Vegan Banana Poppy Seed Muffins

Good morning from arctic-like Ohio! There were a lot of new faces running around Prevention RD yesterday – welcome! 😀

I hope your weekend is off to a great start! I don’t know about you all, but this past work week was long and intense! I walked in the door from work last night at 8pm and of course Mr. Prevention’s belly had us retreating back out to the cold for food. I was okay with this because my horoscope specifically said to eat at a restaurant or get take-out yesterday. It was a sign, and I was happy to oblige.

That is until Mr. Prevention rolled up to a diner-style hamburger joint. My initial thought was that there would be nothing, at all, whatsoever on the menu that wouldn’t risk my body imminent cardiac arrest. Alas, I was wrong.

While I feared the salads would be a bed of iceberg offering little nutrition, I opted for a cup of chicken tortilla soup (YUM!) and a grilled chicken salad, mayonnaise on the side (love mayo, but not the amount restaurants use!). The chicken sandwich was on a homemade pretzel roll that was out of this world! And surprisingly, the chicken was very lean and juicy. Hamburger joint dinner…success! And I didn’t feel deprived at all as I did help Mr. Prevention clear off a fry or 3 from his plate 😉

After a much needed 9 hour hibernation under the covers, I am up and rearing to go today! At least in the kitchen. Reading my next chapter for teaching…vitamins, and then minerals…not so much. But I am afraid that now that my breakfast is made and my veins are surging with peppermint coffee caffeine that may be next on the agenda. Boo hiss.

When I saw these muffins on Heather’s blog yesterday, I knew they were going straight to the top of must-make breakfast items. Vegan baked goods are a favorite of mine (so moist!), and muffins…well, we haven’t bonded in far too long and I pretty much adore all things muffin-like.

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Vegan Banana Poppy Seed Muffins slightly adapted from Get Healthy with Heather

3 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1/2 1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp chia seed mixed with 2 tbsp water
1 cup heaping cup mashed bananas (3 medium bananas)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup 2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with liners, or coat with olive oil spray.

In a small bowl combine the chia seed with 2 tbsp water. Let it rest for 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice. It will gel during that time.

Mix together the oil, apple sauce, syrup, mashed banana and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, sea salt and poppy seeds. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, along with the gelled chia seed. Mix until just combined and spoon into the muffin tins.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Yield: 12 muffins.

Nutrition Information (per muffin): 154 calories; 4.3 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 101 mg. sodium; 25.6 g. carbohydrate; 3.1 g. fiber; 0.8 g. protein

Result: They taste just like banana nut muffins…without the nuts. 🙂 Heather was right in that you don’t need the 1/2 cup of maple syrup — the sweetness from the bananas and applesauce is plentiful. I love that they are very low in calories and contain healthy fat and fiber. I think they will pair great with a high-protein serving of cottage cheese or Greek yogurt for breakfast next week! Enjoy!

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If these muffins don’t tickle your fancy, try one of my other favorites. I deem myself the Muffin Queen!

Apricot-Coconut Bran Muffins
Vegan Acorn Squash Muffins
Carrot, Coconut, and Walnut Muffins
Vegan Banana Nut Muffins
Goat Cheese and Honey-Stuffed Fig Muffins
Vegan Zucchini Bread Muffins
Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Vegan Fig Muffins

Love me some MUFFINS!

Question: What’s your favorite muffin variety? Have you ever made a vegan baked good! If not, why not!? You’re missing out 😉

Happy WEEKEND!!!