Healthy Amish Banana Bread Muffins

Healthy Amish Banana Muffin Recipe with Applesauce

I love muffins of all kinds! And these healthy Amish banana bread muffins are no exception. They are a healthier version of cupcakes that are perfectly acceptable to eat for breakfast.

I often like to eat a little something sweet with my bitter coffee in the morning, so muffins are a perfect choice.

Overripe Bananas are perfect for muffins

I like bananas, and I buy some every week when I get groceries. They are cheap fruit, a handy snack, and a good addition to a lunch box.

But they do not have a very long shelf life, and I do not like to eat bananas with brown spots. And without fail, there's always that one last banana that nobody eats because it got overripe.

So, do I throw the banana away, or do I save it to make something yummy to eat?

Growing up as an Amish girl, I was taught to not be wasteful

My mom and dad taught me to never be wasteful. You don't throw something away unless it's actually garbage.

I'm not sure if this was a result of growing up in a large family and being tight on money. Or is this typical for the Amish?

I'm guessing it was a combination of both. Because most Amish families are large, and they work hard for everything they earn. So, I really believe this is typical of the Amish.

We were not allowed to waste food, ever! We didn't get more food on our plate than what we thought we could eat, because we always had to finish it. And any leftovers from the meal got put into a container and refrigerated for a later meal.

My mom always saved plastic bags. We washed and re-used them several times. I used to hate washing bags and declared I would never do that. But guess what, I still reuse plastic bags :). We are helping to save the earth :).

My Amish Heritage will always have an impact on my life

No matter how different I am today from what I was twenty-two years ago. There are certain things I will always do because that is the way I was taught. Our childhood has a big effect on the way we think.

To this day, I cringe when I see people being wasteful. All the food that our country throws in the garbage every day could feed many hungry people. And I cannot help but wish that I could give it to them.

Save overripe bananas to make these healthy moist banana bread muffins

I put my overripe banana into a plastic freezer bag and keep adding to it every time another one gets too brown. That way I have bananas on hand whenever I want to bake some moist and healthy banana bread muffins.

If I plan ahead, I will pull the bananas out and let them thaw for an hour or more before I want to bake. But I often get a sudden notion to bake muffins and my bananas are still frozen. So, what do I do?

I thaw my bananas in the microwave on the defrost setting. They do produce some liquid when thawed. Pour most of it off, leaving only a bit of it with the bananas.

How to make the best healthy banana muffins

These banana muffins are easy to make. Just toss your thawed bananas into your mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, and let it do the mashing for you. Or you can mash them with a fork or hand masher.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well.

This recipe asks for applesauce instead of oil and whole wheat flour instead of white, making it a healthier version. And you can use eggbeaters or just egg whites (you'll need four) if you are watching your cholesterol, although your muffins may be drier. And this banana bread muffin recipe also has lower sugar content.

Whisk your dry ingredients together in another bowl, then add to wet ingredients, mixing only until incorporated.

Grease twelve muffin cups, or fill them with cupcake liners. Divide the batter between the twelve cups, you'll want them at least 3/4 full.

If it seems like too much, you can always make a few mini muffins as well. Or if you want smaller muffins, you can make more than twelve.

Now place a pecan half (or two) on top. Or sprinkle chopped pecans over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

Let them sit in the muffin tin for a few minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool. I always put mine in a container or my cake saver before they are completely cool because it helps to keep more moisture in.

How to keep baked goods fresh

Anytime you bake something and you know you won't get it eaten within the first two or three days, place it in an airtight container or freezer bag and put it in the freezer. It keeps it fresh for several weeks. And when you remove it from the freezer, it should be as fresh as it was the day you baked it.

Remove your baked goods from the freezer to thaw, about an hour before you want to eat them. They will be fresh and moist, compared to the ones you left sitting on your counter for several days.

The Amish keep a supply of food

The Amish usually put out a big garden every year and grow lots of vegetables. Then at harvest time, they do a lot of canning and preserving. So their cellar is well stocked for the year, with all the food they harvested.

We had electricity, so we had a couple of big freezers, and they were always full (unless of course, it was getting toward the next harvest season).

We butchered our own meat, so we had one freezer full of meat. Then we had another freezer full of sweet corn, peas, green beans, all kinds of berries and you name it, all the vegetables and fruit that we liked to freeze rather than can.

Then we bought big sacks of flour, oats, etc., and stored those in the freezer as well, to keep them fresh.

So, if a pandemic hits, the Amish aren't needing to rush off to the store in fear that they won't have enough food. And this is quite different from what we witnessed the rest of the world doing this past year.

We could take some lessons from the Amish in this area. Try growing and preserving some of your own food if you have a little piece of land that you could turn into a garden.

And it's always wise to keep at least a small stock of food in your pantry and freezer, if possible.

Can I freeze banana bread muffins?

Yes, you can freeze a lot of food to keep it fresh.

Just make sure that you store your food in tight containers or freezer-quality bags, and most food will stay fresh for up to a year. So, don't hesitate to buy in bulk quantity (it's usually a bit cheaper like this) or stock up on sales at your supermarket.

And I don't know if you realized this or not. But several things that you buy at the supermarket were already frozen before they went out on the shelf. Yes, even the loaves of bread.

So, if you are in the mood to bake and have plenty of overripe bananas, make a double or triple batch of these banana bread muffins and freeze some for later.

This is the best healthy Amish banana bread muffin recipe!

More Amish Recipes

Easy Homemade Cornbread

Baked Oatmeal with Apples

Amish fluffy homemade biscuits recipe

Apple Bread

AMAZON DISCLOSURE: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you click on the link I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you.