Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Oat Muffins

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love to bake. I mean, I LOVE it!!! There is just one thing...with me being pregnant and Bubba training for the Tough Mudder in a few months, we have been trying to eat even more healthy than we normally do. With that, I have been trying to come up with some healthy (or at least healthier) recipes to bake that will still hit the spot! And boy did I come up with one tonight!

I love banana bread! It has always been one of my favorites! You can find my go-to banana bread recipe here. However, it is full of delicious sugar and butter. I wanted to make a recipe that was a bit healthier. This recipe has no butter, no oil and only 1/2 cup of brown sugar! A little whole wheat flour, oats, banana and applesauce makes a scrumptious, chewy treat! And at just 110 calories each, you really can't go wrong!

Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Oat Muffins

Adapted from Joy the Baker.

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick oats

1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 whole egg, beaten
2 egg whites, beaten
½ cup natural applesauce
3 ripe bananas
½ cup chocolate chips, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients.

In a smaller bowl, mash bananas with fork. Add whole egg and applesauce.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. The batter will be fairly thick.

In a medium sized bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until medium stiff peaks form.  Fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions. Fold in chocolate chips if using.

Spoon batter into muffin tin. Fill about ¾ full. Bake for 16 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

When Bubba and I were living with his sweet grandparents, Grandma Sweetie Pie made this cake for his birthday. It is to die for! If you like bananas and chocolate, you will love this!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
Recipe adapted from the World Wide Ward Cookbook.

Cake:
1 1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
4 tbs. sour cream
1 1/2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. bananas, mashed

Topping:
1/4 C. packed brown sugar
1/8 C. granulated sugar
1 tbs. cinnamon
1 C. chocolate chips
1 C. nuts, chopped (optional)

Line an angel food cake pan with waxed paper and grease well. (I didn't use the wax paper, but greased the pan well and it cam out just fine.) Cream the sugar, butter and eggs. Combine baking soda and sour cream; stir into butter and sugar mixture. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in vanilla and bananas. Pour half of the batter into pan. Combine Topping ingredients. Sprinkle half of the topping over the batter in pan. Pour remaining batter into the pan and sprinkle with remaining topping. Bake at 325F for 45-60 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick comes out clean. Cool before removing from pan.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a great recipe for those bananas that start to over ripen. They are always a hit in my home!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from the World Wide Ward Cookbook.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Combine all of the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients. Mix well with mixer. Spoon cookie dough onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

*The dough is a littler more sticky/runny than most cookie doughs.

Banana Bread-Cake

This has become one of my favorite banana bread recipes. It is really easy to throw together and always turns out great. It has this delicious sugary crust that is irresistible! It doesn't last more than a day or two in my house.

Banana Bread-Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup mashed bananas
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cup flour
1 1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
dash of cinnamon

Mix all of ingredients together starting with the liquids. Then add the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.

To prepare the bundt cake pan, spray with a cooking spray, then coat the inner edges really well with sugar. This will make a really yummy, sugary, crispy, thin outer layer.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.