Banana Blueberry Muffins

This recipe comes from the Master Your Metabolism Cookbook by Jillian Michaels.  It is by far my favorite recipe out of the entire book.  I think it is because these muffins make a great breakfast.  I especially like them when I am on the go.  During the school year, I have to have a breakfast that I can grab and eat in the car on the way to work.  These work great for that.  Oh, and they taste good too!

Ingredients:

• Olive oil spray for the tin
• 3/4 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2)
• 3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 21/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 generous cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

Directions:

1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a 12- cup muffin tin with olive oil or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, place the bananas, yogurt, honey, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir together until well mixed.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the fl our, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and the nuts, if using.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Place the tin in the oven and reduce the heat to 400°F. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Serve warm.
5. For longer storage, let cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutritional information

• Calories: 216.0 kcal
• Fat: 6.8 g
• Protein: 4.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 37.1 g
• Sodium: 234.5 mg

These is the recipe how it appears in the cookbook.  Here are a couple minor things that I have had to do differently:

• I cannot find white, whole wheat flour to save my life.  Therefore, I just use the full on whole wheat flour.  Because of this, I only really need about 2 cups of flour instead of 2 1/2.  If the batter seems to thick, I will add just a little of water to thin it out slightly.  
• The directions say to bake 35 minutes.  I always check them at 25.  
• I store them in the refrigerator.  Typically, I will freeze half (they freeze really well) and but the rest in the fridge.  
• I always use the paper cupcake liners, but still will spray the inside of the liners with cooking spray.  They tend to really stick to the paper if I do not spray.

This is the batter.  It turned out pretty thick, so I did add water.

The muffin tins will end up really full, but they will not run over onto the pan.  These muffins are pretty dense.

All finished and yummy!  Don't let the dark color fool you.  The darker color of the wheat flour causes them to bake up a darker color.  Good to know, because the first time I made these I thought I had burned them.  Not the case! :)