Healthy Banana & Walnut Bran Muffins

Countdown to Easter: 5 Days!

These muffins or my Healthy Blueberry Bran Muffin recipe would be great for an Easter brunch. They are both healthy, yet also satisfy a sweet tooth (for those who gave up sweets for lent)!

Ingredients: Yields 12 muffins

• 1 & 1/4 c. 100% Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 c. wheat bran
• 1/2 c. oatmeal
• 1/4 c. all purpose white flour
• 3 Tbsp. Truvia natural sweetener (about 8 packets)
• 1/8 c. white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 & 1/4 c. 1% buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 1 & 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. banana slices
• 1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: Whole wheat flour, wheat bran, oatmeal, all purpose flour, Truvia, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda & salt
3. In a smaller bowl, mix together wet ingredients: Buttermilk, eggs, canola oil & vanilla extract
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mix to combine without lumps, but don’t overmix
5. Gently fold bananas & 1/3 c. walnut pieces into the batter                      

1. To save on oil, line the muffin pan with paper liners. Spoon the batter into the pan 
2. Fill cups up with a little less than a cm. to the top. Press the rest of the walnuts into batter 
3. Place in the oven, & bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until batter is cooked 

There are endless variations for these muffins such as dark chocolate chips & dried cranberries, banana & walnut, pear & pecan, peach & brown sugar and whatever other fruit & nut combination you concoct! Let me know what ingredients you try.

Share with your family & friends!

Healthy Blueberry Bran Muffins

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas & holiday filled with family & friends! I have been spending time with my own family & friends in San Diego for Christmas and haven’t had a chance to keep up with my posts for the past week.  (I hope you were all doing the same that you hardly noticed!) But this recipe should make up for it…and just in time for a New Year’s day breakfast idea!

These muffins turned out better than I could have imagined. They satisfy a sweet tooth & are nice and moist.  Not to mention they are nothing but healthy & super easy to make.

Ingredients: Yields 12 muffins

• 1/2 c. 100% Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 c. wheat bran
• 1/2 c. oatmeal
• 1 c. all purpose white flour
• 3 Tbsp. Truvia natural sweetener
• 1/8 c. white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 & 1/4 c. 1% buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 1 & 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. blueberries
• 1/3 c. slivered almonds

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients:  Whole wheat flour, wheat bran, oatmeal, all purpose flour, Truvia, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda & salt
3. In a smaller bowl, mix together wet ingredients: Buttermilk, eggs, canola oil & vanilla extract 
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mix to combine without lumps, but don’t overmix 
5. Gently fold blueberries  & 1/4 c. slivered almond pieces into the batter          
6. To save on oil, line the muffin pan with paper liners.  Spoon the batter into the pan 
7. Fill cups up with a little less than a cm. to the top.  Press the rest of the almonds into batter 
8. Place in the oven, & bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until batter is cooked 

There are endless variations for these muffins such as dark chocolate chips & dried cranberries, banana & walnut, pear & pecan, peach & brown sugar and whatever other fruit & nut combination you concoct! Let me know what ingredients you try.

Take some time to reflect on 2013 & look forward to 2014. Cheers!

Abundant Food for an Abundant LifeCarly