Sooo, I've been a little MIA lately, so sorry for that! Life became unexpectedly SUPER busy for a few weeks. I think that everything has calmed down, though, and I'll now be able to update again more regularly. Not the best start to a blog, I know, but it WILL be better, promise! There are definitely a few things that I have to share, thanks for sticking with me!
First, though, I thought I'd complete my second "Food Friday" post. Today's recipe of choice is one for Sweet Potato Muffins! I made this right before Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit (and when I say huge I mean that my boyfriend and I almost went through the whole batch in one day...maybe not super healthy, but they were too good! They were so good that I forgot to take pics of the finished product :) ) I first received this recipe in the "Runner's World" emails that I receive every day or so. I'm a huge fan of sweet potatoes. They're so versatile and are extremely healthy for you--a good way for me to get some beta carotene (did I mention that I hate carrots? I've tried to eat them many times, but still to no avail...) So, needless to say this recipe was a success for me even before I made it. Read a little about what sweet potatoes do for you HERE . And here's the link where I found the recipe, if you're interested in checking it out: Runner's World Sweet Potato Muffins
So without further ado:
Sweet Potato Muffins
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (preferably pastry flour)
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pureed or mashed cooked sweet potato
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
Heat oven to 375° F. Grease 12 muffin cups or add paper liners.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, and salt.
In a bowl, whisk butter, oil, sweet potato, egg, and buttermilk. Fold wet mixture into the dry; stir until just combined.
Fill muffin cups three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Banana Nut Variation Reduce sugar to 1/2 cup. Replace sweet potato with 1 cup mashed, very ripe banana; add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the batter.
Pumpkin Coconut Variation Replace sweet potato with 1 cup canned pumpkin; add 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut to the batter.
CALORIES PER MUFFIN: 248
CARBS: 37 G
FIBER: 3 G
PROTEIN: 4 G
FAT: 9 G
My Added Twist(s): Want to get rid of some of the unnecessary fat? Substitute the veggie oil with apple sauce...works just the same and tastes just as good! Also, I didn't have whole wheat flour and substituted it with normal ol' white flour. I did a little research on the internet and these two are interchangeable (as far as the effects on baking, anyway... I don't know that nutritional facts break down), so don't worry about running out to the store to get a new bag of flour if you already have one sitting at home! And if you check out the comments on the RW website you'll notice a bunch of people that came up with substitutes of their own...RW website is such a great resource as well as a great community for runners!
Note(s): When mixing the batter you'll notice that it can get really thick. There were comments stating this on the RW website from those who had made the muffins before me. You can use baked or boiled and mashed sweet potatoes (I used the latter), but the overall consensus I think was that the boiled and mashed worked a little better because they were more moist.
Speaking of boiled sweet potatoes, if you've never made them before it's really simple. Here's what you do: Peel and then chop the sweet potatoes into small pieces and throw in some boiling water for 20 minutes; drain and mash. Done. :) (These are great by themselves with some brown sugar, or some butter and salt. See? Very versatile!)
Another great thing about this recipe is that you can easily switch it up...want some banana nut bread? or some pumpkin coconut? With the instructions provided by RW's contributing food writer Mark Bittman it's an easy transition from sweet potatoes to bananas or pumpkin. If you make one of those recipes let me know! I haven't quite had a chance to do that yet :)
So here they are, sweet potato muffins! The flavor isn't rich or strong, but is just a little sweet and satisfying and I think you'll really enjoy them. Also, I thought this recipe to be very appropriate for this time of year...we'll all have some of those leftover mashed sweet potatoes that won't quite get eaten. What a great excuse to make this recipe!
Thanks again for checking back her and sticking with me! I promise to become better on track!
Happy Running!
