Okay.  Easter is coming and I know a lot of us love to indulge in a brunch of some sort.  For this reason, I thought I would offer a healthy alternative that you can include on the brunch table. . . and one that you don’t have to feel too guilty about eating.  If you like bran muffins, you’ll love this one.  It’s tasty and filling.  Beau & I love bran-like muffins, so we found these to be a nice change to our morning breakfast routine.  In fact, we found them to be a bit better than typical bran muffins because of the fruit in them.  They have a bran muffin flavor, but are mostly naturally sweetened by the carrots, apples, and dried cranberries.  We found the texture to be fabulous too!

The recipe makes 24 muffins.  That’s a lot.  The good news is that they freeze well and you can essentially pull them out one-by-one to eat for breakfast.  Now, that’s a FAST and easy breakfast if you ask me!  (Just don’t forget to eat these with a protein source too.)

Whether you make these for your Easter brunch, or you make them to eat for breakfast, they are a great way to get in some healthy carbohydrates that will leave you feeling satisfied (in more ways than one!).

Fruit & Fiber Muffins
Adapted from SparkPeople

1 cup ground (or milled) flaxseed  (I used milled)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat bran (found by hot cereals in grocery stores)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 ½ cups shredded carrots
2 cups shredded apples (peeled and cored)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
3/4 cup 1% milk
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix flaxseed, flour, bran, sugar and dry ingredients together.  Shred carrots and apples and add these along with dried cranberries to dry ingredients.  Mix well.  In a separate bowl stir together milk, eggs and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until well moistened (batter will be thick and chunky, but moist).  Fill cupcake papers until 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, but with some crumbs).  Do not over bake.

Serves 24.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1 Muffin)
Calories:  88.6
Protein:  2.9g
Carbs:  18g
Fat:  2.1g
Fiber:  3.1g
Sugars:  10.4g