Gang,
Quite often, in the morning, I don't have the time to make oatmeal and I'm frequently challenged to dabble-in a bit of protein as well. I'm running off to the gym and bringing a mug of oatmeal is difficult to eat while driving and results in a concrete-like crusted mug when I get home later.
So it occurred to me, why not make an oatmeal based muffin....no prep in the morning, just grab & go. What resulted is amazing. I tweaked and played with the recipe until I got it right. This is NOT low-calorie, I've added-in enough EFA's and fruit that it's dense. It's not high-calorie either, it's probably about 175-190 calories...but it's super-well balanced:
Whole carbs, low-glycemic, high fiber, Essential Fatty Acids (healthy oils), protein, antioxidants, flavanoids, phytonutrients.....pretty much everything!
Dry ingredients:
1.5 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1.5 cups Oatmeal, I prefer Coach's Steel-cut
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 TBL baking powder
1 TBL cinnamon
1/3 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup psylium husk
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup assorted nuts (almond, pine nut, walnut)....mince down to small pieces
1/3 cup black currants or similar small dried berry...kept intact, do not blend
Wet ingredients
3 egg whites (you can toss in one yolk)
1 apple
12 prunes (aka dried plums)
1/2 cup lite soy milk or real milk
1/4 cup real maple syrup (no HFCS please)
Combine all dry ingredients and mix. Combine all wet ingredients seperatly and puree....then combine wet into dry ingredients and mix well.
Preheat oven to 375. Get those little rubber muffin cups so the muffins just fall out and you don't need to use any shortening. You still place the rubber muffin containers in a muffin tray. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Yields about 20 muffins.
Optional: You can add 1/2-can pumpkin and spice with nutmeg, allspice and cloves for a Winter seasonal muffin. This recipe is abusively simple....you can mix & match all sorts of things. If the mixture seems too moist, add oatmeal, too dry, add water or milk. Change fruits or flours, whatever....make it your own!
Now...breaking it down. Have you heard of the cookie diet? Well, it's not a delicious cookie, it's basically a bunch of dense fiberous carbs with some protein added in, same as this muffin.
You got a whole lot of good carbs...the whole wheat flour is good, the steel-cut oatmeal is excellent and the psylium husk are just insane fiber. So you're getting a LOT of fiber and it'll slow your digestive system down...these muffins will "stick to your ribs" and slow down the absorbtion of the sugars. BE SURE TO DRINK A WHOLE BOTTLE OF WATER....it'll open-up the fibers in your stomach. You can almost eat this muffin with water 30 minutes before a meal and it'll help fill you up.
The fruit is there for sweetening, but apples, currrants and prunes are full of vitamins, potassium, minerals, antioxidants and lots of wonderful nutrients.
I've added the vanilla protein powder to balance the equation....borrowing a page from The Zone diet that contends a proper blend of carbs/protein is optimal. Protein digest slowly and we need protein, you want it in the nutrient burn and these muffins were designed to be eaten pre-workout as well. The soy milk and nuts have protein as well.
This recipe was originally adapted from a Fat-Free muffin. Well, we used to think fat makes you fat, but we know now that certain fats, especially EFA's (Essential fatt acids) are not only beneficial, but critical to our body & health. I've added the flax seed meal as well as the nuts for all the monosaturated fats...this adds a nice flavor and keeps the muffin somewhat moist. LOL; the fat-free versions were hard enough to use as weapons! But the nuts have fiber, protein and excellent fats known to reduce cardiovascular disease and many other significant benefits. Even cinnamon is alledged to have blood-pressure reducing qualities, which is why I hit that hard too.
It's all there....whole carbs, fiber, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals...no additives, coloring, preservatives, etc. They should last fresh for almost a week and you can just grab 'em on the go. Excellent for pre-workout, post workout, breakfast and even as a meal substitute.
I don't know about you guys, but around 8pm I get a FEROCIOUS hunger and if I eat a muffin with a bottle of water....it actually shuts me down! Hey, find what works for you and I've found these muffins absolutely excellent as a means of dieting and just eating healthy!
Enjoy!
Quite often, in the morning, I don't have the time to make oatmeal and I'm frequently challenged to dabble-in a bit of protein as well. I'm running off to the gym and bringing a mug of oatmeal is difficult to eat while driving and results in a concrete-like crusted mug when I get home later.
So it occurred to me, why not make an oatmeal based muffin....no prep in the morning, just grab & go. What resulted is amazing. I tweaked and played with the recipe until I got it right. This is NOT low-calorie, I've added-in enough EFA's and fruit that it's dense. It's not high-calorie either, it's probably about 175-190 calories...but it's super-well balanced:
Whole carbs, low-glycemic, high fiber, Essential Fatty Acids (healthy oils), protein, antioxidants, flavanoids, phytonutrients.....pretty much everything!
Dry ingredients:
1.5 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1.5 cups Oatmeal, I prefer Coach's Steel-cut
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 TBL baking powder
1 TBL cinnamon
1/3 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup psylium husk
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup assorted nuts (almond, pine nut, walnut)....mince down to small pieces
1/3 cup black currants or similar small dried berry...kept intact, do not blend
Wet ingredients
3 egg whites (you can toss in one yolk)
1 apple
12 prunes (aka dried plums)
1/2 cup lite soy milk or real milk
1/4 cup real maple syrup (no HFCS please)
Combine all dry ingredients and mix. Combine all wet ingredients seperatly and puree....then combine wet into dry ingredients and mix well.
Preheat oven to 375. Get those little rubber muffin cups so the muffins just fall out and you don't need to use any shortening. You still place the rubber muffin containers in a muffin tray. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Yields about 20 muffins.
Optional: You can add 1/2-can pumpkin and spice with nutmeg, allspice and cloves for a Winter seasonal muffin. This recipe is abusively simple....you can mix & match all sorts of things. If the mixture seems too moist, add oatmeal, too dry, add water or milk. Change fruits or flours, whatever....make it your own!
Now...breaking it down. Have you heard of the cookie diet? Well, it's not a delicious cookie, it's basically a bunch of dense fiberous carbs with some protein added in, same as this muffin.
You got a whole lot of good carbs...the whole wheat flour is good, the steel-cut oatmeal is excellent and the psylium husk are just insane fiber. So you're getting a LOT of fiber and it'll slow your digestive system down...these muffins will "stick to your ribs" and slow down the absorbtion of the sugars. BE SURE TO DRINK A WHOLE BOTTLE OF WATER....it'll open-up the fibers in your stomach. You can almost eat this muffin with water 30 minutes before a meal and it'll help fill you up.
The fruit is there for sweetening, but apples, currrants and prunes are full of vitamins, potassium, minerals, antioxidants and lots of wonderful nutrients.
I've added the vanilla protein powder to balance the equation....borrowing a page from The Zone diet that contends a proper blend of carbs/protein is optimal. Protein digest slowly and we need protein, you want it in the nutrient burn and these muffins were designed to be eaten pre-workout as well. The soy milk and nuts have protein as well.
This recipe was originally adapted from a Fat-Free muffin. Well, we used to think fat makes you fat, but we know now that certain fats, especially EFA's (Essential fatt acids) are not only beneficial, but critical to our body & health. I've added the flax seed meal as well as the nuts for all the monosaturated fats...this adds a nice flavor and keeps the muffin somewhat moist. LOL; the fat-free versions were hard enough to use as weapons! But the nuts have fiber, protein and excellent fats known to reduce cardiovascular disease and many other significant benefits. Even cinnamon is alledged to have blood-pressure reducing qualities, which is why I hit that hard too.
It's all there....whole carbs, fiber, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals...no additives, coloring, preservatives, etc. They should last fresh for almost a week and you can just grab 'em on the go. Excellent for pre-workout, post workout, breakfast and even as a meal substitute.
I don't know about you guys, but around 8pm I get a FEROCIOUS hunger and if I eat a muffin with a bottle of water....it actually shuts me down! Hey, find what works for you and I've found these muffins absolutely excellent as a means of dieting and just eating healthy!
Enjoy!