Over the years I have been building up enough confidence to dabble with writing my own recipes. To the dismay of some, the majority of these recipes involving making my baked goods more healthy, chocked full of veggies, and devoid of the ingredients one usually wants when eating something hot from the over: sugar, sugar, sugar!


Last week I experimented with some carrot and zucchini whole wheat muffins made with grated apple and honey, but this week, as I had an ample supply of fresh spinach from the market, I wanted to make some muffins with some to have with eggs in the morning. I use these muffins to help me get more fruits and vegetables into my diet and to have a burst of carbs in the morning before a workout. I stuff as much good stuff into them as I can and try to make them without any sugar or artificial ingredients. The only ingredient I would like to change is the type of oil I have been using, but it is all I have on hand. I'd love to use coconut oil and see how the flavor balances out!



Ingredients:

2 c whole wheat flour
2 tea spoon baking powder
1 tea spoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil of your choice
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon almond extract *
2 large eggs 1 large apple finely grated 1 cup (or more) of chopped spinach leaves
2 mashed bananas

* this may be substituted with 1 teaspoon vanilla if you choose.



Directions:

Preheat your over to 375.

Mix together your dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Blend in your honey, oil, banana, spinach, extract and eggs. Your mixture may seem a bit dry at this point, but as you add your apple the moisture will give the mix a nice texture. Grate your apple and add to your bowl. Mix well.



Line your muffin pan with paper liners or grease your pan. Fill the cups all the way to the top. You will have 12 - 15 muffins total (varying on the size of the fruits/veggies you use as well as how heavily you fill your muffin cups). Bake your muffins at 350 for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove and let cool.

I have been trying to figure how many calories are in each muffin and the closed I can figure is roughly 150 - 170 for these. The banana, honey, and flour also add a considerable number of carbs to each, so if you are trying to cut out a lot of carbs, these probably are not for you!