Quick Tip Tuesday-Save Your Bananas

Have your bananas reached the point where no one will eat them? Peel them, break them in half and put them into the freezer in a freezer bag. This way you will always have bananas on hand that are perfect for smoothies, banana bread, or muffins.

I know this rarley happens, but if you ever have too much smoothie, I like to pour the extra into one of these and put it in the freezer.

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Say good-bye to Gogurts (I've always thought the name sounded disgusting anyway!), and hello to frozen home made smoothie pop goodness.

If you have time to use your ripe bananas right away, I have a recipe for you. This is the most frequently made muffin recipe at our house. It is easy, relatively healthy, and everyone loves them. I always double it and freeze some for later (I clearly love my freezer). I have used coconut oil and find that it requires a bit less than 1/2 cup. I have also replaced half of the fat with apple sauce with some success. It is a forgiving recipe you could experiment with.

Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins:

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil (could also use butter)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flours, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat oil and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.
3. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to oil mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.
4. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.