Lately I have been trying to change what I eat. I am trying to keep it as clean as possible and reduce my grain consumption as much as possible. Pretty much I am just playing around to see what works. I am not an expert by any means but just like with everything I do in my life, I have researched, read and educated myself on nutrition and overall health.
Last week I posted on Facebook that I was looking for a healthy pumpkin muffin recipe and when I couldn't find one I liked I decided to combine a few and make up my own. Well I didn't get around to making them during the week so I decided to make them this morning. I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure my recipe was going to work. I started measuring and mixing and combining and stirring. It looked good, had a nice consistency and it smelled good. So far, so good. I spooned the mixture into the muffin pan, added my toppings and popped it in the oven. I set the timer and watched...hoping they would cook up and not become rocks.
When the timer went off, I held my breath, stuck the toothpick in and watched as it came out clean. Okay, that is a good sign! I took the pan out, let it cool a bit and popped one muffin onto a plate. It smelled good, looked good and it wasn't a brick. I then handed the plate over to someone else in the house and said try it! I was not going to be the first to try my own recipe...I was still very nervous and I knew the pickier eaters in the house would be by biggest critics so if they liked it I was in the clear. Thumbs up!!! It was good; so good in fact that he ate three of them!!!
So, without further ado, I give you my very own Pumpkin Muffin recipe! (nicknamed by the rest of the household as Kitchen Sink Muffins....as in everything bu the kitchen sink!)
Ingredients:
Muffin batter:
2 Cups oats (blend or use food processor to make a flour-like consistency)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground sea salt (I am sure kosher would work too)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 packets of Stevia crystals
1 egg
1/2 cup pure honey
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2-3/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts
1/2-3/4 shredded unsweetened coconut
Streusel topping:
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup oats (blended to course powder)
1/8 cup wheat germ
1/8 cup ground flax seed
1/8 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
raw pumpkin seeds
shredded unsweetened coconut
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
For the muffin batter, mix oats, b. powder, b, soda, salt, spices and Stevia in a medium bowl until combined.
To bowl of stand mixer or a large bowl add egg, honey, banana, yogurt, pumpkin, applesauce and vanilla. Mix until combined and add in dry ingredients. Continue mixing until well incorporated. Add walnuts and coconut to batter and mix until combined. Spoon batter into muffin pan until each well is about 3/4 full.
In the medium bowl melt the coconut oil in the microwave. Add the oats, wheat germ, flax seed, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Top each muffin with the streusel mix. Add pumpkin seeds and coconut on top.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan as long as you can stand...pop them out and enjoy!
This recipe yielded 18 muffins. Please note that walnuts, seeds and coconut can all be omitted if you have an allergy or just don't like them. According to an online calorie counter the muffin batter has the following nutritional information:
Nutrition FactsServing Size 60 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 124
Calories from Fat 43
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.8g
7%
Saturated Fat 1.1g
5%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 9mg
3%
Sodium 42mg
2%
Total Carbohydrates 18.8g
6%
Dietary Fiber 2.3g
9%
Sugars 10.6g
Protein 3.4g
Vitamin A 34%•Vitamin C 2%Calcium 3%•Iron 16%Nutrition Grade C-
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet
Topping nutrition not including the pumpkin seeds or extra coconut:
Nutrition FactsServing Size 6 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 33
Calories from Fat 22
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2.4g
4%
Saturated Fat 1.4g
7%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 0mg
0%
Total Carbohydrates 2.5g
1%
Dietary Fiber 0.6g
2%
Sugars 1.1g
Protein 0.8g
Vitamin A 0%•Vitamin C 0%Calcium 0%•Iron 1%Nutrition Grade B-
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet
So, overall I would say these are not too bad for you. I am sure I could reduce the sugar in the batter by lowering the amount of honey I use and maybe using plain yogurt instead of vanilla but overall I think it works. Feel free to change up the ingredients, the amounts, whatever works for you and let me know how it comes out. If you can come up with a healthier version, by all means, please let me know! I hope you enjoy these and I really would love to hear your feedback!
Enjoy!
♥xoxo♥
Kay