Whole Wheat Strawberry-Banana Muffins

So things got kind of hectic around here last week. One thing after another came up, before I could breath it was Friday and I had about 1/2 lb of VERY ripe strawberries in the refrigerator. My first instinct was to eat them right then and there, but then I remembered seeing a recipe for banana peach muffins earlier in the week that I really wanted to try. So I just replaced the peaches with strawberries.

Problem solved. Q.E.D. (I know that isn't being used correctly, it's an inside joke).

I played around just a little with the recipe by lowering the amount of maple syrup and replacing half the oil with applesauce. Not because the recipe wasn't healthy enough as is, but because I had (still have) some applesauce that needed to be used and I like to play around with recipes to make them my own. Following exact directions is so 3rd grade, am I right?

The result was phenomenal (in my opinion). The nutty flavor of the whole wheat flour and the grainy texture of the thick cut oats mixed with maple syrup, mashed banana, and slices of fresh strawberry.... Muffins make any crazy week infinitely better; I decided.

These are light enough to be part of a breakfast, small enough to be an afternoon snack, and sweet enough to be a dessert.

These also freeze well. Just put leftovers in an airtight container and place them in the freezer. When you crave one, take it out and defrost in the microwave!

It's my new go-to muffin recipe and I can't wait to try them with other kinds of fresh fruit.

Whole Wheat Strawberry-Banana Muffins
Adapted slightly from here

Serves 12-14

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup thick cut oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2-3 ripe bananas, mashed (I always keep frozen ripe ones in my freezer)

1/2-1 Ib strawberries, sliced

1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional but recommended, preferably Saigon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

In a separate smaller bowl combine applesauce, oil, maple syrup, mashed bananas.

Mix wet ingredients into dry, then add sliced strawberries and fold gently until barely combined.

Either line a muffin pan with liners or spray pan with cooking spray and fill 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and the sweet aroma of baking fills your house.

Serve warm or cold. Both are delicious.

Enjoy :)

Double Dark Chocolate-Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal

Peanut butter-chocolate gooeyness

Raise your hand if all of the following apply to you:

1. You like chocolate
2. You like peanut butter
3. You like oatmeal
4. You are a fan of healthy, filling breakfast recipes that have no added sugar

If, like me, you are raising your hand and guilty as charged this recipe is for you! It's so rich and chocolately you will feel almost like you are eating dessert instead of breakfast. Almost.

Dig in!

I baked mine, but I am sure it would work just fine on the stove top, or even as overnight oats.

Double Dark Chocolate-Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal

Inspired by these

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2-1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder

pinch of salt

1/2 mashed banana (or 1/4 cup applesauce)

1/4 cup milk (I used almond)

1 tablespoon peanut butter, divided

1-2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl combine oatmeal, cocoa powder, and salt. Then add mashed banana, milk, chocolate chips and 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter* stirring until well incorporated.

Pour mixture into 1 cup ramekin and place in the oven.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Top with other 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter and enjoy :).

Notes:

*You might want to warm peanut butter for 10 seconds in the microwave to make it easier to incorporate.

Grilled Chicken with Tomato, Corn, and Barley Salad

Something happened the other day. I was browsing my favorite food blogs when I happened upon Iowa Girl Eats recipe for grilled chicken with barley corn salad. The second I saw the picture of the final product I knew I had to make it, which is exactly what I did tonight (with some minor changes).

Since I still had some leftover salsa I used it to marinade the chicken in a ziplock bag for a couple hours. I also used medium sized beefsteak tomatoes as that is what I had on hand and omitted both the bacon & avocado because I didn't have either (that needs to change soon). To make up for not having bacon I added some chicken broth to the barley. And lastly, I kept the barley salad warm.

I don't know how all my substitutions affected the flavor the dish was suppose to produce, but I do know that both Mark and I thought it was pretty tasty! Mark even dug in with no complains after learning that the tomatoes and corn were raw (so proud)! I will take it as a sign that he would't mind if I made it again ;).

The recipe does take a little prep work, but keeps you busy enough that you don't really notice.