double chocolate fudge muffin for one {vegan}

"All the SIIIIIngle ladies! All the single ladies. All the SIIIIngle ladies! All the single ladies. Now put your hands uuuUUUP!" *raising my hand up high*

I was totally singing this song in my head when I was making this muffin. I sing it with pride, ya know? Single people rock! Plus, they get one gigantic muffin all to themselves so... All the more reason to forget boys, I say. 

Although I don't live on my own, I might as well as far as the whole food situation goes. Sure, my family has a nibble of this and a nibble of that, but umm. I don't need a whole jar of granola, a batch of peanut butter cups, a batch of cookies, and a pan of brownies all to myself. {… but do I?}

Yes, that sounds wonderful, but it doesn't really agree with my resolution to only eat when I'm hungry and get better at listening to my body. I'll do good the rest of the day, but shove a giant muffin in my face and goodBYEEEEE resolution, hello chocolate lerrrrv. 

I made this only a few hours after lunch {honestly, sometimes I make things for the sole purpose making things. And photographing things.}, and told myself I wouldn't eat the whole muffin and would eat it for breakfast the next morning. 

Or for dinner after the gym cuz leg presses suck. 

Ten minutes later, that muffin was nowhere to be seen and I had chocolate all over my face somehow… I dunno. Crazy chocolate, how'd you manage to get there??

I've really been loving experimenting with vegan baking {and vegan EATING in general. It's doable.} I've had some really good success when it comes to muffins/cakes/cookies, but BROWNIES. Oh my lawwwwd you guys. I tried making brownies the other day and… whoa. I mean.. They were okay but definitely not your classic brownie. No sireeeeeee. 

One of the many plus sides of vegan baking though? You can lick the bowl! Not that eggs usually stops me from doing so, but I don't have to worry about my mom yelling at me that I'll get sick. Uhh mom, I think I've built up an immunity by now. 

Anyhow. This muffin was honestly one of the best muffins I've ever had. Ever. And I have had a LOT of muffins in my day, mmkay? Not to mention it's totally vegan and there's no processed sugar or flour crap in there. You'd never have thunked it! It totally tastes full on fat and sugar loaded! It's so fluffy and cakey, I don't even want to call it a muffin. It's more like a cupcake, but we're gonna call it a muffin because that makes it more socially acceptable to eat for breakfast. Derrrr. 

"AAAAAAll the single ladies! All the single ladies…"

double chocolate fudge muffin for one {vegan} 

2 tbsp. wholewheat flour {use GF flour blend for a GF muffin}

1 tbsp. oat flour

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 banana, mashed

1 1/2 tbsp. pure maple syrup {or other liquid sweetener}

3/4 tbsp. liquid coconut oil

1 sq. dark chocolate {70% or higher is good}, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a single muffin tin. In a small bowl, whisk flours, baking powder and soda, and cocoa powder. Add banana, maple syrup, and coconut oil, stirring until combined. Fold in chocolate chunks. Pour into prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-25 minutes. Cool completely before removing from muffin tin.

strawberry muffin bread

I've hardly had any time to EAT lately let alone bake something presentable, jot down recipes, take pictures, and post it on the interwebs. But hey! I did it. At first I thought this bread was gonna be a legit fail. At least looks-wise. I mean, I'm all for "Beauty is what's on the inside" and whatnot, but when it comes to food blogging, I don't care how it tastes, it's gotta look dang good. When I first looked into the oven, the batter was overflowing, forming weird little wrinkles and craters in the bread. Some would say it's ugly. I say to heck with ugly, I think it's attractive {in a I WANT TO EAT YOU kind of way.} It's now summer in these regions, and I've got jumbo, fresh, juicy strawberries up the wazoo!!! What is a wazoo anyway?? Well I got strawberries up it. And I loveeeeee it. Since finding strawberries at the grocery store isn't like finding bars of gold {or costing about that much.} anymore, I thought I'd start some berry bakin'. Fresh strawberry bread? Uh yes. The sweet, fruity, vanilla-y aromas that were lingering about like little berry fairies in the kitchen was enough to make me swoon. And salivate. Sure it looks ugly, but y'all. It tastes fresh and wonderful and just slightly sweet.

strawberry muffin bread

2 large eggs

1 c. plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 c. maple syrup

6 tbsp. granulated sugar {1/4 c. + 2 tbsp.}

1/2 c. oat flour

1/4 c. gluten free oats

1 1/4 c. gluten free cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. roughly chopped strawberries {about 10-12 strawberries}

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, yogurt, vanilla, maple syrup, and sugar. Add flours, oats, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir until smooth. Fold in strawberries and mix until evenly combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

loaded multigrain muffins

Praise the heavens, I am finally done with that raw thing. I was technically supposed to go until Monday, but decided that if I looked at another leaf of spinach or bowl of hummus, I might cross off health food forever. A girl's gotta have her meat and muffins. I decided that was that on Sunday afternoon when I dug my face into a jumbo bowl of popcorn. Oh, my dearest, how I missed thee. Seriously, if I was stranded on an island and had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my years, it'd be popcorn. No doubt, I cannot quit the stuff. Could be worse, I guess. 

Anyways. I was hit with the baking bug and wanted to whip something up that I could grab for a quick breakfast or after my runs throughout the week. I opened the cupboards to find tons of opened, half-gone bags of nuts and seeds. SO I did what any normal person would do and threw all the stuff 'n things in a muffin. A little piece of advice: no matter what the question, the answer is "Throw it in a muffin." Those words will get ya places in life. 

As the title suggests, these muffins are loaded with all sorts of good carbs, protein, and fiber that are good for those innards of yours. Gotta keeps your innards good and healthy, amiright? They're basically one of those recipes that's like "Open the cupboard and throw every thing your eyeball sees into the bowl." Feel free to switch things up and add different kinds of nuts, seeds, grains, and dried fruit. They make a great snack or quick breakfast on the go. 

With a cup of coffee of course. I've missed my coffee. 8 days was way too long. I think my body learned how to actually function without caffeine during that time and then as soon as I could, I downed two big mugs and was seriously bouncing. off. the walls. BOUNCING. And twirling around the house singing "Augustus Gloop. Augustus Gloop." from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which I, in fact, haven't seen in ages. I thought I might be losing my mind. Maybe. 

Anyways, muffins.

loaded multigrain muffins

2-3 bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. soymilk

1/2 c. ground flax

1/2 c. ground oats/ oat flour

1 c. wholewheat flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 c. almonds

1/4 c. sunflower seeds

1/4 c. pumpkin seeds

1/3 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease or line a muffin tin; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, honey, soy milk, and banana. Add flour, ground flax, oats, cinnamon, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir until just combined. Fold in nuts, seeds, and raisins. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. 

wholewheat banana zucchini muffins

{warning: this is a serious post. cuz I have serious things on meh brain. ugh boring, i know.}

It's no lie, the past month has been tough on me in a million ways. As I've mention before, our American teammates went back to the US for 6 months in July and it's been really hard adjusting to life without them here. Since I'm home schooled, I really don't have many opportunities to get out and meet people other than church and youth group. Of course, I know people. I know many people, but have only had few friendships click that I really want to invest in. Sometimes I think to myself "Do people around here ever DO stuff? Or am I just missing out?" I'm gonna be honest. After months of stepping out of my comfort zone and always being the first one to ask to hang out, I'm really tired of trying. Trying to put myself out there. It's tiring and I feel like in the long run, it's getting me nowhere. I can't even remember the last time I got a text saying "Hey, wanna hang out later?" or "Hey, wanna watch a movie tonight?" I feel like some sort of freak always being the one to ask only to be the one who's let down time and time again . No matter how who's here or who isn't, I need to learn to be content with the quiet. Or in my case, a million little boys running in and out of the house. I can't tell you how many times in these last weeks I've been inches away from hitting rock bottom. Sick of the loneliness. Sick of the nothingness. Sick of the boredom… What I wouldn't do for days filled with going to the mall, sports games, running miscellaneous errands, and people to see. 

Anyhoo, sorry for that. I just needed to let it out. When I'm not feeling the happiest, there is one thing I do and one thing only- I crank up the radio, switch on the oven, throw on an apron, and let all those cruddy thoughts slip away. No idea why exactly, but the past week I've been really craving zucchini muffins. I decided to take the day off of school {homeschool! yay!}, do an hour of yoga, take a hot bath, and then whip up something yummy to destress myself. I was totally planning on putting chocolate in these because, umm. Hello. Not much else can cheer a girl up than chocolate… Well maybe a Hemsworth. A Hemsworth made of chocolate? Yes. That. Back on subject. I totally forgot the chocolate which is kindaaaaaa not like me. I never forget such things. But if you'd like some added greatness, I think some uber dark stuff would be divine. 

wholewheat banana zucchini muffins

2-3 bananas, mashed
2 c. shredded zucchini
2 eggs
3/4 c. plain greek yogurt
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/3 c. honey
2 c. wholewheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease or line a muffin tin; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk bananas, zucchini, eggs, yogurt, honey, and brown sugar until smooth. Add wholewheat flour and baking powder. Stir until combined. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely after transferring to a wire rack.

Cranberry Banana Muffins

If you've followed MHP for awhile, you know that I LOOOOOVE muffins. Like, we're talking, with all my heart here. I don't know WHY… I just… love them. They're perfect for a quick breakfast if you're in a rush, microwaved after they've been in the fridge for awhile, or as an afternoon snack! … or lunch. or dinner. or dessert. Really, anytime of the day works. 

One more thing to add to the list of reasons I adore them is that they're pretty easy to make HEALTHY. Of course the muffins that you'll grab at a gas station, bakery, or restaurant probably aren't full of good things. In fact, they're loaded with sugar. But when you decide to go the homemade route, you have the ability to make these into a yummy, nutritious, and filling treat.

Today's muffins are INSANE. I got two texts from friends saying they were the best muffins EVER! Mission accomplished. They're light and fluffy, but dense too, thanks to the greek yogurt in the batter. In the whole recipe there's only three quarters of a cup of white flour and then the rest is whole wheat. With only one third cup of sugar, these muffins get some sweetness from the bananas. I LOVED how the cranberries studded these muffins and got all juicy when baked. DELICIOUS!

I was hoping to have these for breakfasts this week… BUT. They only lasted about 24 hours. Which is a pretty good sign if you ask me :)

Cranberry Banana Muffins

3/4 c. AP flour

1 1/4 c. wheat flour

1/3 c. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. cinnamon 

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 c. plain greek yogurt {or 1 c. milk}

2 ripe bananas {plus one more for garnish, optional}

1/4 c. melted butter

1 egg

3/4 c. dried cranberries

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl, combine the milk, mashed bananas, butter, and eggs. Add to the well in the flour mixture. Add dried cranberries.Stir dry ingredients until moistened. Spoon mixture into a greased or lined muffin tin, filling each 3/4 full. Bake at 400ºF for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and cool on a wire rack. 

This post is being entered in Get Your Chef On :: Cranberries

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