Amazingly Delicious Healthy Bran Muffins!

Oh my! It has been far too long since I've been back on here! As you can probably tell, the last four months of life have been insanely busy. I will definitely find more time to dedicate to this activity going forward, as I just love sharing all these great things I come across!

So, here's the next great thing...who doesn't love muffins? You name the kind, I love it...I just don't love the carbs and calories that come with it! Well, thanks to Cooking Light, that is now over! These Oat Bran Muffins are incredibly tasty, incredibly nutritious and are only 114 calories each! The only warning I have is that you will become addicted! This will become your new favorite breakfast item!

From "The Best of Cooking Light Everyday Favorites" (You can buy this 500 page book at Target for only $25...every recipe I've tried is AMAZING):

*One note before we go further: this recipes uses a lot of fruits and veggies (and even the skin of an orange), including the kind (like apples) that are of the worst in terms of being contaminated with pesticides and chemicals, so please go organic and save yourself from eating a lot of bug spray along with your delicious muffins! :)

Oat Bran Muffins

Ingredients:
1c all purpose flour
1c whole wheat flour
1 3/4c oat bran (or you can just blend oats, oat meal, etc.)
3/4c packed brown sugar
1/3c nonfat dry milk
1/4c flaxseeds
4tsp ground cinnamon
2tsp baking soda
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
2c shredded carrot (you can buy pre-shredded, or use a food processor to shred fresh organic ones like I do...about 5 large carrots makes 2 cups)
2c chopped granny smith apple (peeled)
1c raisins
1c fat-free milk (I use soymilk or almond milk)
1/4c olive oil (or canola, etc. - use what you have)
2tsp vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
1 orange, unpeeled and quartered
cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine flours and next 8 ingredients in a LARGE bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in carrots, apple, and raisins.
3. Combine milk, oil, vanilla, egg whites, and orange in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add milk mixture; stir until moist.
4. Using an ice-cream scoop, spoon batter into each of 28 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake in batches at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove muffins from pans immediately, and place on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy! I usually freeze half of them and save for another time since there are only two of us...and 28 muffins is quite a lot for two people! :)

Yield: 28 muffins

Make Your Own Larabars!

So, a couple weekends ago one of my very best friends, Michelle, was here. We decided one of the many things we would do is a 30 mile bike ride along the Pacific Ocean. In the middle of that bike ride, I was starving and deprived of energy...and I had forgotten to bring a snack! That's when Michelle whipped out a couple of Larabars from her backpack...and that's when my addiction began.

What I love about Larabars is that they're 100% natural, nutritious, are very filling and about 200 calories - they really are the perfect snack. What I don't love about Larabars is the price...they sell for $1.60/each roughly...if you're really lucky I've found them for $1 (which is still crazy expensive for ONE bar). Given the ingredients are usually no more than 3-4, I knew they couldn't be that hard to make!

These are about as easy to make as a Margarita!

The only equipment needed is a food processor. This recipe is for the delicious Almond Cookie - any others are just as easy (peanut butter cookie is another of my favs!).

Makes 6 Bars
Ingredients:
1 Cup Dates
2 Cups Almonds
1 teaspoon Real vanilla extract

Directions:
Where you buy dates makes a world of difference in price - whole foods will sell you about 10 dates for $6. Costco will sell you about 80 dates for $6. Both are organic. Take your pick!

If you bought unpitted dates, pit them first, then dump into the food processor with the 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Process in the food processor until all are blended together with sticky consistency. Add the almonds, and pulse until they are chopped up and mixed together with the date mixture.

When mixed - dump out into a 9x9 dish and press/smooth out. Refridgerate for 1 hour (or as long as you want).

After it has chilled, cut into 6 equal sized bars. Then, wrap each in plastic wrap, and store in the pantry or out on the counter (keeps fresh for about a week).

Tadaa...homemade, 100% natural and nutritious, 100% easy peasy to make, and about 75% cheaper on your wallet! :)



All Natural, Low-Fat Deceptively Delicious Brownie Cupcakes!

These brownie cupcakes taste so decadent and so rich, yet you don't have to hit the treadmill for hours afterwards to burn off the calories. The only fattening items in the entire recipe are the mere 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips and dash of oil olive (which is spread amonsgt 8 cupcakes). They're low-fat, dairy-free, and gluten-free!

Adapted from Bethenny Fankel's "Naturally Thin"

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of cinnamon
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (vegan if you want to stay dairy free recipe)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a regular sized muffin pan with cooking spray. You will only use 8 of the cups.

2. In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and olive oil. Stir and set aside to allow the sugar crystals to dissolve.

3. In a large bowl, sift together the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. If you don't want to take the time to sift, mix them well with a wire whisk to aerate the dry ingredients.

4. Add the applesauce mixture to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide the batter between 8 muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are firm to the touch.

6. Cool completely before popping the muffins out.

* Grocery stores around me rarely carry oat flour. Making your own is extremely easy though. Just buy a package of dry rolled oats. Then using a food processor or blender, pulverize the oats to a powder.

Yummy Healthy Berry Muffins!

I am in LOVE with Bethenny Frankel's book "Skinnygirl Dish." I highly recommend buying it for anyone who enjoys eating healthy, natural foods. There are so many healthy, delicious versions of some of my favorite, typically unhealthy, food. I made one of them yesterday and found it so delicious I have to share!

Recipe (adapted from Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl Dish):

INGREDIENTS:

 1 ¼ cups Whole Wheat Flour
 ¾ cup raw sugar
 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
 ¼ teaspoon salt
 ½ cup soy milk
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 ¾ teaspoon real vanilla extract
 ¾ cup fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with liners.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients except for the berries in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the berries.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, drop the batter into the muffin liners. Bake for 20 minutes. When done, let stand for 15 minutes.