I know it's that time of year that we all indulge, but I've been making this recipe for a few years now that serves two purposes. One, that sweet fix and two, a healthy mid day snack. My biggest fan, Brian, loves them and raves about them all of the time, so I thought I would share this recipe from Bill Phillips Eating For Life recipe book. It is a Carrot Cake Muffin recipe, and to mix it up, I substitute in Bananas and Pecans, Pumpkin and Pecans (Great for the holidays) and Blueberries. This recipe makes 12 muffins and they can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for two days or frozen in a freezer bag for up to two months. Hope you have a chance to make them over the holidays!
Ingredients:
12 foil muffin liners
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup brown sugar substitute (I get Splenda brown sugar)
9 Tbsp vanilla protein powder (soy or whey) (I get the EAS Whey Protein from Target)
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup skim milk
4 large egg whites, beaten
2 cups carrots, shredded (This is where I substitute in 2 Bananas smashed and chopped pecans OR canned pumpkin and chopped pecans OR Blueberries- when making blueberry muffins, I replace the cinnamon with vanilla extract)
1. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.
2. Line 12 muffin cups with foil liners. Lightly coat the liners with butter-flavored cooking spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together wheat flour, oat flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Then add the wheat germ, brown sugar substitute, protein powder and salt.
4. In another bowl, combine applesauce, skim milk and egg whites (and vanilla extract if making blueberry - don't forget to take out the cinnamon). Pour applesauce mixture into flour mixture. Stir just until all ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy). Then gently fold in the carrots (bananas, nuts, pumpkin, blueberries, etc) until evenly combined.
5. Spoon the batter into the foil-lined muffin cups until each is almost full. Bake until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of muffins comes out "clean," about 18 minutes.
Enjoy!
