No Flour Banana Muffins

I have been flirting with gluten free for a few months now, and while I have decided that it's not for me (I'm certainly not celiac, but I had other issues that I thought might be influenced by diet) I do think it's probably a good idea to try and limit flour from my diet. While I was on the bandwagon I tried many recipes and some turned out pretty good.  I'm constantly looking for less "carby" breakfasts that I can prepare ahead of time and have available quickly in the morning. And sometimes... you just don't feel like eggs again. This Pin hits the mark and I think they're pretty tasty.

Here is the original Pin:

Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Muffins

Their Muffins                                                   My Muffins

I followed this recipe closely, using regular sugar as I believe that artificial sweeteners are the devil. Basically you mix the bananas with the eggs, then add the yogurt, oatmeal, sugar and baking soda. From my dabbling with gluten free, I learned that oats are naturally gluten free but are often prepared and packaged with gluten products, so if you are celieac (you probably alreay know this) or are very sensitive, you have to purchase oats that specify that they're packaged in a gluten free facility.

Ok, so I'm not exactly the neatest baker.  Maybe I'll get better?

I like this recipe.  The muffins were tasty and I think they're ripe for variations.  Certainly seasonings like vanilla or cinnamon would be welcome.  I'm not sure if adding fresh or frozen fruit would change the chemistry enough to ruin the texture.  As is, the texture is a little on the chewy side, not light and fluffy like an ordinary flour muffin, so don't expect it to be airy. You definitely need paper muffin liners and you'd be wise to let them cool for awhile otherwise they can get pretty sticky.  They were delicious with peanut butter and Nugget definitely approved.

Cost: They're great for using up ripe bananas, so score! The only thing I bought especially for this recipe was the yoghurt. My husband bought fat free instead of low fat, but that didn't seem to be any trouble.  They would also be fine with the nice thick 10% we buy for the little one.

Time: They're muffins, nothing fancy.

Difficulty: My only difficulty was pouring them into the tin without making a mess. Maybe you have steadier hands?

Aesthetic Appeal: They're not light and fluffy with a round crunchy shell like you'd find at a coffee shop, but they certainly don't look bad.

Life Enhancement: If you're celiac or just trying to cut down on refined carbs, this recipe is great.  It should fulfill any craving you might have for breakfast baked goods.

Grilled Goat Cheese & Avocado Sandwich

I'm fairly well known, in my house anyway, to not thoroughly read a recipe, which could prove to be my undoing with this project. I saw the picture of this Pin and it looked delicious. I scanned the list of ingredients and bought everything at the grocery store I needed. Breakfast is our main meal of the day as I work later in the day. Usually my husband prepares it. He has quite a way with an egg and a spatula! The night before I told him it was my turn. He made some homemade bread for me that evening. Obviously this step is not truly necessary, there is plenty of fine bread available commercially, but call us pretentious, fresh home baked bread is mighty good. Anyway, morning broke (well, Nugget woke up) and I went to start our delicious sandwich.

Here is the original Pin:

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I looked at the recipe again, and noticed that I hadn't seen the entire second half.  There was an elaborate recipe for herb pesto that was supposed to go on the sandwich.  Well... that wasn't going to happen, so I figured out what we had in the house.  I thought that we might have a jar of prepared pesto, but I was wrong.  I did find mustard that had basil in it. Done!

So I found my ingredients and put the sandwich together... bread, basil mustard, spinach, avocado and goat cheese.

I decided not to fry it.  I find that crumbly cheese always falls out of sandwiches. We have a super awesome George Foreman grill and used that instead.  Turned out great! Nicely brown minus the grease. Super simple and very delicious.  I suppose sometime I might try it with the herb pesto mentioned, but I kind of doubt it... maybe jarred pesto.

Even without the special pesto sauce I thought this turned out really nice.  It's an easy way to get veggies into breakfast or lunch without it feeling forced.  Nugget tried it and at first she wasn't really having it.  I think she probably thought the cheese was a bit sour, which it is, but she kept coming back for more and ended up eating quite a bit of it.

Cost: About the same of any ordinary sandwich. I used one avocado for 2 sandwiches and the small container of goat cheese I got was enough for 4 sandwiches.

Prep & Execution time: 10 minutes tops, from beginning to end.

Difficulty: Easy... although one day I'd like to learn how to make those pretty avocado slices instead of scooping it out with a spoon.

Aesthetic Appeal: Pretty, green sandwich with a nice golden crust.

Life Enhancement.  It enhances a life as much as you can expect from a sandwich.