The BEST Healthier Blueberry Muffins

One of my Saturday morning traditions is to start the morning with a cup of coffee and the Food Network. A couple of my favorite shows come on at this time and I love watching them for the creativity of their recipes, the simplicity in most of the recipes created, and the fact that I’ll actually probably make the recipes that they cook! I’m not in culinary school and so, with the exception of a few cooking classes here and there, I’ve found these shows to be a great way to learn about different cooking techniques, the pairing of different ingredients and, of course, new recipe ideas!

A few weekends ago, I watched Ina Garten make these Blueberry Bran Muffins. I loved the ease of the recipe and the fact that she was using some healthier swaps to make these muffins, while keeping them seemingly delicious! So, fast-forward to this past weekend when I decided to make these guys and they absolutely, 100% did not disappoint! Kyle and I both loved them and the remaining muffins have been stored on our counter for more enjoying this week!

Baked and ready to go!

A little bit about these muffins - they use the main basic baking ingredients, including flour, sugar, egg, baking powder and baking soda, but, instead of tons of butter, Ina uses vegetable oil and plain Greek yogurt to keep them moist and crumbly and she adds wheat bran (although I couldn’t find wheat bran at the store and used oat bran), which adds some texture without drying them out and gives them a big boost of fiber! I really think the yogurt is what makes these muffins so incredibly moist and it also bumps up the nutrition profile of theses muffins by increasing the protein and calcium content. To seal the deal I found some incredibly sweet fresh blueberries at the grocery this past weekend, which packs in even MORE flavor and sweetness and nutrition with every scrumptious bite!

Of course you could add in some whole wheat flour for 1/2 the regular flour, but I would make it this way first. It’s a healthier boost to your typical blueberry muffin and something healthier that your kids and athletes might actually want to eat in the morning! Pair it with a scrambled egg if you need an extra boost of protein (will get you about 7 additional grams). This past weekend we paired the muffins with cheesy eggs, a perfect Saturday morning brunch for us. I’ve also made them and used fresh raspberries and blackberries and they were just as delicious!

We paired our muffin with some deliciously simple cheesy eggs. I sauteed mushrooms in the skillet. Whisked eggs with milk and fresh thyme. Then added the egg mixture to the mushrooms and scrambled until almost done, tossing in sharp grated cheddar at the very end and sprinkling with salt and pepper and a little more fresh thyme

I hope you give these muffins a try! I’ve got the remainders packaged on our counter for some quick breakfasts on the go and maybe another slow Saturday morning coffee with Kyle or a girlfriend. Kyle and I have both already grabbed one on a busy morning at least once this week :) You can find the recipe on the Barefoot Contessa website. I made it exactly as written, except I used oat bran instead of wheat bran and they were excellent!

Happy Fueling!

Taylor

The Best Blueberry bran muffins

Original recipe by Ina Garten found here

Look at that blueberry goodness!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more to grease the tops of your muffin tin

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 7 ounces of Greek yogurt (I typically use 1 1/2 of my 5.3 oz Nounos plain Greek yogurt containers that are regularly in our frige)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup honey

• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups wheat or oat bran

• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (8 ounces)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the tops of the muffin tin with vegetable oil and line with 12 paper liners.

2. Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.

3. In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt, sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla.

4. Add the bowl of mixed dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and stir until well combined.

5. Gently stir in the bran and blueberries until just combined.

6. Scoop the batter equally into each muffin tin. I use an ice cream scoop to do this, which works really well.

7. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. These are really dense muffins, so I have found that these need to be cooked on the longer side but, remember, every oven is a little different!

8. Allow sit for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

Serve It Again!

I’ve found that these muffins can be stored in an airtight container for the week and be reheated in the microwave for about 20 seconds before serving again. Or they can be enjoyed room temp if no time to reheat. Enjoy!

Up and At 'Em Egg Cups

School, work and fall sports are officially in full swing and so is the desire to continue those fitness and nutrition efforts you began during the spring and summer months.  Between getting up, getting ready for work, getting ready for school, packing the soccer / swim / skating / cross country / gym / (your chosen activity here) bag and getting yourself to the office or the kids to practice, to school, or all of the above, a good breakfast can often get lost in the shuffle.  A quick bowl of cereal is, of course, an easy go-to but sometimes, even with all the varieties out there, that can get old.  Plus, so many cereals are high in sugar and low in protein, fiber and other nutrients, leaving you or your athlete starving two hours later.

As a young figure skater and cross country runner growing up, I remember that, between my 4:30 a.m. alarm clock, my 5:30 a.m. ice time, and my 7:50 a.m. school bell, there was hardly ever enough time for a good breakfast.  Now, years later, between my early morning alarm, getting in some writing, emails, recipe development or program brainstorming, going on my morning run, and quickly putting myself together to get to the office, I still find many mornings to be one crazy whirlwind.  For this reason I set out to create a quick & easy breakfast option that would energize and satisfy me after my morning run as I headed off to work.

My recipe for you this week is my Up & At 'Em Egg Cups.  With their bursting roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, spinach and sprinkle of feta and Parmesan cheese, you will look forward to breakfast each morning!  Not only are these little cups delicious, but the eggs offer protein, choline, lutein, and a little vitamin D, the roasted tomatoes offer a punch of lycopene (even more than raw tomatoes!) and vitamin C, the spinach tops it off with a little folate, iron (better absorbed by the vitamin C in the tomatoes), and vitamin K, and the onions offer additional vitamin C.   Add a slice of toast, diced fruit, a yogurt or glass of milk, and you have a winning breakfast that, with its mix of protein, complex carbs and antioxidants, will replenish you after a morning workout and refuel you for the busy day ahead.

So here you go... my Up & At 'Em Egg Cups.  Enjoy!

Up & At 'Em Egg Cups

Makes 8 eggs cups;  Serving Size = 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 whole eggs

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes

• 4 teaspoons olive oil

• 1/4 teaspoon ground coarse sea salt

• Ground pepper, to taste

• 1 1/2 cup chopped white onion (about 1/2 of a large onion)

• 1 packed cup fresh spinach, torn or chopped

• 1 tablespoon feta cheese

• 4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the broiler on HIGH and line a medium-sized baking sheet with tin foil.

2. Crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl, add 1/8 teaspoon of salt, a dash of pepper and beat all ingredients together with a wire whisk. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, using a heat-resistant rubber spatula, stir together the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1/8 teaspoon of salt and then spread onto the foil-lined baking sheet.

4. Place the baking sheet with the tomatoes in the preheated oven and broil for 7 - 10 minutes until tomatoes are bursting and start to char, stirring with the spatula half-way through.

5. While the tomatoes roast, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook about 10 - 15 minutes until caramelized, stirring occasionally with spatula.

6. Once the tomatoes are done cooking (while onions are still cooking), grease an 8-cup muffin tin and set oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. After the onions have cooked for about 10 minutes and are beginning to caramelize, add the roasted tomatoes, spinach and feta to the skillet, stirring to combine all ingredients. Continue to cook about 3 minutes more, removing from the heat when spinach is wilted and feta is well incorporated.

8. Divide the onion - spinach mixture evenly into each muffin cup (about 2 tablespoons of the onion - spinach mixture per muffin cup).

9. Divide the egg mixture evenly among each muffin cup (about 3 - 4 tablespoons of the egg mixture per muffin cup).

10. Using a small spoon or dull dinner knife, stir the ingredients in each egg cup to incorporate the onion-spinach mixture and the egg together well.

11. Top each cup's egg mixture with 1/2 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese.

12. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 - 25 minutes until the egg cups puff and begin to brown on top.

13. Let the egg cups cool about 5 minutes after removing from oven. Then run a knife around the edges of each cup to loosen anything sticking to the tin and remove with a small fork or spoon.

14. Eat immediately or allow to cool on a plate, wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for a quick breakfast - on - the - go or mid-morning snack!

Make It Again!  The best thing to do is find a one-hour weeknight or weekend time slot that you can devote to making a big batch of these.  Then wrap them individually in plastic wrap or foil and store them in the refrigerator or the freezer to quickly heat up and enjoy before running out the door in the morning or bring it along to heat and quickly eat at the office!  (Reheat refrigerated cups about 45 seconds and reheat frozen cups about 1 min, 30 seconds)

NUTRITION INFO (per 2 cups):

Calories 175;  Protein 10g;  Carbohydrate 8g;  Total Fat 12g (sat 3g, mono 5.75g, poly 1.75g);  Sugar 4g;  Added Sugar 0g;  Sodium 310mg;  Cholesterol 210 mg;  Potassium 300 mg;  Calcium 105 mg