Jumbo Sized Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffin Recipe

My new thing lately, is jumbo muffins, Texas sized sounds fitting.

I went through withdrawals, for awhile. Not being able to pick up a flat of jumbo muffins at Sam's Club, the way my Grams used to at Costco. Not being able to stop at a mini mart, while on an outing with my family. Jumbo muffins go perfectly with coffee, go perfectly with road trips, go perfectly with busy mornings. Not to mention, they're heartwarming. I don't know about you, but for me, a jumbo muffin holds a certain sense of nostalgia that just can't be beat.

Well finally, I put my Texas sized muffin pan and jumbo sized cupcake liners to work. How hard could this be? Really.

I'd like to share with you, if you're at all interested (oh I know you must be, and if you're not, humor me?), a recipe for jumbo sized gluten free banana nut muffins. These muffins are low in sugar, and loaded with health. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I do...

Jumbo Sized Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins

-1 1/2 cups gf baking mix (I LOVE this self rising mix that you can make yourself)
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 tablespoons flax meal
-1/2 cup soy milk
-1/4 cup melted smart balance
-2 eggs, beaten
-2 ripe bananas
-1/4 teaspoon almond extract
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your jumbo muffin pan with jumbo muffin liners. These are not the same as regular lines. I had to hunt all over town for them, but hopefully you'll have easier access than I did. If not, you can order them in bulk on Amazon, which is what I'm about to start doing (now that I'm making muffins twice a week).

Before you start with anything else, it might be a good idea to chop up your walnuts. You don't have to use walnuts (I'm allergic), but they seem to be the best option for these particular muffins. Scoop out a cup, and chop chop chop away. You can also run them through your food processor, vita mix, magic bullet- whatever, but I typically make these while the babies are sleeping, so I chop them by hand, to prevent any early waker uppers, know-what-I'm-sayin'?

You'll need two bowls. One for wet, and one for dry.

Melt your smart balance in a glass measuring cup or small bowl (ok so you might have needed 3 bowls then, I guess).

In the larger of the bowls, you'll add your flour mixture, your flax meal and your sugar.

In the smaller of the bowls, mash up your bananas with a fork. Add your melted smart balance, your soy milk, your beaten eggs, and both your extracts.

Mix mix mix, with a wooden spoon.

Fold in your chopped up nuts.

Spoon equal parts into your papers, mixture will be thick and fill it up about 3/4 of the way, and put into the oven for 35-40 minutes. This will make 6 jumbo muffins.

And we all know how to tell when a muffin is finished, right? The tops should be browned, and the toothpick should come out clean.

We store ours in the fridge or freezer. If frozen, microwave for one minute, or let thaw in the fridge overnight.

*NOTE- make sure you let your muffins cool completely, maybe even chill them, before digging in. Warm muffins will stick to the paper, and have a slightly gummy texture. Cooled muffins will not.

Jumbo GF Blueberry Almond Muffin coming soon...

Wordless Wednesday: Sidewalk Chalk

(Sometimes the simple things seem to slip my mind. When the babies go outside to play, we choose the front or the back. In the back, we've got the playhouse and slide. In the front, we've got all of the toys in the garage. Sometimes when given the choice, I'd rather not choose either.)

(Typically, when I take the babies outside to play in the morning, I in vision it to be relaxing. But it almost never is. While I'd like to be sitting there sipping at a mug of coffee or reading my book that I've been trying to finish for half a year- they're always wanting more more more. They can't just follow my rules and play with the toys I allow them. They can't just respect each other and behave nicely. They bicker and fight, kick and scream- they get overstimulated.)

(And I go crazy)



(Well it came upon me, the other morning, that instead of going for a walk and to the park, instead of choosing the back yard with the slide and playhouse, instead of opening up the garage and letting them be free with the toy bins- I could just keep it simple.)

(We'll play with sidewalk chalk today, babies. The same sidewalk chalk that you play with every day, only this time, just the sidewalk chalk, and nothing more.)



(Nothing to fight over, other than the coffee can that carries the chalk. Nothing to cry about, there are enough pieces for the both of you.)

(And theres no need to bother Mommy- shes busy taking pictures of dusty fingers and toes.)



(So theres a little bit of wind.)

(Just brush your hair out of your face, pretty girl, and don't lift that chalk from the concrete for anything.)



(Except maybe to use it as makeup. Your cheeks could use a little color, since we're playing in the shade, rather than the sun.)

(And gosh your eyes are gorgeous, Elie Belly. You and your Daddy both.)



(Well, what did you think it would taste like?)

(Every day, you bring the chalk to your mouth. Every day, you take a bite. And every day, Mommy says "yuck! yuck Charlie!", you spit it out, throw it down onto the ground, hard as you can, and then pick it up and start all over again.)



(While Brother is daydreaming about the big mud covered truck across the street, Sister is drawing snow covered palm trees that will later be trapped inside of an imaginary winter globe.)



(Just as the excitement wears off, Brother comes out of the flower garden, guilty, holding a single flower. He sits down, and does what any other one year old would do.)

(He puts the flower in between his dirty toes.)

(Somehow he knows to be gentle with it, while squishing it into place with his fingers. Hes extra careful, not to lose a single petal.)



(And of course, whatever Brother does. Sister has to do too.)