Hi Everyone! For those of you who do not know me, my name is Ashlee and I am the Marketing Assistant at Vero Fitness. I am on my own fitness journey and am always looking for quick, easy recipes that I can meal prep and grab on the go. I decided I wanted to start reviewing some of our Foodie Friday recipes to give you guys an honest review of how easy and delicious these recipes are for a normal, busy human to make and eat throughout the week.
This week I made and tried Maryann's Banana Oat Protein Muffins. Spoiler alert… They are amazing!
In case you need a refresh, here is the recipe:
Ingredients - Makes 9 muffins
1 1/2 cups oats
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 large banana
1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (I used “ Two Good” brand, vanilla flavor)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 egg
1/8 cup egg whites
1 tbsp mini semi- sweet chocolate chips
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees & spray muffin tray with non stick spray.
2.) Mix oats and protein powder in one bowl.
3.) In a blender, combine the rest of the ingredients (excluding the chocolate chips) and blend until thick and creamy consistency.
4.) Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until completely mixed together
5.) Pour batter into muffin tray by filling each cup 3/4 of the way full and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
6) Bake for 12-15 min or until the center is fully cooked.
7.) Let cool for 5 min and enjoy!
Muffins can be stored in the refrigerator and warmed up in the microwave in 10-15 seconds!
A couple things I did differently:
I used my Munchies flavored, which is a blend of caramel, pretzel, and chocolate chip cookie, whey protein instead of vanilla. Next time, I plan on trying the fruity cereal flavor for a little variety.
I used Fage 0% Greek yogurt instead of vanilla Greek yogurt.
I forgot the non-stick spray, but I used my silicone muffin tray, so there was no sticking!
I somehow managed to get 12 muffins out of the recipe.
I did not measure my chocolate chips. I just used 5-8 on each muffin.
As someone who is not really a fan of cooking/meal prepping, this was a pretty easy recipe to make. It took about 25 minutes from start to finish and that includes the baking time. I prepped my lunches while they baked, which didn’t waste any of my time! I wasn’t able to wait the full 5 minutes for them to cool because they smelled and looked so good! I ate three of them out of the oven. You can taste the banana, but it’s not overpowering. They are not dry or chalky, which is something I’ve experienced when adding protein to baked goods.
I put the remaining muffins in the fridge for the rest of the week. I made them on Saturday morning and they lasted until Wednesday morning. I ate them as a part of my breakfast or a pre-workout snack. I do not usually eat before I work out because I get nauseated when there is food in my stomach. However, these guys were not too filling and didn’t make me sick even when I ate one before my morning run. On days I was in a hurry, I ate these with a protein shake, but the days I had a little more time, I ate them with a couple of eggs. This is just filling enough to get me to lunch.
The change I would recommend if you decide to try this recipe is the microwave time, which leaves them a little cool in the center. If you want them completely warmed, I would suggest microwaving them for 20-25 seconds.
Overall, I will be adding this recipe into my weekly meal prep routine because it is simple, easy, and delicious!