Gluten Free Banana and Walnut Muffins

Hello!

I’ve not been doing much experimenting in the kitchen over the past couple of weeks – life has been hectic and I’ve been working on a new project (details to come). 

Anyway, I'm sure your here to read about muffins, so I'll get onto that....

My hubby picked up a huge amount of bananas through the week. The ones that don’t get eaten, we leave to get super ripe, then peel and break them up and store them in the freezer for smoothies.

The rest, I like to make banana muffins with! Yum!

This recipe I created myself, it began from just using a bit of this and a bit of that and hoping for the best! They work out amazing every single time.

They are gluten free and refined sugar free, however, they are not dairy free.

Perfect for school lunches, husband’s lunch box for work or just for mummy’s morning/afternoon tea!

You could freeze them too and just pull out as needed….this never happens in our house, they get devoured very quickly!

This was a bit of a rushed bake off tonight and I didn’t really take many photos, sorry! And yes, yes I know, the photos are HORRIBLE, I know, I apologise! I will be getting a 'big girl' camera soon, so please stay with me  ;-)

Baking Time: 35 minutes

Makes: 21 muffins

Ingredients:

• 6 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup natural organic yoghurt
•  2 teaspoons of organic vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 organic free range eggs
• 1/2 cup organic raw milk
• 3/4 cup crushed walnuts
• 1/2 cup Natvia (stevia)
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 3 cups gluten free self raising flour

Method:

Pre heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (this is for a non fan forced oven).

Mix all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Combine well.

In a separate bowl, mash bananas and add all the wet ingredients. Combine well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients.

Using a butter knife, mix gently until everything is combined together.

I like to use those fancy cafe muffin cases. I place them inside muffin pans and then half fill them with the mixture.

Sprinkle a mixture of Natvia, cinnamon and some crushed walnuts on the top, then place into the oven and bake for 35 minutes.

Once the timer has gone off, I leave them to rest, on the bench in the muffin tins. This allows the mixture to set properly. They don’t hold together well when eaten piping hot (unfortunately. I think it has something to do with the gluten free flour), straight from the oven. They are sort of gluggy and gluey (trust me, I’ve tried).

Once they have cooled though, they peel away from the paper cases perfectly and they are moist and delicious!

Best served with a nice big smear of organic butter! YUM…..

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chia Pudding

I was out with the kids at a picnic the other day and I took 4 wide mouth mason jars that I'd prepared with this chia pudding in it, for the kids and myself. One of the mums there asked what was in the jars. As I described how I made the pudding, she turned to another parent and said "oh, that's the new chia seed fad, it's all in fashion now, everyone is eating it". I was a little disheartened by her response, and I told her how much of a versatile seed it is and the health benefits we have experienced since we started using it a little over a year ago.

I'm certain she still thinks it's just a "fad" food, but I don't care. We are extremely healthy eaters and we LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I don't see us giving it up any time soon, that's for sure!! 

Chocolate Chia Pudding, would easily be one of my favourite foods... I eat it for breakfast some days, other days I eat it for lunch. I eat it for dessert and I take it on picnics. The kids love it, the hubby loves it. It's a winner all 'round! Did I mention it's HEALTHY?! That's right! It is incredibly good for you and it's super easy to make too :-D

It has helped me loose weight, satisfied many cravings and been a saviour for my daughters and my own digestive systems that have suffered severely from gluten sensitivities over the years.    

Thank you chia seeds!

It is gluten free, refined sugar free, raw and packed FULL of nutrients.

Here is how I make it....

CHOCOLATE CHIA PUDDING

In an 800ml mason jar, add:

500ml raw milk (or 200ml kefir and 300ml raw milk)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1teaspoon of vanilla extract

Put the lid on the jar and give it a little swish around to combine the maple syrup and milk. Then add:

1/2 cup of chia seeds (white or black is fine, there are no nutritional differences in the different colour of the seed) 

1/4 cup of raw cacao powder

Put the lid back on and give it a really good shake to combine all the ingredients. Place in fridge and give it a good shake every time you are nearby the fridge to make sure that the seeds don't clump up too much.

I like to leave it overnight, but it is ready to eat within about an hour.

If it is really clumpy, you can pour it into a big bowl and use a hand whisk to break up the chunky bits then pour it back into the jar to store in fridge, giving it a good shake before each serving. 

You can also adjust the flavour at this point too. Add more maple if you like it sweeter and more cacao if you like a stronger chocolate flavour.

I like to pour some into a bowl and cover it in fresh organic fruit. It tastes amazing with banana and kiwi fruit. It is also delicious with frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and kiwi fruit!

PS. I am up at midnight, sewing and eating this! Best!!!