Blueberry muffins - are they really good for you??

What are whole grains anyway? And don't they taste like cardboard? Yuck! The answer might surprise you!

We had fresh hot blueberry muffins for breakfast today. Mmm! They were good. I used whole grain flours and believe it or not, they were so fragile, it was a little easier to eat them with a fork! They were loaded with a variety of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, protein and complex carbohydrates, yet they certainly didn't taste like "health food!"

The recipe comes from my 8th grade home economics class (Dundee Middle School in West Dundee, Illinois). I don't know where the teacher got the recipe, but I have a suspicion it came from Betty Crocker! I never make the muffins the same way twice, so after you read the recipe, read my notes to find out how to change the recipe to fit your preferences.

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Either grease or line muffin pan with paper muffin cups. Recipe makes 12 muffins. Mix the egg, milk and oil in a bowl. Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a separate large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until just blended. If you want to add blueberries, fold in blueberries at this time. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Now for the magic! This morning, I used macadamia nut oil - you can use any type of oil you like - sunflower, safflower, walnut, almond, grapeseed, hemp - depending on the flavor you like. I used soy milk because that is what I had - you can use regular milk, goat milk, almond milk, rice milk, etc.

I used Whole Unrefined Cane Sugar - also known as Rapadura. This is the least refined sugar you can find and can be substituted 1 for 1 in recipes. There are vitamins and minerals in this sugar. It has a richer taste than sugar and gives a slightly brown color to the batter. You could also use Agave Nectar, Honey, Maple Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup. These will add a little moisture to the batter so you may need to play with the dry ingredients. All of these sweeteners have some nutrition to them and are much gentler on the body than regular sugar. In addition, sometimes I slip a little molasses into the batter and reduce the sugar a little bit. This adds calcium and magnesium and iron to the muffins but doesn't affect the taste!

I used 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 cup oat flour and 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour for the 1-1/2 cups of flour. I always vary my flours - if you are celiac or have a wheat allergy you can use gluten free flour and add 3/4 tsp xanthan gum to the dry mixture. Gluten gives the muffins the stick-to-itiveness to hold the muffins together. Gluten free flours don't have this property so you need to add the xanthan gum. Besides the gluten free flour, I will use any combinations of brown rice flour, oat flour, quinoa flour, amaranth flour, teff flour, etc. The garbanzo bean flour adds some protein and fiber to the muffins. These all add a little different flavor and texture.

I also vary the blueberries - you can use fresh or frozen blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, bananas, dates, walnuts, almonds, pecans, strawberries, apples, pears, etc.

When you start to play with your recipes you can change a recipe from being high in refined carbohydrates and low in nutrients to one that is high in complex carbohydrates (whole grain flours), natural minimally refined sugars, protein, fiber and nutrients. You will be amazed at how good they taste and how the texture isn't like a lead brick and doesn't taste and feel like cardboard! Besides that - you can use up the ingredients you have on hand and not worry about whether you have the exact right ingredients!

You can make these muffins on weekends or in the evening. They freeze well and reheat easily and quickly in a toaster oven or regular oven. You can grab them and take them to work with you for a guilt-free delicious breakfast on the go. Add a hard-boiled egg and you will have a very satisfying breakfast!

By the way, you can find many of the products I listed at some Targets, Walmarts, and many grocery stores in the "Health Food" section. Next time I am going to ask how come these areas are called "Health Food" sections and what does that make the rest of the store - "Junk Food" sections?

If you would like more information on the flours or healthy sweeteners, I have a handout I can send you. Please contact me!