Recipes: Banana Oatmeal Muffins

This Oatmeal Banana Muffin recipe is one of my favorites because it contains a number of ingredients which all add up to make this a food that is going to make your heart happy.

Muffins are famous for being unhealthy but this is one muffin that you can say goes against the grain, it is pretty much the best that a muffin can be.

Oatmeal is a happy heart food. It is a soluble fibre meaning that it has the ability to bind with and remove cholesterol from the body. So whenever you add oatmeal into your baked goods you know that you are making them just that little extra bit healthier for the ones that you love.

Now add in walnuts which are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are fats that are required by your body to keep it healthy. One quarter cup of walnuts will provide about 90% of your daily required amounts of this essential fat. In the nut family walnuts are known to be one of the healthiest, they are chock full of omega 3 fats.

The consumption of a handful of walnuts has been proven to lower cholesterol levels, help to prevent erratic heart beat, and also to help prevent clot formation within the arteries. Consuming this treat daily may also help your lose weight. Now that is a lot of happy for your heart.

These muffins also contain bananas which are high in dietary fibre yet contain an amazing zero percent cholesterol. you have a muffin that you can be proud to serve to your family.

Note: I have included vegetable oil in this recipe but you can make these muffins truly heart smart by substituting applesauce in place of the vegetable oil. If you do this substitution then lower the amount of walnuts in your recipe by half.

Ingredients:

2 cup flour

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cup oatmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 beaten eggs

1 cup of skim or one percent milk

1/2 cup olive or canola oil

2 cup mashed bananas

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together dry ingredients (this is the first 6 listed ingredients).

2. Add in the wet ingredients and mix lightly together till all dry ingredients are moist. Mixture should be lumpy in appearance.

3. Fill muffin cups one half full of muffin batter. Bake for 20 minutes.

This recipe makes 2 dozen muffins.