Healthy Tastes Good

Why haven’t I been posting all of my meals lately?
Because I’ve honestly just been eating the same things over and over.  Boring for you, but quite simple and lovely for me! :) 
I have also had the baking bug a fair amount recently.  But in order to avoid adding more pounds to the already extra bit of lovin’ I’m carrying around these days I’ve been hunting around for healthier baked options.
Enter:  The healthiest looking and tasting muffin ever.  Courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill Flax Meal bag. 

I read the list of ingredients and decided that if these didn’t end up like heavy, fiberific hockey pucks I’d be surprised. Bob doesn’t generally steer us wrong though so I stocked up on oat bran and got to work grating fresh apples and carrots.

Bran Flax Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour (white or whole wheat)
• 3/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 3/4 cup oat bran
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots 
• 2 peeled and shredded apples  (I used Ambrosia)
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional) 
• 1 cup chopped nuts  (I used 2/3 cup chopped almonds)
• 3/4 cup milk (I used UVAB)
• 2 beaten eggs 
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix together flour, Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins (if using) and nuts.
3. In a separate bowl combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla.
4. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. DO NOT OVER MIX.
5. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
   (My muffins were a bit smaller so I checked at 15 minutes, and cooked an additional 2 minutes.)

Yield: 15 medium muffins (I got 20 smaller muffins).

Turns out healthy actually tastes pretty good! :)  I wasn’t too sure when they first came out of the oven…but after cooling and storing in an airtight container overnight they are quite moist and borderline delicious.  I might leave the apples a weee bit chunkier in the future.

Coffee and almond butter helped to cross that border.  A recipe worth holding on to.  Nom.