Sunshine Muffins with Orange and Chia Seeds

If you’ve signed up for my weekly newsletter, then you know that this past Sunday’s theme was Muffin Madness.

In my excitement to share my family’s start the day right muffin recipes, I was disappointed to realize I’d missed out on these mini Sunshine muffins with fresh orange and chia seeds.

I’m not a master baker or dessert maker, and have no inclination in that direction. Baking requires precision to create melt in your mouth treats, and I’m afraid I’m more of a chop and drop cook.

But I consider muffins a different thing. I can dump ingredients (okay, I do measure the baking powder and flour) in a bowl to turn out a healthy snack that won’t break the calorie bank, and satisfies my sweet tooth.

I want my muffins to be tender, packed with fruity goodness, and have lots of diet friendly fiber like the banana and peanut butter muffins you see above, so I have a few tips to share with you that work for me to that end.

The key to making a tender higher fiber muffin is dried or fresh fruit, and whole wheat pastry flour. It has the same nutrition profile as whole wheat flour, but turns out baked goods with a lighter texture.

You can find a terrific explanation of the difference between whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flour at The Gracious Pantry.

You can see the orange zest, dried cranberries, and bits of walnuts floating in my mini muffins, along with spicy cinnamon.

But this go around I wanted to pack more nutrition into my breakfast muffins so I tossed in chia seeds to add extra fiber and those brain healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

I won’t try to convince you that my Sunshine muffins are light and airy like those you buy in the bakery aisle at your local grocery store. However, they’re low in sugar, high in fiber, and naturally sweet enough to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee. They’ll stick with you a whole lot longer than their high sugar, low fiber cousins from the grocery store too!

It’s time to head off to work this Monday morning. If you give my muffins a try, be sure and leave a comment to let me know what you think!

Have a happy, healthy week everyone.

~Kristi

Print Sunshine Muffins with Orange and Chia Seeds

Serving Size: 20 mini muffins

Shake It Up! If you don't like to use stevia to reduce sugar in your recipe, simply replace with 1/4 of sugar.

Ingredients

• 2 medium oranges, zested and juiced
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg whites
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ cup oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 4 packets stevia
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. reheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Combine orange zest and juice, eggs, almond milk and vanilla in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix until blended.
4. Pour into a mini muffin tin and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until muffins are cooked through. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Notes

Food energy: 82kcal Saturated fatty acids: 0.31g Monounsaturated fatty acids: 0.67g Polyunsaturated fatty acids: 1.62g Total fat: 2.60g Calories from fat: 23 Cholesterol: 10mg Carbohydrate, by difference: 12.16g Total dietary fiber: 2.26g Protein: 3.17g Total lipid (fat): 2.93g Water: 32.43g Ash: 0.82g Total sugars: 4.43g Calcium: 76mg Iron: 0.56mg Magnesium: 23mg Phosphorus: 91mg Potassium: 109mg Sodium: 62mg

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