Hello from the start of Month 3 of dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic… such uncertain times we’re living in. With more time on my hands as I’m staying at home (as I hope you are too!), I decided to do some Quarantine Baking and got creative in the kitchen. These Oatmeal Apple Banana Muffins are quick, easy, healthy, and the star ingredient is from one of my favorite food companies, Picky Bars! I paired two muffins with a yogurt to refuel after my run today; they make a great mid-morning snack to hold you over between meals.

I had to get creative with this recipe based on what I had in my kitchen, since my grocery store trips are few and far between these days. After an omelet brunch this weekend, I didn’t have any eggs on hand, so that’s where the applesauce came in - and it was a great compliment to the apple-heavy Picky Oats. If you don’t have Picky Oats, you can use plain rolled oats, but I would recommend then adding in 1/2 cup of finely chopped almonds, 1/4 cup of chia seeds, and 3/4 cup of dried fruit of choice — because the tasty ingredients in the Picky Oats are what make these muffins shine. Happy baking!

Ingredients
1 banana, mashed
1 cup of applesauce
1/4 cup of honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
3 cups of Picky Oats How ‘bout Dem Apples (rolled oats, almonds, chia seeds, dates, dried apples, coconut sugar, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger)
1/2 cup light unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup of dried cranberries

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a 12-muffin muffin tin with parchment paper or coat with nonstick spray.
3. In a large bowl, mash banana with a fork and then mix in the applesauce, vanilla extract, and honey.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oats, baking powder, cinnamon).
5. Add the dry ingredients to the banana/applesauce mixture; stir well.
6. Add the coconut milk and dried cranberries and mix well; add additional coconut milk for more moist muffins.
7. Divide oat mixture evenly into the muffin tin.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top of the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy!