I may love breakfast food, but I am not a breakfast person. I prefer to save my larger meals for lunch and dinner since filling my stomach usually makes me want to take a nap. I have always been a light breakfast eater, but will never turn down a good brunch.
Being a mom, I wake up each and every morning to a hungry and often grumpy toddler that needs to be fed and a husband that needs a packed lunch. Between refilling sippy cups, buttering pancakes and fetching the right color fork (which often changes throughout the meal), it’s hard enough to remember to drink a glass of water, let alone sit down and actually eat a meal.
Besides, aside from feeding my child, caffeine is always next on my morning to-do list and on mornings that my child isn’t grumpy, coffee skips right to the top.
Priorities.
But a mama has to eat eventually, so I decided to start baking muffins.
While I love me a sweet, buttery dessert muffin every once-in-while, the foods I eat need to leave me satisfied and ready to go; so, my morning muffins needed to be fully loaded with healthy, energy-boosting ingredients.
After a couple batches and a few tweaks, I found my perfect healthy muffin! Low in sugar, and high in fiber, these beauties are full of both fruit and veggies, and they’re easily modified to be vegan!
Soft and fluffy, they are sweetened by bananas, sweet potato and little bit of maple syrup. Optional (but highly recommended!) pecans add a buttery crunchiness that perfectly complements the mild sweetness from the maple syrup.
Octavian also enjoys a muffin or two when they are fresh out of the oven- yes, that is the only time I can get my child to eat my baked goods. If you have a less picky toddler, these muffins are a great way to sneak vegetables and fruit into their diet that are both high vitamins and minerals, but also fiber.
I, on the other hand, will eat one anytime and keep them stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Microwave for 30 seconds, smear with a little butter if you’re feeling wild and devour.
Best muffins ever!
Sweet Potato, Banana and Butternut Squash Muffins
Ingredients
- 1.75 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup oat bran
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 3 tsp chia seeds, soaked in 3 tsp water for 10 minutes
- 1 cup milk, cow, almond, coconut, soy
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (or butter)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 large ripe banana
- 3/4 cup butternut squash puree, or pumpkin
- 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and lightly spray with your favorite non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients: flour, oat bran, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients: soaked chia seeds, milk, vanilla, applesauce, melted oil, and maple syrup. Into the same bowl as the wet ingredients, mix in the pureed banana, butternut squash and sweet potato, making sure all three are well combined.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients being careful not to overmix! Fold in the chopped nuts.
- Divide batter between 18 prepared baking cups and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
Enjoy!
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Is it okay to use baking powder instead of baking soda in this recipe? And if so, how much? Thanks.