Fruity Oatmeal Muffins

My goodness.  Forget everyone else, I might fall over from shock!  Two recipes in two days.  Amazing.

Anyway, I had a bunch of odds and ends fruit in the house - bananas, blueberries, oranges, apples, blackberries, and I needed to do something with it. I know I could always freeze it for smoothies, but that's not very creative, and truthfully, we are such avid smoothie people that we already have a ton of frozen ingredients on hand.  

I decided on muffins, because they make for a quick, easy, healthy breakfast or snack, and it's been awhile since we've had any.  I didn't want a dessert muffin though.  I wanted a lightly sweet, hearty breakfast muffin that was appropriate for both me and the toddler.  These are a goldmine of awesome, if I don't say so myself.  There is no added sugar or sweetener of any kind; they're sweetened soley by the fruit, and there's no added fat at all.  They're also vegan.  Win win win, right?  Lastly, I was able to mix up the whole thing in ONE bowl.  Minimal dishes!  I just doesn't get much better than that.

Sweet Potato Muffins

A good for you muffin?  No way!  It's a dream come true, if you dream about such things.  A perfect handheld snack you can grab on the way out the door to the gym or even as a breakfast if you're running late for work.

I LOVE sweet potatoes.  I could eat them every day of my life and not get tired of them.  It's a real bonus that they're one of the highest ranked vegetables on the nutrition scale.  They're a superfood, high in fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, potassium and manganese. They can also help stabilize blood sugar, which means they're a good choice for diabetics, and by stabilizing blood sugar levels, they curb the appetite longer. They can satisfy a sweet tooth, and they're rich in antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties. There's just nothing bad about a sweet potato, and best of all they're relatively low in calories for all of the nutritional power they pack.

Turning a sweet potato into a healthy muffin is a snap.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup raw sugar (in the name of all that is holy, don't use that refined white crap!)
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 3/4 cups cooked chopped sweet potatoes (baking is the best way to bring out the sweet taste and creamy texture, but if you're in a hurry, boiling them will work)
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
2. Mash sweet potatoes and add to dry ingredients, along with water.
3. Stir until just mixed.  This doesn't look like your typical thinnish muffin batter.  This is thicker.  It's not pourable and must be spooned into muffin tin.
4. Lightly spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and fill cups to the top.  This will only make nine muffins, so don't even try to get 12 out of it unless you want small, flat muffins.
5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops of the muffins bounce back when pressed.
6. Let stand several minutes before removing from pan.
7. Cool completely and store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!