Persimmon Muffins with Lemon & Cardamom

Nov 28, 2014

I went on a roll this fall of trying new fruits and veggies that I’d never had before.  I tried acorn squash for the first time (definitely delish!), and then that same week saw these weird little orange tomato-like things in my grocery store and just had to grab one. Turns out it was a persimmon, specifically of the fuyu variety.

So the next logical question was what to make. I browsed a ton of recipes, but most were salads, and I definitely didn’t want to go that route (boring). Then I found this somewhat odd-sounding muffin recipe and had to give it a try.

I “healthied it up” by using half whole wheat flour and cutting down on the sugar just a little. The persimmons gave it a lovely sweetness, with the lemon giving it a tart complement. The overall texture of the muffins was pretty light but still hearty, due to the whole wheat flour. And, like most muffin recipes, they came together in a flash.

I ate one fresh out of the oven with blackberry honey from Croatia, and then took them to work for my breakfast for the next few days (with honey from New Zealand…I definitely have a honey souvenir addiction!). This is such an easy and versatile recipe that you could swap out the persimmons for many other fruits, and even swap in a different citrus zest to mix things up (orange would have been lovely here as well).

Banana Chocolate Coffee Muffins with Whole Wheat Flour

Jul 11, 2014

I’ve really slipped on my healthy breakfast train the last month or two. I had family in town, then was out of the country for a couple weeks, and have been buried under work and lack of sleep. So I just haven’t had the time or energy to do much baking or cooking to prepare for each coming week. Thankfully, over 4th of July weekend I finally got back on track with these beauties.

I really haven’t done a lot of baking lately, partly because when I use my stove and oven it makes my kitchen feel like Death Valley during the summer. My A/C can’t come close to keeping up. But I decided it was worth it to give these guys a try. I mean, coffee and chocolate in a muffin together?? Sign me up!

As much as I love whole wheat flour, I was a little nervous about using it exclusively, since sometimes that can make things a little too dry and dense. I shouldn’t have worried, though—these were moist and light even as reheated leftovers at work the next day. And the dark chocolate chips are these gooey little nuggets of awesome. For something that literally takes like 5 minutes to stir together, the return on this is totally worth it!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Flaxseed Muffins

Apr 5, 2014

Last weekend I decided to make a few changes. Little changes. Healthy changes.

By and large I lead a fairly healthy life—I eat well, exercise a lot, take care of myself (except the working too much and lack of sleep). But I’ve slipped into some bad habits (*coughtoobusyforbreakfastcough*) and feel like my body isn’t quite firing on all cylinders. But since I’m pretty overwhelmed with life right now, I knew I couldn’t do anything that required too much thought or effort.

So I made a list last weekend of a few things I was going to work on during the week. The first has turned out to be somewhat life-changing. It’s simple—before I go to bed I fill up a big glass with water and put it by my bed, and the minute I wake up, I down it. I’m not allowed to get out of bed until that glass of water is gone. And boy, is it crazy what that will do to purify and rev your system!

The second is pretty simple, too, and is something I used to be good about. I made sure I had a quality breakfast every single day at work. Some mornings this was a smoothie with fruit and greens and yogurt, and other days it was these delicious, high-fiber muffins.

Cheryl’s Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

Oct 13, 2013

I love me a good, healthy breakfast option. When I find one I love, I tend to stick with it. Which explains why I’ve had approximately 323 spinach and pineapple smoothies in the past several months…

A month or two ago, my co-worker brought these amazing healthy muffins into work. I ate one (and then another) and then went right to her desk and asked her for the recipe.

When she sent it, it was even better than I’d thought—whole wheat flour, oil, apple butter, and lots of super healthy add-ins like coconut, walnuts, and carrots. And yet they tasted so sweet!

They jumped to the top of my “must make” list, and I tried them out a couple weeks later. The recipe was super easy and they turned out so well! I kept them at my desk for breakfast and a mid-morning snack until they were all gone. 

Magic moist muffins (Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins)

Sep 2, 2012

A couple weeks ago, my CSA box had some little apples in it. Now apples are one of those fruits I can kind of take or leave—I think I ate way too many some years ago taking the “an apple a day” adage too seriously. But they are fairly good for baking, and I wasn’t about to let these go to waste. Since I’m trying to be really healthy (and fit into a dress next weekend), desserts like pies, crisps, etc. were out. But I’d pinned this muffin recipe a while ago and decided it sounded sufficiently healthy.

My biggest complaint with muffins generally is that they’re usually kind of dry. Oh, sure, maybe they’re fine straight out of the oven. But once they cool they’re a surefire way to choking and getting the hiccups from not being able to swallow. BUT NOT THESE. Seriously, these are like magic moistness muffins.

I had a couple for breakfast all week, and they stayed just as moist and awesome. This might be my favorite muffin recipe ever.