March 4, 2025 // Diocese

Food for Thought: Live Lent by Sharing the Season

Bethany Beebe

As I was wandering through the produce department at the grocery store the other day, I saw the bananas and began thinking about how much they are like people.

They begin green. A host of environmental factors make them the sweet, colorful additions to our breakfast cereals or lunch boxes. If neglect settles in, they go bad.

The human soul is so much the same. We begin our lives without knowledge of God, but those around us teach us and allow us to grow into spiritual maturity so we can know His love and share it with others – truly a sweet and timeless treat.

During the season of Lent, I like that I have the chance to look at my own brown spots. We have the opportunity to evaluate ourselves and use these coming weeks as a time of transformation, making changes that are physically tangible as a result of a more interior shift.

In our busy lives, slowing down enough to put a little old-fashioned love into making our food can be a Lenten remembrance of its own. Cooking and baking can also be a way to show love and connection with those around us, making it an ideal activity for Lent (and the whole year). Transforming our food with the intention of helping others also transforms us into a state of greater compassion.

Along that theme of transformation, a batch of banana muffins can transform bananas into a smile on the face of their recipient with relatively little work and simple, cheap ingredients found in just about any kitchen. I found the original recipe online at Sally’s Baking Addiction, but it now resides on a well-loved recipe card my mom labelled “Yummy Banana Muffins” that the family likes to see laying on the counter. The recipe leaves room for personalization in its sweet simplicity. Up to a cup of add-ins are presented as an option. When they are going to be shared, I like to add chocolate chips. A more Lenten take may include your favorite dry fruit or a little extra protein with some nuts.

Yummy Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)

6 tablespoons melted butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

Optional: 1 cup walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Using a standard muffin pan, place a muffin cup into each well.

Mix all the dry ingredients.

Mix all the wet ingredients. Mash the bananas.

Mix together the wet ingredients, the dry ingredients, and the bananas. Add anything optional you have selected.

Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees. Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350 and let it bake for 16 to 18 minutes.

Remove them from the oven and let them cool on a rack.

These freeze well, and freshness is also assisted by storage in the refrigerator. The recipe yields about 18 muffins.