simply eat. breakfast // yoghurt, oat and blueberry muffins

I have a confession, I'm not a huge blueberry fan...don't hate me! On their own I just find them a bit woolly and no where near as satisfyingly juicy as other berries. BUT when baked into a crumble, muffin, pancake or even a sauce their gooey juiciness just shines as they 'pop' in your mouth...

So this muffin recipe is from my good old faithful book, Muffins Fast and Fantastic by Susan Reimer. This is THE muffin bible in my opinion, we acquired it from a boot fair years ago and I swear every single recipe we have tried from it always produces perfect muffins. Well risen, soft inside and with just the right amount of sweetness (in my opinion). We aren't fond of super sweet cakes in this house which is why we bake our own rather than buy sugary supermarket versions full of additives.

These muffins are ideal for breakfast as they are packed with fibre from the oats which release energy slowly and the addition of yoghurt as well as milk means a good hit of calcium. Plus the Blueberries are a great source of antioxidants, as well as being tasty!

Anyway enough talking about muffins let's get to the good stuff...oh and see that VERY green looking smoothie? Pop back tomorrow for the recipe, if you've never tried a 'green' smoothie before this one is perfect for first timers...

Ingredients

• 3oz/85g Oats
• 4-5oz/110-140g Brown Sugar (as I mentioned above these aren't overly sweet but you can decide if you want less or more sugar)
• 1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 8floz/240ml Low Fat (or 0% fat) Natural Yoghurt
• 3floz/90ml Vegetable/Sunflower Oil
• 3-4floz/90-120ml Milk (add more or less depending on the size of your egg)
• 1 Egg
• 1/2tsp Vanilla Extract
• 7oz/200g Self Raising Flour
• Fresh Blueberries

Simply...

• Preheat the oven to 190-200c/375-400f/Gas 5-6. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cases.
• You will need 2 large mixing bowls and a measuring jug for this recipe.
• In the first bowl weigh in the Oats, Sugar and Bicarb, stir just to break up the brown sugar as this can be clumpy. On top of the oat mix add in the Yoghurt.
• In the jug first measure in the oil, then the milk and lastly the Egg and Vanilla. Whisk to combine.
• Tip the oil, milk, egg, vanilla mix into the bowl with the oat mixture, stir well to combine and put to one side whilst you prepare the last few ingredients. This gives time for the oats to swell and the Bicarb to do it's stuff.
• In the other bowl weigh in the Flour and add in the Blueberries, I have left the measurement for this blank as it really depends on how big your blueberries are and how many you like in your muffins! Remember not to put in too many or the muffins will be mushy, I use roughly half a small punnet.
• Tip all the wet oat mix into the flour and stir well to combine, be sure to get right to the bottom of the bowl to get all the flour! Once no more flour is visible in the mixture STOP stirring. 
• Muffin batter is supposed to be lumpy and the more you stir it the tougher your muffins will be!
• Divide between the 12 cases, I like to make sure there's the odd blueberry sitting near the top so it pops and that bright purple bubbles up onto the surface...or just bung the mixture in!
• Pop in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes OR until golden and springy to the touch. Remember they will look darker than normal as they have brown sugar in them.
• Once done remove from the oven and take out to cool on a wire rack.
• If you can leave them to cool they will come away from the paper case easier but there's something about a warm muffin that is just too tempting...

Hope you give these beauties a go, they freeze really well too. Just pop them in a freezer bag when they have completely cooled and to defrost just leave them out overnight, maybe pop them in a microwave to heat them through slightly if you like.

Don't forget to pop back tomorrow for the smoothie recipe!x

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simply eat. breakfast // carrot & apricot breakfast muffins

Since starting my Nutrition course I have been trying to find ways to include more wholemeal products into my diet as they have a lower GI value and release energy slowly to keep you going for longer. So I though why not start with something I love...muffins! 

For those of you who don't like eating breakfast or simply don't have the time in the mornings, you can grab this tasty beauty and take it with you to eat on the go or for later in the morning when the idea of breakfast doesn't seem quite so repellent...(more on why breakfast is so important after the recipe)

Ingredients:

• 5oz Self Raising Flour
• 5oz Self Raising Wholemeal Flour
• 3oz Caster Sugar
• 1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1/4tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4tsp Mixed Spice (or cinnamon)
• A tiny pinch of Salt (you can cut this out if you are trying to lower your salt intake)
• 3floz Vegetable/Sunflower Oil
• 6floz Milk (semi-skimmed or skimmed) 
• 1/2tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Egg
• 2oz Dried Apricots chopped (around 10 apricots)
• 4.5-5oz Grated Carrot (roughly 2 large carrots)
• Zest of half an Orange (optional)
• 1tbsp of Apricot Jam (or Orange Marmalade would work well too)
• 1-2tbsp Sunflower seeds

Simply...

1. Preheat the oven to 180c and line a 12 hole muffin tin with cases.
2. Weigh and combine all the dry ingredients into one large bowl, give a quick stir with a fork to combine and break up any larger flour lumps.
3. In a jug measure first the oil and then the milk on top, then add in the vanilla extract and the egg, give a quick whisk with a fork.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients along with the chopped apricots, grated carrot and orange zest.
5. Stir until just combined and no flour is visible, it will look lumpy but if you over mix the batter it will make tough muffins...and no one wants that!
6. Divide the mix between 12 muffin cases and bake for 20-25minutes.
7. Once golden and springy to touch remove from the oven and take out of the tin to cool on a wire rack.
8. Once cool we can top the muffins! Gently toast the Sunflower seeds in a dry frying pan over a low heat, keep an eye on them as they will brown quickly.
9. In a small microwavable container heat the Jam (or Marmalade) until runny and spreadable. Be careful it will be super hot!!
10. Using a pastry brush spread a thin layer of the jam onto the muffin and top with the sunflower seeds, do this one at a time so the jam is nice and sticky for the seeds to...ahem...stick to.

(These muffins would freeze really well, once they have cooled pop them in a sealed bag or container and pop in the freezer. Once thawed you can add the jam and seeds.)

I didn't make these muffins all wholemeal as this can make them very dense so I went half and half, plus the carrots, apricots and seeds add vitmains and minerals which are great for the body too. There is still some sugar in this recipe as I think it needs it, although the apricots add a natural sweetness so you could cut it down more OR not add the jam glaze on the top and simply sprinkle the plain sunflower seeds on the muffins before you bake.

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So many people skip breakfast (you know who you are...) and I don't want to be preachy but it really is the most important meal of the day! The body has been in 'fasting mode' overnight and so it needs a good boost of energy to kickstart the day.

If you don't eat breakfast then often by 10-11ish the body starts craving energy, this when when most of us will be tempted by sugary treats to give us that 'boost' when really we need something that will release energy s-l-o-w-l-y to keep us going until lunch. 

Good choices for breakfast would be things that have a low GI value and therefore release energy slowly, such as porridge or wholegrain toast. (Or maybe one of my muffins!)

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