Healthy Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins

We wish we could say we blame our kids for loving muffins—morning, noon and night, even our pickiest will eat a sweet muffin.  But the truth is, the muffin doesn’t fall far from the muffin tin and facts don’t lie—and the fact of the matter is that we, too, have a history with muffins. We confess. When we were in college we had a HUGE super sweet, sugary blueberry muffin for dinner every Monday night (yep, these veggie-loving registered dietitians who still have a crazy sweet tooth that we work hard to keep in check, had that same sweet tooth back then, only back then we weren’t ready to admit that even if it was only once a week, a carb-filled, sugary muffin wasn’t the best dinner choice! ;)). Ahh, those were the days! Tammy’s daughters still don’t believe her when she tells them she did this as now we really strive for balanced, nourishing meals! We still love blueberry muffins, but now whip up healthier versions, with protein and fiber— that are fairly low in sugar so they can be part of a meal for us and our kids, guilt-free! This recipe reminds us of the good ‘old days (here’s lookin’ at you UMD College Park! ;)), so we had to share it with you!

The skinny on these muffins:

They’re one of our favorite weekend breakfast treats—and they make a great snack too! They make the kitchen smell amazing, are fairly easy to whip up, and are a sweet accompaniment to many other delicious breakfast dishes!

The cool thing about making these muffins in contrast to boxed mixes is that you don’t have to worry about processed ingredients or chemicals you can’t pronounce, or the high amounts of sugar included in the deal.

The batter couldn’t be more simple—oats, ripened banana, maple syrup, eggs, Greek yogurt, a touch of cinnamon—and the result is healthy, moist, fluffy, and tender muffins that are perfectly suited for serving alongside a couple of eggs or as an afternoon snack.

The star ingredients in these muffins are:

Oats – they digest more slowly than refined grains and help you stay fuller for longer. Plus, they’re a good source of soluble fiber to lower your “bad”, LDL cholesterol.

Greek yogurt (non-dairy works here too!) – We used this in place of oil to help keep the muffins moist and tender, while also bumping up calcium and protein!

Maple syrup + bananas

Blueberries

Oh! And we almost forgot to mention the fact that the only tools that get messy in this kitchen experiment are your blender and your muffin tins (and maybe a spatula!).

Here is the recipe for you to enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (you can use an unsweetened non-dairy yogurt if you need dairy free)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit and prepare a muffin pan by spraying with cooking spray or lining them with paper liners. Set aside.

Put all ingredients (oats, bananas, eggs, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, baking soda, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt) minus the blueberries into a blender or food processor. Blend on high until the mixture is thoroughly combined and it is creamy. You may need to turn off the blender to scrape the sides a couple of times with a spoon or spatula.

Stir the blueberries in by hand.

Pour the muffin batter into the muffin tins. Each cup should be about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the muffins are set and the tops are golden brown.

Allow the muffins to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long!). Store in a plastic storage container with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture in the fridge for up to one week.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Calories 115, Total Fat 2 g, Cholesterol: 34 mg, Sodium 24 mg, Potassium 99 mg, Carbohydrates 20 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 8 g, Protein 5 g