out after the fact, but it is better off to peel your bananas before you freeze them. It can be quite difficult to remove the peel when it is frozen. Once frozen, slice your bananas into 1/2" inch pieces.

Add banana pieces and cocoa powder to a food processor or blender. I used my nifty new KitchenAid immersion blender (another Christmas gift from Carmine!). It worked really well to smooth those frozen banana pieces into a 'soft serve' style ice cream texture.

Add in your peanut butter and continue to mix until well combined. At this point, it is ready to eat, but I chose to throw mine into the freezer for another 30 minutes to stiffen it up a bit.

Scoop into a serving bowl and enjoy your guiltless treat!

The 'Healthy' Cookie

What is better than a warm delicious cookie right from the oven? Nothing! Well for those times you are getting a cookie urge but want to watch what your eating, this is the perfect option. I am calling this the healthy cookie because it is sans butter, oil, flour and anything bad! How could you argue with that?

Recipe yields 20 cookies

Ingredients

3 bananas, very ripe

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup apple sauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups oats (quick or old fashioned)

1/2 cup raisins (optional - of course I added them!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, mash your bananas. If they are not ripe enough where you can mash them with a spoon, use a hand or stand mixer. 

Add milk, apple sauce, vanilla extract, almond extract and cinnamon to the bananas.

Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. Add the oats to the wet ingredients and mix until all oats are coated.

Toss in the raisins if your using them and stir by hand to incorporate them throughout the batter. Be sure to mix this step with a spoon so the electric mixer doesn't rip apart the raisins.

Using a cookie scoop (or your hands), place 1 1/2" balls of batter on a greased baking sheet.

Bake cookies for 15-20 minutes. You will know they are ready when they are firm, seem slightly crispy on the outside and are golden brown on the bottom. Also, the smell of them will be radiating through the kitchen!

Remove cookies to a cooling rack. Allow to cool before serving with a large, cold glass of milk. Enjoy!

Banana Walnut Muffins

The other day my mom took the bananas and put them in the pantry while she was cleaning the kitchen. After getting lost behind the bread, they sat up there for a few days becoming nice and ripe. I figured what better way to put these mushy bananas to use than moist and delicious banana walnut muffins. These are going to be the perfect treat for my train ride tomorrow morning into work!

Recipe yields 10 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

2 large egg whites

1 large banana, very ripe

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with liners to hold the muffins and allow for easy removal.

Combine flour, sugar and baking soda in a small bowl with a fork to mix together well.

In a medium bowl, combine mashed banana, applesauce, vanilla extract and egg whites. 

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients until mixture is smooth and there are no dry spots. Add the walnuts and spread evenly into mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the liners, filing about 3/4 of the way.

Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if they are ready. Toothpick should come out clean after entered into the middle of the muffin. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Keep muffins in a sealed ziploc bag for freshness. Serve & enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

If you're like me, you can't get enough of the heavenly combination that is peanut butter and chocolate. Now add that to a moist banana bread and you have got yourself the most delicious loaf you can imagine.

Recipe yields 1 loaf

Ingredients

3 bananas, very ripe

1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup white flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

6 tbsp white sugar

6 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp plain fat-free yogurt

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp canola oil

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine bananas, peanut butter, yogurt, egg, vanilla extract and oil. Beat with a mixer until well combined and bananas are completely mashed. 

Toss chocolate chips with 2 tbsp of the dry mixture. Coating the chocolate chips with the flour mixture prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf and allows for evenly distributed chocolate chips throughout the loaf.

Fold dry mixture into wet mixture until well combined. Then fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed in batter.

Empty batter into loaf pan, scraping down the sides of the bowl to get all the batter in the pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. The loaf will be ready when you can stick a knife in the middle and it comes up clean. Cool in pan for 15-20 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing the loaf. If you are like me and you can't wait, just dig in! It will be hot, so be careful! Slice, serve and enjoy! Goes great with a cup of tea or espresso.

Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes

Well here goes nothing... I have been contemplating starting a blog for about three months now and yesterday I finally got up the courage to put one together. The purpose of my blog is to track my culinary journey of learning and exploring different cuisines and techniques. I hope you enjoy the recipes I share and use what I have learned to help you in your kitchen.

In honor of my very first post, I decided to discuss two recipes. The first is Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes. As you will quickly come to see, the majority of recipes I share with you will be health conscious being that I am normally cooking for my parents who are currently watching their weight. However, I have learned by using the right mix of spices and flavors, you can turn anything into a delicious dish. 

Recipe yields 12 pancakes
Note: This recipe was adapted from skinnytaste.com


Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 large banana, very ripe
1 cup milk
3 large egg whites
2 tsp oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp chopped walnuts
Cooking spray


In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla and set aside. On a flat surface, peel the banana and slice into chunks. Using the back of a spoon, gently mash the banana. (I like to leave it a little chunky to get pieces of banana in the pancakes. If you just want banana flavor, mash until creamy.) Add the banana to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly combine dry ingredients with the wet while mixing until all dry ingredients are incorporated. DO NOT over mix. (This will lead to a tough pancake, not soft and moist which we want!)

Heat a skillet on medium heat and lightly coat with cooking spray. I usually like to let the pan heat for a good 1-2 minutes. If you ever notice the last batch always comes out with a nice golden color it is because the pan is properly heated by that point. Once the skillet is heated, pour in 1/4 cup of the batter. (Using 1/4 cup per pancake will yield 12 regular size pancakes. At my house, we prefer silver dollar size, so I usually use less batter per pancake.) You will know the pancakes are ready to flip when you notice little bubbles along the surface.

Once the pancakes are ready, serve with pieces of sliced banana and a handful of chopped walnuts. The sweetness and flavor of these pancakes makes syrup optional!