momma fuel: skinny-ish banana chocolate chip muffins

I'm going to get real for a second. I love nursing babies. It's super healthy for them, good for me, promotes bonding, the list goes on. The potential downside- it makes me more ravenous than a 16 year old varsity linebacker after 2-a-days in August. And when you're trying to drop, oh let's say hypothetically, 51 lbs of baby weight, if no healthy snacks are available, I'll down a half bag of chips without missing a beat. 

So I went in search if something that would taste like a treat, but that would lasso help me get back into real person jeans. Pinterest had my back. I found this recipe, made it, LOVED IT, then made a few tweaks to make it my own. 

First on the list, swapping semi-sweet mini chocolate chips for big fat dark chocolate ones. And since dark chocolate is so much healthier for you than regular (don't you dare tell me different) I went ahead and doubled the amount of chips. I found that 1/2 a cup meant that some of the poor little muffins ended up with like 2 chips, and we can't have that, can we?

Enough chit chat. I'm starving. 

First, wrangle up your wet ingredients. 3 bananas, 1/4 cup agave nectar, 2 tbsp honey (just eyeball it...getting it out of a measuring spoon wastes about half of it), 1 egg, and a teaspoon of vanilla and give 'me a whirl. You could mash the bananas first, I guess, but then you'd have to clean your potato masher. And why make extra dishes for yourself when Sir Mix A Lot will do the work for you. 

Then add your dry ingredients.  1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, and 6 oz vanilla Greek yogurt. Some of you may be thinking, "Tara, yogurt isn't a dry ingredient," and to you I say, chillax and just go with it.  

Sometimes I think there's great value in sifting your dry ingredients together. This is not that recipe. Just throw it in and enjoy the 60 seconds of your life you just got back. 

Now for the best part. Chocolate. Can I get an Amen?  Add your beautifully delicious chocolate chips in there. I let the mixer stir them for a moment, then mix it up with my spatula a bit. 

The dough  is pretty thick and wet-ish at this point. Grease up a muffin tin (and I mean it. Pam the heck out of it, because these muffins will stick to it like white on rice).  I use an ice cream scoop to get them all relatively the same size. 

Pop them in the oven at 350° for 17-20 minutes. The tops should be golden, and honestly, pretty wonky looking. I'm not sure if it's the whole wheat flour or the yogurt that makes them look this way, but they are unique and I like them.  Let them cool for 2 minutes in the pan, then use a paring knife/fork combo to extract them and place on a wire rack to cool completely. 

Now, you have 3 choices:

1. Eat one, put the rest in an air tight container.

2. Eat them all and tell no one.

3. Eat one, put the rest in a freezer bag and freeze them for later. 

There is a small mathematical error with option 3, however. You will want to have 2 for breakfast with coffee, 1 as a mid-afternoon snack, and 1 (or 2 or 3) for dessert. If you freeze them, you will just have to thaw them tomorrow.  But if this is what you want to do, just pop one in the microwave for 12 seconds (yes, 12.  10 is too short and 15 is too long.  If the micro machine would let me zap them for 12.5 seconds, I would).  Or let it thaw on the counter or in a bag in your purse for a couple of hours and it'll be happily waiting for you when the craving hits.

Oh look, here's one now!

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to scarf down this muffin, because Max looks hungry again.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 oz Vanilla Greek Yogurt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat honey, agave nectar, egg, vanilla and banana until blended. 
2. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and yogurt. Beat for 1-2 minutes until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Grease cupcake tin with nonstick baking spray. Spoon batter into each tin (about 1/4 cup). Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 18-20 minutes. For mini muffins, bake 11-13 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for later use. 
4. Eat and repeat. Yields 15-18 muffins.