Morning Glory Muffins

There have been so many preparations on my plate for baby and making it through the holiday season with my sanity intact, that the new year seemed to show up rather quickly for me. I am not one to make resolutions but after a season full of indulgences, finding ways to incorporate healthier food options back in to my diet is one thing I always try to do when the new year begins. 

Mr. Ramon and I are taking a fantastic birth class series through Northwest Natural Childbirth . One of the things we talk about each week is nutrition. We each bring a snack to class based on a food group. This week we had to bring a snack that had eggs in the ingredients. As a baker I knew I wanted to bring a baked good that would be healthy and have the featured ingredient in it. 

I decided to work out a recipe for a really healthy muffin full of dried fruit, whole wheat flour and nuts. When I was working for Starbucks back in the day, there was an amazing muffin called the Morning Glory. It was full of nuts, raisins, carrots and topped with brown sugar. I loved that muffin and tried to pretend that it was actually healthy. 

The recipe here is less sweet and contains no oils or fats in the recipe. In their place I used a mixture of yogurt and mashed ripe banana. I chose a hearty variety of dried fruits - pineapple, dates and golden raisins. Wheat germ, flaxseed meal and oats added a hearty feel and a health benefit. Overall these were dense but quite moist with great flavor from the fruit and nuts. I served them with a low sugar blackberry jam. Yum.

Morning Glory Muffins

Makes 18

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon wheat germ

3 tablespoons flaxseed meal

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain fat free greek yogurt

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)

1 egg lightly beaten

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1/2 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place 18 muffin cups liners in muffin cups
3. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; blend together
4. Make a well in center of mixture 
5. Combine yogurt, banana, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist 
6. Fold in dates, walnuts, raisins and pineapple 
7. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups 
8. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds 
9. Bake 17- 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center
10. Remove muffins from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack 
11. Once completely cool store in an airtight container for 3 days or freeze