Hummingbird Muffins
After taking a week off of muffin Tuesday, the tradition lived on this week and the chosen muffin was Hummingbird muffins! I love making these because they have so many different flavors and are very different than the other varieties that I make. The recipe is adapted from an annies-eats post for Hummingbird Coffee Cake (http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/05/10/hummingbird-coffee-cake/), and I only made a few changes. I chose to adapt it from a coffee cake into muffins so that I could control how much I actually made since I have no use for an entire coffee cake in my apartment!
Since the original recipe said it makes 16 servings, I quartered it and made 4 muffins. The only other changes that I made were to use unsweetened applesauce instead of butter to make it a bit healthier, non-fat greek yogurt instead of low fat, and I omitted the glaze and opted to put the chopped pecans in the muffins instead. Since it is in muffin form and not a cake, the timing in the oven was more experimental because I knew it would not need the 50 minutes that the cake needed, and it ended up taking about 20 minutes.
This is really one of my favorite muffins that I make. I love the combination of banana, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, fresh pineapple and cinnamon, and even though it may seem like a lot of ingredients, the flavors work great together. The muffin actually has a sort of buttery taste to it, which is amazing because there is absolutely no butter in them. This variety is a lot more unique than the classic banana, blueberry or chocolate chip, and it is even more delicious! When making these, you can choose to follow the original recipe a bit closer and include butter and the glaze, but I honestly don't think that you need to because they are great this way and a lot healthier!
July 9, 2013
Petite Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Loaves
In my opinion, the best bread/muffin combination is banana and chocolate chip. Banana bread is good on its own, but once you add chocolate chips it makes it that much better. In January when I started my Muffin Tuesday tradition, I made a list of all the recipes I wanted to try, but the one staple missing was a healthy banana chocolate chip muffin recipe. I had seen a recipe on Skinnytaste for Petite Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Loaves, but I did not have a mini loaf pan and for some reason it didn't seem like it would be as good to me if I adapted the recipe for muffins. So, after a few months passed and my sister kept looking at the recipe, she finally decided to cave in and buy a mini loaf pan. Once the pan arrived in the mail, I immediately made the loaves.
What is great about these is that they are bigger than muffins, but the same amount of points on weight watchers (5)! I halved the recipe (though my sister wishes I would've made eight) and pretty much made no other changes. The recipe (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/petite-chocolate-chip-banana-bread.html) has a lot of banana, flour, baking soda, salt, egg white, applesauce, vanilla, a little bit of butter, and chocolate chips. I upped the amount of chocolate chips to 1 oz because it was the same amount of points when I put in the recipe to weight watchers, and who doesn't love more chocolate!
When you put the batter into the pan, you can tell right away how big these are going to be! They go into the oven at 325 degrees for 40 minutes, which is a bit torturous to wait for. What makes it even harder is that the whole kitchen (and if you live in NYC, the whole apartment!) starts to smell like banana bread.
These come out of the oven looking like perfect little banana bread loaves! It looks even better than a muffin because you get your own personal loaf, and, lets be honest, who doesn't want their own banana bread! These have such a strong banana flavor because that is the prominent ingredient, which is what I love. The chocolate chips do not overwhelm the banana flavor because there are not many chocolate chips in the recipe, but you appreciate it more when you reach a chocolatey bite.
If you are a banana and/or chocolate lover, you should give this recipe a try. You can play around with it and switch out the chocolate chips for nuts, or simply just make them as banana bread, though I do recommend keeping the chocolate chips. They are really delicious and bigger than muffins, so they are more filling too!
July 2, 2013
Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
Like I have said previously, I am generally not a fan of muffins with fruit in them (unless it is banana) because when I want a muffin I am looking for something sweet, not tart. With that being said, these blueberry oatmeal muffins are pretty darn good! I mean, I probably would not end up making them if they weren't my sisters favorites, but I still think they are delicious. Again, the recipe is from skinnytaste.com (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/03/insanely-good-blueberry-oatmeal-muffins.html), which is pretty much my go to blog for healthy recipes.
This recipe takes a little more time than my usual muffin recipes, but I wake up early enough that I don't mind waiting a bit longer for these. First, you have to put the oats in a food processor and soak them in milk for a half hour. I get pretty restless waiting for the 30 minutes to be up, but in the meantime I prep the other ingredients and preheat the oven. Once the oats are soaked, it only takes about another 5 minutes to finish the mix and get them in the oven. This is one of the only recipes that I don't need to substitute anything because it is already super healthy, and making any substitutes would probably taint the recipe. Besides the oats, it has a very small amount of whole wheat flour to give them the muffin texture, and then it just has egg whites, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, a little bit of olive oil, applesauce, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and of course blueberries! The muffin tins get filled pretty much to the top, but you don't have to worry about them spilling over because they don't really rise a lot in the oven. Once the tins are filled, you just put them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 22 minutes, and then they are ready to eat!
I prefer this recipe way more than the Honey Coconut Blueberry Bran Muffins that I previously blogged about, because while those muffins tasted healthy, these still have the sweetness that I look for in a muffin. The combination of the oats with the brown sugar reminds me of a nice bowl of oatmeal, and the blueberries do a good job of breaking up the sweetness. This recipe put my distaste for fruity muffins to the test, and ultimately I do enjoy these. It is a nice change from what I usually make, and they feel healthier than some of my other muffin recipes. If you are someone that likes blueberry muffins, I would give this recipe a try. It is a bit different from a traditional blueberry muffin because of the oats, but it is still very delicious!
June 25, 2013
Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins
I have been counting down the days until I got to make this muffin again, because it is one of my ultimate favorites. I never used to be a huge Nutella lover, but now I really don't know why! It is SO good and I could probably eat it on anything. When I was looking at different muffin recipes on Pinterest a few months ago, I found this gem: Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins (http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2013/01/nutella-banana-swirl-muffins/). I love banana and I love Nutella, so to me this seemed like a no brainer!
From the recipe, I only made a few slight changes. Instead of using vegetable oil, I used unsweetened applesauce, I omitted the chopped pecans, and I used an egg white instead of an egg (since I had to quarter the recipe, it was too difficult to use a quarter of an egg, and it was much easier to measure out the equivalent in egg whites).
After I made these for the first time, I knew that they would be on the remake list. While the top of the muffin with the Nutella swirl was the star, the banana muffin on the bottom was still delicious. I waited for the banana to get very ripe before baking it, so the banana flavor really came through. When they first come out of the oven, the Nutella has a crunchy shell around it but is so soft and melty on the inside. If you have any leftover after the first day like I always do, the Nutella on top loses the crunchiness and becomes soft, but it is still extremely delicious. You can choose to eat these any way that you like, but I recommend eating the bottom part of the muffin and then saving the top for last! The combination of the Nutella with the banana is spot on, and it really raises the bar from the classic banana chocolate chip combination.
June 18, 2013
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Today, I woke up excited for muffin Tuesday because I got to make one of my favorites: Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal. This muffin is from a recipe I found on Annies Eats (http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/05/17/peanut-butter-banana-oatmeal-muffins/), and I ended up quartering the recipe because the original makes 18 muffins.
I originally found this recipe on Pinterest and immediately repinned it because it has everything I love in it: peanut butter, banana, oats and brown sugar! My first time making it, I was pleasantly surprised as to how moist and fluffy the muffin was. Since I make them Tuesday mornings, I usually measure out the dry ingredients the night before and put them in a Ziploc bag so that there is one less step that I have to do in the morning. My first time making these, however, I made the mistake of pre-measuring out the brown sugar and forgot that it would harden when exposed to the air like that. So, that first batch had chunks of brown sugar (which actually was a delicious accident). After making it through my rotation of muffin varieties, I was back to the beginning and made these again, this time holding off on measuring the brown sugar until the morning. Having now made them correctly, I enjoyed the muffin that much more. This morning was my third time making them, which is a testament to how much I like them.
The taste of peanut butter really comes through in the muffin, and the oats add a nice texture to them, while the brown sugar adds a hint of sweetness, as does the banana. I do admit that the taste of banana is not as prominent since peanut butter has a stronger taste, but I love peanut butter so I don't mind. Since my sister and I tend to have opposing tastes in muffins (we really can only agree on the fact that any muffin that has chocolate in it is our favorite), she has a different view of these. Whereas I put the blueberry muffins last on my list and she puts them on the top, I put these towards the top of my list and she puts them at the bottom. She still eats them and says that they are good, she just doesn't like them as much as some other varieties. This could be due to the fact that she is not a huge peanut butter lover, so you really have to like peanut butter if you are going to like these.
Regardless, this muffin variety will remain a staple on my rotation!
June 12, 2013
Cascadian Farm Hearty Morning Fiber
One of my favorite ways to start the day is with a nice bowl of cereal. Cereal has always been my go to breakfast, but I used to stick with one variety for a while and then either got sick of it or couldn't find it in store. Some of my past favorites have been Honey Bunches of Oats with Pecan Bunches and Kashi Good Friends (Cinnamon Raisin Variety). I loved the Kashi Good Friends because the cereal was nice and crunchy, had granola clusters, and sweet raisins. Once I added banana to the cereal, it was the perfect way to start the day, and because the cereal was so high in fiber it was super filling. After about a year of having this cereal everyday and getting attached to it, I was shocked to find out that it had sadly been discontinued. And what was worse was the fact that they kept the other Kashi Good Friends variety around which to me tasted like cardboard.
Anyway, I then set out on a quest to find contenders for a replacement cereal. I tried a bunch of different brands, but none of them had what I was looking for. I wanted a cereal that had crunchy flakes, twigs, granola clusters, and raisins, just like the Kashi kind did. After analyzing the cereal aisle in Whole Foods and almost being ready to give up hope, I stumbled upon Cascadian Farm Hearty Morning Fiber. It fit all of my requirements, except it did not have raisins. I decided to buy it anyway because I could always add raisins if I wanted to.
When I ate this cereal the next morning, I took a deep sigh of relief because I knew I finally found my go to cereal! It is really crunchy and doesn't get too soggy in the milk, it has granola clusters, and it is high in fiber which makes it very filling. It also is not overly sweet, but it has just enough sweetness so that it does not taste like cardboard.
Even though I recently have been varying my breakfasts and rotating between different types of cereals, yogurts, muffins, etc., this cereal always remains as a staple on my weekly list. I love that it is healthy and tasty, and I do not even miss the raisins. I just add half of a banana to it and it is the perfect way to start the day!
June 11, 2013
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
It is that time of week again---Muffin Day! Even though I try to keep the muffins on the healthier side, sometimes you just need to start the morning out with some chocolate. And chocolate can be healthy in limited quantities, right? Well, I think so....
So, today I made Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins and I used the recipe posted on emilybites.com (http://www.emilybites.com/2011/07/zucchini-chocolate-chip-muffins.html). I have made these muffins before and wanted to remake them because the muffin base is really delicious, and the chocolate obviously makes them that much better. I halved her recipe from 12 to 6, and then ultimately made 5 muffins because I follow weight watchers and after putting it into the recipe builder, each muffin was the same amount of points whether you made 5 or 6. So I of course chose to make 5 and have them be a little bigger! The only other slight change was using half whole wheat and half regular flour because I do not have white whole wheat flour in my apartment.
These muffins are really delicious, and the zucchini adds a nice touch because it makes the muffins a lot more moist. You also don't even taste the zucchini, so don't let that scare you away from making these! They also have some cinnamon, vanilla extract, and lemon juice, which helps makes the muffins more flavorful. The best part of these though is of course the chocolate chips.
I usually eat my muffin right when it comes out of the oven, so the chocolate is very warm and spreads more evenly throughout the muffin. There is only 2 tbsp in the whole batch, but it is more than enough to give you that chocolate punch without it becoming too unhealthy. If you are looking for a chocolate chip muffin recipe that is healthier than normal chocolate chip muffins, I would definitely recommend these. The applesauce and zucchini that are in these muffins takes the place of any oil or butter that you would usually need for a muffin, and you can't even taste the zucchini. So, before you immediately rule out making chocolate chip muffins because you think they are too unhealthy, try making these and you will be pleasantly surprised!
June 10, 2013
Peanut Butter & Sliced Banana on a Toasted English Muffin
One of my favorite breakfasts that I like to start my week off with is my Peanut Butter & Banana English Muffin Sandwich. It is probably because I love peanut butter and banana so much, but it is such a satisfying way to start the morning! To make it, I use a Thomas' Light Multigrain English Muffin, 1 tbsp of Skippy Roasted Honey Nut Peanut Butter (which as I mentioned in a previous post, is my all time favorite peanut butter) and 1/2 of a sliced, ripe banana. Thomas' is a trusted brand of choice for the english muffin, and I especially like the light multigrain one because it is only 100 calories, has 32% daily value of fiber, and is really tasty!
I usually leave the english muffin in the toaster for about 2 and a half minutes, which in my toaster oven is enough time for it to get warm and fluffy on the inside, with a slight crunch on the outside. Then, I wait about 30 seconds for it to slightly cool off before I add the tablespoon of peanut butter. And finally, I top it with sliced banana.
Since I add the peanut butter while the english muffin is still warm, it gets very melty which makes the peanut butter have an even stronger and more delicious taste. The banana on top just adds a nice finishing touch to this dish and brings all the flavors together. I usually end up having this for breakfast every Monday as it is a great way to start off the week!
If you are like me and like to vary your breakfast options, I would definitely recommend adding this to your rotation!
June 4, 2013
Honey Coconut Blueberry Bran Muffin
Today is Tuesday, which in my apartment means muffin day! Since about January, I have tried to make a new and healthy muffin/scone every week. I use recipes that I found on skinnytaste.com, emilybites.com, and a bunch that I adapted off of Pinterest to make a bit healthier. Most, if not all, of the muffins that I make have no butter and use unsweetened applesauce instead of oil to keep them moist and low in fat. I usually limit the quantity of muffins that I make to 4 because even though they are healthier, they are still muffins and should be eaten in moderation. After making a new kind of muffin every Tuesday for about 3 months, I finally got to the repeats and there are about 8 that made it onto the permanent list (including these)!
So, today was Honey Coconut Blueberry Bran Muffins. Again, I found the recipe for these on skinnytaste.com (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/08/honey-coconut-blueberry-bran-muffins.html). I have to admit, I am not the biggest fan of fruit in muffins with the exception of bananas. But, my sister love blueberries in muffins so I try to be a good roommate and make blueberry muffins once in a while. That being said, I'm glad that I gave this recipe a shot because I really enjoy these muffins. They are very hearty and filling, and have nice texture because of the blueberries, coconut, and chopped nuts. They also have a significant amount of wheat bran which makes them more healthy! The only real change I made from the skinnytaste recipes was to use pecans instead of walnuts, because I just love pecans.
To me, this muffin has the perfect balance of sweetness, moistness, and healthiness! Adding the coconut and the chopped nuts adds another layer of taste to them, and the wheat bran makes them very fiberous (not sure if that is actually a word) and filling. I highly recommend trying this recipe, even if you are skeptical about fruit muffins like I was!
June 1, 2013
Trader Joe's Silver Dollar Pancakes
There's nothing better than waking up on the weekend to hot off the griddle pancakes, right? Well, that involves waking up and immediately starting to prep the ingredients, making the pancakes, and then doing a full clean up, which always makes me steer clear of making them. So, I resort to the next best thing--frozen pancakes. On my recent trip to Trader Joe's (I think you can sense the trend in my posts, that I absolutely love Trader Joe's) I noticed they had a box of frozen silver dollar pancakes for $1.99! I figured that I had to try them since I love pancakes and this was such a great deal. The serving size is 11 pancakes, which may sound like a lot but they are super small.
I ended up having about 9 and it was plenty. These were good for frozen pancakes, but seeing that pancakes are my favorite food it did not nearly come close to fresh pancakes. I guess if I want to satisfy my pancake craving the best bet is to either make them myself or go out and get them. For now, this is a decent frozen option, and they are very convenient if you are on the go because you can literally pick one up and eat it in two bites.
May 31, 2013
Nature's Path Flax Plus Cereal
I have major issues when it comes to the granola bar/cereal aisle in the grocery store, and I tend to buy something new to try every time I go through the aisle. It has come to the point where I don't even allow myself to walk down the aisle unless I know I need something (sometimes, this doesn't even work!). I don't know what it is, but I just love trying all the new varieties! Anyway, then I get stuck with huge boxes of cereal in my cabinet and if I end up not liking the cereal, I have to force myself to keep eating it so that it does not go to waste. That is the case with the Nature's Path Flax Plus Cereal. I originally had high hopes for this cereal because it is organic, very high in fiber, and low in sugar, which meant it was a healthy alternative to other sugary cereals out there.
It is not bad, it just isn't something that I would buy again. While I commend them for keeping sugar low, it is definitely reflected in the taste. I tried adding 1/2 banana to my cereal bowl (which I always do anyway) to sweeten it up, but it didn't help too much. It is one of those products that actually tastes healthy because it has that wheat-y after taste to it.
Even though I wouldn't buy it again, I would recommend this cereal if you are looking for a healthy breakfast cereal that is not sweet. In the meantime, I will continue to slowly make my way through the box until I finally finish it.
May 30, 2013
Yogurt and Granola
So today for breakfast, I finally got around to trying the Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt that I have had in my fridge for about a week. I usually do a breakfast rotation so that I don't get sick of eating the same thing everyday. It varies between cereal, oatmeal, frozen waffles/pancakes, yogurt and granola, muffins, or an english muffin with peanut butter. Today, it was the Nonfat Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt from Trader Joe's with 1/4 cup of Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola.
I highly recommend both products. The yogurt was just what I have been looking for in a greek yogurt-- super creamy, but not overly sweet like some of the other brands. And, at only 99 cents per yogurt, it is a great deal. Adding 1/4 cup of granola completes the breakfast by some texture, crunch, and sweetness. I also love the Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola because it has raisins and dried cranberries, as well as almonds and pumpkin seeds, which makes each bite different and delicious. At around only 200 calories, this is a protein packed and delicious way to start the day!
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