Recipe: Morning Glory Muffins

I like to describe these muffins as healthy carrot cake. It's a bit of  a pain to grate the carrots and apples, but it's worth it for fruit-veggie-and-nut-packed grains. This spice-intense muffin is perfect to pull out of the freezer for a snack or quick breakfast (I like to eat them with vanilla yogurt). 

My mom got the recipe years ago from a bed and breakfast, and I rediscovered their goodness when I started making them regularly.  Last summer I played mom and brought a batch for my hotel roommates and myself on a trip out of fear that there would be no quick breakfast with any nutritional value. I am a big stickler to having me some fiber (with sugar to wash it down) to start the day, and these guys fit the bill.

Morning Glory Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

1 ¼ cups sugar 

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

2 cups grated carrot

½ cups raisins (I don't put them in because I am not a big raisin fan.)

½ cups nuts (I use walnuts.)

½ cup shredded coconut

1 apple, peeled, cored, and grated

3 eggs

1 cup oil half oil (I use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce.)

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix first 5 ingredients. Stir in next 5. In another bowl beat eggs with salad oil and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture until batter is just combined. Spoon into greased muffin tin, filling to the top. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 14 large muffins.