Snack: Whole-wheat bran muffins

    I have made these muffins at least 5 times in the last 3 weeks including for our daughter's preschool, and I am happy to say 90% of the twenty kids that tried them loved them! One of the little girls begged her Mom to get the recipe from me that night. She couldn't stop raving about how good they were, and she is a picky eater! I was a proud mama that day.  

I buy a lot of these ingredients in bulk like the dates and flour, so if you have a local supermarket in your area that sells stuff in bulk, you will probably save some money. These muffins pack in 3.4g of fiber per muffin, and are irresistibly flavorful and yummy. They are great for a snack or breakfast, and freeze really well if you don't want them taking up any room in your fridge. Just plastic wrap them individually, place them in a large freezer zip lock bag, and let it defrost in your fridge overnight or just pop it in the microwave for a minute. 

Check out the Change it Up section at the bottom for ideas on how to alternate the ingredients to create your muffin to your liking.

*I adapted this recipe came from Cooking Light . You can check out the original recipe from their website.

Muffin Recipe

Serves: 12 Prep: 25  minutes Cooking Time:  18-20 minutes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup oat bran, or wheat bran or wheat germ
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup pitted dates, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup low-fat buttermilk (see alternative in Change It Up)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, well beaten
1/2 cup boiling water
Cooking Spray

1 Preheat oven to 375*F. In a large bowl mix flour through walnuts. In a smaller bowl combine buttermilk through egg. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well. Add the boiling water, and combine well. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, add muffin batter to the muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in muffin tins, and then let cool all the way on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
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Plan and Prep Ahead 

Here are some helpful techniques to make life a little easier once dinner time hits. These tips will especially help those that work full-time and don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner. 

~Chop up dates and walnuts ahead of time. 
~Mix together flour through walnuts in a bowl and set aside.


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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP? 

 ~If you don't have buttermilk, add 1 TB of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk to make sour milk. 
~Use dried cherries, raisins or currants instead of dried cranberries. 
~Chop up 1 apple and add to the mixture. 
~Instead of 1 cup of flour, just use 1/2 cup of flour and use 1/2 cup oat bran, wheat bran or ground flax seeds or a mixture of them. 
~Regular old fashioned oats may be replaced for quick oats. 
~Chop up some peans, almonds or pistachios instead of walnuts. 
~Zest 1 orange or lemon into the batter to change up the flavor. 

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