I recently traveled to Montreal for vacation. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend paying a visit! It’s a beautiful city rich with culture, history, and amazing food. I would move there for the markets alone! After a week of St-Viateur sesame bagels, croissants pâte d’amandes, fresh brie, and a host of other items at my fingertips, I need a serious food detox. At least all of my food consumption was paired with sightseeing and shopping.
Between traveling and a couple of busy weeks at work, I haven’t been able to cook as much or share what I’ve been making. I’m looking forward to getting back into my routine of Sunday cooking. Today, I plan to make my favorite butternut squash soup, a quick wonton soup, wraps for lunch, energy balls, and possibly one other dish.
But first, I wanted to share a recipe for Banana Smoothie Muffins. These are similar to the banana kale muffins I made before, but these have baby spinach in them instead of the kale and the addition of raspberries, which give them a sweet/tart taste. I made some changes to a recipe from a 2-week clean eating challenge from POPSUGAR. The original called for sugar and canola oil. I used raw organic honey, a little maple syrup, and coconut oil instead. A few notes: Since I didn’t have whole wheat flour on hand, I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, which is similar to Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix. I forgot that Bob’s mix does not contain baking soda like Pamela’s so my muffins didn’t rise as much but still taste good!
Ingredients
3 ripe bananas
2 cups packed baby spinach
1 pint raspberries (reserve 5 to 6 raspberries and mash them with a fork)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or flour of your choice
1/2 cup raw organic honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350º F. Place bananas, spinach, raspberries (except for reserved ones), honey, maple syrup, and coconut oil in a blender. Blend till smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in one egg. Add dry ingredients and stir till combined. Fold in mashed raspberries. Transfer batter to a lined muffin tin (or one sprayed with cooking spray). Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy as a snack or for breakfast.
