Strawberry Banana Muffins

Try one of these for a meal on the go.

Yield: 18 Muffins
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 35 Minutes

WET INGREDIENTS:
•½ Cup honey
•¼ Cup packed light brown sugar
•½ Cup plain yogurt
•¼ Cup unsweetened applesauce
•1 Egg
•1 Tablespoon ground flax seed, soaked in 3 tbsp. water for 5 minutes
•2 Large bananas, mashed
•1 Tsp. pure vanilla extract
•1 Tsp. pure almond extract

DRY INGREDIENTS:
•1 Cup unbleached all-purpose flour
•1 Cup whole wheat flour
•½ Cup rolled oats (not instant)
•1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
•1 Tsp. baking soda

•1 Cup fresh strawberries, diced and lightly mashed

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray your muffin pan with nonstick spray or grease the cups. In your mixer bowl, combine the wet ingredients until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, and whisk to sift. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the strawberries. Divide the batter evenly among 18 regular sized muffin cups, and bake for 18-20 minutes. They may seem underdone, but if they cook for more than 20 minutes at 375°, they will be OVERdone. Remove from pan, and cool completely.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

A summertime favorite.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

•½ Cup slivered almonds
•Juice of 2 lemons
•1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
•1/3 Cup onion, chopped
•Pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
•1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
•1-2 Tbsp. granulated sugar (optional)
•Vegetable oil
•8 Cups fresh spinach, cleaned and trimmed
•1 Lb. fresh strawberries, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced

Prepare your almonds by toasting them in a dry pan. Keep an eye on them, because they will burn very easily. Set aside to cool. In a blender, combine the lemon juice, poppy seeds, onion, salt, mustard, and optional sugar (I don't use any sugar, but most people will prefer the sweetened taste...you can taste it first, and add the sugar if you think you'll like it). Pulse until there are no more chunks of onion. With the blender on, slowly pour in oil until the dressing is at your desired consistency. Now just toss the spinach, sliced strawberries, almonds, and dressing, and serve.