Banana Nut Muffins

As many of you know I have a gluten intolerance.  I have done a lot of research about it and came across some interesting information.  Apparently we are seeing this diagnosis popping up more and more because of the amount of processed food we are consuming as a society.

When wheat is processed from its whole form a layer is removed in order to increase its shelf life.  This layer also contains enzymes our bodies need to help break down and digest the gluten.  Over time our bodies begin to show the signs and symptoms of a gluten intolerance when it is no longer able to handle the task of digesting it alone.

Having been gluten free for almost a year now I have felt great.  I found the modifications I needed for most foods I wanted to enjoy.  I feel that is has helped me lean more towards fruits and veggies then I did before.  It made me cut out foods that really didn't provide me with any nutritional value.

A few of my patients at work have told me about a place called Bread Beckers.  You can go there and buy any type of grain in its whole form unprocessed.  You then can mill it yourself and use for cooking, baking, etc.  I received a free copy of their CD describing their beliefs and the benefits of milling your own grains.

I decided to experiment with milling my own wheat.  If I did it myself, then the layer of wheat my body needs to digest the gluten would still be there.

Nervous that it may not work for me, I only bought two smaller buckets.  One soft white wheat which is better for baking and hard white wheat good for making bread.

This is the soft white wheat in its whole form.

I made two batches of muffins this weekend, apple cinnamon and banana nut.  They both taste great and I have not had any GI issues!!!!  

I am still being cautious and not going crazy with my bread consumption.  Besides, I like my more balanced diet of fruits and veggies.

I have yet to experiment with the bread yet because I am intimidated by the process.  I hope to tackle that fear sooner than later.  I know my bread loving picky husband will be on cloud 9 when the first batch of rolls come out of the oven.

I was nervous that this whole process was going to be super time consuming and tedious.  It wasn't.  We didn't even have to purchase a food mill.  We just bought the dry bucket for our VitaMix blender. (They should really start paying me for all the free advertising I am currently giving them!)  The other ingredients are probably already in your pantry.  Super cheap and super healthy way to consume yummy food!

  All ready to go...

All blended and ready for use just like normal flour.

The wheat in its whole form will last for forever.  It doesn't go bad.  However, once it is milled it must be used within a few days.

Banana Nut Muffins

Source:  Bread Beckers Recipe book

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups freshly milled flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 2-3 mashed up bananas
• 1/4-1/2 cup nuts (I used walnuts)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients together.  Add all wet ingredients and stir until mixed.  Spread additional olive oil in muffin tins to prevent it from sticking.  Fill each tin 3/4 of the way.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  (Our oven cooks super fast so 15 was plenty.)