This is a great muffin option when you have extra ripe bananas lying around. And, the quinoa flakes make a nice substitute for oatmeal. (The gluten in oatmeal can be a problem for many who are affected by wheat gluten.)

These muffins used to be a favorite in our house, but we needed a break. Now that my son is older, we modified them to make them more enticing. He can even make them himself. . . . who can resist a muffin when chocolate chips are added?

They are great as a snack or with your favorite smoothie for breakfast.

If you decide to add the chips, select carefully. The key is to use dark chocolate chips that are organic, because chocolate is a high pesticide crop. You also want them to be dairy free and low in sugar with as few ingredients as possible. This is one of the few brands that meets all these requirements.

Banana Quinoa Muffins

1/2 cup quinoa flakes*
1/2 cup organic rice flour
1/2 cup organic shredded coconut
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large very ripe bananas
1-2 tbsp. honey
2 farm raised eggs
1/4 cup organic chocolate chips* (optional)

Preheat oven to 380 F degrees. Mix all dry ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a large bowl. Peel bananas, put into a small bowl and mash with fork until semi-liquid. Add eggs and honey to bananas and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well, adding the chocolate chips at the end.

Use coconut oil to grease muffin tin. Pour batter into each opening until about half full. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes until slightly brown. Yields 12 muffins.

* Note: The quinoa and the chocolate make these muffins high in oxalates. You can remove the chips and substitute the quinoa flakes with an alternate like cassava flour.

This article was written by Sharon Harmon, founder of Life Design for Health. As a “Health Designer” she has a passion for helping people find their way back to optimum health. Please contact her if you would like to know more. There is a great deal of health-related information in her blog articles and on her website. Including additional suggested resources (books and articles) by topic, a pantry list that is gluten-free, dairy free and GMO-free, and a healing foods list.