unrefinedbreakfasts

Pumpkin Muffins

~ unrefinednurturing ~ 4 Comments

image image

Pumpkin Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour (I used all purpose today, I will try whole wheat soon)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup coconut oil (or oil of choice)

1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup honey (or agave)

1/2 cup coconut palm brown sugar (recipe here)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin tins, or use liners. It makes 36 mini muffins or 18 regular sized muffins.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg. Whisk to mix well, set aside.

In a medium bowl add can of pumpkin and coconut oil and mix until well combined. Then add eggs, applesauce, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla, and mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined, some streaks of flour will remain, that is ok.

Portion into muffin tins, bake mini muffins for 10 minutes and regular muffins for 14 minutes at 375. Gobble them up!

My only complaint about pumpkin baked goods is that sometimes the pumpkin isn’t the main event, that is not the case with these muffins. Todd, my kids, and my parents RAVED about these this morning. They were so delicious, and tender, and so pumpkin-y. Todd told me how fantastic they were at least 3 times, and ate 5 or 6. Try them and let me know what you think! They will be on heavy rotation around here this fall/winter.

*I found the original recipe on lovelylittlekitchen.com, and I adjusted the sweeteners and seasonings.

Advertisement

Honey Pear Muffins

~ unrefinednurturing ~ 2 Comments

image image*I used Bartlett pears, but I believe you could use any  variety. I love to use my cookie scoop to load up my muffin tins. I fill it 2/3 for mini muffins, and two full scoops for big muffins. I am the only one in my family who likes nuts in muffins, so I put 3 in between the 2 scoops of batter. Makes 24 big muffins, or 12 big and 24 mini muffins.

Honey Pear Muffins

4-5 pears, peeled, cored and grated (need 2 cups grated pear)

2/3 cup honey (you could use 3/4 cup if you want them sweeter)

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup melted butter, or oil

2 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 whole wheat and 1 white)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease your muffin tins. In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, stir with a fork to combine, and set aside. Peel and core pears, then grate them, need 2 cups total. In a large bowl combine butter or oil, grated pear, eggs, honey, and vanilla, stir until well mixed. Add flour mixture and gently stir until flour disappears. Gently fold in nuts. Portion into your muffin tins, and if desired sprinkle tops with coconut sugar. Bake for 14-18 minutes for regular muffins, and 10-13 minutes for mini muffins. Remove from oven, and transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy!

This was a delicious Friday morning treat, and my kids loved them. It has been really fun to get baking with natural sweeteners, and I am excited to keep trying new recipes.

*I originally tried this recipe from smittenkitchen.com. I modified it to use honey, whole wheat flour, and adjusted some seasonings.

Green Lemonade

~ unrefinednurturing ~ 2 Comments

image*I made this in a high powered blender, if you want to use a regular blender juice the lemon and proceed as usual. You may want to blend a couple ingredients and then add the rest. This is not a sweet smoothie, adding a second apple at first is a good idea.

Green Lemonade

1 lemon, peeled

1 apple, quartered and cored

1/4 inch ginger root, peeled

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1/2 avocado

4 brussel sprouts or 1/2 zucchini, sliced (optional)

1 cup water

1 cup ice

2 large handfuls of spinach

Optional additions: vanilla protein powder, chia seeds, hemp seeds, or flax seeds, lemon and ginger essential oils, and stevia.

Put ice, water, lemon, apple, ginger, cucumber, avocado, brussel sprouts, and spinach in blender, and blend until well mixed. I love to add protein powder, seeds, and lemon and ginger oils for the nutritional benefits, and it helps me feel full until lunch. Add 4-8 drops of liquid stevia to increase sweetness if desired, or you can use a second apple.

It took a little time for me to enjoy this smoothie, now I crave it almost everyday. I have been amazed by how much my palate, and tastes have changed in the last two months. The natural sweetness in food has become more pronounced, and I feel satiated faster. It has made eating for nourishment, as well as enjoyment, satisfying.