I turned my oven on for these muffins.
Yes I did.
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.
I make sure all our laundry is washed and hanging on the line.
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
Print recipe
| Serves | 24 |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 25 minutes |
| Meal type | Breakfast |
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! |  |
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