Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are very yummy without being overly sweet. Perfect for morning, noon or night! We have eaten them as part of meals, as a snack, and as dessert. If you use good quality chocolate chips, it really can be a pretty guilt-free indulgence!
I found this recipe on weelicous.com. It is a GREAT resource for recipes using good ingredients that will please kids!
This recipe makes 12 regular muffins.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c honey or agave nectar
1 large egg
2/3 c milk
3 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Combine the first four ingredients into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the honey, egg, milk, oil, and mashed banana.
4. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet, and then stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into greased or lined muffin cups, about 2/3 of the way up, and bake for 18 minutes.
6. Cool and serve!

Notes:
*You can replace the chocolate chips with dried fruit or nuts if you'd like. Though...I don't know if I ever could.
*Place muffins in plastic bags and freeze for up to 3 months!
*I use almond milk instead of cow's milk and extra virgin olive oil instead of canola or vegetable. I have made batches with both agave and honey and both have turned out great!

As you can see, I prefer to eat them fresh from the oven, still melty and too hot to handle...fork required! The kids prefer to wait until they have cooled off, palm them, and carry them around the house...best if eaten over the freshly cleaned carpet.

Go-to Chocolate Cake and Frosting

I got this recipe from my dear friend, Ali. Ali is the guru for all things "Is there a healthier version of this?" Ali is also the guru for all things "We laughed so hard we..." but we'll leave that for another time.
I love Ali.
And I love this chocolate cake recipe.
The frosting too. (though we have had our differences)
Anyway, the basic gist of this cake is that it tastes delicious but has whole wheat flour and agave nectar at its base (not literally...both are actually all throughout...), meaning that the darn thing is void of anything refined, bleached, enriched, etc.
It's like a miracle in cake form.

A really delicious miracle.
I call this my "Go-to Cake" because instead of carefully planning all other exposure to sweets, vigorous application of immune-system building foods, etc. for weeks preceding and following any sort of holiday celebration to compensate, this cake can swoop in at a minute's notice and not require all of that careful cushioning.
It also inspires run-on sentences.
Let's just get to it...

Dry Ingredients:

1 3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour (can use regular whole wheat flour)

3/4 c cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 c milk

1/2 c oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 c agave nectar

1 c boiling water

Directions:

1.Combine dry ingredients

2.Combine wet ingredients, adding boiling water last
3.Add dry ingredients to wet, then beat with mixer 2 minutes

4.Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes

5.Let cool, then frost

frosting:

2/3 c agave nectar

1/2 c butter

1/3 c cream, milk or hot water
(cream will give most milk chocolate taste, water most dark chocolate taste...milk somewhere in between)

2/3 c cocoa

Mix all ingredients, chill in fridge for a bit to thicken up somewhat before use.

NOTES:

- This can be done either as cupcakes, two layered 9" round cakes or a 9x13 pan cake.

- The frosting is pretty runny, even with adding less liquid than called for. I shall perhaps find another frosting recipe or just REALLY cut back on the liquid and see how that does...

- YUM.