Inspired Edibles

~ real food, balanced living ~

Fig Muffins with fresh Apple and Oat-Spelt Flour

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Why so many muffins you ask?

I bake fresh muffins pretty much every week for my children.  It makes me feel good to know that they are getting some homespun goodness in their lunchboxes and it’s a treat for them (they have never had cookies, cakes or otherwise in their lunches.  So this is their ‘goodie’).

I try to vary the muffins each week, keeping things fun and introducing them to new textures, tastes and nutritive foods.

Fig Muffins with fresh Apple and Oat-Spelt Flour
  • 1 cup spelt flour
  • 1 cup whole grain oatmeal + 1 Tbsp for topping
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/3 cup demerara sugar
  • 2 apples, peeled and chopped
  • 5 fresh figs, peeled and chopped (reserving small wedges for topping)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup dilute orange juice (not from concentrate)

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Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large size bowl, combine spelt flour, 1 cup oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and sugar.  Add in chopped apples and fig, mixing gently to combine taking care not to mash fruit.

 In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together egg, olive oil and orange juice.

Add wet ingredients to dry mixing only until combined.

Divide batter among 12 oiled muffin cups, topping each with oatmeal flakes and fig wedges as desired.

Bake for 14-18 minutes or until muffins are firm to the touch.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

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Back in my teenage years in Montreal, my best friend and I would often go to a Friday afternoon fitness class together (there may have been a boy involved – I’m not sure I remember).  Following our workout, we would promptly dash to a local muffin stand and devour a giant ooey-gooey banana-chocolate chip mess (talk about eating our profits).

I haven’t had a muffin from a commercial establishment in many, many years, but I still love the combination of flavours.  This version also contains peanut butter and is a tad healthier than the ones we use to eat.  I like to think that it’s every bit as good!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate Drizzle
  • 1 egg

  • 1/3 cup turbinado sugar

  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (ie: without sugar), smooth or crunchy

  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed

  • 1 cup whole grain oatmeal

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 50 grams of 75% cocoa chocolate (about 4 large squares)
  • handful of peanuts for topping

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Preheat oven to 400 F.

Beat egg, sugar, vanilla and olive oil together in a large bowl.  Add peanut butter and banana and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl,  mix oatmeal, flour, baking soda and baking powder.

Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing just until combined.

Divide batter among 12 oiled muffin cups.  Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch.

Allow muffins to cool completely on a rack.

Meanwhile, heat chocolate in a sturdy pot on stove over lowest heat.  Stir to facilitate melting, then set aside to cool.  Once muffins and chocolate have cooled, take a spoon and drizzle chocolate over muffins freestyle.  Or, place chocolate, once cooled, in a small plastic bag and snip the corner – gently squeeze to apply chocolate.  There are certainly more precise ways of applying chocolate, but I’ll leave that to the cake makers.

Enjoy.

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This post is dedicated to Lynn –

Photo by Trinity Nutrition

Where it All Began

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When I first started this nutrition journey, I would spend hours playing around with recipes.  Adding a bit of this, taking away a bit of that, until I finally came up with a list of wholesome ingredients I felt good about putting in my body and my family’s bodies.  There was – and still is – plenty of trial and error involved but it’s all part of the fun.  Preserving taste is also an important part of the challenge.  Here is a fairly major re-do of a Martha Stewart original that a dear friend treated me to.  You will love the apple slice on top!   

Irresistible Apple Muffins

 

    • 1 Granny Smith Apple – peeled and quartered
    • 1/3 cup brown sugar
    • 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
    • 2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, dash cardamom
    • 1/2 cup plump golden raisins
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1/2 cup buttermilk
    • 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup orange juice (diluted)

 

Preheat oven to 400 F


Cut 3 apple quarters into small dice and cut remaining quarter into 12 thin slices for garnish. Mix sugar, flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and golden raisins in large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, olive oil and orange juice together. Add wet ingredients to dry mixing only until combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups topping each with an apple slice. Bake until muffins are beginning to brown around edges – 16 to 18 minutes. Let muffins cool slightly and enjoy.