The Adaptable Healthy Muffin

Everyone has heard countless times by parents and health experts alike that breakfast is an important meal. Why then, do we always feel so limited to packaged, processed pastries or to our boring cereal and yogurt? My breakfast (and snack food,lunch, and sometimes dinner) choice will preferably be a healthy, hearty, home-made muffin. These muffins have been adapted and developed by me and my dad after many trials in the kitchen. Every time I return home we make them and every time my parents visit me at school, they are always brought in tow. My friends here have tried them and have been shocked that they are so healthy.  They love them and always ask for the recipe. These muffins can basically turn into anything you want them too. Sometimes I make them vegan, sometimes they have some yogurt thrown in for protein. Sometimes we have lemons to zest, sometimes we add orange juice for some flavor. When pumpkin was in season, that was thrown in. The common denominator ingredients can help guide you in making these delicious treats (we never use eggs, butter, or white sugar). Since the batter can always be eaten without being baked, I highly suggest that when making these you sample the batter (my rationale for the copious amounts I eat) and adjust what you put in depending on what you taste. Note: this batter can also be shaped into cookies and baked for a shorter time or put into a pan and baked into bars with an adjusted cooking time as long as you’re willing to experiment yourselves!

Recipe:
Dry Ingredients
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
optional/ depending on other ingredients (pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, ‘apple pie spice’)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried fruit of choice (raisins, cranberries, cherries)
optional: toasted unsweetened coconut
1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon flax seed or wheatgerm

Wet Ingredients
1-2 bananas mashed (preferably use over ripe)
1 container or 1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp agave
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup maple syrup (plus about 1 tbsp for top)
1 cup Chobani Greek yogurt (can omit and add more applesauce or use soy yogurt to make vegan)
1.5 chopped fresh apples
fresh lemon zest

Directions
Measure and combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl (if using large dried cherries, first chop into smaller pieces)
Chop apple finely (or into as large as you’d like, pieces)
mash banana in separate bowl until it is smooth
combine wet ingredients
pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients mix until just combined
taste batter!
grease muffin tins
divide evenly into tins
lightly drizzle maple syrup on top of muffins (optional!)
place into oven at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes
let cool, pop out of tins, and enjoy at any time in your busy day for extra fuel.

–Molly Stein: SAS ’16