It has been a crazy few months for my family, seems there is always something going on and this past weekend was no exception. When life gets so busy it's hard to eat right and I don't know about you but with summer fast approaching I am really trying to make good food choices. So, when we were packing for our latest weekend adventure, Congrats to my cousin Joe and his new wife Keri, I wanted something not only healthy but that would tide me over for the 3 hour plus car ride.
My goal was to create something easy to eat, freezable and not to time consuming and so the muffins were born.
Trail Mix Muffins
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
1 /2 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of regular oats
1/2 cup of applesauce
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 mashed bananas
1 egg
1 cup of your favorite natural trail mix
1/2 cup of dried fruit
3 tablespoons of whole flaxseed (for the top of the muffins)
3/4 teaspoon of stevia (optional)
Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin cups or tins with cooking spray or lightly oil with olive oil. Combine flours, oats, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture, combine yogurt, banana, applesauce and egg. Pour into the well of the flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in trail mix and dried fruit. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the flaxseed on top of each muffin. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes depending on the size of your muffins or until a toothpick comes out clean. This made 12 muffins for us, though I prefer large, over-sized muffins.
These muffins have a lot of flexibility, my husband is not a huge dried fruit fan, so I halfed the batter and made his portion with just nuts and blueberries and my portion with all the other good stuff. Of course what ever nut or fruit you use is up to you, I love to find big chunks of each and be surprised with ever bite, so that is why I went with my favorite trail mix from Whole Foods.
These muffins are great for you, they have absolutely no sugar, no oil and packed full of protein. The applesauce and the banana are used as sweeteners. If you prefer your muffins to be on the sweeter side, then I recommend adding the Stevia option. Stevia is a natural sweetener and great for baking, the key is to use very minimal. You can always add more but once you over sweeten there is no way to take some out. Each ingredient in these muffins offer a great deal of nutritional value. Both flours and oats are a good source of dietary fiber and protein. The applesauce is organic, all natural with no sugar. The Greek yogurt has twice the protein as regular yogurt and no fat. Plus, depending on your choice of nuts or fruits, you are sure to get many antioxidants, vitamins and good fats into your diet. These were a huge hit with family and a new favorite to keep on hand for those busy mornings or mid day cravings.
These sound yummy!!
ReplyDeletethese were really awesome ! they were loaded with good stuff and best of all good for you! I cant wait to make them and hope they turn out as good as yours. I loved the texture, not like cake, but heavier like a bread - oh so good!!!
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