Malicious Muffins

Sometimes I have to use the hour before the girls get home from school to "gear up" for the afternoon with the girls. This makes me feel incredibly guilty at times. I spend the whole day missing them, and then the few minutes before they actually come home dreading that moment. Mostly because I know when they walk in that door, hungry and tired, they can lose their facade of holding together the emotions that happen in a pre-teen body and just be themselves. I'm happy they feel safe at home and well loved enough to be comfortably surly, but it does take it's toll on me occasionally. Things are substantially better if I have a snack they want to eat ready when they hop off that bus. Which is why I made Banana Muffins yesterday.

Now, I must tell you that about a week ago I made banana bread and found that out of the blue, my two youngest daughters no longer like banana bread, and my oldest is "sick of it". But, I had mushy bananas and only a little time to pull something together. I added flax seed and wheat germ to the mix, and a little extra cinnamon. Wah-la! "Cinnamon Nutmeg Muffins" were born. Slightly different texture and taste, named after a different ingredient in the bread, but banana bread to be sure.

They loved them. "What are these called again?" asked Sleeping Beauty.

"Well," I hedged, "I call them Cinnamon Nutmeg Muffins."

"What is it that is sort of mushy in them? It's good," said Cinderella.

"Hmmm, well, I ran out of eggs so I used flax seed and instead of shortening, I used applesauce, and I did add a little sour cream to the mix, too. Who knows what makes them good? But, they are tasty."

"Yep," they all agreed.

Now, I am fully aware that any statement is a lie if it is intended to deceive, which is why I am asking you to avoid using this fine example of deceit in a Sunday School class that my children attend. I'd like to serve these muffins again, and am pretty sure since I haven't been struck with lightening yet that it's safe to assume that there was enough fiber and flax in those muffins for the health to outweigh the sin. That's what I'm going with, anyway.

And, just in case your kids hate banana muffins, too. Here is my new recipe for Cinnamon Nutmeg Muffins. Tasty.

Cream together:

½ cup applesauce

1 cup sugar

Add:

½ cup sour cream

1 cup mashed bananas

1 egg

1 TBSP milled flax seed and 3 TBSP water (or one more egg)

½ tsp. vanilla

Mix in:

1/3 cup wheat germ

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp., plus a pinch cinnamon

1 tsp. soda

½ tsp. salt

Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.