Protein Muffins are Kid-Approved

Some days it feels like all we do as parents is prepare food, clean up and then move on to prepare the next. On days like this, I am happy to have two staple ingredients in our house, bananas and eggs. These two ingredients can make muffins. Yes you heard me right and if you add some berries they are even better. Over spring break we had more time to do things and the girls and I set out to make our favorite banana and egg pancakes into muffins. These are full of protein and fiber and oh so easy to eat.

Getting protein into our kids on a daily basis can be difficult. Some days they love everything and the next day have decided they will only eat beige coloured foods. I, for one, am not against hiding things in the food I make to ensure they are getting a balanced diet. I try very hard not to fill the girls up on bread products and reserve those items as add-on’s to meals which makes these muffins a must make. They are healthy, filling and tasty. The whole family enjoyed these and I felt good about giving them to our youngest who is 11-months old. The girls and I made mini muffins as they are simply just more fun to eat!

Benefits of Cooking with your Kids

Doing any activity with our kids is great, but cooking with kids offers other benefits.  These benefits range from math skills, increased comprehension, imagination, and higher self esteem. We may think cooking with kids is too much work or the mess that ensues is not worth it—but it is! Granted, I currently only have the girls help when the recipe is on the simpler side which is why these mini muffins are perfect. The older kids can even do this one on their own (depending how responsible they are with an oven).

Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 4 large bananas
• 1 container of raspberries, strawberries or blueberries

** Please note the ratio is 2 eggs to 1 banana if you want to make a little or a lot **

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix in a large bowl eggs and bananas.  I use an immersion blender but a fork works just as well.

Line your muffin tins or use grass fed butter to prevent sticking.

Once you have a nice smooth mixture poor into the muffin tins 3/4 full.

Once you have filled up the muffin tin put 1-2 berries of your choice into each. I used the mini muffin tins and two raspberries fit great.

Place in the oven for 5- 10 minutes or until slightly brown. Remember it is just eggs and bananas so they will not rise the same as normal muffins. Cooking time will depend on muffin tin size and varying oven temperatures.

Wait for them to cool and serve warm or cold. I cut them open and put a little more butter on them because well I love butter. These muffins keep in the fridge but we ate them too fast to find out how long!

Get the Kids Involved

Now call the kids and have them help in the kitchen. There are lots of tasks from getting all the ingredients out of the fridge, reading the recipe, cleaning up and of course eating it. Remember no task is to small as they all help with the end product. I hope my girls continue to enjoy cooking into their teens and long into adulthood. Starting a good foundation even now at three can have a lasting impact. Don’t forget our children learn what to eat and how to cook from us, let’s make sure we are pointing them in the right direction.