Banana Muffins - For those left over brown bananas on your counter or freezer.

H goes through stages where he will eat 2 banana's a day and then for the next week or two, will not touch them.  So, we tend to have a few left over bananas, almost going to waste, that get thrown in the freezer.  Yesterday, I opened the freezer door and an avalanche of frozen banana's almost broke my foot.  Therefore, banana muffin's were required......

I have adapted this recipe from a few different ones that I have seen/used via All Recipes website.  I use a combination of whole wheat and AP flour and applesauce instead of butter/oil to make them a tad more healthy.  I also cut the sugar down which I am going to continue to try to do so until I get a batch that tastes bad and then I'll repost to let you know the least amt needed (for those of you with little ones...)  This recipe can be made with entirely AP (all purpose) flour as well as 1/3 c butter/oil (butter melted) instead of the applesauce.

Enjoy!

Banana Muffins


3/4 c AP flour
3/4 c Whole Wheat Flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
 1-1.5 t cinnamon
3 banana's, mashed
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c applesauce
1 t vanilla
Cooking Spray for muffin pan


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium bowl, mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Use a whisk to be sure to get the dry ingredients well blended (or you can use a sifter but I don't own one.)  In a larger bowl, mash bananas.  Add sugar, egg, applesauce and vanilla to bananas and mix well.  Stir in your dry ingredients being sure NOT TO OVER MIX....just stir until you don't see any more flour streaks and then STOP.  Over mixing muffin mix makes dense rock hard muffins, which are yucky!

Spray muffin pan, I use mini muffin pan's because H likes them that size for his lil' hands...and so he can shove the whole thing in there and proceed to run around and give me a heart attack (see photo below.)

such a sloppy baker...

Fill to top and bake for 10-13 minutes...poke with toothpick and your ready to go...Careful these babies are HOT HOT HOT.....

Kid-Friendly Yogurt Zucchini Carrot Muffins

These muffins are H's FAVORITE!!  He tends to wake up every morning starving and these muffins are just the ticket.  Warning for those of you who lean toward the sugar laden "cupcake" style, these are not them.  I have cut the sugar down to very minimal sweetness.  Pretty much just sweet enough for H to eat.  I will say though, they are still pretty good.  You can add nuts, wheat germ, flax seed, dried fruit...whatever you want and they will still be yummy!

Steff- These are the muffins that E ate when you guys were in town.











Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup Oat Flour* (I have used regular oatmeal as well as oatmeal ground up in food processor)
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup honey
2 t vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cup zucchini shredded- if I have more I put more in...doesn't need to be specific
1-1 1/2 cup carrot shredded- if I have more I put more in...again doesn't need to be specific

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray or lightly grease mini muffin pan(s)

Shred your carrot and zucchini using a box grader's smallest option.  I also run a knife through it again to make sure there isn't a funny texture.  

 











Place zucchini in a strainer over a bowl because there is a lot of liquid that will drain off...if you do not do this your muffin batter will be very runny.

Liquid from zucchini

 In a bowl, mix/whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

 In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, canola oil, applesauce, yogurt, honey, and vanilla. 

Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the zucchini and carrots.  Scoop into the prepared muffin cups. 

 

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

How does one resist?

What is a mother to do???

Someone needs a play room....

Teething Cookies--- HOLY COW!

Teething cookies aka "Biter Biscuits" aka Holy Mess!

There should be a notice on this box:  "Warning: bathing is required." This was his very first cookie and he enjoyed it immensely.

Sword fight anyone?

I'm gonna save this for later...right over here on my ear.

How can you deny such a cutie!! I will be thinking twice about when I give him these cookies though...wasn't prepared for this one!