Friday, September 30, 2016

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Protein Muffins

Let's get right to the recipe! If you want to read the narrative, keep on scrolling. :)



Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1 serving gluten-free protein powder*, vanilla or pumpkin flavored (1 serving of my protein powder is 2 scoops)
1 tsp. gluten-free baking powder (Clabber Girl is a gluten-free brand)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 c. pure maple syrup (you can use 1/2 c. brown sugar instead if desired)
1 c. pure pumpkin puree
2 eggs or 4 egg whites
1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce

Topping:
1 tbsp. gluten-free rolled oats
1 tsp. cinnamon

*If you are curious about what protein powder I recommend, shoot me a message!

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust the rack to the middle position. Line a muffin tin with liners or spray with nonstick spray.

2. In a small bowl, toss the 1 tbsp. oats and cinnamon for the topping and set aside.

3. Blend the oats in a high-powered blender or food processor until fine. They should be about the consistency of flour. Add the protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and pulse a few times until well mixed.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the syrup/sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, and applesauce. Add the dry ingredients and mix until completely incorporated.

5. Fill each muffin liner 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle the oat topping evenly over all muffins.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!

And now I ramble...

Time is flying. I can't believe it has been an entire year since I last posted a recipe.  Granted, a lot has changed since the last pumpkin recipe - we added a new family member! Tiny is now 6 months old and keeping us plenty busy, hence the lapse of being a good blogger.

Fall is my absolute favorite season. It brings crisp air, painted trees, warm food, and, of course, pumpkin everything. It also seems to be a chance for new beginnings. With school starting back up, it's easy to argue that fall is more the start of a new year than January is. Fall is a great time to set new goals, make life changes, and have renewed energy. So, here I am, setting goals, making life changes, and having renewed energy to attempt to pick up blogging again.

Those of you who frequent this blog know that it's full of a wide spectrum of recipes:  healthy, gluttonous, dinners, desserts. I'm a creature who strives for balance and I truly believe we are meant to enjoy good food. In moderation, we should enjoy delicious treats, especially when they're made in our very own kitchens. The key is moderation. The majority of the time we should be enjoying healthy, wholesome, nutrient-dense food. Since I believe that God has given us such beautiful, natural nutrition that we're meant to enjoy, I'm going to spend the next several posts (at the rate I'm going, this might be the only one!) providing wholesome, healthy recipes. And since I also love baking and eating sweet treats, I'm going to attempt to create wholesome, healthy sweet treats. I would say I knocked that goal out of the park with these muffins! I was worried that the texture would be all wrong without all-purpose flour, but they are surprisingly fluffy and moist. They're packed with nutrients and low in fat and sugar. If you use pure maple syrup, they're guilt-free with only 84 calories, 2g fat, 7g sugar, and 4g of protein per muffin. They would be delicious with a smear of natural nut butter to make a nutrient-dense snack. Perfect fall treat!