Good-For-You Muffins...

 

These muffins are quite brown due to the fact that I accidentally dumped a lot of cinnamon in them.  

Still good, so dump in all you want.  Cinnamon is good for you.

This past month, hubby and I have been trying to be good --good in the way of eating healthier and smarter.  We have been working at consuming less carbs, less fat, and almost no sugar.  Wow, what a difference it makes!  Hubby has always been a candy lover and I have always been a baked goods lover and so shedding the sugar has given us much more energy and less weight.

We have really steered clear of anything sweet except for protein bars which are quite low in sugar, but I have been wanting just a little something home-baked that would be tasty and good for us too.  So I decided  to revise my old Good-for-You Muffin recipe to make it even more healthy without compromising taste.  In the past few weeks I found and tried a recipe for some high-protein muffins.  I hate to waste, but I admit to you, I threw them out to the chickens.  Tip:  don't use whey protein powder to make muffins -- ever ever!  Ick, ick, ick! 

One new-to-me discovery is LSA.  LSA stands for Linseed (another name for flax seed), Sunflower, Almond.  It's real power food—a great source of essential omega 3 oils, protein-building amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and fiber. The benefits of LSA are not just in what it provides, but what it reduces. Almonds will actually lower the glycemic index of accompanying foods.  The vitamin E and selenium in sunflower seeds will help neutralize destructive 'free radical' molecules, and the omega oils in flax seed have anti-inflammatory properties and can help in healing a surprising number of degenerative conditions. It is best to use raw nuts and seeds.  I made it simply in the kitchen blender.  Just remember 3, 2, 1.  Three (3) parts linseed, 2 parts sunflower seed, and 1 part almonds.  Dump them into the blender and grind into a course meal.  Add LSA to muffins, on top of cereal, salads, or anywhere you wish to add more nutrition.  Be sure to store the LSA in the fridge in an airtight jar or container.  This article on LSA is excellent and gives good tips for making, storing, and eating it.

Now for the delicious Good-For-You Muffins

1 1/2 c. grated carrots or zucchini or combo

1/4 c. coconut oil (melted)

1/4 c. honey

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/3 c. rolled oats

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. shredded coconut

1/3 c. LSA mix *

Mix wet ingredients together and then add the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Divide batter into 12 greased muffin cups.  Bake 350* for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Nutrition:  160 calories (each) 9.9 g. carbs, 4 g. fat, 4.6 g. protein,

6 g. sugar  (my rough calculations)

*To make LSA Mix:  combine 3 parts flax seed (linseed), 2 parts sunflower seeds, 1 part almonds.  Grind into a course flour in the blender.  Store in fridge.