When Life Gives You Ripe Bananas, Make Blueberry Banana Nut Muffins

I had some too-ripe bananas around the house this weekend so I decided to make some banana muffins.  I also had some frozen blueberries and some pecans, so they then officially became Blueberry Banana Nut Muffins and they turned out delicious!  A perfect snack for the big and little people in our house.

I decided to play around with my grandmother’s banana bread recipe and try to take it from good old southern high-fat, high-calorie goodness to a lighter, but still yummy treat.  It worked!

This is the original recipe:

My Grandma Hattie’s Banana Nut Bread

1 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)

2 large ripe bananas

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup pecans

and this is my lightened version…

Blueberry Banana  Nut Muffins

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup white whole wheat flour (sifted)

1 cup all-purpose flour (sifted)

2 large ripe bananas

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup applesauce

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup skim milk

1 cup pecans

1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

So, I cut the sugar in half, added in some whole grain by using white whole wheat flour, cut the butter in half, but kept the moistness by adding in applesauce, and added in some blueberries for their nutritional content and really just because they are good.  I also used skim milk instead of buttermilk, but only because that is what I had on hand.  Either one will work and be perfectly healthy.

These are the directions in case you want to try these for yourself…

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Fill muffin tin. (I use an ice cream scoop for this and it works perfectly).  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean.

muffin

You can easily make small changes to your favorite recipes while still retaining their taste and flavor without all the extra fat and calories and with some extra nutrition thrown in.  You just have to get creative.  Add extra veggies or beans in with a soup, stew, or casserole or use half the fat or oil called for in a recipe.  Small changes really do add up!

Here are some other tips for lightening up your favorite recipes:

Instead of Use

And SAVE on

Calories and Fat

Calories Saved

Fat Saved (g)

Per Serving Size

Whole milk Skim milk

60

8

1 C (8 fl oz)

Whole milk 1% milk

45

5.5

1 C (8 fl oz)

Sweetened condensed milk Fat-free sweetened condensed skim milk

200

27

14-fl-oz can

Sweetened condensed milk Evaporated skim milk in the same amount plus ¾ C of sugar   substitute

782

27

1 cup (8 fl oz)

Evaporated milk Evaporated skim milk

191

24

12-fl-oz can

Heavy cream Evaporated skim milk

600

80

1 C (8 fl oz)

Whipped topping (regular) Whipped topping (fat free)

10

1.5

2 Tbsp

Mayonnaise (regular) Lite mayonnaise

90

11

1 Tbsp

Sour cream (regular) Lite sour cream or lite nonfat yogurt or greek yogurt

20

3

2 Tbsp

Cream cheese (regular) Lite cream cheese

40

5.5

1 oz

Cheese, American (regular, single slice) Cheese, American (2% milk, single slice)

20

2.5

1 slice

1 egg 2 egg whites

42

6

1 egg ¼ cup egg substitute

50

6

Ground beef (regular) Ground turkey (93% lean)

180

22

4 oz

Ground beef (regular) Ground beef (80% lean, 20% fat)

70

9

4 oz

Ground beef (regular) Ground beef (92% lean, 8% fat)

180

22

4 oz

Hot dog (regular) Hot dog (fat free)

140

16

1 link

Hot dog (regular) Hot dog (turkey)

80

8

1 link

Sausage (regular pork) Sausage (turkey)

130

17

3.5 oz

Bacon Bacon (turkey)

250

20.5

3 oz

Oil in baked goods Unsweetened applesauce

750

160

½ C

Oil in baked goods Baby pureed prunes

110

13.5

1 Tbsp

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