Bran Communities?! – Can’t we all just get along?

What’s all this I hear about Bran Communities?

I consider myself a health-conscious individual and I always include a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and/or grains when I plan meals for myself and my family.

Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration has re-vamped the food pyramid concept of meal planning for a simpler dinner plate layout; ¼ of the plate is lean protein, ¼ of the plate is carbohydrate and ½ of the plate is fruit and vegetables.

So when I hear everyone at Blade prattling on about “Bran Communities”, it makes me wonder if some people might be losing perspective when it comes to their diet. Do we need to have entire communities of bran eaters? What’s next – gated gelato communities, walled off walnut enclaves … how about fortified frankfurter farms? Heavens!

Make no mistake, I like bran. And I’m confident we can all agree, that many baked goods recipes benefit from a little bran. It’s a natural digestive aid for most folks and it’s proven to help reduce cholesterol in the blood stream. That’s a good thing.

But entire communities focused on bran? No – that is not a balanced lifestyle. I say let us all embrace nutritional diversity. Let us put aside our petty differences and let us NOT wall off ourselves in Bran Communities, robbing us of other wonderful food choices and, dare I say it, our cherished humanity!

So in the interest of a more moderate approach, I am proud to share my treasured Bran- Banana- Chocolate Chip- Survival Muffin recipe with everyone out there in the blogosphere.

The Dry Stuff
½ cup wheat or oat bran
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1/2tsp. salt

The Wet Stuff
4-5 well-ripened bananas, mashed
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup canola oil
2 eggs

The Chunks
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Mix each group separately, and then mix them together.
Bake in a muffin tin lined with paper muffin wrappers for 30-40 minutes ‘til golden.