muffin | The Life of Lulubelle

Muffins: a very-much-loved breakfast food for kids and adults alike. Unfortunately they don’t give much love to your waistline (or maybe they give too much love). Store bought muffins or prepackaged mixes are filled with sugar and preservatives and other chemicals; even if some of them do taste pretty tasty.

I like to eat grain-free or only sprouted grains and I love almond and coconut flours (as you can see from the past). I have some friends who are on the Paleo diet and don’t eat wheat flour either. One of them posted a link to Banana Nut Muffin Loaf and I knew I had to try it.

I made a few changes and the results were stellar. These muffins do not taste like any diet or health variety. They are moist, sweet, and hard to resist. Even my brother absolutely loves them and he likes to commit himself to junk-food-only meals.

Banana Nut Blueberry Muffins

Soooo tasty!

Makes 12 muffins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Grease muffin tin with coconut oil or use muffin papers

Ingredients:
3/4 C Almond Meal
1/4 Cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 super ripe, large bananas – mashed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp honey (optional – really doesn’t need it)
3/4 cup walnut halves – then put in food processor or chop finely
1 cup blueberries

In one bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine all wet ingredients and mix with hand mixer until well blended. Add blueberries and walnuts and mix again. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Spoon into 12 muffin cups. Bake 8-12 minutes or until firm to touch toothpick comes out clean when inserted into muffin.
Serve with butter or as is!

Over the next few weeks I am sure that I will be posting lots of blueberry recipes. We usually get about a container of blueberries every week from our CSA box and although I love blueberry things, I’m not a huge fan of just plain blueberries.

Yesterday I had an amazing urge to eat berry pie; blackberry, huckleberry, blueberry, or any combination of dark tangy berries. Flour and sugar filled desserts I am trying to stay away from, so I created something to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Easy Mini Almond Banana Muffin Tops with Blueberry Compote

Muffins covered in yummy blueberry compote

I didn’t mean for them to turn out like muffins (I was aiming more for a crisp cookie), but these tasted yummy just the same.

Makes 4 small servings or two large desserts

Ingredients:
Blueberry Compote
1- 1 ½ Blueberries
2 TBSP lemon Juice
1 tsp Stevia Powder
1 tsp honey
(Or sweeten to taste)

Put all ingredients into small sauce pan and toss to coat. Set burner to medium low heat. Crush berries and stir occasionally. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until berries have popped and mixture is mostly liquid.

Almond Banana Muffin Tops:
1 egg
2 TBSP butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp honey
½ Banana
¾ Cup Almond Flour
¼ Cup Coconut Flour
¼ tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a bowl, mix together egg, butter, vanilla, honey, and banana. Add flours and baking soda and mix until blended smooth. Split between 4 greased muffin cups or spoon onto baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until they start to brown and are firm to touch

Spoon blueberry compote over muffins. Drizzle plain yogurt (I love the Strauss plain whole milk yogurt with no sugar added), or if you can’t resist; your favorite vanilla ice cream.

My husband might tell you that I licked my bowl clean. I will then tell you that there is no proof.

The next morning for breakfast I had a bowl of yogurt with some of the blueberry compote on top and a piece of muffin. So delicious.