Banana Muffins

Took me a couple of tries but I've finally perfected my gluten free banana bread! Since I have a tendency of eating dessert for breakfast...and lots of it, I made sure these were extra healthy. No oil, no sugar and no "xanthan gum" - only natural ingredients for this girl!

3-4 very ripe bananas
2 whole eggs
1.5 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
.5 cups instant quinoa flakes
.5 cups unsweetened apple sauce
5 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Splash of almond or regular milk
Dash of salt
Cinnamon to taste

Optional
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Mash bananas and mix in all wet ingredients first. Slowly add the quinoa flakes and flour. I didn't need to use my electric mixer, a fork works just fine. You can either spoon batter into muffin tins or a loaf pan. Make sure to swipe some coconut/olive oil or cooking spray before pouring the batter so it doesn't stick. Bake for approx. 45 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown.

Almond Berry Bites

Here's a great alternative for butter tarts or fruit squares that normally  have a pastry crust. I like to try different fillings but this one is my favourite. Adding a couple tablespoons of coconut oil will make the filling a softer, cheesecake texture while water or milk will make it more of a frozen dessert.

Crust
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates
.5 cup water/almond milk

Filling
6 large dates
1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen berries
Almond extract
.75 cups of water/almond milk (slightly less if you're adding coconut oil)

Blend all crust ingredients in a food processor until it forms a thick paste. Spoon out small portions into a mini-muffin tin to form the tart shell. Place shells in the fridge while you are making the filling. Blend all filling ingredients together in a blender and pour into the tart shells. Place in the freezer for about an hour to let them harden. Great summer snack!