Carrot Banana Muffins

Well, hello there blog and winter, I mean, fall! I am not sure where time has gone, but I'm pretty sure it slipped away from me as I grasped onto the last bits of freedom before graduate school began and a lot has changed in these few months. I took up running via the Couch 2 5K program and even got serious with portion control. So long as I can still be a foodie and enjoy my favorite flavors, I suppose I can work on portion control. And running? Why, it's not half bad! It's actually empowering, since I never thought I'd be able to jog and enjoy myself during it. I've already completed my first 5K and have registered for two others!

Along with these lifestyle changes I have made has been the readjustment to being in school again! Juggling coursework, studying, and reading journal articles? Say it ain't so! Really, I'm thankful for the new found runner within me and my always stable culinary side during this time of transition, otherwise I might have already lost track of who I am and what matters most to me- happiness! I'm also so very appreciative to be part of a great cohort of first year graduate psychology students and can only imagine where I'd be without them.. Most likely with a kitchen full of freshly baked and cooked goods and not enough empty stomachs and discerning palates to pawn said goods off on!

Since that is not the case, here we are with a new recipe and a new audience to hold me to updating this blog once a week like I so desperately want to do. Oh, and my favorite response I received upon biting into one of these muffins? "Why do I even bother baking with butter!?" Seriously, folks, these are that good!

Carrot Banana Muffins
(adapted from Eating Well)

Yields: 16-20 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick oats (or whatever oats you may have on hand)
• 1/2 cup wheat bran
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup milk (I used Silk's Light Vanilla Soy Milk and it was a great substitute!)
• 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt (my favorite being 0% Fage)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 cups shredded carrots (a food processor or box grater comes in handy here)
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• 2 small bowls
• Fork
• Spatula
• Muffin tin

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit. Insert liners in muffin tin or coat with cooking spray of your choice.
2. In one of the small bowls, add the raisins and then fill with hot water until raisins are covered. Set aside. This will result in plump, rehydrated raisins.
3. In large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients, except for the sugar, and the dry spices. Mix together using the spatula.
4. In the other small bowl, whisk together the egg whites until frothy. Once frothy, mix in the sugar until dissolved. Then add in the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, and vanilla, and stir until they are as well as incorporated as you can get them.
5. Add wet mixture into the dry mixture using the spatula. Fold these two mixtures together gently until just incorporated, as to not activate the gluten in the flour. If you over mix these mixtures you will yield tough muffins!
6. Lastly, drain the raisins from the water that has not been absorbed. Fold in the raisins, shredded carrots, and walnuts if being included, to the batter.
7. Pour the batter into the muffin tin until each compartment is filled 3/4 of the way to the top.
8. Bake until the muffins no longer jiggle when the tin is being moved. For me, this occurred after 15 to 20 minutes and resulted in golden brown tops. If you're desiring a darker and crunchier top, leave in for an additional ten minutes or until the tops are at your preferred color.
9. Let muffins cool for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack until no longer piping hot and enjoy!