Just very yummy and extremely easy to make (no electric beating required.. and you only need one mixing bowl, which makes them so easy to whip up).

These muffins are my current favourite and have also been a hit amongst clients, friends and family. I’ve been working on recipes that are particularly easy and wonderful for satisfying pregnancy and postnatal nourishment needs. Not only are these really moreish, nourishing, energising and high in fibre so are good for digestive health but they also keep really well in the freezer.

They also make a lovely dessert.. just defrost and warm (so that the chocolate begins to melt).. I recommend serving with a few generous dollops of Greek style yoghurt or some butter.. sooo good!

And finally, what I feel makes these muffins particularly special is the combination of buckwheat flour and almond meal – a mix of the two gives them a subtle wholesome earthy flavour. This also makes them gluten free. You could also add any berries really, and chopped nuts too.

This makes 12 muffins

Preparation time: ~10mins

Cooking time: 15- 20mins

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup strawberries, fresh chopped or frozen and/or raspberries (frozen are great)

50g butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp. Vanilla essence or extract

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar (raw or brown are nice, but you could also use honey or maple syrup)

1 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup almond meal or hazelnut meal (both work really well)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

50- 100g dark chocolate, broken up into bits (how much chocolate you use really depends on how chocolately you like your muffins. They are good with a little, with lots and also without chocolate, so it’s up to you! 70% cocoa chocolate is really delicious in these, but you could use any chocolate you like really.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and grease a 12 muffin tin (you can also use oil or oil spray).

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together mashed banana, melted butter, egg, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

3. Add flour, nut meal, baking powder and baking soda, and stir until all is combined.

4. Add strawberries and/or raspberries and chocolate and stir through.

5. Spoon mixture into muffin tin, there should be enough to make 12 muffins.

6. Bake for 15-20mins, or until muffins are just turning golden on top. Check with a skewer at 15mins, these muffins shouldn’t need longer than 20mins.

7. Allow to cool a little before removing from tin. When still a little warm these are soooo good served with a few spoonfuls of Greek style yoghurt (the chocolate will still be warm and a little melted – total happiness).

Enjoy.

Gestational Diabetes –

These muffins are delish and can be enjoyed by women with GDM, however I would suggest a few things. If following this recipe, I would recommend using coconut sugar and only using 1/4 of a cup (or less) and also using 50g of sugar free choc chips (for example Noshu choc chips) instead of regular choc chips/chocolate. If making 12 muffins, half a muffin only is likely a suitable snack to enjoy sometimes in between meals or at least 2 hours after dinner. However, all women are different so a snack like this may push BGLs up a bit too high for some. If wanting some personalised guidance I would recommend you speak with your Dietitian or feel free to reach out to me via email or social media.

Lara x