Banana Oat Blender Muffins

I was looking for a nutritious snack for afternoons when I’m starting to get hungry, but there is still a long time before dinner! I’ve made various other recipes in the past, and a lot of them have almond or peanut butter. Nothing wrong with these, and I will still make these sort of recipes as well. However, this time I was looking for something without the nut butter. I found a oat blender muffin recipe online that looked good, and then tweaked if just a little to fit my needs. These are now a favorite in the house! Easy to make, nutritious and tasty. Exactly what I was looking for.

I like that they use oats for the flour. Great source of complex carbs, fiber and some protein. Naturally sweetened with bananas, and then yogurt for more protein. The original recipe calls for 2-3 tbs honey. I have used both maple syrup and honey and either works well. I have also made them without any added sugar, just the banana for sweetness, and this is what I prefer. I wanted these to have minimal added sugar, and found that I can do without any. They’re not overly sweet this way so if you’d like to add a few tablespoons that is reasonable as well. It’s up to you and your taste preference.

The original recipe also called for these to be baked at 400 degrees which I found to be a bit hot. I cut down to 350 and baked a few extra minutes. I prefer it this way.

Finally, the recipe does call for a full cup of Greek yogurt. A few times when making this I didn’t have a lot of yogurt left, so I did a combo of milk and yogurt. One time I even did milk, water and yogurt and this worked out fine too! Just a little less rich. (I used a little water because one day I was running low on both yogurt and milk… it happens…. )

---

Banana Oat Blender Muffins
Adapted from Well Plated
Ingredients

• 2 cups (160 grams) old fashioned oats

• 2 large bananas (about 200 grams) very ripe

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup (227 grams) plain Greek yogurt (or a mix of plain yogurt and milk works as well)

• 1-2 tablespoons (20-40 grams) honey or maple syrup, optional

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup standard muffin tin.

Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend or process on high, stopping to scrape down and stir the ingredients if needed, until the batter is smooth and the oats have broken down almost completely; a couple of minutes.

Transfer batter to prepared muffin tin. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool for at least 5-10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Date and Almond Breakfast Bars

Quick post this week. You may or may not have noticed my love for snack bars. Usually oat based, hearty, filling and on the healthier side. Well, here's another winner! These bars are soft, but not chewy, more of a sandy texture. They are slightly sweet, just enough for me, and a little salty (which I love!). The dates add a nice natural sweetness without being an overwhelming flavor. They bars bake up pretty firm and hold together unless it's really warm out, or they sit in a hot car for a while! Whoops!! 

I cut back slightly on the honey in these bars, just by 1 tablespoon. They may have been slightly firmer with that additional tablespoon, but I didn't mind them at all the way they turned out. While the title of this recipe is "breakfast bar" I really found them to be more of a homemade granola bar. But in the end it doesn't really matter what they are called. I just know I enjoyed them!

Date and Almond Breakfast Bars
Adapted from Donuts, Dresses and Dirt
Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (90-100 grams) chopped dates
• 1 1/4 cup (110 grams) old fashioned oats
• 3 tablespoons (22 grams) whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup (20 grams) wheat germ
• 1/3 cup (35 grams) chopped almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (65 grams) almond butter
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) olive oil
• 3 tablespoons (63 grams) honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with oil. Set aside. 

Combine the dates, oats, flour, wheat germ, almonds, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond butter, olive oil, honey, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry mixture, and stir together until evenly combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, pressing the mixture firmly onto the bottom, edges and corners.

Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes, until they are golden brown all over. Cool the bars completely in the pan on a cooling rack. When mostly cool, transfer to the fridge and let them chill for a few hours. This will make it easier to cut into neat bars.  Remove from fridge and cut into bars.