Abbey Verigin

The best fluffy gluten free banana muffins made in one bowl. These oat flour muffins can easily be made into a loaf of banana bread. This recipe is naturally gluten free and will be your new go-to recipe.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Banana bread is such a classic, and it’s something I grew up on. It was my moms staple to bake, and they were on the counter pretty often. They have always been a favorite of mine.

This recipe for banana muffins using oat flour has been a go-to of mine for several years now. We make my banana muffins with oat flour at least a couple of times a month. Often times we make this recipe into a loaf of banana bread instead of muffins. They are the perfect healthy snack, plus they freeze really well! They never last long in our home.

These muffins are perfect for any occasion. They are the perfect addition to a weekend brunch, and they also make a great grab and go snack. Regardless of what you make them for, I can guarantee they will be a hit! We love them with chocolate chips, but the options are endless when it comes to add ins. Blueberries, chopped walnuts, or pecans are also some of our favorites.

Baking With Oat Flour

Oat flour is my long time favorite flour for baking. Not only is it cheap, but you can make it at home in just a minute. All you need is some rolled oats and a high speed blender.

The best part about oat flour is that I find it bakes up similarly to wheat flour, unlike most other gluten free flour options. Most gluten free flours can yield a very crumble-y result, even when you use extra eggs. I find that oat flour holds together very well. It also produces a lighter result than other gluten free flours.

Many gluten free flour blends on the market have a long ingredient list, not all of which I love. I like making my own oat flour because it narrows down the ingredient list to just one and I find that it is easier to digest for most people. Oats also have a great fiber content, where as the gluten free flour blends are generally lacking. Oats make for a much more nutrient dense alternative flour.

Are Gluten Free Banana Muffins Healthy

Not all recipes are created equal, but these banana muffins are definitely healthy! I like to use greek yogurt in my muffins for some added protein. This recipe uses just oat flour, so no weird fillers from gluten free flour blends are present. I also love that by using oat flour these muffins are whole grain. This recipe itself is pretty low fat, so I love to spread on a little bit of grass-fed butter. That makes them especially delicious, even more so when they are still warm from the oven.

These banana muffins make a healthy snack. I like to pair them with a hard boiled egg for some added protein. Alternatively, you could add a few scoops of collagen peptides to the batter to bump up the protein even more!

These muffins also make a great healthy breakfast when paired with scrambled eggs.

Tips For Making Banana Muffins

• The riper the bananas are, the sweeter and more banana flavor your banana bread will have. Spotty bananas are the best for banana muffins Often times you can fine overripe bananas on sale at the grocery store – great to stock up on for homemade banana bread or muffins!
• If you have bananas starting to brown on your counter and no time to make a batch of oat flour banana bread, throw them in the freeze. Most of the time I make my banana bread with frozen then thawed bananas. I just take them out of the freezer a couple of hours before baking and allow them to thaw a bit before removing them from their peels.
• My oat flour banana muffins recipe can also easily be made into a loaf. The only difference will be the bake time! For a loaf, 60-70 minutes, or 30-35 minutes for the muffins.
• To really speed up the process, you can make gluten free banana bread in the blender. Just add the wet ingredients first, blend, then add in the dry ingredients and blend once more before pouring the batter into a loaf pan or muffin tins.

Substitutions For Banana Muffins

• Instead of chocolate chips, use chopped walnuts, pecans, or blueberries.
• Substitute the organic cane sugar for a different sweetener of your choice. Rapadura, sucanat, coconut sugar, or brown sugar work well. I have also made these with raw honey or maple syrup, however I find the additional liquid means they require a few more minutes of baking.
• Regular yogurt can be used in place of greek yogurt.
• To make this recipe dairy free, substitute the greek yogurt for 1/2 a cup of melted coconut oil. Alternatively, substitute the greek yogurt with 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil and an additional egg. If you have dairy free yogurt on hand, that would work as well.
• For Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins, omit the bananas and use 1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce in their place. If you prefer a sweeter muffin, increase the organic cane sugar to 1 cup. Increase the cinnamon to 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Tools You May Need For This Recipe

Hand Mixer

Wooden Spoon

Measuring Cup & Spoon Set

Glass Mixing Bowl

Muffin Tin

How To Make Gluten Free Banana Muffins

In a large bowl, mash together the bananas, eggs, greek yogurt, cane sugar and vanilla. For a super smooth batter, you could alternatively blend this in a blender.

Add the oat flour, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon to the wet ingredients.

Stir together very well to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Evenly distribute batter into a muffin tin with muffin liners. This recipe will fill 12 muffin cups. Alternatively, you can pour the batter into a parchment lined loaf pan.

Bake for 30 minutes for muffins, or 60-70 minutes for banana bread.

Enjoy!

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Save money and eat well by using these 8 easy meal prep tips. Practical tips to help you save money and time.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

When it comes to meal prep, I often hear the same complaints over and over. These are that meal prep takes too long, takes up too much space in the fridge, and that eating the same thing over and over again gets boring. I get it. I feel the same sentiments when it comes to typical meal prep.

Over the years and with working with clients, I have found that there are better ways to meal prep than just making meals ahead of time. For me it comes down to preparing a few items with versatility and preparing components of meals. If prep has not worked well for you in the past then I encourage you to try your hand at some of the easy tips below!

1. Prep Components of Meals Vs An Entire Meal

Prepping entire meals can be convenient however it is also time consuming and takes up a ton of fridge space. Not to mention, I personally get tired of eating the same meal over and over again. Often times this makes the temptation to eat out stronger, because I am so sick of eating the same thing.

A better strategy for myself and my clients is to instead prepare components of meals. As a bonus, not only does this cut down on time but it also cuts down on dishes. Below are some of my favorite things to prepare before the week begins and how I utilize them.

• Prepare a big batch of shredded chicken in the crock pot, oven or instant pot to be used in many applications throughout the week. I will use this to stuff sweet potatoes, make chicken salad with greek yogurt or avocado oil mayonnaise, or add to homemade soup in a pinch.
• Shred or slice an entire block of grass-fed cheese. Add to eggs, salads, etc as a source of fat and protein.
• Soak and cook a large batch of white rice in bone broth. This is great to use as a side for lunch or dinner, add to soup as a carbohydrate soup, or make rice bowls with.
• Bake several sweet potatoes. Mash with grass-fed butter and garlic as a side or eat with shredded chicken or fried eggs for a quick and easy meal.

2. Wash All Produce Before Putting Them Away

This is a simple tip that makes a big difference. When fruit and veggies are washed and ready to eat, you are more likely to grab for them. As an added bonus, if you have little hands in your home that like to help themselves you will always know what they are grabbing for is clean.

I also like to focus on purchasing produce that doesn’t require any prep for eating alone. Think apples, mandarin oranges, bananas, berries, mini cucumbers, cherry tomatoes.

When I bring my produce home, I get my sink ready for them to soak. I start by cleaning the sink well. Next, fill with warm water. Next sprinkle in a cup of white vinegar and about 1/2 cup of baking soda. I often add a few drops of lemon essential oil to boost the cleansing properties. Let the produce soak for 15 minutes or more before rinsing, drying, and storing.

3. Have A List Of Go To Snacks & Meals

Sometimes the hardest part of making a meal is choosing what to eat. I often suggest to keep a list of some go to snacks and meals ready in a note on your phone or on the fridge or pantry door so that you always have ideas. Some of my go to snacks and meals include:

• Baked sweet potato with a teaspoon of grass-fed butter and 2 fried eggs
• Baked sweet potato with shredded chicken, hot sauce, and grass-fed cheddar cheese
• Freezer prepped smoothie with strawberries, bee pollen, collagen, raw honey, and raw milk or full fat coconut milk
• Snack plate with hard boiled eggs, mustard, sliced grass-fed cheese, dates, and apple
• Plain or skyr greek yogurt topped with bee polled and raw honey
• Apple with sliced grass-fed cheddar cheese
• Sliced grass-fed cheese and raw honey
• Dates and grass-fed cheese with sea salt

4. Prep Freezer Smoothie Packs

I love this hack. Smoothies don’t take a long time to put together, however I tend to put quite a few things in them and it’s so much easier to just grab a pack from the freezer and dump into a blender with raw milk or full fat coconut milk. I like to make these in my trusty reusable stasher bags or in wide mouth mason jars.

Alternatively, blend up a big batch of smoothies and then freeze them with plenty of head space in wide mouth mason jars. Remove from the freezer and set in the fridge the night before or on the counter a few hours before you need it. Just shake and go!

Some of my favorite combinations include:

• Strawberries, raw cacao powder, raw honey, collagen, pinch of sea salt
• Peaches, raw honey, bee pollen, collagen
• Cherries, raw cacao powder, collagen
• Banana, vanilla extract, cinnamon, collagen
• Mixed berries, cinnamon, collagen
• Blueberries, coconut cream, vanilla extract, raw honey, collagen

5. Pay Attention To Ingredient Overlap

As you are cooking take note of what you are currently preparing and what you might be making later in the week. If you are chopping onions and will need them for other meals, cut up extra which will save a step later. If you are mincing garlic, do a few bulbs to have ready in a container for when you need it.

This is such a simple tip that can make a big difference when it’s time to get dinner on the table.

6. Thaw Meat At The Beginning Of The Week

Often times when it comes to prepping dinner, the protein can be the hardest part. It becomes hard to prepare a meal when all of your protein is frozen rock solid.

On Sunday night, I think through the proteins we will have during the week. Usually it looks like cod, salmon, prawns, beef, and chicken. I will pull it from the freezer and then store it in a large baking dish in the fridge. We use it based on what thaws first. Typically the beginning of the week will be seafood, and a whole chicken will be ready to cook mid to end of the week.

I also like to keep some proteins like eggs, canned tuna, and canned salmon on hand. It is inevitable that sometimes dinner time will come around and there won’t be any protein thawed. These are easy staples that can be used many different ways.

7. Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Leftovers

Leftovers often get a bad reputation, but they are totally a game changer when it comes to saving time in the kitchen. On Sunday’s I often make a big batch of soup for dinner so we have lunches for a couple of days. Other days I will make an extra serving or two of dinner so that we have lunches the next day.

For us this is the perfect balance of saving time without getting sick of eating the same meals over and over again.

8. Take Note Of What You Have Prior To Grocery Shopping

At the beginning of the week I like to take inventory of what we have in the fridge. This is crucial in avoiding food waste. There’s nothing I hate more than wasting food and this is the easiest way to combat it. I like to take note of what is on it’s last leg and transfer any produce that are about to turn into the freezer. Of course this also helps to save money so you aren’t buying groceries you already have at home.

I hope you found these tips helpful! Comment below any additional tips you have.

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Learn how to make kombucha at home. Kombucha is a lightly sweet and carbonated fermented beverage, packed full of probiotics. Black tea, sugar, a SCOBY and kombucha starter is all you need to begin brewing kombucha at home.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

I have been a long time lover of kombucha. When my store bought kombucha habit really started to pick up about 6 years ago, I knew it was time to start brewing it myself. While a single bottle will set you back almost $5, you can make an entire gallon for less than half of that. Kombucha is a delicious and economical way to get in some probiotics.

Kombucha has gained massive popularity over the last 10 years, and for good reason. Think of kombucha as a probiotic rich, low sugar, naturally carbonated alternative to soda. The idea of making your own can sound a little intimidating, but I promise it is beyond simple and requires very little effort. As it goes with a lot of fermenting, the biggest requirement is time.

What Is Kombucha

Kombucha is a fermented tea that is made with strongly brewed black tea, sugar, a SCOBY, and kombucha starter. Kombucha starts out as a sweet tea mixture which is then fermented by the SCOBY.

What Is A Scoby

A SCOBY is a “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast”. The SCOBY essentially feeds off of sugar and caffeine which changes the sweet tea into a slightly sweet, slightly tart, fizzy fermented beverage. The SCOBY is essentially the mother culture that you need to make kombucha. It looks sort of like a jelly fish and forms in a layer at the top of whatever vessel you are brewing kombucha in.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Kombucha

When kombucha is traditionally prepared is packed full of probiotics, enzymes, electrolytes, and acetic acids. Kombucha is great for supporting our gut health, digestion, and immunity.

It’s important to be aware of the kombucha you are buying at the store. These days there are many varieties on the market that are heat processed. This will destroy the probiotics and enzymes, so be aware as these are a big reason most consume kombucha in the first place.

Can You Make Substitutions With Home Brewed Kombucha

When brewing kombucha, the SCOBY feeds off of two things, caffeine and sugar.

For tea, you can use green tea, white tea, or oolong tea in place of black tea. Caffeine free tea will not work to make kombucha.

It is not possible to make kombucha sugar free. Sugar is required for yeast and bacteria, which is what makes kombucha. This is what creates carbon dioxide which gives kombucha its effervescence. Stevia, xylitol, and monk fruit will not work.

Alternate sugar sources like molasses, honey, agave, and coconut sugar can be used. While these will work, they contain higher mineral content which can make the SCOBY a little sluggish. Unrefined cane sugar like panela and turbinado also work. Ideally, cane sugar is your best option. Using cane sugar gives the most consistent result when it comes to flavor.

Does Kombucha Contain Alcohol

Alcohol is a by product of the natural fermentation process, so while kombucha isn’t typically intended to be an alcoholic beverage, it does contain very small amounts of alcohol. You can control the amount of alcohol by how long you brew kombucha for. The longer that kombucha is brewed, the more alcohol it may contain.

To give you an idea, a strong batch of home brewed kombucha may have an alcohol percentage of 3%. That is a whole percent lower than a light beer. Commercial varieties contain less than 0.5% of alcohol so they can be sold as a non-alcoholic beverage. Some brands have stronger kombuchas that sit around 3%, so they have to be sold as alcoholic beverages. I don’t think alcohol in kombucha is something to be concerned about.

What You Need To Make Kombucha

To make kombucha, you will need a few basic supplies you likely have around your home, plus the ingredients to make the fermented tea.

• Large Pot
• Wooden Spoon
• Gallon Sized Jar
• Cotton Dish Towel or Cheese Cloth
• Black Tea Bags
• Sugar. I find organic cane sugar works best.
• SCOBY & Kombucha Starter. You can make your own, get one from a friend, or purchase one here. The SCOBY comes with kombucha starter, which is just strong brewed kombucha. This is the liquid that the SCOBY is stored in. Every time you make a batch you will keep some aside.
• Water

During the second fermentation, the flavor and carbonation will develop. You will need a few additional tools.

• Flip Top Bottles. While these are ideal for the best results in terms of carbonation, they aren’t necessary! You can reuse old store bought kombucha bottles or even mason jars with lids.
• Fresh Fruit or Fruit Juice. This is to flavor the kombucha on the second ferment.

How To Flavor Kombucha

To flavor kombucha, the options are almost endless! Herbs, fresh fruit, and fruit juices all work to flavor kombucha. Sometimes I will even use vanilla extract. The flavoring and carbonation takes place during the second ferment. You do not want to add flavoring to your initial fermentation because it could damage your SCOBY.

I typically use 1 liter flip top bottles, but you can use mason jars. I don’t usually follow an exact formula, I like to wing it! As a starting point, I like to add to 3 cups of kombucha to a 1 liter flip top bottle. Next, add about 2/3 cup of fresh or frozen fruit. Alternatively, to 3 cups of kombucha I add about 1/3 cup of fruit juice. Just play around with this!

Keep in mind you always want to add a source of sugar in the second fermentation, so the bacteria has something to feed off of. In my case, that is juice or fruit, but if you would like to keep it unflavored, I would add a teaspoon of sugar or honey.

Some of my favorite flavor combinations when making kombucha at home:

• Blueberries and fresh ginger
• Lemon juice, honey, and ginger
• Strawberries and basil
• Blueberries and mint
• Peaches and vanilla
• Peaches and rosemary

The options are endless when flavoring your homemade kombucha!

How To Make Kombucha

To make kombucha at home, first start by bringing the water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add the tea bags and cover with a lid. Allow to sit until the sweet tea mixture has come to room temperature. This step is crucial, because you could kill the kombucha starter and SCOBY by adding them to hot tea.

Next, add the sweet tea mixture to your gallon sized glass jar. Carefully add the SCOBY and starter culture. If the sweet tea mixture is a different temperature than the SCOBY, it may sink a little bit. Once they reach the same temperature, it will float to the top.

Cover the jar with a double layered piece of cheese cloth or a dish towel and secure with a rubber band or twine. Alternatively, coffee filters also work for this. The goal is to allow the kombucha to breathe without letting in any bugs. Allow the kombucha to ferment anywhere from 7-21 days. Yes, this is a range, but kombucha will ferment slower in cold temperatures and faster in hot. When it is ready to bottle, it will be slightly sweet and tart.

When the kombucha is ready to bottle, add any fruit or juice to the flip top bottles for flavoring. Transfer the kombucha to flip top bottles leaving a few inches of head space so the CO2 can move around. Keep aside at least 2 cups or more of kombucha, so you have some to store your SCOBY in and use in your next batch. Transfer the SCOBY to the fridge, or start a new batch following the same instructions. A new SCOBY will form on the top of your fermentation vessel.

The bottled kombucha is now ready for its second ferment. Let the sealed flip top bottles to sit on the counter for 1-3 days until carbonated. The kombucha will continue to feed off of the sugar. Finally, remember to crack the bottles once a day so that some of the CO2 can escape. While we want the kombucha to carbonate, we also want to avoid any explosions. I have skipped this step before and as a result had raspberry kombucha all over our ceiling – it was not a fun mess to clean up.

Your kombucha is ready to go! Store in the fridge so that the fermentation process is slowed.

I hope this is helpful in your learning how to make kombucha at home. Let me know if you have any questions, or about your experience in the comments below!

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