We know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but that doesn’t make it any easier to get up and get ready in the morning and still have time for a nutritious feast. It’s much less difficult to just grab something to go and eat it on the way to wherever you’re headed. Some fruit might suffice when it comes to those hurried mornings, but think again before you reach for the store-bought or coffee shop muffins. It’s common to think muffins couldn’t be an unhealthy choice when you hear the words bran, corn or blueberry associated with them, but in reality, you still have the potential to consume major calories and sugar with just one of these baked goods. However, all is not lost if you really enjoy a good muffin and they solve your problem of trying to get out the door quickly. There are several simple things you can do to make your own tasty, healthy muffins at home by tweaking conventional recipes just a tad.
Select Whole Grain Flour
Taking out half of the white flour that a muffin recipe calls for and supplementing the remainder with the same amount of whole grain flour will work wonders to reduce the unhealthiness of the original ingredients. You can choose from whole wheat pastry flour, barley flour or oat flour and no one should be the wiser.
Check out these oatmeal chocolate chip muffins for a yummy on-the-go breakfast or snack option!
Make Use of Healthy Fats
Stay away from hydrogenated oils such as canola oil, vegetable oil, and margarine. Hydrogenated oils are loaded with harmful trans fats that wreck havoc on our bodies. Coconut oil is one of the safest and healthiest oils you can use for baking. Use it as a substitute for shortening, butter, or other types of oil, and get a sweeter, lighter tasting dessert. If you’d like to cut out the oil completely, you can try substituting it out for fruit or vegetable puree, which will help to maintain moistness, add to the nutritional value and increase the natural sweetness. Throwing in some walnuts and almonds, which are high in healthy fats, will also improve the flavor.
| Mildred’s Blueberry Muffins |
Add Flavor Without Going Overboard on Calories
There’s a reason why we are naturally drawn to muffins advertising blueberries, cranberries or banana. They just simply sound more flavorful and better. Boosting the savoriness of your healthy muffins can easily be done so your taste buds don’t ever feel like they’re missing out. You can still create all your favorite flavors by adding a cup of fresh or dried fruit, grated or shredded veggies and even chocolate chips in moderation. This will give you the same sweet taste you crave along with beneficial nutrients like iron, calcium and fiber without overindulging in calories.
Muffin Mix
If you just can’t bring yourself to test out those baking skills, there are plenty of pre-made healthy muffin mixes now offered in local stores that are just as tasty and still give you the option of adding in your own ingredients for special flavors.
Following these steps will give you homemade healthy muffins great for breakfast, snack time or dessert. Most recipes out there can be amended for a healthier option if you are aware of what to watch out for.
Tiffany Olson is a blogger and avid health nut. She believes stongly that highly processes sugars and oils are one of the leading causes of many diet related health problems today. She is constantly reading about healthy eating and loves to share knowledge about this very important social issue.