Healthy Banana-Berry Muffins

Healthy Banana-Berry Muffins

Makes 8 muffins.

These are healthy. They don't taste like a muffin you'd get at your local bakery. Or a muffin you'd get at Costco, Starbucks, or Caribou. They taste... healthy. But they also don't have the calories, fat, and sugar content of the retailers named above. I almost didn't blog about these, because, let's be honest, most people want a muffin that tastes like at least slightly cake. But if you have little ones at home, this could be a great recipe for you. To a child's taste-buds, I think they would plenty sweet enough, and Mom will feel about offering a healthy snack!

1 very ripe banana, mashed

1 T. honey

1 egg

1 single-serve container of mixed berry yogurt (not mini, child-size)

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

Pinch of salt

1 t. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until just combined. There should be no dry spots, but don't be concerned if the batter is lumpy.

Prepare muffin tin by filling 8 spots with muffin liners. Evenly distribute batter between 8 liners. Bake for about 18 minutes.

Banana Oat Bars

Banana Oat Bars

Makes 10 bars.

A perfect on-the-go, healthy breakfast!

Slightly adapted from: Steph Chows

2-3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce

2 c. quick oats

1/3 c. whole wheat flour

1/3 c. flax seed (or, as I used, oat bran)

1/3 c. coconut, optional

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. fine grain sea salt

1 t. baking powder

1/2 c. chocolate chips

1/3 c. raisins, dried cranberries, or dried fruit of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine bananas, vanilla extract, and applesauce. Stir in cinnamon, salt, and baking powder; then stir in flax seeds and coconut. Add in whole wheat flour and oats. Lastly, fold in chocolate chips and raisins.

Pour batter into a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cut into bars.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Makes one, two, or three crusts.

The original recipe calls for only all-purpose flour, but by substituting whole wheat flour for half of it, you get added health benefits without losing much taste. The Mr. and I love the rich, slightly denser taste of whole wheat crust. If you want, feel free to adapt the amounts however you'd like. Use 75% all-purpose and only 25% whole wheat - it's all up to you!

This is a great basic recipe, and since you have the appropriate amounts for one to three crusts, you can make pizza for two, or pizza for a crowd.

Slightly adapted from: Betty Crocker's Italian Cooking

One crust:

1 pkg. regular active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. olive oil

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. sugar

Two crusts:

2 pkgs. regular active dry yeast

1 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)

1 to 1-1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 to 1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. olive oil

1 t. salt

1/2 t. sugar

Three crusts:

3 pkgs. regular active dry yeast

1-1/2 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)

1-1/2 to 1-3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1-1/2 to 1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. olive oil

1 t. salt

1/2 t. sugar

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in half of the flours, the oil, salt, and sugar. Stir in enough of the remaining flours to make dough easy to handle.

Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and springy. Place dough in greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place 20 minutes.

Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 48 hours. If dough should double in size during refrigeration, gently push fist into dough to deflate.

Granola Bars: Revisited

Granola Bars: Revisited

Makes 14-18 bars, depending on how you cut them.

I spent a lot of time figuring out my first granola bar recipe. But I still wasn't completely satisfied. So I kept playing around with it, and I think I've finally hit the jackpot. The recipe isn't all that different. But the technique slightly is. These bars are soft, but not crumbly. They're delicious, but still carry some healthy ingredients. And anything homemade is just better than anything out of box.

3 c. heaping oats

3/4 c. wheat germ

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 t. salt

1 c. chocolate chips (reduce if desired)

3 eggs

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking pan.

Combine oats, wheat germ, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Create a well in the center; add egg, peanut butter, honey, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Add chocolate chips; mix well, using your hands if necessary.

Transfer mixture to the baking pan; spread evenly.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown. Do not overbake.

Let cool completely in pan. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Abouts 16 slices per loaf.

This was a hit! Someone even compared it to Panera's whole grain baguette. It's a dense, grainy bread that tastes great slathered with butter.

Source: the back of the Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour bag

1 pkg. regular active yeast

1/8 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)

1/4 c. honey

1/8 c. butter or margarine

1-1/2 t. salt

1-1/4 c. very warm water (120-130 degrees)

2-1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1-1/2 to 2 c. all-purpose flour

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside. In large bowl, mix honey, butter, salt, and very warm water; cool 5 minutes.

To cooled honey mixture, beat in 1-1/2 c. of the whole wheat flour with an electric mixture on low speed, scraping bowl frequently, until moistened. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in remaining 3/4 c. whole wheat flour and dissolved yeast. With spoon, stir in 1 to 1-1/2 c. of the all-purpose flour until dough pulls away from side of bowl.

Place dough on floured work surface. Knead in remaining 1/4-1/2 c. all-purpose flour; continue kneading 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl with shortening or cooking spray; place dough in bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80-85 degrees) 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Generously grease a regular-sized loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. On lightly floured surface, roll dough with rolling pin into an 18x8-inch rectangle. Starting with one 8-inch side, roll up dough tightly, pressing with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal; pinch each end to seal. Fold ends under loaf; place seam side down in pan. Cover; let rise in warm place 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover dough; bake 20-25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely; about 1 hour.

A Note From The Little Lady: I adjusted cooking times for one loaf. The original recipe is doubled and makes two loaves. For two loaves, double ingredients and increase baking times to 30 minutes at 375 degrees and 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Good-For-You Banana Muffins

Good-For-You Banana Muffins

Makes 24 muffins.

Another new option for The Mr.'s breakfast routine. This is a moist muffin (thanks bananas!) and fairly healthy (thanks whole wheat flour and oat bran!). It's even got your glass of O.J. already mixed in. I eliminated the suggested 1/2 c. vegetable oil in hopes of making it even better for you. And guess what? It worked! The original recipe also included 1 T. cinnamon, 1/2 t. nutmeg, and 1/4 t. allspice -- feel free to add those to the dry ingredients if you are looking for a muffin with a warm, spicy taste.

Adapted From: www.AllRecipes.com

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. oat bran

2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

2 eggs

1 c. orange juice

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with 24 liners.

In one bowl, mix together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oat bran, baking soda, and baking powder. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients; add eggs, orange juice, and both sugars. Within the well, mix wet ingredients together. Then, incorporate into dry ingredients, but don't overmix. Fold in mashed banana.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 of the way full; bake for 15 minutes.