Guest Post: Tips for a Healthy Vacation and High Fiber Orange Spice Mini Muffins

High Fiber Orange Spice Mini Muffins (recipe below)

Hope everyone had a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

I have a guest post today from Cole Millen on Tips for a Healthy Vacation.  Check out his blog, Cole’s Mill – Unique Thoughts and Healthy Perspectives about Health and Travel where there are many articles on eating well, health and travel tips!

Tips For a Healthy Vacation

Going on vacation can be a great way to get away from the stresses of everyday life and take some time off. However, many times, when we go on vacation, we also take a vacation from living healthy. Just because you’re on a trip, that doesn’t mean that you have to live unhealthy. Here are a few tips on how to have a healthier vacation that what you might ordinarily have.

Being Healthy on Travel Day

If you are flying to your vacation destination, it might be difficult to eat healthy along the way. You have limited choices at the airport, and you might be tempted to grab some fast food. Eat a large healthy meal at home before you head to the airport. This way, you won’t be hungry for a while and you might be able to make it to your destination without needing to eat again. If you need to eat, see if you can find a salad or a fruit cup at the airport.

At the airport, consider taking the stairs with your luggage instead of riding the elevator or escalator. You might also want to pack some of your own healthy snacks to eat while you’re at the airport instead of buying something unhealthy. Snacks such as dried fruits, vegetables, and nuts are great alternatives that will keep your body nourished and feed your craving.

At the Hotel

When you’re at the hotel, it may be difficult to live healthy because of you might not have a kitchen to cook in. It is probably in your best interest to not even get the key for that mini bar in your room. This way, you can avoid any urges to eat junk food. Get healthy snacks like fruit and nuts from a local store instead. You can cook soup or oatmeal in the microwave in your room, if you have one. At the Continental breakfast, try to stay away from the high sugar items such as cereals and muffins. Instead, have foods that are full of healthy nutrients that will help you through the day such as eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fruits, and whole-wheat toast.

Eating Out

While on vacation, you will probably have to eat out quite a bit. Before going out, look online for a local restaurant that has healthy options. Look at the menu online so that you know exactly what they offer. Also, reading reviews from travelers that have been to the same area can greatly help in finding healthy restaurants. Customer reviews provide honest feedback and can help you locate a healthy restaurant. On a recent trip out to Sin City, I found a great site that listed reviews for hotels in Las Vegas regarding both the hotel and the restaurants in the area. This made it extremely easy to find a great hotel as well as to plan out the great and healthy restaurants to visit. Look for foods that aren’t fried, don’t have a lot of carbohydrates, and involve minimal preparation. Try to avoid all you can eat restaurants, as they usually lead to unhealthy choices.

Going on vacation doesn’t mean that you have to gain weight and be unhealthy. With a little bit of work on your part, you should be able to make it work.

-Cole Millen

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Thanks, Cole, for sharing these tips!  I also try to have healthy snacks on hand while we travel, so we are not stuck buying junk food while in transit.  These high fiber mini muffins are great for travel. They are perfect for breakfast on the go or a healthy snack.  We ate some on the train during our travels over the weekend.

High Fiber Orange Spice Mini Muffins

(Note:  If you prefer to make regular sized muffins, this recipe should make 1 dozen, but you have to bake for 25-30 minutes probably! Check with a toothpick or skewer after 25 minutes.)

1 large navel orange

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup flour

3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped prunes (if you don’t have these, raisins might work)

Optional Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line mini muffin tins with liners. Set aside.

2.  Grate half of orange until you have about 1 teaspoon of orange zest.  Set aside.  Then section the orange segments (I remove the membrane) and chop into little pieces. Pour juice that gathers on cutting board back into a bowl with the orange pieces.  Set aside.

3.  Melt butter and honey together (I used a microwave at 15 second intervals).  Stir together until incorporated.

4.  In a large bowl, whisk together flours, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and cardamom.  Set aside.

5.  Whisk together buttermilk and egg.  Then stir in butter and honey mixture.

6.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients in bowl and pour the buttermilk mixture in.  Mix together until everything is incorporated.
7.  Spoon batter into muffin lined tins.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  Check centers with a toothpick or skewer.  If it comes out clean, they are done.

8.  Remove mini muffins to cool on a wire rack.  If you want the cinnamon topping, make it now!

9.  For cinnamon topping, stir together sugar and cinnamon.  Melt butter.  Brush tops of muffins with butter and dip tops into cinnamon sugar mixture.

Cool completely before storing.

Makes 36 mini muffins.