banana muffin yumminess

banana muffins!

banana muffins/cake/bread are some of my all-time favorite things.  every year, i have a banana cake with homemade cream cheese icing for my birthday.  the recipe my mom uses was passed down from her mom and has been a family tradition for years.  this past weekend, i found myself with a few over-ripe bananas, so what did i do?  made banana muffins, of course!  i tweaked the family recipe just a bit - a tad less butter and sugar, a little extra banana - and added an oatmeal streusel topping.  fabulous!  seriously...this recipe will change your life...

ok, so here's what i did...

banana muffins

2¼ cups flour
1½ cups sugar
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening or softened butter
⅔ cup buttermilk (or 1½ tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar in ⅔ cup milk)
1¼ cups mashed bananas (about 3)
2 large eggs
dash of cinnamon & nutmeg

streusel topping

4 tbsp butter, chopped
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar

amazingness...

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease 18 large muffin cups.

2. sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

3. put dry ingredients in a mixer and add butter, buttermilk and bananas.

4. beat for 2 minutes then add eggs.

filling muffin tin

5. beat for 2 more minutes then pour batter into 18 large muffin cups.

6. while muffins are baking, mix together streusel topping ingredients with back of fork until crumbly.  when muffins are lightly browned (after about 20 minutes of baking), top each muffin with a spoonful of the topping.

streusel topping

7.  bake muffins for another 10-15 minutes (so 30-35 minutes total) or until cake tester comes out clean.

7. allow muffins to cool completely before removing from tin.

8. enjoy with a cup of your favorite tea : )



banana muffin & chai



want to know something wonderfully fabulous? i calculated (and then recalculated because i didn't believe it...) the caloric value of each muffin (including the streusel topping), and they're only 220 calories each!!! how delightful is that?!

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egg cups

baked egg cups : )

last night i made a super easy (and yummy) dinner for craig and me.  these delicious little egg cups are perfect for breakfast or dinner and are so simple to prepare.

what you'll need...

1 muffin tin
6 eggs
6 slices of cold cuts (turkey or ham)
1/2 small onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 slice sharp provolone
cooking spray or olive oil mister
salt & pepper

assembling the cups

1. preheat oven to 375
2. chop onion and saute in olive oil.  add garlic.  season with salt & pepper.
3. spray 6 muffin cups with oil or cooking spray to prevent sticking (fill unused cups 1/3 of way with water).
4. line sprayed cups with slices of cold cuts and crack 1 large egg into each lined cup.
5. season with salt & pepper and then top each cup with spoonful with onion/garlic mixture.
6. divide butter and provolone evenly and top each cup.
7. bake for approximately 15 minutes until tops are lightly browned, but yolks are still a little runny.
8. enjoy!!!  (fyi...you may need to loosen edges with a knife for easy removal from muffin tin.)

butter & provolone

serving size suggestions:  1 cup makes for a terrific breakfast with a slice of toast or bagel.  if you're making them for dinner serve with roasted veggies, baked rice or salad - i would eat 2, craig would eat 3 to give you an idea : )

top with butter & cheese

(and for you health nuts out there, they're only 125-150 calories per cup.).

ode to my cereal

i love my cereal.  i have it every morning for breakfast (and have done so for the past 4 years or so).  what can i say...i'm a creature of habit.  and (since i've had the luxury of time) i'm pretty sure i've mastered the art of the perfect bowl.  my morning cereal ritual is not to be taken lightly.  it's much more than corn flakes in a bowl with milk.  it's an experience that takes finesse.

my perfect bowl : )
-1 cup cereal (preferably a mix of 2-3 of your favorite kinds.  i <3 kashi golean crunch and multi-grain cheerios)
-1 tbsp raisins (or craisins if you're feeling spunky)
-1 tbsp chopped pecans
-1/4 banana, sliced (save the remainder for tomorrow's bowl or a snack or shake later : )

-a few strawberries, sliced

-sprinkle of cinnamon
-dash of nutmeg
-3/4 to 1 cup soy milk (or skim milk)
mix all dry ingredients with fruit & spices in bowl.  top with milk.  it's the perfect mix of slightly sweet & satisfyingly crunchy.  enjoy! 
my favorite bowl is my buddha bowl.  craig gave it to me for my birthday last year, and it's sculpted to fit in the palm of your hand.  if you're a serial cereal consumer, you need one.  believe me.  oh cereal, you're deliciously divine!
what's your go-to breakfast?  (for a free kashi treat click here.)

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