Strawberry Banana Muffins

I had planned on making a banana quick bread this morning but I was afraid the family will be tired of the plain banana quick bread.  It suddenly dawned on me that I had some frozen strawberries stored away.  So the banana quick bread turned into strawberry banana muffins.  I decided to make them into muffins instead of a loaf bread so I didn’t have to spend time slicing the loaf and washing additional utensils.

The muffins turned out moist, sweet and a little tangy.  They make for a good breakfast and snack.  If you have little ones who are always hungry and looking for food, you can try making these muffins.  They are easy to make and ready in no time.  No major prep required and you probably need to take 20 minutes to put them all together, another 20 minutes of bake time, and you are ready for some wholesome and delicious snack.

Strawberry Banana Muffins (12 small muffins)

Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 50g brown sugar
• 1 over-riped banana, mashed
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced and slightly coated with all-purpose flour
• 50ml milk
• 50ml coconut oil or vegetable oil

Dry Ingredients:

• 120g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 175C.
2. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
3. Whisk egg and brown sugar together till sugar is dissolved.
4. Pour in milk and whisk together.
5. Add in mashed banana and whisk together.
6. Pour in coconut oil or vegetable oil and whisk together till everything is combined.  Note: I used coconut oil but any vegetable oil or melted butter will work fine.
7. Set aside.
8. Sift all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda into another bowl.  Mix well.
9. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture.
10. Pour wet ingredients into the well and fold mixture together.  Halfway through folding, add in strawberries and continue folding.  Make light and quick folds to avoid getting hard muffins.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or till muffins turn golden brown and skewer inserted comes out clean.
12. Cool completely on a wire rack before enjoying them.

 

Avocado Mango Smoothie

We’ve been seeing a lot of beautiful, sweet juicy Thai Honey Mangoes these days in our supermarts.  My husband and I love mangoes, especially the Thai Honey Mangoes.  They are so juicy and sweet and a great source of vitamins and minerals.  Besides mangoes, my husband loves avocados.  Avocados have made their way into our grocery list because he has taken a liking to avocado smoothie.  It’s a great way to start the day with a healthy and filling smoothie.  I usually just blend an avocado with a cup of milk and a tablespoon of sugar.  It’s super simple and takes just a few minutes.  The next time I make it, I intend to substitute the sugar with honey or maple syrup.  A smoothie should be as healthy as can be so sugar’s out next time.

Since we had a few more avocados that are ripening, I thought I should change up the smoothie recipe a little so that it doesn’t get too boring drinking the same thing.  Plus, the weather had been really hot and humid at 35 degree celcius so I wanted to make something refreshing.  To make a thirst quenching drink, I decided to go with coconut water.  I added some ice, avocado, mango and honey and in a few seconds I had a really satisfying drink.  It’s so good to have this rather than reach out for an ice cold soda.  It’s a win-win, thirst quenching and healthy.

Coconut water is a very refreshing drink to beat the tropical summer thirst.  Its liquid is packed with simple sugars, electrolytes, and minerals to replenish dehydration conditions inside the human body.  It is cholesterol free, low in calories and contains minerals such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium and calcium.

The avocado is a superfood that is rich in monounsaturated fats.  It is much higher in fat than most other fruits, contains lots of fibre and is rich in vitamins and minerals such as B-vitamins, vitamin K, potassium, copper, vitamin E and C.  The consumption of avocados has been associated with various health benefits, such as decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Mangoes contain a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals and enzymes and are fat free, sodium free and a good source of fibre.   Mangos also contain potassium and folate.

These are some of the nutrition facts I found when I was researching the health properties of coconut water, avocados and mangoes.  There is so much information on the internet so I have briefly summed up the main facts above.  The internet is such a great platform for learning.

 

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1/2 cup diced mango

1 cup coconut water

1 tablespoon honey

a few ice cubes

Directions:

Add avocado, mango, honey into the blender and fill up with coconut water and ice cubes.  Blend everything together and enjoy.