Gluten-Free Banana Spinach Muffins

This recipe was originally marketed as a great way to get spinach into picky eaters! While that is not an issue I have (I love spinach!), I decided to make them one night because I had all the right ingredients, and thought “why not”?

Result? They were a big hit at my home and with neighbours…. of all ages! I love how even though they are small, they keep you full thanks to the fiber-rich oats, banana, and protein-rich egg. I find that they make the perfect afternoon snack!

They are SUPER quick & easy to make (just throw everything in a blender and voila!)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ripe banana (6 to 8 ounces)

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 cup almond butter (or any other nut/seed butter)

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1-2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed

• 1 cup rolled oats

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a muffin tin.

2. Into a blender container, add the banana, water, almond butter, egg, honey, spinach, rolled oats, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt, in that order. Blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.

3. Pour the green batter into the prepared muffin cups. I usually get 10-12 muffins out of this batch, depending on the size of the banana.

4. Put the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake until the muffins rise and feel firm to a light touch in the center, about 15 to 17 minutes. The edges should turn lightly golden and might crack a bit.

5. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool at least 30 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. I find that using my fingers to twist them out of the tin helps them release easily, but you can also run a knife around the sides of the muffin to help get them out.

6. Muffins can be stored at room temperature for 24 hours, but I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

7. Note: they are not big muffins, and do not rise – so do not think you did anything wrong if yours come out little. :)