Starting off the New Year with a Healthy Breakfast: Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

Happy New Year!!! 2012 is here. Are you ready? I am!.... I think. We'll at least I'm ready for today since I ate breakfast. Yep, that's usually what it takes for me to tackle the day. Uh-- and a few cups of coffee.

Last year I spoke about the importance of breakfast and showed you one of our favorite complex breakfast foods- Coconut Breakfast Bars. Well, check out these muffins and add them to your breakfast menu ASAP! I made them the night before and then re-heated them in the toaster oven for a few minutes before serving with a Green Power Pack Smoothie (NOTE- we have now switched the spinach out for kale!! The girls likes it this way now.)

Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

3 large ripe bananas

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup chopped almonds
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
dash of nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Smash bananas using a potato masher in a large bowl. Add olive oil to the smashed bananas and mix well. Combine honey, sugar, vanilla extract and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients -  flours, almonds, salt, nutmeg and baking soda. In small amounts, stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients carefully not to over stir. Line a muffin pan with muffin wrappers, or coat with tin with oil to prevent sticking if not using wrappers. Spoon batter into each of the muffin slots until the slot is full. Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.