Healthier- and Still Tasty- Whole Grain Banana Muffins

Anybody reading my blog who knows me well knows that I often dance to the beat of my own drum. I'm often five steps behind and rarely two steps ahead. With that said, I decided that the impending heat wave was a great time to bake! :) Who really likes to bake in the dead of winter anyway?! (I think my bed often needs extra attention that time of year. (Read nap!) :))

Perhaps another reason to bake was that I bought too many bananas. Blame it on the Spring and abundance of fruits and vegetables if you will; one might think I'm shopping for a family of five with all the fresh produce I buy sometimes. But, no, it's just lil' ol' me.

As I'm staring at these bananas knowing I won't eat them as they go from pre-ripe to over-ripe I get a super craving for muffins! MUFFINS! :) But, of course, not your icky store bought or super size me, weight gain promoting, fast food muffin! After a quick search on the internet I came across a healthier recipe! And- of course- I modified it (as seen below!)

(Mostly) Whole Grain Banana Muffins:

Prep time: 15-20 minutes or less

Cook time: 18 minutes

Recipe makes 11 muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all purpose white flour

3/4 cup 100% whole wheat flour

1 cup oats

<1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 medium bananas, mashed

5 tbsp Smart Balance, melted

1/2 cup 1% milk

1 whole egg

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Since I dont use Pam Spray, I took a paper towel and poured a little bit of olive oil on it. Then I wiped each part of the muffin tin. Do the same or spray each tin with Pam Spray.

3. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients. Mix well.

4. In a small bowl mix mashed bananas, melted butter spread, milk, and egg.

5. Pour all of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix well but don't over mix.

6. Scoop mixture into muffin tin.

7. Bake at 400 degrees for about 18 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown!

8. Remove and let sit for a few minutes before removing muffins from tin and cooling on a wire rack!

Nutrition Facts:

The original recipe I linked to listed the nutrition facts so I thought I would do the same.

1 serving equals 1 muffin

Per serving:

200 calories

4.5 grams total fat (mostly monounsaturated, mind you!)

2.5 grams fiber

4 grams protein

No added salt

Make it a healthy breakfast! Choose one of the following examples!

-1 muffin + 1 banana + 8oz 1% milk

-1 muffin +1 hard boiled egg + 1 cup of fresh strawberries

-1 muffin + 1 0% greek blueberry yogurt

I believe in portion control!
Boo to high calorie muffins!

Just an FYI! (And I do believe this is one of the lower calorie muffins! Gasp!)

DD Honey Bran muffin

490 calories

15 grams fat

5 grams fiber

7 grams protein

450 mg sodium

P.S.

These muffins are really delicious. I have blogged about just as delicious, but very dense breakfast biscuits before. Although these are mostly whole grain, they are almost the same melt-in-your-mouth goodness you might just be craving! :) Don't believe those who say healthy or healthier foods aren't tasty. Boy are they W R O N G, wrong! :) Happy indulging!

Seriously tasty yummy goodness! :)