When you want a hot, delicious start to your day, it takes just a few minutes to whip up a healthy batch of muffins. They're not only easy to make, but you'll also feel good about yourself when you begin the day with food that is wholesome and nutritious.
Banana Applesauce Muffin Recipe
Yield: 20 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup frozen concentrate apple juice (unsweetened is fine)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 egg whites
- 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 cup honey
- 1 apple, unpeeled but cored and diced
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat 20 muffin cups with cooking spray or set a paper liner in each cup.
- Sift the flours, baking soda, allspice, and cream of tartar into a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, beat the apple juice concentrate, vanilla, three of the egg whites, bananas, applesauce, and honey with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined.
- Stir in the dry ingredients with a spatula just until the mixture is uniformly moistened.
- Lightly beat the remaining three egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Fold them into the batter.
- Fold in the diced apple and raisins.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 20 muffin cups, filling each cup to within 1/3 inch of the top.
- Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan before unmolding them and setting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Apple Bran Muffin Recipe
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
- 1 cup apple pieces, peeled and chopped (about 2 small apples)
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup oat bran
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray or place a paper liner in each cup.
- In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, apple pieces, applesauce, and egg whites with a whisk or electric mixer.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except for the brown sugar. Mix until the batter is uniformly moistened.
- Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
- Sprinkle the top of each muffin with some of the reserved brown sugar.
- Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are golden brown and pass the toothpick test.
- Let the muffins stay in the pan for just a few minutes. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, unmold them and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
What Makes Muffins Healthy?
"Healthy" is a word that is tossed around often, but what does it imply when it pertains to muffins? Healthy muffin recipes are generally:
- Low in calories
- Low in fat
- Rich in whole grains
- Filled with vitamins and protein
- Good sources of nutritious ingredients like nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, soy milk, low-fat milk, or skim milk
- Low in sugar, especially processed sugar
Healthy Whole Wheat in Muffins
Refining wheat creates white flour, used to bake airy cakes and breads. However, the process of refining wheat takes away more than half of its B vitamins. It also strips away 90 percent of the vitamin E and nearly all of the fiber. Whole wheat, on the other hand, has not been processed as intensely and has proven to be more nutritious. Eating whole wheat and other whole grains instead of refined grains helps lower insulin levels, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels, especially low-density lipoprotein (or what is known as "bad") cholesterol.
Bake and Freeze
If you can't get up in time to make a batch of hot muffins before heading to work, make them the night before or choose a day off to spend time in the kitchen. After the muffins cool, simply place them in a sealed freezer bag and store them in your freezer. Then, when you're on the run, you can take a muffin from the bag, pop it in the microwave, and heat it up for your breakfast.