Sundays are the best when we don’t have an agenda but just meander through the day. This weekend almost required lazy days because of how rainy it’s been. But the girls didn’t let a little rain stop their fun. They loved playing in it!
Muffins and breakfast cookies are my go-to summer breakfasts. I must also own to stopping at Starbucks for a square of their lemon cake more times than I care to admit, but when I take the time, preparing our own healthy breakfasts is a much more wholly satisfying and inexpensive endeavor.
I realized when I got started making these muffins that I was out of eggs, so I dashed off to the store. I normally buy local eggs from a farm up the road, but I was pleased to find on my quick run to Trader Joe’s that they now carry heirloom eggs from a New Hampshire farm called Pete & Gerry’s. Aren’t they beauties?
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| Don’t adjust your dial. Those eggs are blue! |
The recipe below is adapted and combined from two of my favorite bran muffins recipes: Cooking Light and Bob’s Red Mill. I cut out some of the sugar using Cooking Light’s trick of using a little maple syrup.
maple raisin bran muffins
makes 15 muffins
3/4 c. white whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. flax seed meal
3/4 c. oat bran (or Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal)
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot or squash
3/4 c. chopped and toasted walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. applesauce
squirt of molasses
2 Tbs. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degF. Place flours in a large bowl. Stir in flax seed meal through salt, making a well in the center. In a medium bowl, combine milk through eggs, stirring well with a whisk. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring just until moist. Grease muffin tins or line with paper cups; spoon muffin mix evenly in the cups.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes until it passes the toothpick test. Cool 10 minutes in the pan over a wire rack.
p.s. Are you joining me in exercising every day of the Olympics? So far so good. Day 1 and 3 were spent at the gym, and yesterday was a yoga session. Do you practice yoga? I have more to say about it in another post to come.
Update (9/6/12): I have made this recipe a few times with squash for either half or all of the carrot. Delicious!
Editor’s note: This post is part of GNOWFGLINS Zucchini & Squash Seasonal Recipe Round-Up Monday Mania, The Homestead Barn Hop, and Pennywise Platter