I am just going to put this out there. Cooking is not my favorite thing. If you follow this blog at all you will see that I only have two recipes on here. I am starting with this disclaimer because if I am posting a recipe, two things are absolutely certain: 1) the meal/food is super easy to make 2) the outcome is delicious!

I am going to post my recipe for flourless banana chocolate chip muffins and let me assure you, these muffins are not only delicious and extremely easy to make but also healthy and gluten-free, which for me is a must. Bonus -they are also dairy free!

***looking for links to this gorgeous sweater and the rest of my outfit? See my previous blog post here.

Let me just touch on why I eliminated gluten from my diet, as I always get a ton of questions on this. I suffer from absolutely debilitating migraines. I have had them since I was a kid, and whenever one hits it can force me into bed for days. I can’t see straight, think straight, or do anything. I literally lose days every month to these headaches, which as a working mom is not something that I can afford. A few years ago, a neurologist I see suggested I try some elimination diets to see if anything helped. Since eliminating some of the big ones like alcohol, caffeine, and chocolate seemed pretty much impossible I decided to try the gluten-free route – and I have never gone back (except when I was pregnant with my youngest and couldn’t say no to doughnuts and pizza).

I have found that not only had going gluten-free helped with my migraines, but it has also helped with stomach issues I have had my whole life, and it cleared up eczema I had on my neck for years. I still get migraines, but they have been greatly reduced from every week to just one or two a month. I am (clearly) not a doctor, but from what I have read gluten can cause inflammation in some individuals -even those that do not technically have celiac disease and eliminating gluten can ease inflammation symptoms including muscle aches, migraines, eczema, stomach issues, etc. Is this true? I have no idea, but I feel so much better since eliminating gluten that I have decided to stick with it.

Anyways, about these muffins. I have started making them a lot, not only because I love them, but because they are a healthy snack that all three of my kids will actually eat. I have to confess, one of my weaknesses as a mom is food and meal preparation. I have never liked to cook, and before I had kids I would eat scrambled eggs or cereal for dinner on a regular basis. As a working mom, I have found that I am so busy in the evenings, cooking healthy meals and snacks is just not something I have prioritized. I am trying to turn this around, and these muffins are an easy way to do this. They are also really filling, I think because of the ground oats and peanut butter, and have a lot of good wholesome ingredients in them.

When it comes to meal prep for your families, do you guys have any quick and healthy go-to recipe? Comment below with your favorite and I might feature you!

One last thing before I get to the recipe. The idea of having to use a blender to make baked goods (as in this recipe) used to terrify me. That was when I had a pretty cheap blender. Last year I purchased this Ninja Blender, which was one of my smartest purchases ever! Making your own oat flour for recipes like this one is a snap and literally takes seconds! If you don’t have a good quality blender, I highly recommend getting one now.

As for substitutions in this recipe – I use peanut butter, because my kids love the taste but feel free to use almond butter as well. I also use a honey/maple syrup mix but I think using honey only or reducing the honey would be fine too. I add in mini-chocolate chips, but these are not a necessity.

Also, make sure you are using certified gluten-free oats. These are the oats I use –

I am also a huge fan of this flax/hemp blend, I use it in all my smoothies! Let me know if you end up trying the muffins and what you think in the comments below!