Banana Oat Bran Muffins

I was craving a bran muffin something crazy yesterday, and I didn't have any bran cereal (which is called for in a lot of recipes I looked up). I looked at the Oat Bran box, and found a recipe there. I happened to have all the ingredients, so I made these (with a couple of modifications). They turned out amazing! They taste like banana bread, but with a really nice bran muffin texture. And the coconut oil gives them a subtly unique flavor. They didn't even need a spread! At only 135 calories each, you could certainly spread them with peanut butter, coconut oil, or even eat two of them. 

Banana Oat Bran Muffins

2 cups Quaker Oat Bran, uncooked (found by the hot cereals in the grocery store)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup whole milk (you could use low fat milk, but I prefer whole)

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted (you could use other oils, but the coconut oil makes these muffins even better!)

1 medium banana, mashed

Preheat oven to 425. Line 12 baking cups with paper liners. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and then add the wet ingredients. Stir to combine well. Divide the batter among the 12 baking cups (about 3/4 full) and bake for 15-17 minutes. 

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2-Ingredient Guacamole

This is SO simple and SO easy--and it tastes SO good! Serve with tortilla chips.

Guacamole

1 ripe avocado
1 cup Garden Fresh salsa (found in refrigerator section)

Mash the avocado until smooth, and stir in the salsa. It doesn't look very pretty, but it tastes fantastic. Serve right away, because the avocado will start to brown.

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Renee's Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

These are SOOOO good--and beware if you're a binge eater, it's very hard to eat just one!  I modified this a bit the last time I made them to reduce the calorie count, and they turned out wonderfully. So I'll type up the modified recipe.

Note: The bar above is 1/12 of the pan, not 1/24 ;)

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

1/4 cup plain, fat free yogurt
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional, not included in nutrition info)

Preheat oven to 325. In a large mixing bowl, beat yogurt, honey, and sugar until creamy. Add applesauce, eggs, and vanilla and beat well.  In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, flax, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Add the dry ingredients to creamed mixture.  Stir in walnuts (if using), raisins, and chocolate chips. Prepare a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Spread batter in pan and bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned (I like to underbake them just a touch, so they stay a little gooey). Let cool, and cut into bars.  Makes 24 bars.

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