Banana-Blueberry Muffins

One of my favorite indulgences are blueberry muffins. But I avoid buying them because you're looking at spending 300 to 400 of your daily caloric intake and for per muffin. For example, a Low-Fat Blueberry Muffin from Starbucks is a whopping 430 calories. Add a nonfat latte to that, and your hitting close to 600 calories for a mid-day snack. 

By making muffins at home, and being in control of what goes into the recipe, you can slash those calories, feel satisfied and happy (rather than guilty) when you indulge. 

My kids are funny. They'll beg for a bunch of bananas when we're grocery shopping. One week they'll gobble up the entire bunch the first or second day upon purchasing. However, some weeks the bananas will go untouched and then I have a bunch of brown bananas. Of course, brown, ripe bananas usually end up in pancakes or banana bread. This week I was on the search for a new banana recipe, when I came across a few recipes on Pinterest for banana muffins. The one I chose included two of my favorite things: bananas and blueberries. Most recipes contain high amounts of sugar and fat, so they needed to be tweaked to fit my style of eating. 

•I substituted the fat with applesauce. 

•I replaced some of the flour with whole wheat flour. 

•I reduced some of the added sugar. 

Most importantly, the flavor is kid-approved. All 5 of my kiddos absolutely loved these muffins. Apples, bananas, blueberries, and whole wheat...that's what makes my recipe makeover mom-approved. When the kids asked for a 2nd muffin, I didn't have to say "No."  

Banana-Blueberry Muffins

4 oz applesauce 

3/4 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 medium, ripe bananas (mashed)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 C whole wheat flour

1 C all-purpose flour

1 C fresh blueberries 

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a large bowl, mix together applesauce and sugar.
3. Add in the eggs, bananas, and vanilla; stir until combined.
4. Add to bowl baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Slowly add the flour, and stir between each addition just until moistened.
5. Gently fold in the blueberries with spatula.
6. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each liner with nearly full, evenly distributing batter amongst the cups. 
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Muffins will be a deep golden brown color, and crisp top. 

Yields 12 muffins

1 muffin per serving 

1. 
   
   
   I love the texture of these muffins. The tops came out a beautiful golden brown, crisp to the touch. But when I split the muffin in half, inside it was moist and cake-like, plus had bursts of blueberry and banana. 
   
   
   How do these measure up? Well, the numbers are actually pretty awesome. Take a look for yourself:
   
   
   

   
   
   I'd love to hear your feedback. If you try these out, please comment below. Let me know what you think. 
   
   
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