Peanut Butter Banana Muffins- skinnier version

The only thing tip I have for this recipe is to make sure you start out at 425F for the first 5 minutes. It gives the muffins the first boost to give them a nice rounded top. Then lower it down to 350F for the rest of the baking time. These are a little bit "skinnier" than my other recipes because there's no butter! Woohoo and not much sugar. But they are plenty sweet. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

MUFFINS

• 3 ripe medium bananas, mashed with no chunks
• 1/4 cup honey 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk 
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour (to be healthier you can use wheat)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

OPTIONAL

• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Line a 12 muffin pan with baking cups.

In a medium bowl, use a hand-mixer to beat bananas. Make sure there are no lumps! Add the honey, brown sugar, greek yogurt, egg and beat. Then add milk and peanut butter. Finally mix in the vanilla. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Without overbeating, add in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Then fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin cups practically all the way to the top. You want to make it so that it's practically full. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F degrees. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue to bake for 12 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Top with a drizzle of peanut butter if you'd like :)

Recipe and all credit goes to: Sallys Baking Addiction

Mini Zucchini Bread Muffins- 3 flavors!

Happy Thursday!

Zucchini bread is one of those things that you can enjoy, while being "healthy". Or...at least a lot more healthy than other baked goods. Who would have thought putting a squash into bread would have tasted good, but it's all the extra cinnamon and chocolate and nuts and SUGAR that gives it that yumminess. Today was my day off from class, but of course I will be in lab for a couple of hours to catch up on work. On days that I get bored or just need a break, I have this urge to bake! The weird thing about me is that I love to bake, and I like sweets, but I love giving out my baked goods to people to eat. Mostly because it makes people happy! But also because I can't afford so much fat and sugar -.-

 Here's a great recipe that uses greek yogurt...i will almost add greek yogurt to anything, because it just makes everything light and moist :) It's the best secret ingredient. The 3 flavors i made are: Peanut butter, Chocolate Chip, & Classic Walnut. Enjoy!

The lineup

Wet + Dry Ingredients

How to easily peel a zucchini!

Walnut batter =P

Chocolate chips yummm

Everyone loves PB...like come on!

The three batters

Peanut buttery goodness...

DISSECTION!

These are fun little muffin liners I found at Daiso!

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chip (semi-sweet)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Oil and flour 24 cup mini muffin tin. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, greek yogurt, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Don't overmix!
Split batter into 3 bowls. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips, peanut butter, or nuts into each separate bowl until well combined. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Moist PB Banana Muffins & Surrendering to Jesus

I've decided to turn this blog into my own personal spiritual thoughts/diary/reflection + food diary! We'll see how this goes :)

Today I am thankful for the beach and for sisters in Christ that provide advice and support for me during hard times. There's just something about sitting at the beach, putting on some headphones, and reorienting your life with Jesus again. You don't have to worry about what others think. It's just you and God's creation. The reason why the beach is such a peaceful place for me is because it's still hard to imagine how God created such a vast thing that spans the entire world! But he did, and he controls every inch of it.
Recently, I have been so caught up with life and all of the worries that come along with it. But today I heard a sermon by John Piper where he just broke me down so that I could surrender all of the things that were stressing me out to Jesus. The key was prayer. We forget that prayer is the easiest to physically do, yet seemingly hardest discipline of the Christian walk. Prayer gives me peace and purpose, it gives me a hope and a yearning to hear from God. And the most awesome thing is that God doesn't care how ornate our prayers are..and he listens to every single word that we speak to Him.

If you look closely, you'll see dolphins!

"The confidence that a sovereign God governs for your good all the pain and all the pleasure that you will ever experience is an incomparable refuge and security and hope and power in your life." {thank you Ari!..we aren't in this alone!}

Bible verse of the day:

2 Corinthians 4:17-19

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Baking therapy for small groups tomorrow:

Polka dot muffin liners from Michael's

My model..i am so mean ;p

SUPER MOIST Mini PB Chip Banana Muffins w/ Greek Yogurt

Makes 48 mini, bite-sized, pop-em-in-your-mouth muffins

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (generously rounded!) mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup good-quality Greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Peanut Butter chips

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a mini muffin tin with liners and PAM. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, yoghurt, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in PB chips, and pour into prepared pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Reese's Banana Bread

Who doesn't LOVE peanut butter and chocolate??!.....

Some of the main ingredients 

Line your pan with PAM and a piece of parchment paper for easily pan removal.

Look at those chocolate chips all melted!

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup white sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup apple sauce 2 eggs 1 cup mashed bananas 1/4 cup almond milk or regular milk DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray one 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with a non-stick cooking spray. 2. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and applesauce until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs, milk and bananas with the sugar mixture until it is well blended. 3. Mix in the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder just until the mixture is moistened. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to blend all ingredients. Lastly, add chocolate chips and garnish with Reese's in the center. 4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degree C) for about 60 minutes. Bread is done when the top is firm to the touch and a golden brown color. Time will vary according to loaf size and oven type. When bread is removed from oven, allow it to cool on it's side for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack. RESULTS: Heavenly PB/Chocolatey goodness!! Best when served warm :) -B

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup Reese's PB chips 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional) 5-6 Reese's Miniatures for garnish

PB & Nutella French Toast

You can't go wrong with Peanut Butter and Nutella!

For Beth's birthday breakfast, I whipped up a quick batch of PB & Nutella French Toast.

It's quick, easy, and delicious!

PB & Nutella French Toast

Ingredients

2 eggs

dash of milk

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

4 slices of wheat bread

2 heaping tbls of Peanut Butter

2 heaping tbls of Nutella

Cool Whip, powdered sugar, and strawberries for garnish

Beat eggs and add milk, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Spread PB and nutella on one side of each of your pieces of bread

Sandwich the two pieces together then dip into your egg mixture until completely moist.

Spray some cooking spray on a small pan. Cook the french toast for about 10 minutes until the sides are browned and crispy.

Top with Cool Whip, powdered sugar, and some sliced strawberries!

ENJOY and go NUTS FOR NUTELLA!