It's been quiet on the blog as of late, and I do apologize, but I'm back with a really delicious, perfectly moist & fluffy muffin recipe. We have been in the middle of moving after 9 years in the same home. Needless to say, there was a LOT of purging to be done along with packing and cleaning. It feels great to be in a new space, and I juuuuust broke in the oven with my first baking experiment: sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free Banana Muffins! Because of the almond flour and three eggs in these muffins, they have a decent amount of protein, along with tons of fiber and some healthy fats to keep blood sugar stable. An excellent choice for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. As I'm always saying, healthy eating requires preparation, and these muffins are simple enough to be whipped up quickly on a Sunday for grab-and-go snacks during the week.
Why sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, you might ask? These are ingredients I ask most of my clients to avoid, at least for a period of time. All three can cause inflammation in the body, and we know that inflammation can interfere with getting pregnant and staying pregnant. Besides, bananas are sweet enough, almond flour is more nutrient dense than wheat flour, and milk has no business in a muffin, in my opinion ;) Hope your October is as sunshine-filled as my new backyard, and I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as I do!
Sugar-Free Banana Muffins
Makes 12 medium-sized muffins plus a mini loaf. You could make the muffins larger instead, and skip the loaf :)
Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch sea salt
3 cups blanched almond meal/flour (this can be expensive - I buy it at Costco for a good price)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
12 dark chocolate chunks (optional)
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with silicone muffin cups.
Place everything in a blender except the almond flour, walnuts, and chocolate chunks.
Blend until smooth.
Stop the blender, add the almond flour, and blend again until well combined.
With the blender off, gently mix in the walnuts with a spatula.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups and top each muffin with 1 dark chocolate chunk.
Bake for 25 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or fork - it should come out clean when done. If they need a little more time, try just 5 minutes more.
Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Refrigerate after a day out on the counter.
Enjoy!
PS. Do you have any questions about eating for fertility? Need more recipe ideas? Not sure where to begin? Email me anytime at RootToFruit@outlook.com :)