Raspberry Almond Oat Muffins

Disclaimer:  Lisa and I are consulting dietitians for the National Processed Raspberry Council.

Aside from it being Easter this weekend, it’s also my Mom’s birthday.

As I’ve gotten older, more and more people tell me how much I’m like her. And despite my bratty 14-year-old self denying the inevitability of this happening (I think we’re all happy those teenage years are long gone), I now take it is one of the kindest compliments I could hear.

My mom not only makes growing older look really, really easy (I have to admit that I’ve got great genes!), she’s also one of the most supportive, optimistic, and caring people I know.

One thing I know for certain is that I inherited Mom’s tastebuds. Some of our favorite foods include: carrot cake, anything Mediterranean, peanut butter, walnuts, almonds, avocados, sweet potatoes, raspberries, pears, and really good bread.

To celebrate Easter and the people in life that we love, here’s a recipe with all the good stuff.

Raspberry Almond Oat Muffins

These muffins are incredibly easy to whip up and make for a perfect afternoon snack or breakfast on-the-go.

Makes 6 muffins

Ingredients:

dry:

1 cup oat flour

1/4 cup almond flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cardamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/4 cup slivered almonds

wet:

1 medium banana - mashed

1 egg

1/4 cup low fat plain yogurt

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease muffin pans.

2. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.

3. In separate bowl whisk wet ingredients together.

4. Combine dry and wet ingredients together and spoon into muffin pans.

5. Bake about 25 minutes until golden brown.

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Raspberry Zucchini Bread

The weekends – which often, quite frankly just seem to whiz by – can  either result in one of two outcomes: a “case of the Mondays,” where you're just not ready to tackle the work and personal to-do-list; or, better yet they can leave you feeling refreshed, happy, nourished and thinking, “Bring it on, Monday.”

This past weekend has resulted in the latter.

I drove up to San Clemente for one of my best friend’s baby showers on Saturday and spent the whole weekend in the lovely town by the water. We celebrated Mom-to-be and Baby with tons of her friends, got spoiled rotten by her dad’s (who is visiting from Montana) home cooking, and walked our favorite beach trail on Sunday morning.

The change of scenery, ocean air, and company of good friends are the kinds of things weekends are made for.

Since Katie is 38 weeks pregnant, I’m getting myself ready to hop in my car and drive back up once the baby is born. I’ll be bringing two loves of this Raspberry Zucchini Bread, which feels like a perfect bread for March. It's comforting enough for colder, rainy days, yet bright and light enough for warmer weather, too. 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a wonderful week ahead!

Raspberry Zucchini Bread

This is great recipe for transitioning from winter to summer. It combines comforting elements that we love in winter, like whole grains, pecans, and warming spices, yet is balanced by lighter spring flavors from the shredded zucchini and frozen raspberries.

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ cup raspberry yogurt

½ cup agave nectar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

3 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup frozen raspberries

1 cup pecan pieces

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.     Grease two 8x4" loaf pans.

3.     In large bowl mix together both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spice.

4.     In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, yogurt, agave nectar, brown sugar, applesauce and vanilla.

5.     Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir in zucchini, frozen raspberries, and pecans.

6.     Divide batter between loaf pans.

7.     Bake about 60 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Cool and remove from pans.

Disclaimer: We are consulting dietitians for the National Processed Raspberry Council.

If you like this recipe, you may also want to take a peek at these recipes for:

      Oatmeal Flax Molasses Bread

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

Raspberry Coconut Carrot Cake Muffins

Vegan Vanilla Beet Cupcakes with Vegan Vanilla Coconut Frosting

I initially intended to post this recipe on Tuesday.

Tuesdays are such an under-appreciated day.

There’s Monday, which gets all the extra attention for being positioned at the start of the week.

Then there’s “Hump Day.”

Thursdays are practically the weekend, am I right? And Thursdays also are the day of the week that aired new episodes of Friends on TV, so it will forever hold a special place in my heart. 

And I’m sure you can understand why I don’t feel the need to justify the attention worthy of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

So, that leaves us with lonely Tuesday. But, since this last Monday was technically a holiday, that would make today Tuesday in it’s own kind of way.

And so that’s why I’ve decided to post my second dessert recipe of the week. This feels-like-Tuesday-kind-of-day deserves a reason to smile. So, here’s a spunky dessert, colored naturally with the beautiful hue of beets. 

By themselves, these cupcakes aren’t too sweet at all. I let the frosting add most of the sweetness.

And as a fair warning, this vegan frosting has a distinct coconut flavor, so if that’s not for you, I would opt for a traditional frosting with butter. Or if you adhere to a vegan diet, I would simply opt for a plant-based non-hydrogenated butter alternative. But for coconut lovers like me, this simple frosting recipe certainly does the trick! 

Happy Tuesday! xo

Vanilla Beet Cupcakes with Vegan Vanilla Coconut Frosting

Naturally colored with beets and only mildly sweet, these whole grain, plant-based cupcakes are certainly a reason to celebrate.

Makes 12 cupcakes 

Ingredients for cupcakes:

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup coconut sugar

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

3 medium beets, cooked

Ingredients for frosting:

¼ cup coconut oil

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk

2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions for cupcakes:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.     In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.

3.     In a food processor or blender, combine beets, coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

4.     Add beet mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine.

5.     Pour batter into lined muffin tins.

6.     Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding frosting.

Directions for frosting:

1.     Beat all ingredients until smooth. Keep in the refrigerator until cupcakes are ready to be frosted.