I tend not to make new year’s resolutions that are supposed to start strictly on the 1st of January. Rather than do that, I usually start pondering making changes in my life right around the middle of the holidays, and after the 1st will slowly gravitate towards a goal. This has been helpful in making changes that actually stick.

And so, this year, I’ve been thinking that I need to put in healthier items on this blog more often. And not that I think things I feature here are necessarily really fattening or decadent. But I feel that, as I will be celebrating another birthday in March, I need to focus on things are that delicious and good for you. This muffin definitely fits in this category.

The recipe is not mine; it’s from here. There are a ton of morning glory muffin varieties out there, but some contain a lot of fat and sugar. I wanted something healthier. I didn’t make any adjustments, just halved it and baked it without the paper, because I think muffins with paper linings look more like cupcakes.

Morning Glory Muffins

ingredients:

Cooking spray

1/2 cup                 whole wheat flour

1/4 cup                 all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)

1/2 cup                 regular oats

3/8 cup                 packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon                 wheat bran

1 teaspoon                baking soda

1/8 teaspoon                 salt

1/2 cup                 plain fat-free yogurt

1/2 cup                 mashed ripe banana (about 1)

1                  large egg

1/2 cup                 chopped pitted dates

3/8 cup                 chopped walnuts

1/4 cup                 chopped dried pineapple

1 1/2 tablespoons                 ground flaxseed

method:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place 7 muffin cups liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. (I didn’t use muffin liners, but instead sprayed a muffin tin directly with non-stick cooking spray with butter flavor and flour, and baked it on a baking sheet directly underneath to reduce bottoms getting too brown or burnt. I also tend to like a fuller muffin, with an actual muffin top, so I only made seven muffins, but the actual recipe would’ve been for 18 muffins, or 9 muffins with a half-recipe, which is what I used, a half-recipe of the original recipe in the link.)

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine yogurt, banana, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in dates, walnuts, and pineapple. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with flaxseed. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!