bran muffins

Happy New Year!

Twenty-eight days late.

Happy New Year plus 28!


I have a fairly healthy (no cream cheese - don't be shocked) recipe to share today, but I'm guessing there's a good chance I've missed the healthy eating window that is early January, and everyone has already fallen off the healthy eating wagon.

But just in case, I'm going to share anyway.

My bff made these for me while I was visiting in November, and I've had one for breakfast almost every morning since.

They are moist and delicious, and packed with lots of goodies that help you start your day off right.


Here's a link to the original recipe, and I'll note the few changes we made below.

Bran Muffins

1/2 cup raisins
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups bran cereal (Kellogg's All-Bran)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter (I know - not healthy, but the time I forgot the butter in the microwave, the muffins were really dry.)
1 apple, cored and shredded (I use Fuji, and they've been huge lately. I measured last time I made them and it came to 1 1/2 cups of shredded apple)
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup honey
We also add...
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper cupcake liners.
Cover raisins with water in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high for 1 minute to plump. Drain the raisins, and set aside.
Beat the egg with milk in a bowl, and mix in the bran cereal. Let the mixture stand until the cereal absorbs the liquid, about 5 minutes.
Gently mix in the plumped raisins, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, melted butter, shredded apple, mashed banana, coconut, pecans and honey, and stir a few times to mix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, (I use a large ice cream scoop and its the perfect size to fill each muffin cup) and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Mine usually take 22-23 minutes.

I doubled the recipe last time I made them and they turned out perfectly. I wrap them well and freeze them and pull one out every night for the next morning's breakfast.


In other news, it's been especially quiet on the farm lately, which is exactly how I like it. I've been doing exciting things like watching my hair grow, and  tweezing the large number of eyebrows that apparently forgot where they're supposed to live. Seriously. Eyebrows inches away from their eyebrow home.

But I'm not complaining.

....or am I?

Dear Eyebrows,
I love you. And I missed you terribly while you were gone. I'm so very happy that you are back, but I do feel that it might be time to set some boundaries. You've had your fun, but from here on out, please confine your activities to your former stomping ground.
Very truly yours,
Teresa

Other than that, I'm obsessing over Downton Abby, like much of the rest of the world, trying to get a few projects done before Spring arrives, and feeling bad for those of you stuck in the Winter Storm of 2014.


Stay warm and have a fabulous Tuesday!