sweet miscellany

When I was younger, my brother and I would always make this popcorn concoction we called “monster munch” when we were left alone in the house. Typically it would be on a Saturday night and we would enjoy it under a blanket fort we made in the living room while watching Are You Afraid of the Dark or Nine to Five. It was basically popcorn with a sticky mixture of melted butter, marshmallows, and brown sugar poured over it. There wasn’t really a recipe for it so we would just mix it together and microwave it until it looked and tasted right. Ask anyone in my family what the perfect movie-watching snack is and they will most likely say monster munch.

I haven’t had the “real” version of monster munch in years because I don’t really eat butter or marshmallows anymore. And, it isn’t exactly that healthy. I figured this past weekend that it had been long enough and decided to figure out a somewhat healthier way to enjoy it. Yes, there is caramel involved, but it’s made with less processed and better for you ingredients. Plus, the fleur de sel really puts it over the top in terms of creating the perfect sweet and salty balance. I highly suggest enjoying this under a blanket fort while watching scary movies. I think it might taste that much better 🙂
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I’ve been feeling a little under the weather this week. For some reason I was craving muffins, so instead of resting the other afternoon like I should have been, I dragged myself into the kitchen to make muffins. The black banana perched on my counter pretty much dictated what type of muffins I would make.

Though these contain banana, it’s really not a strong flavor once they are baked. You can still taste it, but it doesn’t hit you over the head like some banana baked goods can. The nuttiness of the flax and the bits of chocolate really help to balance out the banana. These little muffins surely won’t win a beauty contest, but they are quite delicious. As is, they are already healthier than the typical sugar bombs you find at breakfast spreads and coffee shops, but you can make them even more virtuous by leaving out the chocolate chips and going easy on the agave. If for some reason you can’t eat these up within a few days, you can freeze them. Just thaw them out whenever you get a craving for muffins 🙂

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Monster Munch

Mini Chocolate Chip & Flax Banana Muffins