Blueberry Bran Muffins
I remember the day so clearly, I was round about 12 years of age. My mother, aunt and myself, had gone for breakfast and I ordered an ice tea, not because I liked it but because I thought it would show them that I was trying to eat “healthily” but man, oh man, did it backfire.
Since, I can remember I was always the “big girl” and growing up, I literally tried every diet out there, from the Atkins diet to Weigh less but nothing ever worked for me– partly because I was an emotional eater and because I still had a lot of growing up to do.
However, that day was the day that my attention was drawn to the back of the can for the first time, specifically the energy content of the drink and what exactly was going into my “so-called healthy ice tea”. I literally had no idea that ice tea was sugar in a can.
The point I’m trying to make here is that many have misconceptions of what is healthy and what healthy eating actually is. If I am being completely honest and had to define it broadly, (and note that this is just my opinion) Healthy eating is about being more conscious and aware of what we put into our bodies. For me, it’s not a specific diet, it could never be a specific diet because we are all different – from our build, to our weight, our culture, our financial status. Healthy eating is relative. However, social media has made it seem like it’s not. That you HAVE to be following a Paleo/Macros/Gluten-free/low carb/intermittent fasting diet to be living a healthy lifestyle. That you have to be using some sort of protein powder or almond flour or milk substitute in your recipes for it to constitute as healthy.
I mean, I don’t even know what it means to be living a Paleo diet lifestyle ( and big ups to those who do!) or when to use coconut flour instead of almond flour instead of buckwheat flour or cassava flour.
For me personally, I have noted that it’s an unaffordable lifestyle – not just in terms of money but the amount of time you have to spend actually making and baking. And okay, yes, I guess if it’s become your way of living then obviously you would have all the ingredients on hand, but unfortunately, for a student like myself or even someone who has just started working and is trying to lead a fit lifestyle – having coconut flour (that costs R34), protein powder and flax meal in my cupboard is not a reality. My cupboard is actually filled with wholewheat flour, eggs and milk- and there is nothing wrong with that and yes, its still healthy! And like they say, we’ve got to make the best of what we got ---and so I did!
Blueberry Bran Muffins
Ingredients
2 cups of Oats
2.5 cups of whole wheat flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
0.5 tsp of salt
1 large egg
2 cups of brown sugar (a lot,I know) or you can use Pure maple syrup or molasses
½ cup of applesauce (in place of oil)
2 cups of Full cream milk
0.5 tsp of almond extract
OPTIONAL:
1 cup of blueberries (you can literally swap this out for raisins/chocolate chips, whatever tickles your fancy)
Instructions:
Beat eggs, then add the maple syrup (or sugar or molasses) and blend until creamy.
Then add the applesauce and continue beating.
Add the milk and almond extract and beat until a smooth consistency is reached.
Now mix all the dry ingredients together; the oats, flour, bicarb and salt with the wet, blended ingredients
Add your raisins, blueberries, chocolate chips (or don’t, it’s up to you ;)) and mix throughout the mixture.
Place into a greased muffin tray and bake for 12 minutes at 180°C (two elements)
Coming from where I was, eating all the junk foods and having a loyalty card for MaccyD’s, to actually being aware and conscious of what I was putting into my mouth and how much of it, made a world of a difference. The muffins above are a great alternative to biscuits and amazing on-the-go breakfast snack, if youre like me and forget to have brekkies in the morning. I also found that baby steps was key…but like I said, what works for me, won’t necessarily work for you. Just remember that being healthy is relative and that you should never ever compare your progress against someone else’s, find what works for you and your temple.