Muffins can be a treasure trove of health and deliciousness. You can combine any number of ingredients to satisfy your cravings. They can be light and airy or dense and hearty. They can be packed full of goodness to ward off colds and build your immune system with ingredients like herbs and spices to dried fruits and honey. And you can let your creativity flow with the seasons, using the fresh ingredients available. It is also fun to seek out locally produced ingredients like the herbs and honey mentioned above. Then there are the vegetables like pumpkin in the fall or zucchini in the summer, just to name a couple of examples. They can be a nutritional part of any meal.
Muffins are easy to make with just a few ingredients. And fortunately, unlike loaves of bread, they don’t take long to bake. Most freeze well so you can make a batch and save some later for other meals or snacks. They work well for our busy lifestyles.
For those of us concerned about what we eat and the calories we consume, muffins are ideal. Muffins are pre-packaged in individual servings. You know what you are eating and what the calories are for each muffin.
My current favorite healthy and hearty muffin is a Whole Wheat Dried Apricot Muffin. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients-
1 cup unbleached flour
⅔ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons grated orange rind
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
¼ cup light butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup liquid egg (i.e., Egg Beaters)
1 cup finely chopped dried apricots
Cooking Spray
Directions-
1. Spoon flours into measuring cups; level with a knife.
2. Combine flours, sugar, orange rind, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
3. Combine buttermilk, light butter, vanilla and liquid egg. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist.
4. Fold in apricots.
5. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched in the center. Remove from muffin pan and serve.
Yield: 12 muffins. Calories per muffin: 126.
For other muffin inspirations, check out my blog for “Healthy Muffins”.
Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!
