basking in the talents the Lord has not given me...
The Lord has given me several talents. Public speaking is my specialty, and corralling small children is a runner up. But the one talent the Lord has not given me is baking.
I used to fight this lack of talent. I would try to bake all the time, but countless burnt cookies and many tasteless cakes later. I’ve learned this is not a talent the Lord has blessed me with. Which is so unfortunate because I come from bakers! My mom makes the BEST chocolate cookies, and my both grandmas make/made yummy pies (my grandma Coponen can make a raspberry pie that will knock your socks off). As for me, the Lord said, “no”.
I am so bad at baking that when I was about 18 years old I decided to bake a cake. My mom purchased a “cake mix” (yes there is a need for quotations). The directions said, “Add water and milk and vanilla” (it did have specific amounts but I have long forgotten them). I thought to myself, “that’s odd there is no egg to add.” Also odd that preheating the oven was not mentioned - so I just chose 350℉. And, in the process of baking it started making only what I can describe as volcanos. Spewing molten cake mix in the middle. So naturally I decided to broil the cake. (I cannot make this up.) After fifteen minutes, I took the cake out of the oven. Hard as a rock. Completely confused, I looked at the box again and it was frosting. I baked frosting!
So, when I had children I was determined to try to be a baker. And you can’t force talents the Lord hasn’t given you. So when I worked on this recipe and realized it was all in the blender and fool proof I was a happy momma.
blender muffins...
INGREDIENTS:
2 Ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt (I use the single serving cups. They vary from 6oz to 8oz and both work. I have also used coconut yogurt and the it turns out great)
2 Tbsp of sugar (I’ve used monk fruit sugar for this too)
1 tps of vanilla (I don’t actually measure anymore a good splash works!)
2 cups old fashioned oats (If you are making this for gluten free person make sure you are using certified gluten free oats)
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/4 tsp of salt
2 heaping Tbsp milled flax seed
Optional: chocolate chips, blueberries (or any other mix in you prefer)
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 400℉
- Place everything in your blender in the order of listed ingredients (all soft foods closest to the blade) and blend until smooth.
- Pour batter into 12 cupcake liners (we use silicone ones at our house)
- If you are mixing in chocolate chips or blueberries, now is the time before they go into the oven. I just drop a few chocolate chips on the top of the muffin and swirl with a toothpick.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes
- Place on a cooling rack and cool completely before serving.
if we do not give up...
These are so easy that even I can make them. My family gobbles them up, and for a second I can feel good about baking. Which brings me to my favorite Bible verse about baking, motherhood and almost anything in life:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
katrina meyers
Katrina and her husband are raising their two little men in south-central Michigan. Katrina has recently married her love for community and her passion for learning to home-make and created a Facebook community called Homemakers of Mid Michigan. In that group, women share recipes like these blender muffins and encourage one another as we navigate creating lovely homes to care for our families in.
Photos by Alison Stoner. Headshot provided by Katrina Meyers.