Banana-Bran Muffins

Source: Eating Well

By the end of the week, any bananas left in the fruit bowl are past their prime--just right for these moist bran muffins. Add a handful of dark chocolate chips to entice children to enjoy a fiber-rich treat.

2 large eggs
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 medium)
1 cup buttermilk (see Ingredient notes)
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran (see Ingredient notes)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole-wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in bananas, buttermilk, wheat bran, oil and vanilla.

3. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups (they'll be quite full). Sprinkle with walnuts, if using.

4. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

196 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 36 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 4 g fiber; 182 mg sodium. Nutrition bonus: 17% dv fiber.

Ingredient notes: You can use buttermilk powder in place of fresh buttermilk. Or make "sour milk": mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk. Unprocessed wheat bran is the outer layer of the wheat kernel, removed during milling. Also known as miller's bran, it can be found in the baking section. Do not substitute bran cereal in this recipe.

I talked about these muffins HERE.

Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Source: Eating Well via Joe's Blog

1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (toasted in a 350º oven for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant)
2 cups puffed brown rice cereal
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine peanuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruits, oats and cereal in a large bowl and set aside.

Whisk the peanut butter, brown sugar, light corn syrup and Golden syrup in a medium microwavable bowl and heat on high until mixture is bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Press the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. (If mixture is sticky, use a bit of cooking spray on your hands or coat a piece of wax paper with cooking spray and use the paper to help you press the mixture into the pan.) Let bars cool for 1 hour before cutting into bars.

Makes about 16 bars.