Healthy Banana Muffin Recipe

Healthier Banana, Coconut & Walnut Muffins

As I often do, today I got the urge for a bit of home baking, but I didn't want to indulge in a sugary fatty treat. Hence these banana muffins came into existence.  

Banana Coconut Walnut Muffins 

I've shared the recipe below for you to enjoy: I am not exactly a professional or anything, but I hope you have fun baking these healthier treats. I'd love your feedback!

Sugar-free Dairy-free Muffins: Perfect for Breakfast!

As so often seems to happen when I am cooking, I just looked around my cupboards and used whatever ingredients I had available. You can of course substitute anything you don't wish to use. The key thing in this recipe is the bananas for texture and for sweetness. 

Because they are not too sweet, these tasty bakes are perfect for snacking on at any time of day, but I think they'd be especially good for breakfast.

Recipe: 

Makes 12 large muffins.

I'd recommend using paper muffin cases if you have them. I didn't have any but it would have been a lot easier if I did!

Ingredients:                                          

4oz rye flour, 

4oz coconut flour,

2 eggs, 

8fl oz soya milk,

2 heaped teaspoons baking powder,

4 mashed bananas, 

vanilla essence, 

3 heaped dessert spoons desiccated coconut,

a few handfuls of walnuts (halves or chopped, it's up to you)

You could also add a couple of spoons of honey if you'd like sweeter muffins.

Tasty Sugar-free Muffins 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Blend the flours and baking powder in a bowl, stir in the eggs one at a time, then add the soya milk gradually until a you have a smooth but thick paste-like consistency, and all the flour has been incorporated. 

Add the vanilla essence and mashed bananas and beat well (if you want to add honey I'd put it in now).

Stir your coconut and walnuts into the mixture.

Divide mixture evenly between 12 muffin cases, bake until golden (approximately 20 minutes). 

Enjoy! 

Quick, Healthy Store Cupboard Dinner

Healthy Ideas:

I've got some lovely recipe books full of healthy meal ideas, but sometimes when there is no opportunity to plan or shop, I am left wondering what I can eat that isn't going to undo my hard work at the gym. 

Today was just such a day, but I decided to improvise a guilt-free dish from what I had available, and it was so yummy that I thought I would share it with you. 

You can re-create it exactly as I made it, or substitute whatever ingredients you have lying around. Let me know how you get on and what great combinations you discover. 

Ingredients: 

(serves two hungry people)

I used half a floret of broccoli,

3 celery sticks, 

a small amount of onion,  

half a courgette, 

a carrot, 

a large handful of mixed nuts,

approximately 50g pumpkin seeds, 

a large spoon of honey,

a large spoon of lemon juice

How to make your healthy dinner:

Cut the broccoli into small pieces, and slice the celery. Put into a saucepan with a well-fitting lid with about 1cm of water in the bottom. Cook over a low heat, stirring often but with the lid on between stirring, and steam the veg lightly until just tender. Drain into a sieve. 

Finely dice the onion and put into the pan with as little oil as you can get away with to keep it from sticking to your pan (I used about a teaspoon). Replace the lid again and sweat until tender.

Grate the courgette and carrot. Return broccoli and celery to the pan, along with grated veg, nuts and seeds. Stir well over a medium-low heat until you decide it is 'done'- a couple of minutes ought to do it. 

Add the honey and lemon juice, stir well, and enjoy!