Banana Oatmeal Muffins

I can see how this summer is going to go.

Sleep in.  Bake.  Play on the internet for the majority of the day a bit.  Bake.  Shop.  Cook dinner.  Go to the gym a couple of times a week.  Feel bad for husband when he has to leave for work at 5:15am each day.  Nap.  Read.  Bake.

I love to bake.  My mom used to tell me, as I perused her Taste of Home magazines, that I should look for something we could actually eat, instead of just the desserts.  Cooking is certainly more practical as a life skill, I suppose.  But there is nothing like cookies fresh from the oven.  Absolutely nothing. 

My baking goal for the summer is to create and/or modify recipes to make them healthier.  Then I'll have healthy stand-bys ready for when the rush starts up again in August.

Besides, then I can eat as much as I want, right?  You know, before I take my 2pm nap each day.

For this, I took a basic formula for muffins and incorporated my own ingredients.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1 T. melted butter
1 medium mashed banana
1/2 cup applesauce
1 t. vanilla
1 egg, beaten

Mix all of the above "wet" ingredients together with a wooden spoon.


Mix these dry ingredients together in a bowl:


1 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Incorporate the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients and mix well.  Fill cupcake-liners 2/3 of the way with the batter and bake for about 20 minutes at 325 degrees.  Use a toothpick to ensure the center of each muffin is done.