Lauren the Baker

As much of a Debutante I am with the stove, I'm even worse with the oven. I used to love baking when I lived with my parents. My mom decorates cake as a hobby/side job, so I had tons of baking tools and recipes at my disposal. I used to bake cupcakes for my boyfriend-at-the-time's family for their birthdays; it's no wonder I was so popular at their house! :)

However, I lost my interest after I got sick of doing the dishes. That's the worst part about baking: tons and tons and tons of dishes.

I also lost interest when I went to college and eventually got an apartment. Once I was buying my own groceries, buying ingredients like powdered sugar, cream cheese, and mass amounts of eggs seemed like such a waste, especially when I was devoting my financial resources toward whole foods and organic produce.

Lately, however, I've been into baking again, but a different kind: healthy baking. Eggless, sugarless, dairyless baking. It's an interesting challenge, but it gives me something different to include in my bento box at school.

When I say healthy baking, I don't mean a cookie with some oatmeal thrown in. I'm so tired of people bastardizing the word "healthy" (I'm looking at you, Pinterest users!). "Healthy" is not reduced-fat cream cheese. "Healthy" is not sugar-free jello. "Healthy" is not apple pie, strawberry ice cream, or banana bread. Including a fruit does not negate the sugar and fat. It's still a dessert. You could say "homemade." You could say "lightened up." You could say, "Made from fresh-picked apples!" But it's not "healthy."

I'm talking about dense and hearty gems concocted from mashed bananas, peanut butter, flax, oatmeal, and other whole ingredients. No sugar. No butter. No egg. No white flour. I look for the most healthful ingredients, and cut out the unnecessary ones. This is what attracts me to vegan recipes so often--the ingredients are typically unprocessed and nutritious. After all, vegan bakers are experts at replacing butter and eggs!

My bakery items are not what most people would consider "dessert," but for my everyday purposes, they're perfect. It's like taking a healthy and nutritious bowl of oatmeal and turning it into a baked good.

Like these banana-oatmeal muffins. Filling, flavorful, and hearty. And to push them over the top, I spread peanut butter on them. :)

I adapted them from this recipe. Although the actual recipe is very respectable, I used flax instead of eggs, and instead of chocolate chips, I went for a more banana-bread-like flavor, so I skipped the chips and added cinnamon instead. Mmm!

If you're also interested in unsweetened (and/or vegan!) baking recipes, check out this blog--she has lots of great healthified takes on classic desserts (although I'm unsure of the Stevia thing, so I avoid that)! I've made the chocolate chip cookies (contains some brown sugar) and breakfast cookies. They were both great!