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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Published: Jul 17, 2015 · Modified: Jan 28, 2017 by Bridget · This post may contain affiliate links · 32 Comments

    Healthy Banana Muffins

    I turned my oven on for these muffins.

    Yes I did.

    This easy recipe for healthy banana muffins uses whole wheat flour, dark brown sugar, sweet bananas and protein packed walnuts. Freeze an extra batch! | The Recipe Wench

    As I write this post at nearly 6 p.m., it's over 90 degrees with humidity at 60 percent.

    Weather Underground says it "feels like 95."

    Not to me.  It may as well be 150°F.

    Mornings are perfect, though!  We're usually up by 4:00 or 5 a.m.  (Thank you for that, Thor).

    Jeff and I open the shutters and windows, douse ourselves in mosquito spray and head outside to enjoy a cappuccino and watch Heidi and Thor romp in the yard.

    It's quite pleasant.

    Then the sun rises . . .

    The house gets shut again -- like a cave.

    We try to keep the heat out as best as we can.

    For the life of me, I can't understand why these houses are not built with any type of insulating material.  The only thing between our ceiling and the sun is . . . nothing.

    Like me, Heidi and Thor are not big fans of the heat.  They pass the day sprawled out on the cool tile floors.

    I make a halfhearted, slow-motion effort to pick up the house and clean the floors, but mostly I sit and think about how much I don't enjoy the heat!

    The heat is my Kryptonite.

    We have air conditioning units throughout the house, but the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour is 4 times more from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. than it is after 7.

    We have to pick and choose when to consume, and we prefer to run the AC while we sleep.

    By 8 a.m. our beloved coffee machine gets turned off.  Party over.

    Cappuccino Machine

    I make sure all our laundry is washed and hanging on the line.

    Coffee Machine and Laundry-2

    We have fans running 24/7 just to circulate the air and help with moisture evaporation.

    It's quite a process.  Summer survival in our little corner of Southern Italy.

    The view is a little different when you're not here on vacation . . .

    But . . . I endured the heat of the oven for these healthy banana muffins and would do it again in a heartbeat!

    The whole wheat flour and large chunks of nuts give these muffins a hearty, healthy taste and texture.

    When I was photographing these, I removed the cupcake liners so I could get a better shot of the entire muffin.

    I had a pile of liners stacked up on the table.

    Jeff entered the room, took one look at the pile of liners and assumed I ate a mountain of muffins for lunch!

    No, dear, I didn't do that.

    I'm completely amused he thought I would do such a thing.  But now he's got me thinking . . .

    Enjoy!

    Healthy Banana Muffins

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    Healthy Banana Muffins
    Serves 24
    Prep time 10 minutes
    Cook time 15 minutes
    Total time 25 minutes
    Meal type Breakfast
    Fast, easy, healthy banana oatmeal muffins with whole wheat flour, brown sugar, sweet bananas and chunks of walnuts are a perfect way to start your day!

    Ingredients

    • 2 Cups whole wheat flour
    • 1 Cup oats (quick-cooking)
    • 1 Cup dark brown sugar
    • 1 Teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 Teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ Teaspoon salt
    • 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
    • 3 Medium bananas (mashed)
    • 2 eggs
    • ⅓ Cup butter (melted)
    • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
    • ½ Cup coarsly-chopped walnuts

    Note

    Keep an extra batch of these Healthy Banana Muffins in the freezer for breakfast or a snack on the go.  Made with whole wheat flour, heart-healthy walnuts and sweet bananas, these are guilt-free and easy to make.

    Directions

    Step 1
    Preheat oven to 350°F

    In medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

    In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients: 3 mashed bananas, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and ⅓ cup melted butter.

    Add flour mixture to banana mixture. Stir just until combined.

    Stir in ½ cup coarsely-chopped nuts.

    Spoon into lined cupcake pan.

    Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (approx. 12 minutes).
    Step 2
    A rough estimate of nutrition information for 1 of these little guys!

    This easy recipe for healthy banana muffins uses whole wheat flour, dark brown sugar, sweet bananas and protein packed walnuts. Freeze an extra batch! | The Recipe Wench

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dorine Harris says

      September 23, 2021 at 6:38 pm

      One more question, can I use yogurt in place of the butter used in the muffins? Also can I add the apples I have on the counter to just keep from throwing them away?
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        September 23, 2021 at 7:00 pm

        Thanks for the questions. From what I've read (I've never tried it myself) you can swap butter for yogurt. As far as adding apples, I say, "Why not?!" I bet it'll be delicious. Let us know!
        Reply
    2. Dorine Harris says

      May 31, 2021 at 8:14 pm

      These look really good and probably very much in line with my WW lifestyle but I wanted to know if you made mini muffins or regular size muffins. They look tiny next to the walnuts.
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        May 31, 2021 at 9:14 pm

        The recipe makes 24 muffins. They are more "cupcake" size vs. the gigantic muffins you get in the bakeries. The walnut looks large because I topped the muffins with whole walnuts to make a pretty photo!
        Reply
    3. Christine Tanski says

      May 31, 2020 at 10:23 am

      I made this recipe into a loaf tonight, turned out fantastic. Took about 40 min to cook at 170°c
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        June 11, 2020 at 10:56 pm

        I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you for letting us know!
        Reply
    4. Paula P. Martin says

      July 22, 2015 at 5:47 am

      Would you please give the nutritional breakdown per serving for your recipes. Thank you.
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 22, 2015 at 12:11 pm

        Paula -- I'm glad you brought this up! I've thought a lot about whether to include nutritional information for my recipes. Many bloggers do and I always relied on their information. Once I started my blog, it dawned on me that many bloggers are just regular ol' people -- no nutrition background. And these are the people I've been relying on to give me accurate nutritional information! I know how important accurate nutritional information is for many of my readers who are following special diets (and for those of us who are just plain curious). I'm not a nutritionist so any nutritional information provided by me would be only a rough estimate. Because there are so many variables which affect the ultimate nutritional breakdown (different brands, for example), I wouldn't want anyone to rely on my input as the "gospel truth." I recommend using a recipe calculator. You can find several nice calculators online. A couple that I use for my personal curiosity are MyFitnessPal and SparkPeople Again, I thank you for your question and I want to let you know I will continue to ponder how I can help my readers in their quest for nutritional information. At this point, though, I'm not comfortable representing my calculations as accurate vs. only a rough estimate.
        Reply
    5. Kathy says

      July 22, 2015 at 3:56 am

      These look wonderful! Can't wait to try them. I do have one question, I am trying to loose weight by watching my carbs. Would you happen to know how many carbs and how much fiber is in these muffins? Thank you so much.
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 22, 2015 at 12:18 pm

        Kathy -- I think the carb/fiber count is going to depend a lot on the total weight of the muffin, the total weight of the bananas and, probably, the carb/fiber content of the flour and oatmeal you use. You could get a rough estimate by entering the recipe ingredients into a recipe calculator. I use the calculators at MyFitnessPal and SparkPeople. I hope this works for you and good luck on the weight loss efforts!
        Reply
    6. sprinklesandsprouts says

      July 20, 2015 at 1:25 am

      Your coffee maker is amazing!!!! That sounds like summers here! I'd be lying on the tiled floors with the dogs!
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 20, 2015 at 4:29 pm

        That's too funny! I have a friend who admits she sometimes lays on the floor with the dogs. I'm not quite there . . . yet!
        Reply
    7. Kaitie says

      July 19, 2015 at 3:33 pm

      These look amazing!! And so easy to make! Makes sense why it was worth turning the oven on! We are in a heat wave too... Brutal!
      Reply
    8. Amy @ Planning Playtime says

      July 18, 2015 at 9:10 pm

      These look amazing, and I love that you included oats. I love muffins for after school snacks for the kiddos.
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 19, 2015 at 9:04 pm

        Yes! The oats gave it a great texture!
        Reply
    9. Carrie Ann Tripp says

      July 18, 2015 at 4:30 pm

      Ok, I'm in! But I'm not turning my oven on. I'll save it for later.
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 19, 2015 at 9:06 pm

        I don't blame you!
        Reply
    10. justleesha says

      July 18, 2015 at 3:58 pm

      those look so good!
      Reply
    11. JcCee says

      July 18, 2015 at 3:06 am

      Omg, these look yummy! I love banana muffins so I would agree that the heat was worth it. Pinning this.
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 18, 2015 at 11:23 am

        Glad to hear it! Thanks for pinning!
        Reply
    12. Allison (funfamily.vacations) says

      July 18, 2015 at 2:16 am

      These look super yummy. Could you make them without the walnuts? Thanks!
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 18, 2015 at 11:23 am

        Allison -- you absolutely could make these without the walnuts. You could substitute any other type of nut, you could completely do away with the nuts, OR you could add chocolate chips or raisins. It's a very adaptable recipe! Enjoy!
        Reply
    13. Adrienne Brown says

      July 18, 2015 at 12:26 am

      Those muffins look delicious and totally worth turning on your oven!
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 18, 2015 at 11:22 am

        Yep! I'll be making more of these in the cooler weather!
        Reply
    14. aprilmrutherford says

      July 17, 2015 at 11:25 pm

      Yum!!! Thanks for sharing and 'm pinning!
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 18, 2015 at 11:21 am

        Oooooh Thanks so much for pinning!
        Reply
    15. lesliesholly says

      July 17, 2015 at 10:07 pm

      I feel your misery. We spent two summers in a house without central air. We had three portable units but you could only run two at a time or you'd blow a breaker. I never turned the oven on until after nine p.m. I'm glad you braved the heat to make these though, because they look delicious and I've pinned the recipe!
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 18, 2015 at 11:21 am

        So nice to meet someone who can understand the whole concept of having to choose which appliances to run at the same time! Our house is wired for only 3,000 kilowatts. It has become second nature to us. When we go to the States, we are in awe that we can turn everything on -- all at once! Thanks for pinning!
        Reply
    16. Deepika says

      July 17, 2015 at 9:11 pm

      These muffins look delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 18, 2015 at 11:19 am

        You're quite welcome, Deepika! I love your website, by the way!
        Reply
    17. veaves says

      July 17, 2015 at 4:21 pm

      First: I will have to try this but without nuts. My daughter is allergic to most nuts (but not peanuts for some strange reason) Second: Your photo's are out of this world gorgeous! One day, I have to do an upgrade for my camera and maybe do a course (or five) on photography Third: I am with you 100% on the heat!!! I am miserable beyond misery!
      Reply
      • Bridget says

        July 18, 2015 at 11:18 am

        Victoria! Thanks for the compliment. Please come on over and try out my camera. We just upgraded. I love it!
        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Bridget! So glad you're here! I'm a former legal secretary, now wife, mother, grandmother and full-time blogger. My husband Jeff and I live in Colorado with our doggies. My favorite things are family, doggies, gardening and cooking!.

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