As an adult, there’s something about ‘going home’ that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Maybe it’s just me or those emotionally-attached individuals like me.
Maybe it’s that going home is my vacation time. Maybe it’s a glimpse into my older memories or maybe it’s making new memories and sharing this time and place with my new little family.
It’s part relaxing, part fun, part comforting.
Whatever it is, I love it and I truly miss it when it’s time to leave.
Last week we were on vacation. Can you tell? Away from worries and busy-ness regarding work stress, house chores, food prep, etc.
We spent time in my hometown in Illinois and got to see family and friends. It was the first time I had been home for our annual 4th of July celebration called The Petunia Festival {we are the petunia capital of the world, afterall}. We watched fire works, swam in the pool, walked around our neighborhood, shopped, drank some coffee + ate some yummy muffins at my favorite bakery. And all of it was done with my mother and little one by my side. The boys were there too, but they tend to do their own thing. =)
These muffins are one of my newer go-tos for lower sugar, kid & mommy-friendly breakfast or snacks. They are perfect to make ahead and freeze for when you need them, especially when you’re on the road. They are a great baked good for breakfast and a seemingly indulgent afternoon snack.
My mom first introduced me to them around Christmas and LEM and I loved them.
We twisted the ingredients a bit to make them our own but they are full of whole grain fibers from oats, heart healthy fats from nuts and seeds, and sweetness from just a touch of sugar with natural fruit sugars.
Whole Grain Apple Harvest Muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 apple, diced
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dates, chopped
1/4 cup honey roasted sesame seeds
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with non stick spray or line with paper cups.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients including the banana, carrots, applesauce, apple, egg, and coconut oil. Stir in the nuts and dried fruit.
Gently mix in the dry flour ingredients to the wet ingredients. Be careful not to overmix, just fold in the dry ingredients until you no longer have large clumps of flour in the batter.
Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle each muffin with the sesame seeds.
Bake for 20 minutes until the center is clean when using the toothpick test.
We tend to have them with some chocolate PB2 {powdered peanut butter simply mixed with water}.
They are a truly harvest muffin, full of loads of grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, and veggies! Perfect for any time of year! I’m loving them now for their nostalgia of traveling and being home, but they’d be delicious this fall or winter too!
Pack these little babies up for a picnic or make an extra batch to giveaway as a loving gift!
Do you have any favorite comforting recipes? Are you a fried chicken or mac n’ cheese person, or a baked good person like me?
Thanks for stopping by!
xo,
Becca
twistednutritionblog.com 