Banana-date muffins + more

I caught the midnight baking bug last night!!!! In dire need of a study break, I used the excuse of two overrripe bananas in the fruit bowl to make these yummies. 

Banana and date muffins

My version - makes 12 ordinary sized muffins and about 8 mini muffins

2C self raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp all spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

125g pitted dates, chopped (I only used about 100g - about 6 medjool dates because that's all I had)

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C water

1/2 C milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 C mashed banana (about two large)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 160C (fan-forced) and grease muffin trays.

2. Sift flour, soda and spices into a large bowl. Stir in sugar and dates.

2. Mash bananas in a bowl, add eggs, water, milk and vanilla and combine.

3. Add wet mixture to dry and stir until well combined (but not over-mixed).

4. Spoon mixture into muffin tray, sprinkle tops with more brown sugar, demerara sugar and/or nuts/seeds and bake for 16-18 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

5. Let sit in tray for 5 minutes then cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

So these are pretty good! The texture is a little different to ordinary muffins probably due to the lack of oil or butter but still very moist and light. A nice study snack :) Would add some nuts (or even dark chocolate chunks.. mmm) next time.

Okay now for some other stuff I've eaten...
Seedy toasted Costco bagel with cottage cheese and smokey bbq sauce.

Spinach salad...

With carrot, mushrooms, beetroot, wholegrain mustard and kimchi hiding underneath.

 Butter flavour Quaker instant grits with some lemon-pepper salmon stirred in with broccoli and cracked pepper on top! Added some garlic-chilli sauce later too.

Fruit salad :)

Apple cinnamon baked oatmeal crumble and other eats

Hey guys! *crickets* So I guess this blog is becoming more of a food diary with recipes whenever I get a chance to cook/bake. I've become quite an avid follower of quite a few food diary type blogs which have inspired me to take snaps of the more interesting foods I consume. 

I found this apple cinnamon baked oatmeal recipe and have been eager to try it! Made a few adjustments so I've given my version below. This was an incredibly easy and delicious breakfast, perfect for a rainy morning. Enjoyed it with some vanilla yoghurt and fruit. Next time I'll use the same base recipe but add other fruits (or pumpkin!) instead of apple puree.

 

Apple cinnamon baked oatmeal crumble

Serves 1

40g multigrain oats

100ml water (or milk)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp maple syrup (or other sweetener, if desired)

~25g of any add-ins you'd like (sultanas, dates, nuts, choc chips)

Demerara or brown sugar for sprinkling on top

1/4 cup apple puree (or pumpkin puree, other fruit)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp maple syrup (or other sweetener, if desired)

1. Preheat oven to 170C (fan-forced).

2. Combine oats, water, cinnamon, sweetener and add-ins in a bowl.

3. Prepare apple puree.

4. Pour half of oat mixture into an oven-proof dish of about a cup capacity (greased if you wish to evert it). Pour in the apple mixture. Top with remaining oat mixture and sprinkle sugar on top.

5. Bake for 20 minutes until a slight golden crust forms.

6. Enjoy with yoghurt, ice-cream, milk, nut butters, fruits etc!!!

Toasted seedy Costco bagel topped with some minced garlic, cottage cheese, baby spinach, beetroot and roast pumpkin.

Strawberry yoghurt, museli, blueberries, strawberries and gold kiwi. Love this mix.

 All messed up

 

Chilled, cut up apple with cinnamon - a favourite snack!