This weekend, Southern California had our infamous “Santa Ana Winds.” Obnoxious gusts that are a hair-do’s worst nightmare. For some reason, they always seem to kick up during the weekend, rendering us indoor-bound.

On Friday night, we had packed our adventure backpacks with snacks, sunscreen, snacks, water, snacks, camera equipment and snacks for the 11-mile hike we planned on Saturday. We had our sights set on the highest point in Los Angeles – Mt. Baldy. But those nasty winds brought gusts of almost 50 mph which are pretty gnarly conditions, especially on mountains and in canyons. So on Saturday morning, we unpacked our backpacks and gave ourselves a much-needed lazy day at home. Palm fronds were falling from the sky like rain, littering the streets and the wind kicked up dust, limiting any desire to spend quality time outdoors.

Why is baking always my solution for bad weather days? My friends and family definitely don’t seem to mind, and I get to use all of the healthy ingredient staples already in my kitchen. Especially those ugly freckled bananas that we didn’t eat in time…..don’t feel like using them in a smoothie? Mix them with peanut butter and oats in a food processor and BAM. Perfectly-portioned and macro-nutrient balanced cups of coziness. Take that, Santa Ana Winds.

These muffins are incredibly dense and I really don’t think I need to say this, but they go SUBLIMELY with a fresh pot of coffee.

Unlike those preservatives-in-a-bag from Otis Spunkmeyer, these are sweetened naturally with ripened bananas and a touch of honey. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, and can easily be made vegan with an egg substitute like a flax seed egg or greek yogurt. Peanut butter and crushed almonds pack these with a dense texture, while oats and flax seed create the fluffiness with extra fiber, omega-3’s, and antioxidants. Add in some cinnamon & egg whites and you are well on your way to a balanced, beautiful, banana-y breakfast (or dessert, or post-workout snack)!

I sprinkled a couple of these with mini chocolate chips and crushed pecans for a little fun topping. Afterwards, I remembered a recipe for vanilla protein powder icing I’ve been meaning to try. Guess I’ll have to save that one for next time!

Honey Nut Banana Muffins {Gluten-Free, Clean Recipe}

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 large extra-ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup peanut butter (almond butter would be fantastic too!)
• 3 egg whites
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375 and prepare a muffin baking pan with muffin tins.
2. In a food processor, grind oats and almonds until you have a flour-like powder. Add in ground flax seed, baking soda, and cinnamon.
3. Add mashed bananas, nut butter, egg whites, honey and vanilla to the food processor; blend well.
4. Pour into muffin tins until 3/4 full; makes 10-12 muffins depending on how much batter you sample ;)
5. Bake for 17-19 minutes, the tops should be getting browned and cracked.
6. Allow to cool. These are great cold or reheated, extra dense and (my least favorite word ever) moist from the pb and honey. Enjoy!

Do something sweet for your office or your roommates and whip up a batch of these to share! Or just keep them all for your own study snack, no judgin’. :) Let me know if you try a different type of nut butter!