Muffins are Good

Good Morning! Well, it was an amazing weekend in Portland. Perfect weather for running or whatever you like to do outside. I ran a great loop with my friend Kate and her running group. We ran by her new gym (to open in June) called Edge Performance which I will blog about later as it is going to be awesome!! After the run, Kate as usual, provided some amazing post work out treats which included her famous bars, bananas, bagels and gummy bears! Along the route we had a water stop with some treats as well. Kate always inspires me to eat well and healthy. She is a trained dietitian so I heed her advice and try to copy her recipes!

The theme here, I guess, is that food is our fuel and we should fuel it properly for any exercise we do during the day. You could be running a 10 miler or chasing the kids around the house. So, I have a couple of things for you this morning. First a link to the food pyramid guide site which I think has a decent tool for determining caloric needs. They have a good tool for kids and pregnant moms as well! Check it....

http://mypyramid.gov/

The next tidbit for you is a GREAT recipe for a super muffin. This muffin is loaded with good stuff and will keep you fueled for a few hours. It packs a huge punch but is still a mere +/- 100 calories, low in fat and has some protein.. I made them the other night and made a few of my own additions (I can thank Kate for that as she taught me the art of healthy substitutions).

Apple Oat Wheat Muffins

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup wheat flour
1 TB. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 TB. Cinnamon
1/3 cup of sugar
1/2 mushed banana
1/3 cup applesauce
1 cup milk
1 large apple peeled and cubed
1/4 cup of flax meal (this provides the good filling punch)

Let oats soak in milk while you combine all the other dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients then combine the other ingredients in a separate bowl. Finally, combine all ingredients until just stirred (don't forget your soaking oats). Fill 12 cups in muffin tray which has been lined or greased. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes and you are done. They are super easy, fast and yummy for a healthy muffin.

Happy Running and Enjoy the muffins!