Healthy Banana
Nut Muffins

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 14

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup oat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3 ripe medium bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
  • Optional: 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a small bowl, mix the egg, canola oil, almond extract, greek yogurt and honey until creamy (I recommend using a hand mixer to obtain the best results).
  4. Add mashed bananas into wet mixture and stir until well mixed.
  5. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until moist.
  6. Add 3/4 of walnuts to mixture and stir until well mixed.
  7. Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-quarters full.
  8. Sprinkle remaining walnuts on top of each muffin.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  10. Cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!

Nutritional data

Serving size: 1 muffin
Calories: 161
Fat: 7.7 grams
Carbohydrates: 18 grams
Protein: 4.3 grams

Variation: Top each muffin with 1 teaspoon of dark chocolate chips, mixing to ensure even distribution). Nutritional info (per muffin, based on 14 muffins with dark chocolate chips): Calories: 183.5 | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 21g | Protein: 4.3g

Nutritional data is approximate. A special thank you to WishfulChef.com for a starting point for the recipe.

 

In our house bananas either disappear within a day or two or become ripe to the point that no one will eat them. This week we experienced the latter. Refusing to throw away another bunch of bananas, I decided to make healthy banana nut muffins. Over the last few years I have tried numerous "healthy" banana nut muffin recipes with less than stellar results causing any recipe for healthy banana nut muffins to be banned in our home. Determined to create something that would win over both my husband and kids I took to the internet and then headed to the pantry looking for ingredients to create tasty, healthy banana nut muffins. What I created not only satisfied my kids, but my healthy banana nut muffin-weary husband reluctantly tried one and went back for more! Besides being delicious, these muffins are full of heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (aka the good fats) thanks to the use of canola oil and walnuts (worried about the amount of fat? Check out my article Living In Fear... Of Fat). As an added bonus, the use of greek yogurt adds a healthy dose of protein - making it the perfect on-the-go meal for breakfast.