As part of our Mommy Nutrition series I decided to add in a mommy and dietitian approved recipe. Let me paint a picture for you, in the kingdom of “Mommydom” (or pregnancy aches and pains) lists are long and time is short. Eating healthy is a challenge. Often the easiest thing to do is reach for a box. This blog is what I call an out-of-the-box recipe makeover just in time for Easter brunch.
This muffin recipe uses Krusteaz® cranberry orange muffin mix. Keep in mind that most store-bought muffin mixes aren’t perfectly “clean,” but I picked Krusteaz® because I thought it was one of the best (no hydrogenated oils and no weird ingredients for the most part, more about that later).
So, I set out to make the perfect muffin. This recipe is sure to be at hit at your Easter celebration. If you aren’t motivated to make these yet let me tell you what Superfoods you can find in these muffins: sweet potatoes, citrus, walnuts (optional), dark chocolate (optional, but highly recommended), and cranberries (optional).
I used mini muffin tins and it made about 4 dozen muffins. I recommend that you spray the muffin tins, I forgot to do this on my second batch and thank goodness for a really nice pan from Sur La Table®, I didn’t have to spend hours scrubbing.
Superfood 1: Sweet Potatoes
Pour the muffin mix into a large bowl and add 3 jars of sweet potato baby food. We are not at the baby food stage in our house yet, so I purchased these but if you are making your own you will need about 12 oz of pureed sweet potatoes. In my first attempt I used carrots; I preferred the subtle flavoring of the sweet potatoes, but you could use whatever veggie you want.
Superfood 2: Pomegranate
Add 1/3 cup pomegranate juice. You can use any juice that you want but pomegranate juice added in the antioxidants that I wanted. If pomegranates were in season you better believe that the arils would have been the star of the show, but alas they are not, so we had to settle for juice.
Superfood 3: Citrus:
Add ¾ cup orange juice. I had planned to use the cranberry orange flavoring can that comes in the Krusteaz® box. As I was preparing to dump it in I noticed that it had high fructose corn syrup. Yes, we can talk about my opinions on that in a future post, but I decided to opt out and add my own orange juice for flavoring instead.
Superfoods 4,5,and 6: Walnuts, Cranberries, and Dark Chocolate
Since I decided not to use the flavorings that came with the mix I got to add my own flavorings. This is where I had the most fun. In my experiments I made them with mini dark chocolate chips, mini dark chocolate chips and coconut, dried cranberries and coconut, and dried cranberries and walnuts. My two favorites were the mini dark chocolate chips and the cranberries and walnuts combo. The one with the chocolate chips seriously tastes like those chocolate oranges you get at Christmas only in muffin form. Go ahead and experiment with your favorite combinations and be sure to share them!
You know what else is great about this recipe? Did you notice that it only uses one bowl? Super easy clean up!
Superfood Muffins
Ingredients:
1 box fat-free cranberry orange muffin mix, Krusteaz® 3 jars (4 oz each) sweet potato baby food (pureed) 1/3 cup Pomegranate juice ¾ cup Orange Juice 6 oz mini dark chocolate chips (optional) ½ cup walnuts, chopped small (optional) ½ cup dried cranberries (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl stir together muffin mix, baby food, and juices until combined. Fold in add-ins (chocolate chips, walnuts, dried cranberries).
- Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 14 minutes (mini muffins) – 20 minutes (regular sized muffins) or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!