Living Joyfully: Gluten Free Banana Coconut Muffins

True confessions: I have been buying extra bananas lately, on purpose, so they'll turn into overripe mush in my freezer.  When I'm feeling well-behaved (that is, when I don't have my spoon in the pint of ice cream or chopstick in the jar of peanut butter), I've been whipping up frozen bananas into "banana kreem" for a late night snack, adding instant espresso powder, or coconut, or cocoa, or cinnamon.  But I've also been meaning to send a more successful installment of gluten-free treats to my friend and mentor in California, and I still have most of a bag of coconut flour.  It's a new medium for me, but I'm determined to figure it out.  I happened across these, and they seemed like they'd be healthy but still tasty.

This friend is actually my former boss, though you'd never know it to talk to her.  She and her partner are now retired, and enjoying the ocean breezes of Carmel.  When I was working for her, she taught me lots about managing faculty members and maintaining integrity in a place where currying favor is part of the daily grind; now, she reminds me to live joyfully and with intention.  She is busier in her retirement than she ever was when I worked for her, but she fills her time with things she loves: volunteering at the Monterey Bay aquarium, working in a wild bird store, making necklaces.  Last week she sent me a beautiful piece she'd made with rainbow cane glass and swarovski crystals.  When we last talked, it had been a year since we spoke, but catching up with her was easy.  As I was updating her on what had changed since she'd left, she asked me what my plans were for the next chapter in my life.  I was surprised, since I hadn't said anything during the conversation that would lead her to believe I might be leaving my job.

Maybe she heard an itch in my voice, or maybe it was just idle conversation.  Either way, it was yet another one of those nagging moments, asking me what I will do with my "wild and precious life."  We joked about turning baking and yoga into full time jobs, and she didn't ask about more children, which was nice, given my BFN this week.  She's always been more intuitive than people give her credit for.

Coconut flour, by the way, is actually good right out of the bag.


Banana Coconut Muffins

1 cup organic coconut flour
6 eggs
2 ripe bananas (mashed)
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil
2 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. Himalayan salt


Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix coconut flour and baking powder in a small bowl.  In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs gradually, and then add milk, honey, coconut oil, butter, vanilla and salt. Continue mixing. Then add the coconut flour with baking powder and mashed bananas. Blend well. Line or grease 12 muffin cups with coconut oil. Fill muffin cups with the batter.

Bake for 20 minutes.