Brazilian Banana Berry Buckwheat Muffins

Say that 10 times! I bet you can’t! It may not be worth saying it but, they are worth making!

Now every time I make some version of nut milk, I am inspired to try something new with the leftover pulp (fiber). Just about this time of year, every year there is something that has me craving muffins!

I made a fresh batch of Brazil nut milk the other day, complete with all the same goodies I use in my almond milk recipe. Brazil nuts are truly something special. They are not only the largest of the nuts, but they have such an interesting taste. Did you know that you only need 2 a day to get in your daily dose of selenium ( a major cancer-fighting antioxidant). Whether it is the whole nut or in milk form – you will still get the same benefit (well maybe not exactly but and for the sake of this recipe!)

Even though the milk and the fiber are separate after making nut milk – I put them back together in this recipe. So using this as my base and source of inspiration, I chose buckwheat flour for some reason to combine it with – maybe it had to do with the letter B?

Buckwheat – being gluten free, despite “wheat” in it’s name is loaded with magnesium and flavenoids  and helps to reduce the risk of cholesterol and heart disease. It has an intense and some would call it “bitter” taste. But to me, it is hearty, rustic and satisfying.

So now that I got the base covered – this recipe was starting to seem like my Moist Banana loaf, and since B was the theme, I decided to keep going with it. So in Banana’s went and for a change, some berries (blue and cran).

So their you have it – a gluten free, vegan muffin that is sure to get your energy levels going in the morning.

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Brazilian Banana Berry Buckwheat Muffin

1 cup fresh Brazil Nut Pulp (fiber)

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp mesquite

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp sea salt

2-3 ripe bananas (depending on their size)

½ cup brazil nut milk

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup maple syrup or coconut nectar

1/3 cup applesauce + 1 tbsp ground chia

1 cup blueberries and cranberries

How it’s made!

1. Pre heat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately.
3. Use a large bowl for the dry ingredients. Then mix wet ingredients into dry and fold slowly, and mix together until there are no lumps. Stir in blueberries or chocolate chips.
4. Drop by spoonfuls into an oiled muffin tray or pour batter into a loaf pan.
5. Bake for 20 minutes if these are muffins or 40-50 minutes if this is a loaf.

Simply Smooth

Making up a blended batch of smooth and creamy goodness is just the absolute simplest and best way to get whole food nutrition in, extremely fast!
Creating a daily smoothie is an amazing first step in taking charge of your health. It is an easy way to digest a whole slew of vitamins and minerals – along with complex carbohydrates, protein and essential fats all in one shot! Especially if you are pressed for time in the morning, a smoothie to take with you on the go is the best thing you can do for your body and your energy. Just make sure you don’t add too many ingredients or you will be left with a stomach ache and a really high calorie drink!
Smoothies are also a great way to sneak in some green veggies or powders that you may not be inclined to take with water alone – at least with a smoothie you can mask the earthy or bitter flavour (which I happen to like!). This means you can even add a bunch of spinach, collards or kale into your blueberry banana morning smoothie. Go figure! It really is that easy. That way you can at least say that you got your dose of greens in for the day!

So let me help you out and get your started with a few ideas and recipes to get some liquid nutrition running through your body.
It is important to make a smoothie that compliments what you are looking for or what your body needs – if it is a breakfast smoothie you may want just fruits, or maybe add some sheep’s yogurt, soy yogurt or coconut oil, rice milk and honey/agave or if it’s a post workout smoothie – you want a higher protein content from a plant based protein powder such as Vega, Hemp or Sun Warrior (my newly discovered RAW and VEGAN brown rice based powder that is incredibly high in protein – easy to absorb and delicious!).

Or maybe your smoothie is just for a snack in the middle of the afternoon in which case you can use some cacao or carob powder, banana, almond butter, coconut oil and cinnamon to hit that sweet craving and replenish your energy for the rest of the day!

Other than that here are some more ideas to get you started…

All you need is a good blender or if you want to take it to the next level…a Vita Mix – which is the goddess of all blenders. It is a high powered machine that will emulsify all of your ingredients into the perfect blend of whatever you put into it!

So let’s start simple.
First off – make sure you are using high quality organic fruits and vegetables. You can pick anything under the sun that makes you feel good.

Fruits: Banana, Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Mango, Pineapple, Coconut, Kiwi, Peaches, Apple, Pear, Grapes, Acai

Vegetables (sometimes it is better to juice your veggies first and use the juice as the base of a smoothie): Carrots, Celery, Kale, Collards, Beets, Spinach – if you want all green you can just use a veggie juice base and add green vegetables, an avocado and spirulina ( I call this the liquid lunch smoothie!)

Green Supplements: Kelp, Spirulina, Barley Grass, Wheat Grass, Smoothie Infusion (Vega), Vitamineral Green, or Sun Warrior’s Ormus Super Greens (ORDER NOW and Save 5% use code: MWOO7)

Protein: Vega, Hemp, Rice Protein , Sun Warrior, Hemp Seeds, Almonds or Almond Butter, Sheep’s Milk Yogurt

Liquid: Filtered water, 100% Fruit juice, Rice milk, Almond milk, Hemp milk, Coconut milk

Sweeteners:  Raw Honey, Maple syrup, Coconut Nectar, Yacon Nectar Rice Syrup, Fresh Stevia, Dates or Figs

Healthy Fats: Flax oil, Flaxseeds, Coconut oil, Coconut shreds, Chia seeds, Avocado

Other: Carob powder, Cocoa powder, Cinnamon, Non GMO soy- lecithin,or Sunflower lecithin maca root, Green or red tea powder, Activated barley and the list goes on….

So here is a sample recipe to get you started….

Scrumptious Coco Shake

2 Cups almond milk
2 scoops sun warrior chocolate protein powder + 1 tsp raw cacao powder (for extra chocolate)
1 tablespoon sunflower lecithin
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 banana
1 tsp yacon necter (optional)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mesquite, maca or carob

Place all ingredients in blend and blend on high speed for 1 minute. Pour into two glasses and drink immediately!

And this is my typical Breakfast:

Berry Blast Smoothie

1 1/2 cup rice milk, or almond milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries or 1 packet of Acai Pulp
1/2 frozen banana
1 teaspoon raw honey
1 tablespoon sunflower lecithin (optional)
1 scoop of Sun Warrior or Vega Smoothie Infusion

1 tablespoon sprouted chia/flax or goji berries

dash of cinnamon

and if I have some fresh coconuts, I use the water and the meat for excellent flavour, electrolytes, healthy fats

Place all ingredients in blend and blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes. Pour into one or two glasses and drink immediately with a glass straw if preferred!