Healthy Breakfast Muffins On The Go!

Are you a muffin lover?  For a delicious and healthy breakfast treat try our favorite fun muffin recipes.  From whole grain to gluten free these lower glycemic staples surely satisfy even the toughest of critics.

This assortment of Paleo muffins, whole grain muffins, and healthy sugar alternative muffins call for simple ingredients, you probably already have on hand. All four recipes take just under 35 minutes to make from start to finish. These are not ordinary muffin recipes. They’re made with whole grains and utilize more nutrient-packed, naturally sweet ingredients, for you and your family’s health. These breakfast delights come out super fluffy and pretty much taste like desserts. Be sure to let us know which one is your favorite.

As muffin lovers, we know, muffins can be packed with hundreds of calories, blood sugar raising white flour, and white sugar, which isn’t health savvy. That’s why we came up with our own healthy alternative recipes.  Food is meant to be both tasty and good for you at the same time.

Standard blueberry muffins contain, on average, 450 calories with very little fiber to balance out the sugar. A low-fat muffin has about the same number of calories but contains more carbohydrates and more sugar, without the essential fat buffer which allows the sugars to be absorbed more slowly into your bloodstream, so as to not produce a blood sugar spike.

Healthy Tips, Or As We Like To Call Them, Tidbits

• Downsize your portions. The mega muffins popular in baking shops are two to three times the size of home baked muffins.
• Use fiber rich whole grains and nut flours. With a few recipe alterations, delicious muffins can be made with 100% whole grains or nut flour.
• Replace white sugar with coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, molasses, or even monk fruit without any negative impact on flavor or texture. Coconut sugar and monk fruit do not spike your glycemic index which is essential for prediabetics.
• Stir in the nuts and sprinkle on the seeds. Walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts and seeds, such as, pumpkin seeds and  sunflower seeds add extra protein, crunch, fiber and an additional source of healthy fats.

Blueberry, Peach, Quinoa Morning Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 cup avocado oil, plus more for pan
• 2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for pan (you can replace with almond flour if you prefer a gluten free alternative)
• ¾ cup coconut sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup organic whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned peaches drained
• 1 cup blueberries rinsed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover and cook until the water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, brush a standard 12 cup muffin pan with oil; dust the pan with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 2 cups cooked quinoa.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined; fold in drained peaches and blueberries. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Banana, Cherry, Almond Delight Muffins

For the crumble

• ½ cup almonds chopped
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the muffins

• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• ½ cup and 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup frozen cherries
• 1 large banana (1/2 cup mashed)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Prep the crumble. Add all the crumble ingredients into a small bowl and toss together until everything is evenly coated in oil.  Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Dust a 12 cup muffin pan with flour
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the egg, Greek yogurt, avocado oil, and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly combined and smooth.
4. Mash the banana until very well mashed. Add to the batter.
5. In a small bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Sift together to ensure everything is evenly combined, then add to the wet ingredients. Using a spatula, fold and combine the wet and dry ingredients until the batter mixes together. Fold in drained cherries.
6. Evenly divide the batter amongst the muffin molds. You’ll want the batter to go almost to the top of the liner.
7. Add a tablespoon of crumble over the batter in the muffin pan and gently press the crumble into the top of the batter.
8. Bake at 400 F for 18-19 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about five minutes, then finish cooling on a wire rack.
10. Enjoy!

Have It Your Way Almond Flour Muffins

 Ingredients 

• 2 1/2 cups organic Almond Flour 
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sweetener, coconut sugar or honey
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup organic butter melted (melted coconut oil or avocado oil works too)
• 6 tablespoon milk- unsweetened organic almond milk, coconut milk or whole milk
• ½ cup fruit of your choice
• ¼ cup nuts of your choice

For the streusel topping

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts of choice
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoon coconut sugar or honey
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 12 count muffin pan and set aside.
2. Prepare your streusel topping. Add the Streusel ingredients into a mixing bowl, and mix together, until a crumble remains. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, add almond flour, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Set aside. In a separate bowl, add the sweetener, eggs, milk, and melted butter, and whisk together, until smooth.
4.  Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold them until smooth and combined. Layer in fruit and nuts. Distribute the muffin batter evenly amongst the muffin tin. Place the crumble topping over each one.
5. Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hummingbird Carrot Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups peeled and grated carrots (about 3 large or up to 6 medium)
• ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup maple syrup, coconut sugar or honey
• ½ cup drained pineapple in small chunks
• 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter
   2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Blend well with a whisk. In a separate, small bowl, Add the grated carrots, and chopped walnuts to the other ingredients and stir to combine.
   3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and sweetener and beat together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, next add the yogurt and vanilla and mix well.
   4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined. Fold in the pineapple. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake muffins for 13 to 16 minutes, or until they are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
   5. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool.

FAQ:

How Can I Make My Muffins Higher In Protein?

Adding protein powder to any of these muffin recipes will help slow down the digestion of carbohydrates, which will prevent your blood sugar from spiking, and leave you feeling full longer. Our personal favorite is Prime Protein Powder.  You can start by adding 1/4 cup of protein powder for every cup of flour in the actual recipe. Because protein powder absorbs liquid, you’ll want to increase the amount of wet ingredients in the recipe, by approximately 1/4 cup for every scoop of protein powder you add. To learn about the many benefits of Prime Protein Shake Powder check out Marneys Tidbits article titled, “We’ve Discovered The Best Vegan Protein Powder And High Protein Recipes.”

What Is The Best Way To Store Muffins?

As muffins are moist in the middle, we like to always store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep well for one week. We recommend making a double recipe. You are sure to want more!

How Do I Freeze Muffins?

Place in a airtight bag or tubber ware and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Enjoy!

Marneys Tidbits publishes helpful and insightful articles about wellness, beauty, gardening, home design, recipes, restaurants, and travel. Our hope is that you’ll discover new ways of doing things that will bring you joy. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for extra tidbits.