Weekend Cooking: Banana Almond Chocolate Chip Muffins

The semester starts up on Monday, so I’m spending this weekend cooking, literally, trying to get ahead on some meals and lunch box items so we don’t have to resort to that dreaded budget- and diet-killer: take out! One thing that really works for us is having pre-portioned, home-made snacks ready to go. Muffins are a great solution: I cool them completely, wrap them individually in foil, and then put them in the freezer. In the morning, I throw them in the lunch bag, and they’re thawed by the time her lunch period arrives.

These muffins are sweet enough to feel like an indulgence, which makes my daughter happy –– and the whole grains make me happy.

Banana Almond Chocolate Chip Muffins 

2 very ripe bananas, mashed
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
½ cup whole milk yogurt
½ cup 2% milk
¼ cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups white whole wheat flour
½ cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined – it’s okay if lumps from the banana remain. Mix dry ingredients (through salt) together in another bowl. Fold dry ingredients into banana mixture until moistened; fold in chocolate chips. Fill paper-lined muffin cups ¾ full (an ice cream scoop makes quick work of it). Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Yield: 18 muffins.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. Thanks to Beth Fish Reads for hosting!