Flourless Banana Protein Muffins

Want the perfect pre-workout pick-me-up?  How about the ideal recovery snack? Or maybe you just want something yummy that you won't feel like you need to run 5 miles to make up for eating. ;-)

I made two batches of these--with half of them as mini-muffins and half as full-size, so 72 muffins in all. SEVENTY-TWO. And do you know how long they lasted in my home (which includes 1 man and 2 teenage boys)??  Less than 24 hours! I didn't know if I should be horrified or flattered.  

And here is all the math from my experience made into an imperfect equation for my Algebra 1 student:

72 muffins / 3X < 24hrs = 0

Therefore, the muffins were consumed at a rate of 3+ muffins/ hour. So my husband and two sons each ate an average of 1/hour for 24 hours. Of course, my younger 2 kids and I ate a few. And my husband and sons were gone on a camping trip for the first 18 of those 24 hours, so the math gets complicated. But, what isn't complicated is the recipe.  So we will move on to that.

Flourless Banana Protein Muffins
Makes 24 Regular/ 48 Mini Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
2 Ripe Bananas
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Honey
2 Eggs
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I like THIS kind, and THIS kind)
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Chocolate Chips (mini work best)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease/ line muffin pans
3. Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips in blender or food processor
4. Stir in chocolate chips
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 11-13 minutes for mini-muffins; 14-16 minutes for regular muffins.

Buttermilk Syrup with Coconut Oil

Buttermilk syrup is the unsurpassed champion of all breakfast toppings. This sounds like an opinion, but it is, in fact, FACT.  And it is most definitely NOT on my no-refined-sugar diet I am doing Monday through Saturday.  Sunday, however....

I decided waffles were in order Sunday morning, and I realized we were out of maple syrup. Then, I had the idea of making some buttermilk syrup. Since we are trying to eat healthier, I decided to try making the syrup a bit better for us--definitely not into a diet food--but with more redeeming value.

Most recipes for buttermilk syrup call for butter, sugar, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla (some call for corn syrup as well).  I used a combination of coconut oil and butter; and I used less sugar and more buttermilk than many recipes you may have seen.

As a side note: I have bought this and other brands, and Kirkland Organic Coconut Oil (found at Costco or online) is my favorite. It is unrefined, so the coconut scent is evident, but only very slightly. It is hard at room temperature, but not so hard I have to chisel it out of the jar.  It leaves a fresh feeling in your mouth if you taste it by itself--unlike the icky coating that lower-quality oils seem to leave. 

The recipe I came up with was a HUGE winner! It has the decadent flavor that you expect from a buttermilk syrup, but not the burn-your-throat caramel-like richness of traditional buttermilk syrup that can quickly take over all other flavors. This syrup complimented the waffle taste, instead of covering it. It will be my new go-to homemade syrup! I can't wait to serve it again!

Buttermilk Syrup with Coconut Oil

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons coconut oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1/8 tsp salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. In a medium-large sauce pan, melt butter, coconut oil, and sugar over medium-low heat. Stir in buttermilk and salt. Turn up heat to medium and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will begin to foam. Stir well. 

3. Serve hot or warm over pancakes, waffles, or french toast. Mixture is thin, but thickens when it cools. Store in a covered mason jar in the refrigerator. Re-heat for future use. 

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