Morning Muffins

Mornings can be rough.

Especially when the number on your alarm clock starts with a 4.

Especially when you've been waking up every hour on the hour, irrationaly worried that it's 2 o'clock in the afternoon and not 2 o'clock in the morning.

Yeah, that's never happened to me before.

Definitely not last night.

But that's where these muffins come in.

No messing around with scrambled eggs. No fumbling around trying to eat cereal out of a solo cup at the three stoplights you sit at on your way to work.

That's never happened to me either.

These muffins are packed with whole wheat flour, oats, flax seeds, pecans, and oh yeah - apples and carrots.

The fruits and veggies in these muffins totally eliminate the need for oil or butter, too.

The picture of health, I tell you.

And if you wanted to make these muffins come together super quick, bypass the grating step and buy pre-pureed apples and carrots. Sure, the grocery store will call it baby food, but I much prefer "pre-pureed".

This recipe is a canvas for creativity. I used pecans because I had pecans. Prefer walnuts? Use walnuts! Want to throw some raisins in there? Awesome! I didn't have any in my house. Don't want to leave some of your apples chunky? Grate them all!

You make the rules.

So take one of your more leisurely mornings and make these muffins.

Your other mornings will thank you.

Morning Muffins
adapted from Joy the Baker's Gnarley Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cup flax seed meal

3/4 old fashioned oats

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 cups carrots (shredded)

2 apples (peeled and shredded)

1 cup nuts (optional, chopped, spinkled on top - the world is your oyster!)

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Using a wooden spoon, mix together flour, flax seed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

2. Stir in carrots, apples, and nuts.

3. Combine milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid all at once into the dry/fruit mixture. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.

4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.