If you’re like me, you bought way too many cranberries for Thanksgiving cooking! I love using them up in muffins and bread after Thanksgiving; that way, they don’t sit in the refrigerator until they go bad. The day after Thanksgiving, I wanted something healthy for breakfast instead of reaching for the leftover pie (I save that for the evening ), I decided to make my favorite blender oatmeal bar recipe, but with cranberries this time. They turned out DELICIOUS, and I’ve been eating them every morning with my coffee for the past week. I warm them up in the microwave and spread a little peanut butter. I love how filling they are. I love this recipe because you add all the ingredients into a blender, fold the fillers, and then bake!

 

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Cranberry Oatmeal Blender Muffins

Delicious and easy blender muffins made with healthy ingredients.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword muffins, gluten-free, dairy-free, cranberry, oatmeal, blender, on-the-go, healthy recipes, easy to make

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Muffins

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 2 Large Bananas
• 1/4 Cup Date Syrup or honey, or maple
• 1 Cup Almond Milk or your choice of milk
• 1/2 Cup Almond Butter or your choice of nut butter
• 2 Tsps Vanilla Extract
• 2 Cups Oats
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 Cup Cooked Cranberries
• 2 Tsp Mini Chocolate Chips

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350-degrees
• Add bananas, date syrup, almond milk, almond butter, vanilla, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and eggs to a blender. Combine on a medium speed for 20-30 seconds.
• Pour the batter into lined muffin pans. Top with the cooked cranberries and chocolate chips.

  *I boiled the cranberries with date syrup and water to remove the tartness.
• Bake 20-24 minutes!

I often make a lot of recipes like this but never post them because they are shot on my cell phone. This is my reminder to myself to post them anyways! 

Questions for you!

1. What are some recipes you like to make with leftover Thanksgiving ingredients?
2. Are you team oat muffins or oat bars?
3. What did you have for breakfast this morning?

I’m finishing up a few parts for my 2nd-trimester recap and will have that ready to go live tomorrow! I can’t believe the baby will be here in a few months. Life hasn’t slowed down one bit. Yesterday, I had to get my 1-hour GD glucose test. It was not as bad as I anticipated, but I did get a bit of a sugar crash in the afternoon. I wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep. The weird thing was that even though I had all of that sugar in my system, I was craving something sweet. I decided to make low-carb, and no added sugar muffins in the afternoon with a cup of decaf coffee. I used my lemon poppy seed muffins as my base and switched up a few ingredients to make them work.
These muffins turned out perfect, and the house smelled like a bakery when they were in the oven. They did not taste like they were made with almond flour or added sugar. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, made without butter, no added sugar, and made without flour! They also only have a few ingredients you most likely already have in your house. I’m so excited for you to try this recipe out! I included the video in this post so you can see how easy they are to make. Who doesn’t love a recipe you can make using one big bowl and no electric mixer?

Low Carb and Sugar-Free Muffin Ingredients

Almond Flour
Monkfruit (you can use any sugar replacement of your choice)
Lily’s No Added Sugar Dark Chocolate Chips
Eggs
Salt
Vanilla (also really delicious with almond extract)
Baking Powder
Unsweetened Almond Milk (you can use any milk substitute)

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Low Carb & No Added Sugar Chocolate Chip Muffins

These low carb and no added sugar chocolate chip muffins are gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and low-carb. They are so simple and easy to make!

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Keyword gluten-free, dairy-free, no added sugar, sugar-free, low carb,, healthy, easy baking, chocolate chip muffins, kid-friendly, almond flour

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Resting Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Muffins

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 Cups Almond Flour
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Cup Monk Fruit
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 1/2 Tsps Vanilla
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 Cup No-Added-Sugar Chocolate Chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
• Mix the almond flour, baking powder, salt, and monk fruit in a large bowl.
• Mix in the almond milk, eggs, and vanilla.
• Fold in the no-added-sugar chocolate chips.
• Evenly distribute the muffin batter into twelve liners.
• Bake for 25-27 minutes. Use the toothpick method to determine if they're done. Let them cool in the muffin pan for about fifteen minutes.

Yesterday was a big baking day over here. I made peanut butter oreo fudge, these frosted gingerbread muffins, Little Debbie Christmas tree cake balls, and more! I plan to spend more time blogging recipes and holiday-themed posts instead of focussing on Vlogmas (like I did the past three years.) I can’t wait to spend more time creating holiday recipes and revamping some of the recipe favorites.
Today, I’m sharing one of my favorites, the frosted gingerbread muffins! If you want something easier than cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, these babies are it! You don’t need any fancy mixers or baking equipment! Grab a few mixing bowls and the ingredients. I love when I don’t have to break out the KitchenAid mixer. I have already made three batches of these muffins this past week, and my favorite part is warming them up in the morning for a delicious treat. I’m still not drinking coffee yet, but I imagine these would be delicious with a cup.

 

Every December, I throw out my year-old spices and replace them! I always want the ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to be at their full potential!
These muffins came out perfectly after 18-20 minutes at 350-degrees in my oven. All ovens cook differently, so use the toothpick method around the 18-minute mark to make sure they done! You won’t want to overcook these. I did that with the first batch, and they came out super hard and dry. It’s better to take them out a bit undercooked and let them continue to cook in the pan as they cool.

Icing is always optional, but I say everything is better frosted! The icing is so easy to make. Just use a small mixing bowl to combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk! You dip the muffin in and let the extra icing melt off at the center. 

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Frosted Gingerbread Muffins - So Easy to Make!

Trade in your holiday-cinnamon rolls for this delicious frosted gingerbread muffin recipe! These muffins are so easy to make.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword muffins, gingerbread, ginger, nutmeg, gluten-free, cloves, allspice, holiday baking, christmas, dessert, breakast muffins, morning, on-th-go, baking

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 14 Muffins

Author Taralynn McNitt

Equipment

• oven
• Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

Gingerbread Muffins

• 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp Allspice
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves
• 1/3 Cup Melted Butter
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 Cup Milk
• 1/3 Cup Molasses
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

Icing

• 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla
• 2 Tbsps Milk

Instructions

Gingerbread Muffins

• Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and prepare the muffin pan with liners.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
• Melt the 1/3 cup of butter.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg lightly. Add milk, melted butter, molasses and vanilla.
• Add the egg mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix lightly and slowly fold in the brown sugar.
• If you're using tall liners, fill the muffin almost to the top of the pan. If you're using standard-sized muffin liners, fill about 3/4 full with batter
• Bake 18-20 minutes.

Icing

• In a small mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.

  If the icing is too watery, add in more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add in more milk.
• Dip the tops of the muffins (once they are cooled) into the icing and let the icing drip off from the center.

I cannot wait to hear what you think of these! My mom and I are making gingerbread cookie sweaters this weekend, so stay tuned for that recipe! I guess gingerbread is the theme over here this season.

It feels so good to be back to blogging recipes again! If there are any recipes you want to see up on the blog this December, let me know in the comments!

Questions for you!

1. What holiday recipes would you like to see up on the blog this year?
2. Has it snowed yet where you live?
3. Do you have your decorations up yet?

more holiday favorites!

I’m excited to share my recipe for low carb lemon poppy muffins. It’s the last weekend in January, and I think it’s about time we pop out the citrus recipes! I heard it helps spring get here faster!  Lemon poppy seed muffins are my second favorite muffin, blueberry muffins being the first. Sometimes, I’ll combine the two by adding blueberries to the lemon poppy seed muffins, and it’s like heaven chucked it at me from above.

You need to add this recipe to your weekend plans!  Since switching over to a lower-carb diet, I’ve been having so much fun recreating my favorite recipes to fit into this new lifestyle. My cravings come at random times, and I head to the kitchen and try whipping things together. That’s how this lemon poppy seed muffin came about. I made it one morning around 7 am, and couldn’t believe how good it turned out! I literally just threw ingredients into a bowl, and it worked like magic. I made a few changes to the second batch to perfect it, but this recipe is easy and can be made in about 25-minutes without dragging all the mixers and bowls out.

The texture of these muffins is unbelievable and even better than the real deal. The top is crumbly; the middle is moist (sorry, the only synonyms for that word are damp, soggy, etc.) and fluffy! You can usually tell when recipes are made “healthy’ but not with this one. I get asked a lot about substitutions in recipes. “Will regular flour work?” “Can I use real sugar” Honesty, I haven’t made these muffins any other way. There are some substitutions you can certainly do, though!

Monk Fruit – You can sub the regular monk fruit and the golden monk fruit for cane sugar and brown sugar.

Milk – You can sub the almond milk for any milk.

Poppy Seeds – Try using chia seeds!

Lemon Extract – Use fresh lemons!
I purchased these adorable culinary Alma’s company baking cups at Walmart. They come in a pack of 36, and the insides are grease resistant, so they don’t bleed through or stick to the cupcake. I bought about five boxes of them because of how amazing they are! They come in stripes, swirls, and polka dots. Look how perfect that muffin is! The muffin tops are always the best. 

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Low Carb Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Simply Taralynn

The most delicious low carb lemon poppy seed muffins with only 3g of carbs per muffin! They're gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free!

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword lemon, lemon poppy, low carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, sugar-free, healthy muffins, muffins,

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Almond Flour
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Salt
• 3 Tbsp Poppy Seeds
• 1/4 Cup Monk Fruit
• 1/4 Cup Golden Monk Fruit
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, sift the almond flour, baking powder, salt, poppy seeds, monk fruit, and golden monk fruit.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, almond milk, and lemon extract.
• Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the almond flour and mix well.
• Fill nine liners 3/4th full with batter and bake for 20-minutes.
• Let them cool for ten minutes and transfer to a serving plate.

  You can store them in the refrigerator or on the countertop.

I have a feeling you’re going to LOVE this recipe! Make sure to tag me in your recipe pics. I love sharing them!

I hope you all have the best weekend! It’s my last weekend in my twenties!  

Questions for you!

1. Lemon muffins or blueberry?
2. What low carb dessert do you want to see next? (I was thinking cheesecake!)
3. What food reminds you of spring?

Please excuse the cellphone pictures for this recipe post, but these blueberry muffins needed to meet the internet asap. I’ve made about five batches, and each time, they were better and better. On Sunday night, I perfected them. I’m sure I’ll take more professional photos of them, but I wanted to get this recipe out to you immediately. Now, these are not healthy muffins. Gluten-free? Yes! (can also be made with regular flour) but these are more of an impress-the-guest style muffin. You can make some swaps if you’d like, but this muffin will bring you so much joy! These would be my staple if I ever had a bed and breakfast or coffee shop! They are completely fool-proof and don’t require any electric mixers. You can make these in about 25-minutes! I first made these muffins for my guest on Friday morning. They tasted wonderful, but I wanted to add a few things to make them even better. I made them again on Saturday, twice on Sunday, and then again on Monday. The Sunday batch was the best, and I brought them over to a new neighbor! At first, I tried a crumbly streusel, but my mishap turned my streusel into the flakiest topping that tasted candied. Do you know the top layer on a creme brulee? That’s what it tasted like, but softer. I had no interest in making it crumbly after the first bite. You could almost do that spoon thing to the top of the muffin as they do to the creme brulee!

My goal for this week is to make these muffins again but with all the healthier swaps. I love seeing how recipes turn out with all the swaps! Sometimes, they’re just as good.  

I found these tall liners at Homegoods, but you can also purchase them on Amazon. Whenever I go to Homegoods, I get inspired to bake with all the cute sprinkles and holiday-themed cooking utensils.

I love recipes that don’t involve the mixer. I don’t know why since the mixer doesn’t take much cleaning.

The first thing you want to do is heat the oven to 350 degrees!  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg lightly.

Mix in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix, but don’t over-mix. Fold in the brown sugar! It’s ok if there are a few chunky pieces of brown sugar in the batter. It adds pockets of candied pieces in the muffins.  When I made my first batch, my blueberries sunk to the bottom. I decided to coat them in the flour streusel the second time, and they floated right to the top!

For the streusel, mash flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and salt together. Mash with a fork! Top the muffins with the streusel and bake for 20-25 minutes. It depends on how big the muffins are! With the taller liners, you can fill the batter to the top. If you use regular muffin liners, fill it about 3/4ths full.

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Blueberry Muffins with a Flaky Streusel

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Keyword bluberry muffins, dessert, breakfast, muffins, best recipe ever

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 23 minutes minutes

Servings 9 Muffins

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour I used bob's red mill gluten-free
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/3 Cup Butter melted
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 Cup Milk
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar not packed
• 1 Pint Fresh Blueberries

Streusel

• 1/2 Cup Flour
• 1/2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Pinch Salt
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Tbsps Cold Butter

Instructions

For The Muffins

• Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and line the muffin pan muffin liners, or apply cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Melt the 1/3 cup of butter.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg lightly. Add milk, melted butter, and vanilla.
• Add the egg mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix lightly and slowly fold in the brown sugar.
• Coat the blueberries in flour (or use the streusel mixture to coat) and fold into the batter.
• If you're using tall liners, fill the muffin almost to the top of the pan. If you're using standard-sized muffin liners, fill about 3/4 full with batter.

Make the Streusel

• Mix the flour, sugar, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter together in a bowl. Use a fork to mash the butter into the dry ingredients. Sprinkle about a tablespoon on top of the muffins before going into the oven.
• Bake 20-25 minutes. Use the toothpick method to determine if they're done.

I cannot wait to hear what you think of these muffins!  They are so worth making and way too easy not to make! Make sure to tag me in your muffin pictures so I can share!

Questions for you!

1. What is your favorite muffin flavor?
2. When was the last time you had a muffin that blew you away?
3. Should I make an orange cranberry or double chocolate muffin next? Oh…or a carrot cake muffin?

A miracle happened this morning. I woke up, and it was 62-degrees outside! Um, what? That just doesn’t happen in the south during July! I’m all for it. After this post goes live, I’m heading out the door for my run! The housework can wait because there’s no way I’m going to pass up being outside in this weather.
Let’s have a muffin chat.

I was debating whether to make this recipe into a loaf or muffins. I made a poll to help me with the decision over on Instagram, and you all voted for muffins. Muffins are more convenient for when you’re on the go, they cook more evenly, and my self-control with muffins is so much better. The reason I love baking my muffins instead of buying them at the store is that it’s usually true that a muffin is nothing but a naked cupcake. I always try to make my muffins with no added sugar because of that reason. I want my muffin recipe to be a healthier start to the day and not a muffin that’ll have you looking for a yoga mat to fall asleep on mid-afternoon. And why waste your time on a muffin filled with sugar? Shoot, just go for the cupcake!

These raspberry lemon white chocolate muffins are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, no added sugars, and no added butter or oils! The awesome part? They taste just as good as the naked cupcakes. And what better summer flavors than raspberry and lemon?

ps: please do not count the number of times I just said the word “muffin.”

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of fresh raspberries
1/4 cup of vegan white chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp of vanilla extract
juice from 1/2 small lemon
1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 3/4 cup of brown rice flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup granulated monk fruit sweetener (or 4 packets of the monk fruit sweetener)
1/4 cup flaxseeds mixed with 3 tbsps of water

It took me so long to find dairy-free white chocolate chips that I liked! These are the Pascha brand. I was a little wary after eating them straight from the bag, but after baking them into the desserts, they tasted outstanding!
 What I love about this recipe is that you don’t need any fancy mixers. All you need is a giant mixing bowl, muffin pan, and oven!  
When it comes to vegan recipes, the best part is being able to try the dough without the fear of salmonella. This dough is dangerous, though because it tastes so good! I usually give a taste test to see if it needs more sweetener, lemon, or vanilla! 
I love how fresh the raspberries are in the summer! I throw them into just about anything.  
I only added 1/4 cup of the white chocolate chips because I wanted the lemon and raspberries to be more prominent. You can add as many as you like though!  
Grease a baking dish with avocado oil, and add 1/3 cup of the batter into the slots. 
I topped mine with lemon slices before baking! This adds a fun decorative piece. If you add honey or any sweetener to the lemon, it’ll glaze in the oven and taste like candy slices. 
I baked the muffins for 22 minutes at 375 degrees, and they turned out perfect!

Now, grab a tall glass of almond milk, and enjoy this perfect treat!

Questions for you!

1. What is your favorite summer fruit?
2. What is your favorite on-the-go breakfast bar? (I’d love to recreate it for a blog post)
3. What’s the last thing you baked?

you may also like…

One of the first things I do when I wake up is preparing my coffee before my dog walk and grabbing a small bite to eat like half of a granola bar or a homemade muffin in the refrigerator. I’m one of those people that always wake up super hungry! I like to have something small in my stomach before going out on my walk or drinking a cup of coffee. That is why I love keeping energy balls or homemade muffins accessible in my refrigerator. Yesterday afternoon, I made a batch of double chocolate banana & almond butter muffins to store in the fridge for my mornings. I was peeling the bananas to put in the freezer for smoothies, but decided to use three of them for this muffin recipe! 
When I make muffins, I usually document them just in case they’re good enough to share. About 70% of the muffins I bake never make it to the blog. After taking a bite into these, I knew I had to share. I wanted to put this recipe out into the world as soon as possible!

One of my favorite parts about this recipe, beyond the taste, is the ingredients used. First off, you can make some easy swaps if you don’t have everything, but I love the simple ingredients! This muffin is made with coconut flour, almond butter, bananas, cocoa powder, sea salt, flax seeds, almond milk, baking soda, vanilla, and the chocolate chips and agave are totally optional! I may even leave the agave out next time because the bananas made the muffins naturally sweet on their own. I love a recipe with simple and whole ingredients. Plus, you probably already have most of these in your house!
These muffins pack a lot of energy and are the perfect pre or post-workout snack. They are also great for on-the-go breakfasts! If you’re a meal-prepper, I’d totally add this one to your list for the busy mornings. I think kids would also love this too! Chocolate for breakfast? Win! They won’t even know that it’s hiding almond butter, bananas, and flaxseeds behind all the chocolaty goodness. 
Let’s talk swaps!

NUT BUTTER

*peanut butter, cashew butter, tahini, or any nut butter can be used!

FLOUR

*you can replace the coconut flour for any all-purpose flour (almond flour will not work 1:1 as a replacement)

SWEETENER 

*the agave can be substituted for maple syrup, honey, or can be left out completely!

MILK

*almond milk can be replaced with any type of milk

COCOA POWDER

*even the cocoa powder is optional.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS

*don’t like chocolate chips? try adding in walnuts, white chocolate chips, or cranberries!

If you have any questions about replacements, let me know in the comments! 
.

I know it’s hard to wait, but allow these sweet muffins to cool before biting into one! 

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Double Chocolate Banana Almond Butter Muffins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 24 minutes minutes

Total Time 34 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Muffins

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 3 Large Bananas extra-ripened
• 1/4 Cup Almond Butter or any nut butter
• 3 Tbsps Ground Flaxseeds
• 6 Tbsps Warm Water
• 1/4 Cup Agave (honey or syrup)
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips I used EnjoyLife brand.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the warm water and flaxseeds. Set aside. 
• Sift together the coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt together. Set aside. 
• In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher until they are smooth.  Mix in the almond butter, agave, vanilla, and flaxseeds. Gradually add in almond milk. 
• Slowly add in the flour mixture and combine well.  Mix the cocoa powder into the bowl. 
  
• Fold in the chocolate chips. 
• Fill a muffin pan with liners and add about 1/2 cup of batter to each slot. 
• Bake 20-24 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean.)

  allow 20-minutes for cooling. 

  Best stored in refrigerator! 

Notes

Per Muffin: 180 Calories, 27g Carbs, 8g Fat, 5g Protein, 9g Sugar, 5g Fiber

This recipe makes 12 muffins!

Nutrition Per Muffin: 180 Calories, 27g Carbs, 8g Fat, 5g Protein, 9g Sugar, 5g Fiber
Allow the muffins to cool, and enjoy! I think I’ll try out this recipe again, but add in some coconut, or maybe even a coconut frosting on top for a decadent dessert. 
In my opinion, these are best served with a hot coffee!   If you have an Easter brunch planned, these would be great for the dessert table!
Questions for you!

1. Do you wake up hungry?
2. Should I try these with a coconut frosting?
3. Muffins with coffee or milk?

Well, we’ve made it to Wednesday! I was starting to think that there was no end to the bug I was fighting for the past six days. I woke up feeling so much better today, which makes me feel confident that whatever it is that I’m fighting is on it’s way out! It’s been about four years since I’ve gotten sick (the cough/flu sick.) It’s going to be 74-degrees today, so I’m going to attempt a nice long walk outside, or maybe a bike ride. Looking out the window has been torturous, but today I get to enjoy it. I don’t want to brag or anything but…it’s going to be 80-degrees tomorrow! I think that calls for a “day in the life” video!  I need to stop blabbing and get to the real reason why I’m here. THESE VEGAN BANANA OAT MUFFINS!!

If you have super-ripe bananas laying around, don’t throw them out! I usually peel mine and put them in the freezer for smoothies or use them for baked goods. These muffins turned out incredible, and they took hardly any time to make. Raise your hand if you’re team ONE BOWL when it comes to baking! The muffins tasted like my mom’s homemade banana bread! I’m impatiently waiting for the bananas on my countertop to turn brown so that I can make these again. They are perfect for a pre or post workout, or just a snack to have with coffee! 
The only ingredients you need for this recipe are two medium super-ripened bananas, cinnamon, ground flaxseeds, vanilla, oats, almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt! (walnuts on top are optional!)
They baked up so perfectly!  This recipe made nine medium-sized muffins.

Per Muffin: 94 Calories, 16g Carbs, 2g Fat, 3g Protein, 3g Fiber 4g Sugar!

I hope you guys enjoyed this recipe!  Now, it’s time for me to get up and go for a walk!

Questions for you!

1. What do you do with your over-ripened bananas?
2. Are you a fan of ONE BOWL recipe?
3. What are you grateful for today?

Now that the dogs have been on their walks, and I have freshly brewed coffee in my cup, I can share my lemon blackberry protein muffin recipe with you! It was beautiful out this morning, but it’s the South, so the breeze will quickly turn into humidity in about an hour. When it’s too hot to spend time outside, I usually get a lot of things done around the house. On Monday, I spent several hours power cleaning and then decided to bake delicious muffins to use up the blackberries I picked at the Farmer’s Market last week. I love baking after cleaning because it tops off the job with an amazing aroma in the house. Who needs a sweet candle when you can bake the real deal?
I don’t take advantage of the farmer’s market nearly enough. I’ve been thinking about signing up for a local farm share program. Have any of you had experience with this? I’d love to support a local farm and receive fresh seasonal produce each week. It could be a fun way to incorporate seasonal produce into my recipes. And it’s a great excuse to visit the farm each week  

I’ve been enjoying farm fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries this past month. And since I’m on a muffin kick, it made sense to incorporate the fresh blackberries into one of my batches. I also froze a bunch for smoothies, too! 
Blackberries are rich in manganese, vitamin k, vitamin c, fiber, and up there with the blueberries when it comes to antioxidants. If you’re ever feeling sluggish, a handful of blackberries can help! 

I also love a muffin that has protein. When I wake up, I always grab a small snack before going out to walk. I’m one of those people that wakes up so hungry! Keeping muffins filled with protein, or homemade protein bars (recipe coming soon) in the house helps me make quick nutritious decisions before running out the door. My boyfriend also appreciates a good protein snack after the gym in the evenings. He says keeping healthier baked goods around prevents him from diving into the ice cream, chips, or peanut butter jar. Oh, and that kid can eat peanut butter! 

I usually use bananas and oats in my recipes, but I decided to switch it up! I thought these lemon blackberry muffins deserved a fluffy cake texture instead of being brought down by the oats. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good oat muffin! Actually, I probably like them too much. I got lucky when I found a lemon in the fridge. I am usually out of lemons, or they go bad before I remember buying them. Blackberry lemon sounded like the perfect combo! It’s a fresh and airy match to make these perfect for the summer months!   

Whenever a recipe turns out perfect, I get so excited, especially when it’s an unplanned bake. As soon as the toothpick came out clean, I knew we had a winner. I wish you could have smelled the house while these were baking! It was the first thing Kyle commented on when he got home from work. “mmmm what’s that smell?!” Of course, my excitement kicked in when I ignored his hug, went straight for his hand, and guided him into the kitchen to make him try one. 

Kyle is the ultimate taste-tester. He’ll never tell me when he doesn’t like something, but he has signature keywords and actions to help me decide what he’s really thinking. I’m pretty good at reading him, and I got the three signs that these were a success. The first sign was when he let out a “Wow, these are so good!” His eyes usually grow big when he really likes something, which was the second sign. And lastly? He didn’t put the rest of the muffin on the plate to “finish later.” He demolished this muffin in two bites!

These muffins are great for on the go! They have a whopping 10 grams of protein per treat, and a net carb count of 11 grams! If you were to swap the honey for a different sweetener, you could make them super low carb if that’s what you’re going for. If you’re in a breakfast run, try making these and enjoying them with a side of Greek or coconut milk yogurt  

160 Calories, 9g Fat, 15g Carbs, 4g Fiber, 6g Sugar, 10g Protein
I’m excited to visit the farm again soon to pick up some more inspiration for my next recipe! After hitting the publish button, I’m going to get started on writing the recipe post for my homemade protein bars, so stay tuned! 

Questions for you!

1. Have you ever done a Farm Share?
2. Do you try to cook with seasonal produce?
3. I’m looking to bake a pie! Do you have a favorite recipe that I should try out? 

Is it really Friday already? Someone, please tell me where this week went. I have been looking forward to the weekends so much lately because of the tennis group I joined. Playing hours and hours of tennis brings me nothing but joy! I’m glad I found something that I genuinely like and it makes staying active so easy.

About two Thanksgivings ago, Kyle and I went down to Florida to visit his mom. We decided to play tennis in her neighborhood and I remember being a little nervous because I thought I was going to be so bad at it. See, my brother, he was a tennis star! He won so many awards in high school and even won at state. I was more of a theater kid. After we started playing, I was surprised at how “decent” I was at tennis. Since then, I’ve been so hooked. I watch videos on Youtube for advice, I’ve taken several lessons, joined different groups, played with my family, and now Kyle and I play multiple times a week. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m just really passionate and excited about the sport.

And you’re probably wondering what this story has to do with muffins…
I’ll tell you what it has to do with muffins. Last week, I needed to make a quick on-the-go snack to bring to tennis. I didn’t feel like stopping at the store, and for the first time in forever, I didn’t have any power bars at my house. I decided to make muffins. I started throwing some ingredients into the blender to chop up, and never expected the muffins to turn out so delicious.

They were oopsie muffins that I had to recreate!

I put them in the freezer to cool down and firm up after baking. When I got home from tennis and took a bite, my eyes lit up! I could not believe how good they were. They reminded me of banana bread, but apple pie, and ginger cookies all in the same bite. 
Now, these muffins are completely grain-free, gluten-free, no added sugars, dairy-free, and vegan! I also played around with my second batch and added oats for a thicker texture, and that worked out as well! You can make them either way, but they’ll both turn out the same in the delicious department.

**I apologize for the crummy photo quality below** -I didn’t have my nice camera at Kyle’s and there is no natural light beaming into the kitchen. I had to work with what I had. Not going to lie, I walked a little way up the street to get the shot of these muffins outside because I didn’t dare try to take their photo in the dark kitchen! I did it in a very sneaky and nonchalant way. No one saw me, otherwise, I would have felt super embarrassed, although I’m sure taking photos of muffins randomly on the street is very common these days…

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Grain Free Apple & Carrot Spice Vegan Blender Muffins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Refrigerate 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 160kcal

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 3 Large Carrots
• 1 Large Honey Crisp Apple
• 1 Medium Ripe Banana
• 2 Tbsps Sunflower Oil (or your choice of oil)
• 7 Dates Without Pits
• 2 Tsps Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tsps Vanilla
• 2 Tbsps Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp Ginger
• 1 Tsp Nutmug
• 1 Tsp Cloves
• 1/2 Cup Ground Flaxseeds
• 1/4 Cup Sliced Almonds
• 1 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin pan and set aside. 
• Slice and peel the apple, chop carrots and add both to the blender. Add banana, dates, vanilla, sunflower oil, and pulse until blended. 

  **you do not want to create a liquid, so do not blend on high**
• Pour the blended mixture into a mixing bowl. Add sliced almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, flaxseeds, baking soda, salt, and combine well. 
• Evenly distribute the muffin batter into the greased pan. (about 1/2 cup in each) 
• Bake 30 minutes. 
• Place muffins in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool and firm. 

  **For best results, store the muffins in the refrigerator. 

Let’s talk about the carrots. Don’t let them scare you because I promise you will not be able to taste them at all. I taste-tested these on three people and not one of them guessed carrots were in them. They did say how good they were though! I’ve had to make several batches because they keep disappearing around here.

These muffins are a great way to sneak healthy fruits and vegetables into your diet, or your kid’s diet! I can’t wait to play around with this recipe and use all kinds of different vegetables and fruits. I have some mangos to use up before they go bad, so maybe I’ll do some vegan mango & carrot muffins! 
The dates, banana, and apple make these muffins so sweet! You definitely don’t need any added sugars, and they could totally cure your sweet tooth after dinner. Yesterday, I topped one of my muffins with peanut butter, and it was like heaven!

If you’ve wanted to make these with oats, you don’t have to change anything. Just add 2 cups of oats to the same recipe above! These muffins are so moist (sorrrrrry) that they can totally handle the oats on their own. I liked both variations! Another great idea for these is adding plant-based vanilla protein powder. I’ll be doing that today! 
Questions for you!

1. Do you ever hide healthy ingredients in your baked goods?
2. What blender muffin flavor should I try next?
3. Have you ever made an accidental recipe that tasted so good?