Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal and Healthy Banana-Blueberry Muffins

I really enjoy making healthy, delicious breakfasts. It is fun to try different flavors and foods. I try to make a warm breakfast at least 3 mornings during the school week, because I just don't think cold cereal is that great. My kids aren't crazy about oatmeal, but I still serve it to them at least once a week. They really liked this pumpkin pie spiced oatmeal more than some of the other flavors I have made. It was warm and fulfilling.
Recently Shailesh contacted me and asked me if I would love to try some Green Valley Pecans. She is the co-author of PecanStoreBlog.com and she sent me 1/2 pd. of delicious pecans. Pecans just happen to be my favorite nut and I decided to sprinkle them on top of this oatmeal. Very delicious pecans. There will be more posts about these little guys.
The muffins I saw in the latest issue of Everyday Food magazine and it sounded like a fun twist on normal blueberry muffins. Of course there were overripe bananas that need to be used- does that happen to anyone else? I reduced the amount of butter originally called for and added a couple Tbls of applesauce at the end. These were dense, delicious muffins. I could add disappearing to that list of descriptive d words.
I will make the oatmeal and the muffins again.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal by Mary Ann
3 1/4 cups water
pinch of salt
2 cups regular oats
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
pecans

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add oats, pumpkin, and brown sugar and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin pie spice. Top with pecans.


Healthy Banana-Blueberry Muffins from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food
Prep: 20 minutes Total: 45 minutes plus cooling
Ingredients
1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 Tbls unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries
3 Tbls unsweetened applesauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
Fold in frozen blueberries and applesauce.
Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.

Coming Tomorrow- Pesto Pizza