So we’ve made it to Friday – woot! I actually have Monday off and next Friday off for Good Friday, so next week will be a nice 3 day work week – gotta love when that happens!
Doesn’t everyone wake up an hour before having to leave work and decide to make muffins? Yep, that was me. 7:00 a.m. I usually have an iced coffee in the morning with the coffee from the day before before making a new pot. I reached into the fridge for the coffee creamer, saw a Chobani staring at me and decided “I have time to make muffins!”
I adapted the recipe from Chobani’s just a bit, because I didn’t have whole wheat flour, I only used two bananas, and I subbed in olive oil for the oil, and reduced that to 1/3 of a cup, not half a cup. And I added a pinch of coarse sugar and slivered almonds on top. 
Their original recipe made 18 muffins, I used a regular muffin tin and only got 12. So I thought the calories would be about 160 each since I used less oil and bananas, but since I got 6 less muffins, they were each 219 calories. Oops – I told my co-workers they were 160 calories!
Chobani Banana Almond Muffins
- 219 calories, 7 fat, 49 sodium, 34 carbs, 1.4 fiber and 4.6 protein
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 bananas
- 1 cup brown sugar, not packed
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1 container Lemon Chobani (or banana or vanilla would work)
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Heat oven to 350. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and mix well. Mix the bananas, brown sugar, olive oil and egg together. Combine the two. I just used a fork to mix the two together.
Spray muffin tin with Pam, divide batter into a 12 muffin tin pan. Sprinkle the sugar and almonds over each muffin and press into batter. Bake for 18-23 minutes. Mine took exactly 18 minutes and they were perfect. The topping gave it an added crunch and they were almost cake like – so fluffy on the inside.
If you have a birthday coming up, or you need the perfect gift for the cook in your life, splurge and buy Williams-Sonoma’s Goldtouch muffin pan. They have a whole line of Goldtouch products that are amazing. While the price tag is high – $30 – it has a lifetime guarantee – if it starts to chip or anything, they will replace it for free. Nothing ever sticks!
One of my bosses took me out to lunch yesterday for my birthday. It was a new to me restaurant just minutes from our office called Stone Eagle Tavern. Their menu was huge! Guess what is on their appetizer menu?? Reuben Egg Rolls!
But what caught my eye? The turkey burger. And not just any turkey burger, but a turkey breast burger!
Wisconsin turkey burger – white turkey breast, charbroiled and topped with Brie, avocado with a side of cranberry sauce, on a soft pretzel roll. YOLO!
Let’s just take a second to stare at the perfectly creamy avocado and the melty brie cheese. I told my boss “I probably will only eat half of this!” Well, I ate the whole thing. The fries were those skinny ones, which are fine when you first get them, but they get cold fast. I didn’t care – this was the perfect combination – the schmear of cranberry sauce was the perfect balance to the brie, and guess what? The burger was so juicy! Hands down the best turkey burger I’ve ever had.
When I got back to the office, I texted Tony:
I just went to a great restaurant and had the turkey burger!”
Tony: You cannot judge a restaurant by eating a horrible Turkey burger.
Me: But it was the best turkey burger I have ever had.
Tony: That’s like saying that’s the best time I was ever shot.”
Mind you, it’s probably been about 20 years since Tony has even eaten a turkey burger, and they have come a long way. I may even recreate this one at home!
Guess what? I labeled something that I put in the freezer!
Sadly, I didn’t date it, so I can’t link back to the original recipe (well, I didn’t look very hard) but this was delicious. The meat was super flavorful. We each had about a 4 ounce portion, with white rice and rice vinegar cucumbers on the side.
So it’s 16 degrees right now. WTH?! And Winter Storm Virgil might bring us some snow this weekend. Gah – so over winter! And guess what I got at work yesterday in the mail?
Yep – a pre-season sale to order our office Christmas cards!
Wow, I wrote fast today – I still have 25 minutes to get ready and out the door – I could almost go back to bed for 10 minutes! 
Happy Friday – make it a great day!
That burger looks awesome – how can you go wrong with brie and avocado? Tony doesn’t know what he’s missing!
I am in love with that turkey burger. oh my.
Oh wow that turkey burger sounds amazing, will be the next one I try. We love turkey burgers!!!
The turkey burger looks awesome and I would love the pretzel roll 🙂 I don’t think of even thought “I feel like baking”…lol! Good for you! Tony’s texts back had me laughing sounds like my hubs 😉
Love how you can get up in the morning and be all “I feel like baking muffins” and I’m all like “I need coffee but I’m too tired to go make it.” Lol
Tony sounds hilarious. And you had me at pretzel roll.
“I have time to make muffins!” <—-said Erin, NEVER!
I get up at 7:15, take a shower and yell until we are out the door at 7:50, barely getting the boy to school by 8:05 and to work by 8:10.
Gah, I need to change that! I WANT to make muffins in the AM! 🙂
Oh, and I WANT that turkey burger! I’ve never had brie and avocado together…
It was an awesome combo Erin! Your comment “said Erin, NEVER” cracked me up!
Oh yum yum YUM on that turkey burger!!! I have had some really great turkey burgers in the last few years – they have come a long way from the dried-out hockey pucks of yore.
Have a great weekend!!!
Thanks Shelley – you too! 😀
Tony is hilarious 🙂 And no I do not ever wake up an hour before work so there is no chance I will be making muffins! I hope you guys have an awesome weekend.
Rhonda, I was never a morning person, but I actually enjoy it – I drink my coffee, do my blog post, etc. 😀
So glad you posted this recipe today. I was wondering about it when you mentioned yesterday that you were baking them.
Have a great weekend!! Why, oh why, do I not see any improvement in weather for the next few days?? Come on, already!
oh I am with you…so totally OVER winter…I want it gone! Fortunately, I will be getting away for awhile where it’s supposed to be in the 60’s and 70’s and that will be heaven!
the muffins look perfect! I need to look into those baking pans…i’ve read a lot of good things about them and I DO have a WS gift card to use up!
Tony cracks me up. Love turkey burgers and I agree…they’ve come a long way over the years!
That’s a cruel, cruel thing to do to a woman who has no over ripe bananas taunting her from the fruit basket. Ahem.
Well I’ll do you one better and share a little love. There is a recipe on my blog from yesterday that can actually be made with Nevia [or whatever artificial sweetner you use] and I thought of you and my buddy Albert when I made a second batch with the Nevia [my a.s. of choice, LOVE the stuff] and these little cakes are so mind bendingly good you will NAME me in your will. So 😛 I trust you will be making them. At least I hope you will – and you can halve the recipe so, so easily if no one is around to eat the extras, because it is a dessert that you can’t “save” for later. SO GOOD.
Oh and the turkey burger? I have to agree with Tony. No offense, but if you are going to slather BRIE and AVOCADO [hello! calories!] on a burger with a monster bun like that, what exactly is the point of leaving out the calories / fat in beef? Go big or go home. And yolo, as you said. Tell Tony Pooldad and I are still laughing over his texts.
And happiest of birthdays to you my friend. I think I may have been hibernating to have missed this, or are you one of those folks that celebrates for a week plus, and I have already wished you a happy birthday, but forgot. I think it is the later, but alas, I am too lazy to check back. heehee
Love you girlie! Used my snowman cupcake liners yesterday and thought of YOU. Now I see I wasn’t far off the mark, eventhough it is spring. You are still making snowmen,
Yeesh, you live in the wrong part of the world girl. Say it with me “VIRGINIA” “Must move in, next door to Skippy”. Have a great weekend. We’re off to the country, where the flowers are blooming. Oh, and did I mention it is warm? Hugs, Skip
I love hearing from you Skippy! Next time I am in Virginia, I’ll plan a pit stop to your neck of the woods – deal? Off to check out your recipe – enjoy your weekend!
The muffins look perfect! I’m actually making bars using Chobani today- can’t wait! MMM avocado. I’m obsessed right now. Tony cracks me up 🙂
That sounds good Erica – like granola bars? I am still looking for a crunchy granola bar that stays together. They always end up turning into granola!
Those muffins look beautiful. My husband always orders the Reuben Egg Rolls as an appetizer when we are at McGuire’s Irish Pub in Pensacola, Florida!
That Turkey Burger looks divine! It has all of the elements I would want in one! My husband would say the same thing. When I’ve complained about a turkey burger I’ve eaten in a restaurant he says, “Have you ever had a good turkey burger in a restaurant?…. Then why do you keep ordering them?!”
But with this one, you had me at pretzel roll… and brie… and avocado… 😉 Have a great weekend, Biz!
Thanks Carrie – have a great weekend too! 😀
The containers of Chobani – are they 6 or 8 ounces?
Hey Lori – the Chobani is the 6 ounce size. I’ve never seen an 8 ounces size in our neck of the woods. Hope the snow is done where you live!
Love a good turkey burger! Looks great! I’ve recently been on the hunt for the perfect homemade (well, restaurant made) veggie burger.
A 3 day week is super exciting!
I thoroughly eejnyod this post and look forward to reading more on your blog as I am able!!! I also LOVE the quote you posted! it is about to become my new facebook status!
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I am a horrible baker, but you make those muffins look easy! The almonds are a nice touch on top.
Ok this burger instantly made my mouth water!!! The Brie, cranberries, avocado….SERIOUSLY??? Yum! I would’ve had the entire burger too!
I’m jealous of your 3 day week, but I shouldn’t complain I’m only working 4 days! Lol. Enjoy your extended (hehe) weekend! Why is my mind always in the gutter???
It’s funny Mary, I described the burger to my husband – he hated everything about it. My sister? She wants to lose the cranberry sauce – my Mom? She would eat it without the avocado. To me, it was perfection!