Hey there Carly’s Crew! 


Welcome to another week of my baking adventures. Following along with my muffin success from last week I decided to cook up some banana muffins (sans sugar).

Mashing up the bananas!

The final product!

Difficulty level : 6/10

These muffins weren’t terribly tricky but the elevated difficulty level comes from the complexity of the ingredients. I didn’t have any almond extract or almond milk at home so I took a quick trip to the grocery store and picked up some ingredients. For my bananas, I used frozen bananas and holy smokes, it sure is tricky to mash a frozen solid banana. I quickly learned that if you run it under hot water for about a minute while the peel is still on it makes it much easier 

Deliciousness level: 6/10

Yum yum yum…these muffins were tasty, and you couldn’t even tell that they were made without sugar. Unfortunately, they were a little bit too dry once they cooled! It was an easy fix though, when I microwaved the muffins, the moisture returned. 

I didn’t really plan to make muffins two weeks in a row but I was craving banana muffins so I  thought I should go for it. To change it up from last week I focused on creating muffins without any added sugar. I found this recipe on a website that I had never heard of before but it turned out pretty well still. We live in an age where technology gives us access to literally anything in a matter of seconds. This had made it so easy for me to find recipes for just about anything I could ever imagine. I definitely have spent a lot of time just scrolling through recipe sites and bookmarking hundreds of recipes that I want to try one day. I have a hard time picturing what it was like before the internet when cookbooks were the only source for finding new recipes! 

I had a stressful week but while I was baking these muffins I realized that all my stress disappeared for a little bit. This was a really good reminder of how fun and beneficial baking can be. After thinking about my experience with mental health and baking I figured there must be some research out there that looked into this topic. I found one study that recognized this experience as  “culinary therapy”. Another article spoke about how baking allows you to feel in control and gives you a sense of purpose. Personally, when I feel overwhelmed after a hard day I just want to curl up in bed, however, baking gives me a chance to work hard on something and the end result is usually something delicious. The immediate reward of a snack or meal makes me feel proud of myself and I feel accomplished! 

Before this inquiry I had never considered baking to be anything more than just a hobby! Of course, I am still mainly focusing on the nutritional benefits of baking but I think it is also important to recognize the mental health benefits that accompany baking. Next week, I will be working on some protein cookies so make sure to check back soon! 

See you then Carly’s Crew xo