Kitchen Report

These mini muffins only take 10 minutes to mix, 10 minutes to bake. Plus they are packed with energy and low in sugar.

My friend Lisa is at this moment swimming in the chop of the Boston Harbor. She’s participating in Swim Across America, a 22-mile relay that raises money for cancer research. It’s one of many relays happening across the country this weekend. And it’s a great way for swimmers to feel like they are contributing to a larger cause while enjoying some spirited camaraderie and a physical challenge.

The swimmers swim in 15 minute “heats” before they get a break in the support boat. So for accomplished swimmers it really isn’t a huge demand, but that’s not the point, anyway.

I decided to mix up these mini banana, peanut butter, chocolate chip muffins that Eve Fox had posted on The Garden of Eating for Lisa to take on the boat and share with her teammates. They’ve got all those energy-full ingredients that athletes love and their bite size is perfect for just a quick refuel without getting too full (swimming on a full stomach is not fun).

I dropped them off at Lisa’s house on my way to work yesterday, and any that don’t get eaten can just be frozen (we both snuck a couple and they are good!).

I wanted to brag about another swimmer friend, too. Marissa Falco did the silk screen of these swimmers which perfectly captures how we feel after an hour of swimming with the master’s swim team in the pool (it’s a lot of flip turns!). She is incredibly artsy-craftsy with a delightful, whimsical style. Check out her blog, Marissaland, to see all the cool stuff she makes.

Here’s a picture of us “Swimmies” after we swam across Walden Pond one summer a few years ago.

It’s summer! Get out and swim!

Mini banana, peanut butter, chocolate chip muffins

The recipe comes via Eve at The Garden of Eating via Halle at Whole Lifestyle Nutrition who got it from Paige at Simple Bites.
Makes 24 mini or 12 regular muffins

1 cup peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
2 ripe, medium-sized bananas
2 large eggs 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons organic sugar, maple syrup or honey
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Optional but highly recommended: chocolate chips! You can also use dried cranberries, coconut flakes, pepitas, etc., but the chocolate is my favorite by far.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and grease your muffin tin.

2. Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or blender and blend until well-mixed.

3. Pour the batter into the greased muffin tin. Add additional toppings of your choice to each muffin and lightly stir into each cup. Or, if you’d prefer to fill the centers, pour the batter in halfway up, add a dollop of the filling of your choice and top off with the rest of the batter.

4. Bake for 10 minutes for mini-muffins or 15 minutes for full-sized muffins. Let cool briefly then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely (or eat them warm!)

 Related post: Oatmeal, cranberry, walnut, chocolate chip cookies