Banana Granola Muffins

On our recent trip away, I got to thinking about how to make our travel time easier and more time efficient. Less time preparing on one end means more time enjoying on the other!

The main thing that I had thought of was our breakfasts when departing and while in the car.

More often than not, we leave for our trips at night and travel while the kids sleep, which means they are hungry for breakfast in the morning, or we leave around 4am, transfer the kids while asleep then need something to eat around 6:30am ish. 

Insert 'Breakfast Muffin'. Packed full of goodness, granola and fruit, it covers all bases and fills up the tum tum. Plus they are super easy to be able to hand out and clean up while travelling. So I had a play in the kitchen the other day and came up with these yummy Banana Granola Muffins, using the 'Goodie Goodie Granola' that I made recently. 

BANANA AND GRANOLA MUFFINS

Ingredients

2 cup Wholemeal SR Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup oats/bran/granola (whatever you choose, I used Granola) and a little extra for sprinkling

1/2 cup sultanas

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup milk

2 ripe bananas, mashed

250g Greek Yoghurt

1 tbsp Rice Malt Syrup

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl until combined.

Make a well in the centre and add the wet ingredients, stir thoroughly until combined

Pour into muffins cases/patty pans, and sprinkle the tops with some granola (or oats/muesli etc)

Bake for 15-20 mins or until slightly golden and firm to touch.

Super yummy, no added sugar, butter or oil and perfect as a breakfast muffin or afternoon snack!

(and even better served while warm with a little butter, ummmm maaarr!)

Goodie Goodie Granola

After sharing a piccie on my Facebook page yesterday of a tray of freshly toasted Granola that I had made, I had quite a few requests for the recipe. So here we are ...

I have never been much of a breakfast eater. In fact I haven't eaten the meal for years. 

I know , I know, its the most important meal of the day. I really should eat it and I am trying to make the change to my diet and carve some time to prepare and enjoy this crucial meal of the day.

I am not a fan of milk, so cereal is out. I am trying to lay off the bread, so toast it out. I leave home at 7:40am after getting 4 kids ready, so it has to be fast, filling and of course, tasty.

Enter my new found obsession..... Granola. 

Full of yummy goodie goodie goodness, nuts, seeds, oats and topped with more yummy stuff , whats not to love?

And seeing as though I have passed my new obsession down to the kids, and it can get quite pricey to buy Granola from the supermarket (small box for big $$) I decided to make my own. 

This is only my second time at making Granola,  but I now know what flavours I like etc so I think I am on to a winner!

The base of this recipe is from Sarah Wilsons I Quit Sugar Coco- Nutty Granola  which I then changed and added to as I pleased, based on a little research on some Granola boxes in the supermarket. 

So here is my Granola,  because its full of lots of goodness, and tastes like a goodie too!

GOODIE GOODIE GRANOLA

    INGREDIENTS

    - 5 cups oats
    - 2 cups of nuts, roughly chopped ( I used a combination of Pecans and Almonds)
    - 3 tbsp chia seeds
    - 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
    - 1/2 cup pepitas ( I used a seed comination mix of sunflower and pepitas so 1 1/4 c)
    - 1/2 cup sesame seeds
    - 100g coconut oil (can also use vegetable or sunflower oil)
    - 100ml rice malt syrup, plus extra to drizzle during toasting (You can substitute for Golden syrup)
    - 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
    - 1 cup coconut (I used desiccated)
    - 1 cup of dried fruit - e.g.  apricots/cranberries/sultanas
   

Combine all ingredients in a LARGE mixing bowl (this makes quite a bit of mixture) and spread it out on a baking tray. You may need to do a few batches, I used 3 trays. 

Bake in a pre heated oven on 160 degrees for about 10-15 mins (depending on how much you like it toasted), then remove, stir and turn the granola, drizzling a little more Rice Malt Syrup and bake for another 10 mins or so. 

Remove and allow to cool before sealing in a container. 

(I like this container to store a large batch and I can use a scoop)

Serve as you wish.  I like to have my Granola with yoghurt and fresh fruit and 2 of our kids like it with just milk . Its filling, satisfies you for hours and tastes super yummy. Have a try at making it yourself, change it up to suit you and  your tastes/ allergies etc.