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.

Protein & Fiber Rich Blueberry Bars

This summer FLEW by for our family and fall has sneaked up on me like a ninja in the night. I didn't do HALF of what I had planned to this summer, but one thing I did do was go blueberry picking-- twice! So, my freezer has an abundance of blueberries.  

So although blueberry season is over, I wanted to share this new-favorite recipe I developed that uses blueberries (fresh or frozen!) and is full of healthy redeeming value. You can feel good about your family indulging in these puppies!

I had to hide away two of these bars to photograph soon after I made them because they were disappearing so fast! They were yummy right out of the oven, but also once they cooled.  They have a buttery, whole-wheat and oatmeal crust, a sweet, lemony tofu-based filling, and are topped with blueberries and more buttery wheat and oatmeal goodness. 

The whole wheat, oatmeal and blueberries provide a significant amount of healthy fiber, and the tofu adds a shot of protein that make these bars not only yummy, but pretty darn healthy for a delectable dessert! 

This was my first experience using tofu in a dessert. I was a bit apprehensive. I didn't tell my family what was in these until they had tried them.  I was THRILLED that they turned out so well and were so enjoyed! Win-Win!!

I made these at night and quickly snapped a picture of them right out of the oven.  Although it's a bit dark, I'm glad I did. This pan was attacked soon after this photo was taken.

Protein and Fiber Rich Blueberry Bars

Makes 32 bars

Ingredients

Crust and Topping:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup salted sweet cream butter, softened

Lemon Tofu Filling:

24 oz firm tofu, drained

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon extract

Blueberry Layer:

4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 10"x15" baking dish with aluminum foil.  Two 8"x 8" or  9"x 9" square dishes will work. Coat lightly with cooking spray.

2. In large mixing bowl, whisk wheat flour, powdered sugar and oatmeal together. Cut in softened butter until well incorporated (I used my cookie-dough paddles for cutting in the butter).  Reserve 2 scant cups of this mixture in a separate dish, and press the rest of it into the prepared pans. 

3. Using the same mixing bowl (no need to clean out the crumbs), beat the tofu, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and extract together. Mixture may seem chunky (no worries!).  Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the first layer.

4. Sprinkle sugar, lemon juice, and flour over the blueberries and mix gently. Spread the berries over the tofu layer. 

5. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over the top of the blueberries.  Place in center of oven. Bake 50-55 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. 

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