Whole Wheat Bran Muffins

As much as my boyfriend enjoys my new hobby, he is definitely not looking forward to the numbers on the scale crawling up with each new post I make. Neither of us is, really. So, he thought it would be a good idea for me to balance it out with some healthy baking. These muffins are perfect because they’re small and filling and an awesome breakfast. And it has a lot of our favorite things in it. I did an online search for bran muffins and couldn’t find any that I completely liked, so, I made my own.

Ingredients:

• Non-stick vegetable spray
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unprocessed wheat bran
• 1/2 cup milled flax seed
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:

1 - Preheat oven to 400*

2 - Line muffin cups with paper liners. Spray liners with non-stick spray.

3 - Whisk flour, bran, flax seed, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt in bowl. Stir in carrots, raisins, coconut, and nuts.

4 - Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl. Whisk in eggs, then buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon peel.

5 - Mix in dry ingredients.

6 - Divide batter among cups, filling about 3/4 full.

7 -Bake muffins until browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool on rack