Yogurt Muffins from the Red Checker Book!

I had some fun making a healthier version of muffins from the red checker cookbook this morning for breakfast.

Here's what I used:

Blueberry- Orange Yogurt Muffins:

1/2 c. applesauce
1/2 c. maple syrup (real maple syrup doesn't have corn syrup)
1 egg beaten or 2 egg whites
2 tsp. orange peel
8- oz. plain fat free yogurt
6 tbsp. of organic cold mill flax seed
2 tbps. canola/olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla
10 drops of Stevia Extract (Berry Flavor)
5-6 drops of Stevia Extract (Orange Flavor)
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1 c. All-Purpose Flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. Oats
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. blueberries

Mix first 10 ingredients (wet) until blended in a medium bowl.  Mix last 5 ingredients  (Dry) in a separate bowl until blended.  Mix dry ingredients into the wet only until blended.  Don't over mix, it will make them tough.  Fold in blueberries with a spatula.  Put mixture into 12 regular sized lined muffin tins with 1/4 c. measuring cup and bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.  They will be golden brown on top and bouncy if touched when done.

Goes well with: Fresh squeezed orange-grapefruit juice and scrambled egg whites or scrabbled tofu.

What I learned: Yet again, it's fun to play with recipes. If you don't have what a recipe calls for, or just want to make it healthier, it can still taste good. The kids gobbled them up, so they must have tasted good. I had two today and enjoyed every bite.  Here are some tips to remember.

Flour - use wheat in part or in place of white flour.  Wheat does bake differently in a recipe, so keep that in mind when you are playing with it.
Oil - You can use a little.  The original recipe called for 1/3 c. oil.  I used applesauce, flax seed and little bit of oil instead and it cut calories and fat content and added moisture.
Eggs - You can always substitute eggs with flax seed meal, or egg whites.  Take the yoke out and take the cholesterol with it. It's pretty simple.  1 whole egg = 2 egg whites / 1 egg = 1 tbsp. flax seed meal and 3 tbsp. water.
Milk or yogurt - you can substitute any full or low fat product with fat free.  You don't need the saturated fat anyway and it's still as creamy.  I've been playing with tofu and soy/rice milk substitutes to eat less dairy.
Sugar- as always, it sugar that gives us that rise and fall and is SOOO addictive.  If you don't believe me, cut it out for a day or two and see how irritable and tired you can become.  Maple syrup is still sugary, but doesn't have the same drop. Brown rice syrup is sweet as well, and just know that honey changes structure when heated, so keep to local honey and just for taste!  I've learned a lot about sugar and keep learning. I use Stevia in small amounts. I used the extracts to sweeten the yogurt because the original called for low fat orange yogurt with LOTS of sugar.  Bananas are a great way to sweeten a recipe, especially those brown ones you might throw away.  Use them instead of putting them in the garbage and give moisture and flavor to a good baking recipe. I've used them in cookies too.


Listen to your body and try new things.  You never know when you are going to come across the very thing that suits your body and your health.