I finally got around to making my own mini-muffins to substitute the muffins I have been snitching from QB. I also am hoping these will help satisfy my urge for rolls, too. I have to work with my mental hunger; we put up with each other and make compromises. :-p If I don’t compromise, I tend to get too excited over foods I shouldn’t be if I am surprised be free food. If I know I am going to be around foods I don’t want/need to eat, I can prepare. But, sometimes free food sneaks up on a person. And, sometimes this person can triumph over the mental urge, and sometimes not.

I used wheat for one major reason with a side-rationalization. First, I can make the muffins a lot less calorie dense when I use wheat, and since my guts seem to react to sugar, these don’t bother me. Also, I am buying rolls on occasion from the grocery, and I figured I could make a healthier whatever at home.


Vegan Gingerbread-ish Carrot Mini-Muffins
(makes ~23 mini muffins)

200g Whole Wheat Flour
60g Wheat Bran (yum…fiber)
2t Baking Powder (Al free)
2t Ground Ginger
1t Cinnamon
Stevia

1.25C Water
2T Molasses
60g Light Coconut Milk
120g Carrot, shredded

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make an indention in the dry mix for the wet mix, then add water, molasses, and coconut milk. Mix well. Add carrots. Divide into muffin pan. Bake for 25min.

Even QB liked these! He thought they were good with a little smart balance too. These are about 1/2 the calories per muffin as the ones I make him, so these can easily be a snack without destroying my calorie intake. I included a pic of my muffins all packed for my food tomorrow at work, then take a look at the CRON-O-Meter for 1 muffin

muffins!

===========================================
Nutrition Summary for 1 Gingerbread-ish Carrot Muffin
Report generated by CRON-o-Meter v0.9.7
===========================================

General (3%)
===========================================
Energy               |    39.6 kcal     3%
Protein              |     1.5 g        3%
Carbs                |     8.9 g        5%
Fiber              |     2.1 g        8%
Starch             |     0.1 g        0%
Sugars             |     1.1 g        2%
Fat                  |     0.4 g        1%

Vitamins (3%)
===========================================
Vitamin A            |   774.4 IU      15%
Lutein+Zeaxanthin  |    34.4 µg       1%
Folate               |     6.1 µg       3%
B1 (Thiamine)        |     0.0 mg       5%
B2 (Riboflavin)      |     0.0 mg       3%
B3 (Niacin)          |     0.9 mg       6%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)|     0.2 mg       3%
B6 (Pyridoxine)      |     0.1 mg       5%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin) |     0.0 µg       0%
Vitamin C            |     0.3 mg       0%
Vitamin D            |     0.0 IU       0%
Vitamin E            |     0.2 mg       1%
Vitamin K            |     0.8 µg       1%

Minerals (6%)
===========================================
Calcium              |    10.1 mg       1%
Copper               |     0.1 mg       3%
Iron                 |     0.7 mg       4%
Magnesium            |    29.3 mg       9%
Manganese            |     0.6 mg      16%
Phosphorus           |    52.2 mg       7%
Potassium            |    97.9 mg       3%
Selenium             |     7.5 µg      14%
Sodium               |     4.2 mg       1%
Zinc                 |     0.4 mg       3%

Amino Acids (7%)
===========================================
CYS                  |     0.0 g       16%
ILE                  |     0.1 g        5%
LEU                  |     0.1 g        4%
LYS                  |     0.0 g        3%
MET                  |     0.0 g        4%
PHE                  |     0.1 g        7%
THR                  |     0.1 g        6%
TRP                  |     0.0 g       10%
TYR                  |     0.0 g        9%
VAL                  |     0.1 g        4%

Lipids (0%)
===========================================
Saturated            |     0.0 g        0%
Monounsaturated      |     0.0 g        0%
Polyunsaturated      |     0.1 g        0%
Omega-3            |     0.0 g        1%
Omega-6            |     0.1 g        1%
Cholesterol          |     0.0 mg       0%

Today is when I do most of my cooking/baking/food prep for my coming work week. Tomorrow kicks off my next night shift. QB wanted some better cornmeal muffins to nosh on while I am at work since the first recipe had a strange texture that really went weird if reheated in the microwave. These came out of the oven awesome, but we haven’t done the microwave test. Even if the mircowave isn’t compaitble, QB can heat them in the toaster oven. And, he likes them with smart balance.

Cornmeal Muffins II (makes ~20-30 mini muffins)

260g Organic Cornmeal
100g Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix
1t Baking Powder (aluminum free)
2 Eggs
100g Banana, mashed
150g Coconut Milk
120g Kefir
Stevia

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add all wet ingredients and mix well with a hand mixer (or whatever you use). Divide into the mini muffin pan. I ended up filling them to the top, and they overflowed a bit. I got 20, but you may get more if you don’t over fill. Bake for 25min. Done.

I made this for QB today, and it turned out really well. I liked the texture, and it is not only gluten free but low in sugar. Just make sure you use enough stevia. I taste the batter before I bake it. If the batter taste sweet enough, then the muffins will be fine. Once or twice I have not added enough stevia, but QB is able to compensate with some smart balance.

Gluten Free Berry Muffins (makes ~30 mini muffins)

150g Almond Flour (I grind my own in a small food processor)
90g Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix by Arrowhead Mills
80g Instant Oats
1t Baking Powder
Stevia

3 eggs
125g Coconut Milk (full fat)
28g Walnut Oil (2T)
200g Banana (2 smallish ones)
75-100g Blackberries
75-100g Cranberries
~1/2C water

Preheat oven to 350F. Put blackberries and cranberries in a cereal bowl, add about 1/2C water, and microwave for about 5min on high. You want the berries to pop while you are mixing the other ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In the bowl, make a “bowl” with the dry ingredients and add the eggs, coconut milk, oil, and bananas.

By this time, the berries are hopefully done. Pour them on top of everything in the bowl and beat with a mixer on high until all ingredients are combined. You want the batter to be slightly runny. Remember this is not wheat, so the batter will behave slightly differently. I work so much by texture when I bake, I have a hard time describing my methods. I always wonder how my recipes turn out if other people make them.

Once everything is mixed, divide batter into one or more mini muffin pans. If you use a full sized muffin pan, you may not want to fill it all the way in case the middle has trouble cooking all the way though. I haven’t experimented with larger muffins, so I really don’t know how they would turn out.

Put filled muffin pans into the oven and bake for 25min. Done. Here is a final pic:

QB asked if I could make him some cornmeal muffins after he saw some cornbread somewhere – I forget where. I figured I’d give it a go. The result was good enough to be post-able. QB said he would like them to be a little moister, but he says some people like drier muffins, so I should post the recipe anyway. I will likely modify this slightly the next time I make them, so I will update once I have the final winner.

*Note* After reheating these in teh microwave, QB says the texture is strange. So, the next batch will be a little different. Just wanted to give y’all a heads up.

Update 2: I cut these in half and heated them in the toaster over just until they were nice and warm. QB said the texture was fine when heated this way.

Gluten Free Cornmeal Muffins (21 mini muffins)

300g Organic Cornmeal
60g Tapioca Starch
3 Eggs
120g Kefir
100g Coconut Milk (full fat)
1 tsp Baking Powder – Al Free
3 tsp Stevia (just add some sugar sub for a little sweetness)

Preheat over to 350F. Mix all in a large bowl, and them spoon into muffin pan. My mini muffin pan may be slightly larger than the usual muffin pan, so I will say this recipe makes approximately 21 mini-muffins.

QB says these are wonderful with a little smart balance (we don’t buy butter).

Nutritional Profile per 1 mini muffin::::
===========================================
Report generated by CRON-o-Meter v0.9.7
===========================================

General (14%)
===========================================
Energy               |    84.9 kcal     6%
Protein              |     2.3 g        4%
Carbs                |    14.3 g        7%
Fiber              |     0.7 g        3%
Starch             |    10.5 g       70%
Sugars             |     0.6 g        1%
Fat                  |     2.0 g        4%

Vitamins (2%)
===========================================
Vitamin A            |    77.3 IU       2%
Lutein+Zeaxanthin  |   217.2 µg       4%
Folate               |     8.4 µg       5%
B1 (Thiamine)        |     0.0 mg       2%
B2 (Riboflavin)      |     0.0 mg       3%
B3 (Niacin)          |     0.2 mg       1%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)|     0.2 mg       3%
B6 (Pyridoxine)      |     0.0 mg       3%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin) |     0.1 µg       5%
Vitamin C            |     0.1 mg       0%
Vitamin D            |     6.0 IU       3%
Vitamin E            |     0.1 mg       1%
Vitamin K            |     0.0 µg       0%

Minerals (3%)
===========================================
Calcium              |    12.8 mg       1%
Copper               |     0.0 mg       1%
Iron                 |     0.5 mg       3%
Magnesium            |     8.1 mg       3%
Manganese            |     0.1 mg       2%
Phosphorus           |    33.4 mg       5%
Potassium            |    42.1 mg       1%
Selenium             |     3.9 µg       7%
Sodium               |    14.6 mg       3%
Zinc                 |     0.2 mg       2%

Amino Acids (10%)
===========================================
CYS                  |     0.0 g       19%
ILE                  |     0.1 g        8%
LEU                  |     0.2 g       10%
LYS                  |     0.1 g        5%
MET                  |     0.1 g        9%
PHE                  |     0.1 g       11%
THR                  |     0.1 g        8%
TRP                  |     0.0 g        8%
TYR                  |     0.1 g       14%
VAL     &nbsp
;            |     0.1 g        7%

Lipids (3%)
===========================================
Saturated            |     1.2 g        6%
Monounsaturated      |     0.4 g        1%
Polyunsaturated      |     0.2 g        1%
Omega-3            |     0.0 g        1%
Omega-6            |     0.2 g        2%
Cholesterol          |    30.5 mg      10%

QB loves his berry muffins, but in order to change things up a bit I wanted to try something new. He mentioned the idea of a banana bread type of muffin, so I set to work. These muffins are absolutely wonderful, but CRONies beware – these are twice the calorie density of the berry nut muffins. QB still has bias in favor of the berry ones, but he thinks these are a lovely deviation. I, personally, think they are heavenly. If I didn’t know that each small muffin was about 150 calories (you heard me), I would be more prone to snitching.These are a bit more expensive partly because they are denser so they batch is smaller, and partly because I added 4oz of pecans. So worth it though.


Paleo Banana Nut Muffins (20 *big* mini muffins)

150g Almond Flour (I grind my own)
40g Arrowroot Flour
56g Coconut Flour
4 Eggs
14g Coconut Oil
28g Walnut Oil
100g Coconut Milk -Full Fat
300g Bananas (3 small)
112g Pecans, chopped
Stevia
1/2t Imitation Banana Extract (optional controversial ingredient)

Pre-heat oven to 350F. I combined all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl -except pecans. I then made a large crater and filled it with the wet ingredients. I used my mixer to fully combine the mixture, then I added the chopped pecans. Divide into mini-muffin pan, or pan of choice. I think this recipe would make for a nice loaf as well. Bake muffins for 25min – may need longer if you use a loaf pan.

This is what I have been making QB for a week now. He loves them, and I do too. Awesomeness all the way around. I think these are some of the best paleo muffins I have made. I have to watch out though, because at ~80cal each mini muffin, the calories add up quick. That and the whole cooked fat issue…..sometimes my cooking skills don’t work in my best interest. Ha.


QB’s Awesome Paleo Muffins (24-30 mini muffins)

130g Almond Flour
40g Arrowroot Starch
56g Coconut Flour
4 Eggs
56g Coconut Oil
200g Cranberries, blackberries, raspberries in some combo
2 Bananas
Stevia to sweetness

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Since I use frozen berries, I put them in a bowl with about .5-1C water and microwave them so they will break apart when I mix them into the batter. Also, melt coconut oil, and pre-mash the bananas. Mix wet and dry ingredients with mixer. Make sure the mixture is moist, you may need to add more water. You want a cake batter like consistency. Scoop batter into mini muffin pan and bake for 20-25min.

Be careful when taking them out of the pan, these are addictive when hot. :-p

This afternoon was muffin baking time once again. Since I was getting somewhat tired of the usual pumpkin muffins, I decided to get creative. Looking around the kitchen, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for a bowl of lemons I have barely touched. But, I thought, “If I was going to use the lemons, what goes with lemon?….Coconut!”.

These muffins not only turned out scrumptious, but they are very different in taste and texture from my other muffins, so they are quite nice for a change of pace. Before I give you the recipe, there are a couple of things I want to note. First, these muffins are much denser than my others. One muffin is about twice the calories, and instead of a batch making ~24 mini muffins, it only makes ~16. Even though I ate half the number I usually do, I didn’t feel deprived due to my perceived reduction of goodies probably because they were more like a dense cake. They seemed like a delicacy instead of meal.

Also, I used a different brewer’s yeast that has a completely different texture and falvor, which seemed to contribute to how the muffins turned out. I used Twin-Lab’s Brewer’s yeast (bought at BodyBuilding.com), rather than the Lewis Labs because it is about 1/2 the price (right now I am a little price sensitive).

Those are my disclaimers, you my now read the recipe.  

CR Lemon Coconut Muffins (makes 16 mini muffins)

2 Eggs, whole
1/4C Coconut Milk, full fat
1/4C Lemon Juice (about 2 lemons)
28g Almond Flour
56g Vanilla Whey
40g Brewer’s Yeast
112g Shredded Coconut
~2t Stevia (or other 0 cal sweetener)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, coconut milk, and lemon. Blend well. Add whey, almond flour, and yeast. Blend. Stir in shredded coconut. The batter will be very think and gooey. Spoon into a mini muffin pan that was pre-sprayed with oil. Bake for ~20-25min, watch for tops to turn a golden color.

This was my first successful muffin recipe, and I based the banana nut recipe off of this one. I am a huge fan of pumpkin pie, and these muffins help satisfy that urge while still being healthy. Great recipe for the lovly fall weather we are having. Enjoy!

CR Pumpkin Muffins (24 mini muffins)

2 Eggs, whole
1/4 C Coconut Milk (I use one with moderate fat content for texture)
1/4 C Almond milk, Unsweet
56g Whey Protein Powder (again, for texture and protein….not sure how substitutions will work)
28g Almond Flour
45g Brewer’s Yeast
240g Pumpkin, canned
~2t stevia (powdered concentrate)
cinnamon
cloves
allspice

Preheat oven to 35 degrees F. Blend the first three ingredients well, then blend in all dry ingredients. Add pumpkin. Divide into mini-muffin pan (I lightly spray cups with spray olive oil). Bake 20-25 minutes. Yum!