Yum! Healthy Blueberry Muffins (and Orange Creamsicles)

I thought this would make a nice post for the weekend because it gives you a tasty gluten-free, dairy-free recipe for blueberry muffins you could try for breakfast Sunday morning….or whenever. 🙂

 

I didn’t try an orange creamsicle recipe (see end of post) the other day as planned because I got sidetracked by this recipe for blueberry muffins on the Nutiva Organic Coconut Flour bag. I ended up really liking it and think it will be a good basic recipe to use in the future for muffins, a cake, coffee cake, etc., depending on what you add beyond the basic ingredients. Sometimes working with coconut flour can be tricky because of all the moisture it soaks up, so you can’t swap it out cup for cup with regular flour. This recipe gives you a good ratio of what DOES work. And with it having so many eggs and the chia seeds, it has a pretty high protein content. A healthy breakfast to go, or enjoy leisurely over a cup of tea!

 

(photo by Marg of CaymanDesigns)

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp crystal salt
1 tsp baking soda
*1/2 cup + 2 TBS raw honey
1 cup coconut milk
6 eggs
4 TBS coconut oil, melted
*4 tsp vanilla extract
*4 TBS organic chia seeds
1 cup fresh organic blueberries

Makes 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, salt and soda together. In a separate bowl or blender, whisk together honey, coconut milk, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla. Gently stir wet ingredients into dry, mix in chia and blueberries. Pour into greased muffin tins to 3/4 full and bake 25 min or so.

*I actually used a little less than 1/2 c honey and used some vanilla bean powder in place of one tsp of the extract and only used 2 TBS chia. Plan to do some more experimenting the next time. I think this would make a great base for a healthy version of pineapple upside down cake, among other things. 🙂

And for those of you who are unfamiliar with the health benefits of using coconut flour, here’s a little info:

Organic coconut flour is a healthy alternative to wheat and other grain flours. It is ground from dried, de-fatted coconut meat and is high in fiber and low in digestible carbohydrates. A single 2 TBS serving delivers 5 grams of fiber with only 8 grams of carbs! This makes it ideal for those following a paleo diet or who need to be carb conscious for their health or who are looking for ways to add more fiber to their meals. And coconut flour is gluten free, which is a big consideration for more and more people these days.

The light flavor of coconut flour allows it to blend seamlessly into sweet or savory baked goods. And it can be used as a coating for chicken, fish or other proteins in place of regular flour or cornmeal. Because of its high fiber content, baking with coconut flour is a unique experience; it usually requires an equal ratio of liquid to flour for best results. You can use it to replace up to 20% of the flour in a recipe, but will need to add an equal amount of liquid to compensate. It’s usually best to use a recipe specifically designed for coconut flour to help eliminate any guesswork.

Check out my post on coconut flour for more information and a free e-book with 27 recipes using the flour.

 

And here’s the creamsicle  recipe I referred to earlier. I still plan to give it a try…..

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh-squeezed organic valencia orange juice

1 cup full fat organic coconut milk

2 TBS organic honey

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all in blender or shaker cup and then put in an ice cube tray and freeze until firm.

 

6/7/14 Update: I finally got around to making this recipe. I wouldn’t say it tasted exactly like a creamsicle, but then it’s been so long since I had one I’m just going on memory. What it DID taste like was a luscious orange milkshake or wonderful island cocktail. All that was missing was the little umbrella (and a beach :-)). I only used around 2 tsp of honey (use manuka if you want to add even more health benefits) and I had some vanilla creme stevia on hand, so I used several drops of that in place of part of the vanilla extract. I also added about 1/4- 1/2  tsp of freshly grated rind (be sure your oranges are organic if you do this) and some coconut oil, along with the full-fat coconut milk. All these extra ingredients not only add to the taste, but to the nutritional power. Put everything in a Magic Bullet and viola! The only thing that took a little time was squeezing the oranges (I used a little over a cup of juice). Never even got around to freezing the concoction ……drank the whole thing myself. Will definitely be making again!

7/3/14: Have made this several more times and have yet to ever get it near the freezer, and that may never change unless I make a triple recipe or something. It’s just so darn yummy (and good for you!) right from the blender. 🙂

 

FYI, you can buy all the items for these recipes except the blueberries, oranges and eggs at a discount at two of my favorite places to shop  iHerb.com and Vitacost. If  you shop at iHerb be sure to use code CJG192 if you are a new customer and spend more than $40 and you will get $10 off ($5 off for smaller orders), plus take advantage of their wonderful specials and trial offer section. Shipping is free on orders of $20 and up, and there’s no sales tax. There’s an extra 5% off on orders over $60.

If you are new to Vitacost and make your first purchase of $25 or more through the link on my webpage you will receive a $10 off coupon. And if you plan on shopping again after that, be sure to sign up for a free acct. at eBates.com, if you don’t already have one. That way you can use the eBates portal to shop at Vitacost (and 100s of other popular stores) and earn cash back on your purchases. Plus, eBates also offers some reward–I got a $10 gift card–when you place your first $25 order at a store through them. How does it get any better than that?!

 

Salud!

p.s. Be sure to subscribe to Self-help Health so you don’t miss any future posts, and tell your friends to do the same. Also check out my website’s To Your Health page and Evolution Made Easier blog for more helpful health tips, tools and information.

Disclaimer: Please note that any information here is provided as a guideline only, and is not meant to substitute for the advice of your physician, nutritionist, trained healthcare practitioner, and/or inner guidance system. Always consult a professional before undertaking any change to your normal health routine.