Healthy Banana and Oat Breakfast Muffins

The neighbours from the apartment below us are coming for brunch today - all boys in their 30s. For desert I repeated the cheesecake of last week but for myself I wanted something healthier as a dessert - it is only the second week of January after all and too early to be breaking new year's resolutions.

I had been considering Susan Jane White's banana and peanut butter recipe but using a full jar of peanut butter put me off, however once I had made the muffins below I was thinking how good they would be with some peanut butter added, although maybe not a whole jar!

The muffins are made with wholemeal flour, which has more fibre and nutrients than white flour and agave nectar is used instead of sugar. For those who are lactose intolerant the milk can be replaced by soya milk. One of the great things about this recipe is that you don't even need a weighing scales. Ikea stocks cheap measuring cup sets in their homeware section. Bananas with black spots are perfect for this recipe.

1. preheat oven to 170°c

2. Mix well together the following ingredients in a large bowl; 1 1/2 cups of wholemeal flour, 1 cup of rolled oats, 1/2 cup agave nectar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/3 cup milk, 1/3 cup sunflower oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, 1 cup of mashed ripe banana and 2 tablespoons of coconut.

3. Pour mixture into prepared muffins cases or well greased muffin tin and make in oven for approx 20 mins. This recipe makes approx eight large muffins or 12 small ones.

These muffins were spot on and go down well with a large mug a Barry's tea!

Happy Sunday Morning Wakeup Call!

Need an extra incentive to get you out of bed on Sunday morning after partying the night before ? This juice has everything you need....it will help clear out your system while still giving you the energy you need to make it through Sunday! Himself really needed this kick start this morning!

I always have bananas in the freezer, a tip I picked up from Nigella Lawson, I normally buy them almost black in the discount section in the fruit and veg shop, then chop them up into 2 inch pieces. This means as well that your juice or smoothie is nice and cold without adding ice cubes which can dilute the taste.

(Serves 2 - you can easily freeze half for next Sunday morning!)

You will need a juicer for this recipe.

1 mini water melon or a quarter of a large one

1 tablespoon of honey

2 tablespoons fromage blanc (or normal yogurt or soy yogurt or soft tofu)

1 and 1/2 frozen bananas

To make:

First juice the water melon by cutting it into chunks small enough to go in juicer.

Blend with all of the remaining ingredients and serve in a large glass and serve straight away.

While it is better to serve straight away to retain the nutrients - yo can also freeze for later.

Enjoy!