Muffin Monday!



http://www.flickr.com/, photo by Lizard 10979

In my opinion, Monday usually lives up to its reputation. I try not to schedule any extra chores for Mondays because just getting through the day and getting everything back up and running after the weekend is enough!

However, to make Mondays more fun, we've started a weekly tradition: Muffin Mondays. Every Monday, we have muffins for breakfast. Sometimes, I make several dozen muffins ahead of time and freeze them. On Monday morning, we just pull them out, reheat them, and enjoy. Other times, I simply run out of time to make them ahead. The kids really enjoy helping to make the muffins, and then we eat them warm right out of the oven.

Today, I want to share some of our favorite Muffin Monday recipes with you. Perhaps you will want to start your own Muffin Monday!

Note about the flour: Please feel free to substitute gluten free flour in any of these recipes. You can also substitute 1/3 to 1/2 of the flour with almond flour in any of them for a rich, nutty taste and added protein. (Don't have almond flour? Just throw some almonds in your food processor and grind them into a meal.) We also bend the rules a little by adding in chocolate chips whenever we can. We buy the darkest we can find with the most natural ingredients (Ghirardelli seems to be the best bet). If you really don't want to do this, buy a chocolate bar that's 85% or more pure and chop it up into chocolate chunks, or simply leave out the chocolate chips. 

Pumpkin Muffins
from 100 Days of Real Food

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup grapeseed or olive oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a hole in the middle by pushing the dry ingredients to the edges of the bowl, then toss the wet ingredients in the middle. Stir just until combined. Do not overstir. Add in the pumpkin and stir again, then sprinkle in the chocolate chips and briefly stir them in.

Spray a muffin tin with olive oil, then fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean and the muffins spring back to the touch.

Banana Muffins
from 180 Chiropractic and Wellness

Ingredients:
1 and 3/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat, but they recommend gluten free)
2/3 cup maple syrup or honey
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 egg
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (can also substitute olive oil)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients (excluding the bananas). Add the wet and dry ingredients together and mix just until moistened. Do not overmix. Stir in the bananas, then add the chocolate chips and nuts.

Spray a muffin tin with olive oil, then fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean and the muffins spring back to the touch.

Almond Butter Muffins
adapted from the Simply Sugar and Gluten Free Cookbook

Technically, these are cupcakes, not muffins, but we eat them as muffins anyway.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup palm sugar
1/2 cup almond butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour (I use whole wheat, but they recommend gluten free)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. xantham gum (only if using gluten free flour)
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 325. Spray muffin tins with olive oil spray (you'll need about 1 and 1/2 tins).
Beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, then slowly add the palm sugar, making sure it mixes in before continuing to add. (It will not completely dissolve like white sugar does. You will be able to see the granules.) Microwave the almond butter for about 20 seconds, then add it to the mixture and beat until smooth. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, then add them into the batter a little at a time, alternating with the almond milk. Mix until smooth. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean and the muffins spring back to the touch.