Back with a healthy recipe!

Back to blogging today after a few weeks of a crazy schedule plus a much-needed vacation. I figured that I would blog this super easy & healthy recipe since I could really use some healthy inspiration after a week of eating a bit less healthy than usual (New England vacations = lazy lobster, corn chowder, lots of good beer, ice cream...you get the drift). At least I did some hiking too! Hopefully that will balance it out :)

I made these muffins for my mom a few weeks back after she had surgery. She was stuck on the couch for some time and wanted something healthy to eat for breakfast without having to cook something each day - these totally did the trick. She loved them. There are many variations of these muffins around the web - these were full of healthy ingredients without being too dry, boring, or unappetizing. Give them a try!


Morning Glory Muffins (adapted from Cooking Light)

Note: The ingredients in this recipe are super flexible - feel free to swap out the apricots, cranberries, pineapple for whatever dried fruits you like. Add a bit more or less as well. More fruit lends towards a moister muffin, so keep that in mind.

Also, I always have bananas that are getting a bit too ripe in my kitchen. When that happens, I throw them in the freezer and save them for my banana bread. They also work perfectly in this recipe, allowing you to make it anytime without having to wait for your bananas to get ripe!

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup regular oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain fat-free or vanilla yogurt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)
1 large egg
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place 18 muffin cups liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray.

3. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients and stir. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine yogurt, banana, and egg and add to dry mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in fruits and walnuts.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with flaxseed prior to putting into the oven - this gives the muffins a nice crunchy top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

I'm going to post the nutrition facts from the Cooking Light website here so you can see what a great breakfast these make, especially when compared to other muffins. Note that the original recipe also calls for wheat bran, which enhances the nutritional content - I could not find any in my local store so I left it out, but intend to add it next time.

For one muffin (keep in mind that these are for the recipe that appears on their website, linked above): CALORIES 186(21% from fat); FAT 4.4g (sat 0.5g,mono 0.7g,poly 2.8g); IRON 1.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 12mg; CALCIUM 42mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.2g; SODIUM 190mg; PROTEIN 4.2g; FIBER 3.4g