A Healthier Nest and A Recipe

I'm making a real effort to keep my fridge stocked with plenty of these.  Now that we are empty nesters, my meal planning is seeing a lot of changes.

In some ways our empty nest has been a bit of an adjustment.  But as for healthy eating, it has become easier with just the two of us.  I no longer keep things like chips and cookies on hand.  I'm finding that if I have a sweet tooth I can usually satisfy it with a graham cracker or a small piece of dark chocolate.

In keeping a good supply of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand at all times, I am always able to come up with a quick and healthy meal.  For lunch today I cut up some veggies and paired it with a few pita chips and some hummus.  It filled me up, was healthy and pretty too.

In addition to incorporating more fruits and veggies into our diet, I am making a conscious effort to add more fiber.  Which is part of the reason I recently made a batch of bran muffins.  I was asked if I would share the recipe & I am happy to do so.

This is a recipe from Jane Brody's Good Food Cookbook.

Best of Bran Muffins

• 3 cups shredded bran cereal (e.g. All-Bran or 100% Bran)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2-1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, if desired

1. In a large bowl, combine the cereal, oil & raisins & pour the boiling water over them.  Set the mixture aside to cool slightly.
2. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk & molasses.  Add this to the partly cooled cereal mixture.
3. In another small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the cereal mixture, stirring just enough to moisten the dry ingredients.  Cover the batter with plastic wrap, wax paper or a damp towel, and let it stand for at least 15 minutes, preferably for 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease 24 muffin cups, and divide the batter among them, filling each cup about three-fourths full.  Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove the muffins from the oven, and, when they are slightly cooled, take them out of the tin and place on a rack to cool completely.

Makes 24 muffins.

I will tell you that these are not a real sweet muffin.  I'm sure you could add a bit more sugar if you prefer them sweeter.  I like them warm with one of the "healthy" spreads pictured above. 

The recipe makes 2 dozen.  I froze one dozen in a Ziploc bag.  When I want something to go with my afternoon coffee break, it's easy to pop one out of the freezer and into the microwave. 

A few of you asked questions in a recent post, so I thought I'd take a minute to answer those here.  Karen asked if the bran muffins were from the recipe where you kept the batter in the fridge and baked as many as you wanted.  I remember that recipe as my mom used to make it.  It is similar, but not the same one.
Stacey asked if my sister reads my blog.  Unfortunately, she isn't able to use the computer yet.  Hopefully she will be able to soon because I think it would allow her to be able to communicate more effectively.  Thanks for thinking of her, Stacey.

Osage Bluff Quilter asked whether my prayer plant had bloomed yet.  To be honest, I received it as a gift and didn't realize that it would bloom.  How exciting ~ I hope it does bloom eventually.
Lynn asked if I ship my muffins :-).  Well, so far I haven't, but there's always a first for everything.  Although they might taste fresher if you tried the recipe.

Thanks for your questions and taking the time to visit.  I hope I haven't missed any of your questions.  If so, please feel free to ask again.