baking with bananas

Mini Banana Muffins

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

We’re back to school, here, which means it’s back to baking some snacks and treats for the kids to take with their lunches. If you’re new around here, here’s something you should know — we eat a lot of muffins, so I bake a lot of muffins. 

My oldest son now has snack OUTSIDE during the school day – it’s the same time as his recess – so he asked me to start packing him some smaller, bite-sized snacks. I’ve made energy bites (maybe that recipe will come soon), and the latest snack for him and his sister to bring — mini banana muffins. 

Now, I’m not claiming these are the healthiest recipe. But since they’re homemade, have some flaxseed and white whole wheat flour, I’d like to think they’re healthier than those pre-packaged muffins I’ve seen at the store. And they’re super easy and fast – in one hour (or less if you’re faster than me and not sidetracked with your ADHD) on a Sunday, you have snack for the week ready to go.

Mini Banana Muffins

Here’s what you need:

  • 3 medium, ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 2 TB ground flaxseed (optional, but adds some fiber
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin spice mix
  • Optional: cinnamon-sugar for sprinkling on top

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 24-count mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl, combine flour, flaxseed, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  
  3. In a large bowl, melt the butter. Then add mashed banana, honey, egg and vanilla.  Combine well.
  4. Add dry ingredients into the large bowl with banana mixture. Stir with a spatula to combine, but don’t overmix.  
  5. Pour batter into prepared muffin tin.  
  6. Bake until a toothpick inserted into muffins comes out with a few crumbs (not wet mixture), about 11-12 minutes. 
  7. Cool before enjoying.  

These store well in the fridge for about 5 days, but I like to keep them in the freezer and take them out the night before enjoying them. I pack 2-3 for my kids’ snacks the night before in their backpack and they’re defrosted and ready-to-eat by their snack time the next day!

Some questions for you:

  • What kind of snacks do you or your kids enjoy?
  • What’s your favorite muffin flavor? Are you a corn muffin, banana or blueberry muffin lover?

POWER Muffins (a.k.a. Sweet Potato, White Bean, Spinach + Banana Muffins)

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

Those of you who aren’t new around here know that my kids love muffins. In fact, when my oldest was a toddler, we called him the Muffin Man, because he ate so many of them. So since then, I’m always looking for a good muffin recipe that is healthy, easy to make, and kid approved. And now that he’s in school and taking nut-free snacks, I am making more muffins that are nut free so he can bring them in. 

These muffins have protein, fiber and vegetables. Oh, and chocolate! What’s not to like? That’s why we call them POWER muffins! 

Power muffins - i crashed the web

POWER Muffins

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed
  • 1/2 banana (about 1/3 cup mashed)
  • 1/3 cup fresh spinach
  • 1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs  
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon  
  • 1/3 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup flaxseed
  • 1/2 cup flour (I’ve used white whole wheat and all purpose)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare your muffin tin – I use silicone reusable baking cups and spray them with non-stick cooking spray.  
  2. In a food processor, combine sweet potato, banana, spinach, beans, eggs, oil and syrup.
  3. Add cinnamon, oats and flaxseed and mix well.
  4. Add in flour and baking soda and pulse a few times until combined.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
  6. Bake muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean. 
  7. Cool muffins and then enjoy! I like to keep 6 out and then freeze 6 so I have individual muffins ready to go whenever. I simply take one out of the freezer and defrost overnight OR in the microwave. 

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Seeking a non-healthy muffin? Give these a try instead!

Some questions for you:

  • What do you do with spinach? We just bought a big tub of it at Costco!
  • What’s a healthy-ish recipe you made recently?

Healthyish Banana Zucchini Muffins

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

My kids love muffins. They always have. And who could blame them? Tiny pieces of cake in a muffin-like single-serving shape? What’s not to like?

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These muffins are sweet enough that my kids call them “treat muffins” (they’re sweeter than my spinach/zucchini/carrot muffins), but healthy enough to be called “healthyish.” They use honey instead of refined sugar, and white whole wheat flour. I also add in half a zucchini for some moisture and added veggies – but these truly taste like just your every day banana muffins! They’re easy to make if you have about 2 bananas on hand, so much that I’ve asked my family to set aside 2 bananas and NOT eat them, just so we can make these. 

healthy banana zucchini muffins - i crashed the web

Healthyish Banana Zucchini Muffins

Here’s what you need:

  • ½ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup avocado oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 large bananas, mashed (mine came out to be a little over 1 cup in volume)
  • 1/2 zucchini, grated – pat with a paper towel to remove excess moisture (Note – I have made these without zucchini and haven’t had to change anything up, they’re still good just no added veggie)
  • ¼ cup almond milk (this is my favorite almond milk; you can use regular milk if you like)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (my kids love cinnamon, but if you’re not a big fan you can omit this or add in less)
  • 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour  
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • blueberries, optional

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare your muffin tin – I use silicone reusable baking cups and spray them with non-stick cooking spray.  
  2. In a large bowl, mix honey, avocado oil and eggs.
  3. Add in the mashed bananas, grated zucchini, milk and vanilla extract. Mix well.
  4. On the side, combine the dry ingredients — the cinnamon, flour, salt, baking soda. Add into the wet mixture and mix until just combined. DO NOT overmix!  
  5. Optional — add in blueberries or other add-ins. Suggestions include dried cherries or chocolate chips 🙂 I added in blueberries to a few of the muffins but not all. If you want to have blueberry (or another add-in) throughout, add in about 3/4-1 cup. 
  6. Divide the batter evenly between 12 muffin cups. Bake muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Mine took about 24 minutes.
  7. Cool muffins and then enjoy! I like to keep 6 out and then freeze 6 so I have individual muffins ready to go whenever. I simply take one out of the freezer and defrost overnight OR in the microwave. 

Nutrition info (I borrowed this from MyFitnessPal – I am not a dietician, just someone who likes to bake and make treats sometimes a little healthier, and I can’t claim 100% accuracy)

banana muffins

Seeking a non-healthy banana muffin? Give these a try instead!

Some questions for you:

  • Do you have a go-to muffin recipe?
  • What’s a healthy-ish recipe you made recently?