Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins + Lunch Box Snack Ideas

When you make these nutritious little Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, for your kids, they’ll say you are THE BEST mom (or dad) ever! Filled with whole wheat flour, mashed bananas, and wheat germ, they’re perfect for lunch boxes or after-school snacks.

Read on for the muffin recipe and four more kid snack favorites.

Nutrient-rich snacks and sides can help to boost the nutritional GPA of any child’s lunch. Here are five of my go-to ‘sack stuffers.

> Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins — Whether you make a batch of 12 regular-size muffins or two dozen mini muffins, this recipe (which first appeared in The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers), will sustain your kids until the lunch bell rings.

> Hummus with whole grain pretzels for dipping — Pack your own or look for Sabra’s grab-and-go Classic Hummus with Pretzels.

> Mini grapefruit cups — I was recently at Costco and found fruit cups made with grapefruit sections and 100% fruit juice. My boys love ’em.

> Medium, pitted black olives — Buy a can of olives, drain and rinse, and then pack a portion’s worth in small plastic containers. Store leftovers in the fridge.

> Mini packets of homemade trail mix — This summer, I created a recipe for trail mix made with shredded oat cereal, mini pretzels, toasted nuts, dried fruit, and dark chocolate chips. I used dried banana chips and dried papaya, which was a huge hit with the whole family.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

Author: Liz

Nutrition Information

• Serves: 12

• Serving size: 1 muffin
• Calories: 220

• Fat: 10g
• Saturated fat: 2g
• Carbohydrates: 31g
• Sodium: 140mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 4g

Recipe type: Snack

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup wheat germ or ground flaxseed
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ⅓ cup organic canola oil
• ⅓ cup 1% low-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Combine the bananas, eggs, sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl and stir until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the muffins are light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and cool an additional 5 minutes before serving. To make 24 mini muffins, bake about 14 minutes.

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What are some of your kids’ favorite snacks and sides?