First off, happy February! I want to set the intention for the blog this month- very purposefully centered around the concept of love. Since the theme of this month’s posts are centered around love, self love, with a touch of women’s health (sorry boys), it was only fitting to share a recipe that embodied love from a personal sense and hoping it’ll reignite a time when food reminded you of a particularly loving time in your life. We’ll be talking about all things “love” this month in the form of wellness, recipes, and more– if you have certain topics in mind you’d like to see me cover, just comment below, I’d love to hear your ideas. But first, beets and blueberries…in a muffin? It tastes way better than it might sound, you guys. I promise.
BEETS AND BLUES
Food isn’t just fuel, it’s social, mental, emotional, and full of memories and tradition. I remember, my parents, especially my dad would always make blueberry muffins in the morning. It was a sweet gesture and it always brought us around the kitchen and the table on those lazy weekend mornings. Whether my parents enjoyed them with a spread of butter alongside coffee or I enjoyed them slathered in butter…with sprinkled sugar…while dunking them in milk (my, have things changed nutritionally); it was a delicious morning routine that makes me think and feel love when I’m baking muffins nowadays. Taking my personal memories of blueberry muffins, I wanted to give them a little NS makeover utilizing blood building beets, inflammation fighting blueberries, and heart healthy grains like rolled oats and healthy fats like almonds to make these muffins pack a punch of nutrition AND they taste amazing.
Nutritionally speaking, beets are the beez neez. I’ve ranted about them in the Raw Beet Marinara, Through the Garden Smoothie, Beetroot Coconut Sugar Cookies, Deconstructed Beet Bourguignon, and much more– but I think these are my fav. Beets are loaded with antioxidants, particularly ones that can powerfully with helping our bodies detoxify especially our livers and blood (demystifying the word detox here folks– our bodies detox all day, everyday). Blueberries are one of my favorite berries, raspberries being the first due to their very low sugar and high fiber content; but blueberries take the cake (or muffin- lame food pun) on antioxidants. Weight per weight 1 cup of blueberries contains
So how do I enjoy these nowadays- kind of like my parents did, with coffee (with a splash of coconut milk or Coffee Elevated), coconut butter with a little sprinkle of coconut sugar and blood sugar balancing cinnamon on top! An added bonus, I love Raspberry Chia Jam on this too. Oh, and you can add about 2/3 cup of dark chocolate chips if you’re in the mood for something chocolatey– it’s sublime, I tell ya.
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups beet puree
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 tablespoon chia seed
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, for the tops of the muffins
- Roast about 3 large chopped beets (or 6 small chopped) at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until tender. Next, puree them in a food processor or high speed blender.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Using square parchment pieces of paper or muffin liners, line a 12 muffin baking tray and grease with coconut oil.
- In a food processor or blender (I use blender for this), combine coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, coconut sugar, eggs, beet puree and gently blend until smooth (about 30 seconds). Then add almond milk, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon and stir together.
- In a large mixing bowl, add oat and brown rice flour, chia seeds. Pour your beet mixture into this large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Next, stir in the fresh cup of blueberries, gently folding in. The batter will be thick.
- Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full and repeat until all muffins are filled. Sprinkle coconut sugar on top (the 2 tablespoons from the recipe list). Bake for 16 minutes or until a tester comes out clean from the center.
- Let cool for 20 minutes before removing from the muffin tin, store at room temperature or in the freezer for 1 month.
Ingredients and products I used to make this recipe: muffin tin, parchment paper, brown rice flour, oat flour, organic maple syrup, chia seeds, coconut sugar
THOUGHTS?
What are your favorite sweet treats, comfort food or foods that remind you of love? Let me know what you think when you give this recipe a go! Leave a comment and rate it, rating helps me continue to improve recipes for you. I love seeing what you come up with so don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #nutritionstripped on Instagram!
xx McKel
