Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Muffins

I've been in a kick lately to make my own protein bars and muffins that way I am not eating a bunch of un-natural ingredients my body does not need. After some messing around in my kitchen playing with different flour combinations I came up with a pretty yummy sugar free chocolate chip protein muffins that has both bananas and oats!

Ingredients:

1 cup Oat Flour

2 scoops Vanilla protein powder

3 TB Stevia

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

2 bananas mashed

6oz vanilla Greek yogurt

1tsp vanilla (I use vanilla bean paste)

1/3 cup sugar free chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate

Process:

Heat oven to 350 and spray a muffin tin with baking spray. I made 12 large muffins but mini muffins are good too!

Combine all wet ingredients in bowl 1 and mix well.

Combine all dry ingredients in bowl 2 and mix well.

Add wet to dry and stir until just combined.

Add to pan and bake approx 15-20 min. Cool on wire rack and store in the fridge. These also freeze really well.

If you try these let me know! 

Happy eating :)

~Jenn

Follow me on Pinterest!!

Smore's Cupcakes!

My friend was hosting a bake sale for an annual cancer walk last weekend and the baker in me, could not let that opportunity pass without trying out some new cupcake creations.

Today's post is for Smore's Cupcakes...I also made French Toast Cupcakes but that will be a post for another day. Stay tuned.

For now, bake yourself up a batch of these bad boys

First, make your graham cracker bottom crust:


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Smash up about 15-20 Graham Crackers in a zip lock and dump into a bowl. Add enough melted butter to make them into a crust. Usually 4-5 tablespoons will do it. Put about 1TB into each muffin liner and press down with a cup. Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes until just firm. Put aside to cool for at least 10 min while you mix up the cake batter.

Chocolate Cake- I heart the original Hershey's Chocolate Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

•  2 cups Sugar
• 1-3/4 cup Flour
• 1.5tsp Baking Powder
• 1.5tsp Baking Soda
• 1tsp Salt
• ¾ cup Cocoa
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup Veg Oil
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Boiling Water

nocouponsDIRECTIONS:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together all your wet ingredients EXCEPT the Boiling Water.  In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Slowly mix into wet. When combined slowly pour in boiling water. The batter will be really runny, but don’t worry!

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). I spray the top of my muffin tins with cooking spray so nothing sticks.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

If you make these ahead, they freeze really well if unfrosted!

And then you will need:

Marshmallow Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

• I cup marshmallow fluff
• 1 cup butter
• 2-2.5 cups powdered sugar
• A little milk (maybe)

nocouponsDIRECTIONS:

Cream cold butter in mixer. Add in Marshmallow fluff and a little powder sugar. Keep adding in sugar. If mix is a little dry you can add a little milk. Beat on high until frosting consistency.  Frost cupcakes.

Now for me, I have to add toasted marshmallows and Hershey's chocolate bars to the top of my cupcakes. 

Put a bunch of mini marshmallows onto a baking sheet and torch with your kitchen torch. If you don't have one, put under the broiler for a few seconds. Keep an eye on them cause they will brown up and melt quick! Let cool and put a few on top of each cupcake. Finish off with a slice of Hershey bar!

SO DARN TASTY

These will keep at room temp for a day or two but if it's hot put them in the fridge cause the frosting and chocolate bar will start to melt :)

These are perfect to bring to a cookout. Everyone will think you are a baking pro and only you will know how easy these really were!

Happy Baking!!

Jenn

My love of baking

I must admit I have a love of baking. It used to be I loved to eat all of the goodies I made, but these days full sugar treats are a thing of the past for me. I still do however love to make my full sugar yummy goodies for loved ones, and friends. People see a plate of cookies, batch of cupcakes, or slices of cake and their eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning.
Seeing other people enjoy my baked goods makes me smile. Plus I get to taste test my recipes on people who I know will be honest with me.

I have a obsession recently with cupcakes and sugar cookies.
Here are some past creations over the last year or so....

I am planning another batch of sugar cookies soon to ship to my cousin, just have to pick out some cool shapes!

Local and need baked goods?? Let me know....I do parties :)

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting, Chocolate Drizzle and a Banana Chip

Disney Princess Cookies- Belle, Snow White and some others

Cheeseburger Cake- Vanilla and Chocolate Pound Cake- decorated with Fondant

Chocolate Chipolte Cupcakes with Hazelnut Cream Cheese Frosting

Vanilla Cow Sugar Cookies- I Heart Cows

Vanilla Cupcake Sugar Cookies

The "Princess" Basket- Disney Princess Dresses, Castles, Cupcakes, and Crowns

Dad's Tackle Box Birthday Cake

TV Dinner Cupcakes

Easter Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting and a Tulip Decorated Sugar Cookie Topper

"Watermelon" Cake - Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream frosting and fondant

Stevie's Pokemon Cake- my first attempt at Pokemon...

WLS Friendly Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

My favorite banana bread recipe is one from Martha Stewart but post-op I can't eat it as originally written. Because I am a constant recipe tweaker the below is my latest version. Don't get me wrong...Martha is my go to girl, but below is a recipe I can have a piece of without feeling like someone is ripping out my pouch!

Here is what you will need:

9x5x3 loaf pan or mini loaf pans- buttered and floured ( I use the spray and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper)

2 TB Melted Butter
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Golden Flaxseed ground
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 large egg, and 1 Egg White
2 tsp Vanilla ( I like the Vanilla Bean paste)
2 large Bananas mashed well ( about 3/4-1 cup)
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar or 1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar (which is what I use)
Handful or two of Sugar Free Chocolate Chips- Martha uses Walnuts but I don't


Prepare your pan and set aside.

Mix egg and egg white together. Add rest of wet ingredient and combine well.
Add mixture of dry ingredients ( I like to sift all the dry together first) to the wet and mix until just combined.
Stir in the Chocolate Chips (or whatever add in's you like) by hand gently.

Add to prepared pan and bake at 350 for about 25-30 min. It is done when your knife comes out clean!

Happy Baking!

Chocolate Chip Chickpea Truffles! WLS Friendly!

This is a link to my new favorite recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles  This girl makes the most delicious treats! Click the link to get her recipe and then see my sugar free replacements below for us WLS folks :)

I followed her above recipe almost exactly. The only thing I changed was that I used regular Splenda in stead of brown sugar (you can also use the brown sugar splenda) and use sugar free chocolate chips because I can't do the whole sugar thing. Oh and I doubled it because I gave a bunch away to my sugar loving friends and guess what....they loved them!

How to make it all come together:

I use this bad boy....my NINJA. 

 First, rinse and drain the chickpeas really well. (this is a entire can, like I said I doubled the recipe)

 Add your vanilla...how cute is the detail in the bottom of my spoons!

 Splenda...

For my nut butter I like Almond Butter with Sea Salt from Trader Joes

 Throw in everything else EXCEPT the chocolate chips!

 Make sure you mix everything REALLY well. No one wants to bite into a chickpea! The Ninja is great for this. Best Gift EVER!

I like to dump mine out into a bowl and stir in a bunch of Sugar Free Chocolate Chips. I can only ever find these things at Super Walmart, but they do sell them other places and online! You can also make your own Sugar Free Chocolate Bars and chunk them up for the recipe. Here is a link to make your own : Three Ingredient Chocolate Bars- Sugar Free

Then make your balls! I use a mini ice cream scoop

Place them in the fridge to chill out...I usually dip half of mine in melted sugar free chocolate and leave half of them just like this. They are delicious either way.

Let me know if you give these a try! You could also add nuts, flavored sugar free Torani to change up the taste, maybe roll in unsweetened coconut...so many options!

I think I will eat one right now....

Oh the Holidays....

Well folks the holiday season is in full swing and every other day there is a new holiday treat to be eaten. There is shopping to be done, houses to clean before parties, work parties, and dinner with friends and loved ones.  Last year at Christmas we left on a cruise and while I cried while driving to the airport leaving my parents house Christmas morning, we had an amazing time. I missed my family, but the wife and I spent some much needed quality time together.

This year we are home for the holidays (this years cruise was over Thanksgiving!) so I am faced with all those yummy foods in my past life I would have eaten more than my fair share of.  This year I am determined to attend parties, eat delicious food and desserts, and tackle the holiday "my way". Over this past year I have found AMAZING blogs that I love that have provided me the tools I need to make yummy goodies that I can actually eat.

Mary Beth (the psychologist at the WLS center I go to) says there is nothing I can't eat. Everything in moderation and if you slip up, move on. There is always another day.

This year I still did my annual cookie box for the office filled with 3-4 kinds of cookies, homemade chocolate lollipop trees and candy canes. Next week I think I will bring cupcakes. I bought these super cute cupcake toppers I want to use :)  The guys and gals in our shop work so hard to make what we sell and I am grateful for that. We produce some amazing things. Check it out at http://www.lightblocks.com/ . 

Every Christmas Eve we attend my parents neighbors (I say that but they are more like family...Hi Jurewicz family!) holiday party. It's the same people every year for the most part and we sit around and eat and chat. It's nice. It's annual. I look forward to it every year. This year instead of showing up with my usual super unhealthy baked goods, I will be bringing some healthy super delicious baked goods so I can eat some as well.

This year I am making: (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dessert)

Chocolate Covered Katie's Deep Dish Cookie PIe
as well as her Pumpkin Bars
I also might make my own Sugar Free Chocolate Peanut Butter (or Almond Butter) Cups

The Deep Dish Cookie Pie above is so delicious. If you didn't know what the ingredients were, you would never guess it was made with chickpeas. I think I am mostly excited to make this because I am getting the Ninja System for Christmas and I am getting it early so I can make my desserts! So Excited! Healthy desserts can be just as delicious as regular flour filled and sugar filled ones if they are made with high quality, good ingredients.

On Liberty of the Seas- heading to Mexico!

I am kicking myself for not buying Vanilla when I was in Mexico two weeks ago.







Tonight after work I am finally going to try and tackle some shopping for presents. This year I am so unorganized. Holidays cards went out yesterday which is way late in my world! I also must pick up supplies for red velvet cupcakes. I think that is what I shall bring to work on Monday :)

I also made some Peppermint Hot Chocolate Jars for gifts this year. So cute and so easy! Let me know if you want the recipe :)

What you are making for holiday desserts if you are a baker?

Happy Holidays All!