Healthy Muffins

Lately, my schedule is insane. I'm taking 11 hours at school, and work 32. Monday and Wednesday are my school related days and Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I work. Yuck. I usually end up eating at least 3 meals a week sitting in the parking lot before class. I don't want to spend the money or calories on eating out and I don't care for deli meat or sandwiches, so those meals usually consist of raw veggies and hummus, a handful of almonds, a banana and apple or nectarine, and a granola bar or trail mix - not super satisfying. I decided to go on the hunt for something that was easy to eat, filling, and healthy that I could throw in the mix every once in a while.

My hunt ended at this recipe from Cooking Light - Morning Glory Muffins. These fit my criteria perfectly. The yogurt and banana make these incredibly moist and I love the trail mix feel to them. An added bonus - I read the reviews and there was a comment on how well they freeze. I can make a batch of 18 and just take one at a time out of the freezer as I need it. I also love how you can change up the ingredients. I am really surprised at how delicious these are. Matt really liked them too. He declared them "The Perfect Breakfast Food".

Morning Glory Muffins
Source: Cooking Light





Yield
18 servings (serving size: 1 muffin)
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 cup regular oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon wheat bran
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2) (I had a little under 2 cups, so I added some applesauce)
1 large egg
1 cup chopped pitted dates (I used 1/2 cup golden raisins and 1/2 cup cranberries)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I used soy nuts)
1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed (about 2 tablespoons whole)




Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Place 18 muffin cups liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.

Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine yogurt, banana, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in dates, walnuts, and pineapple.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with flaxseed. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information (for original recipe)

Calories:186 (21% from fat)Fat: 4.4g (sat 0.5g,mono 0.7g,poly 2.8g) Protein: 4.2g Carbohydrate: 35.2g Fiber: 3.4g Cholesterol: 12mg Iron: 1.2mg Sodium: 190mg Calcium: 42mg