Fruit & Nut Breakfast Muffins

You can call these Cranberry Almond, Cherry and Pistachio, Apricot and Walnut, Blueberry and Cashews etc etc.  The point being I threw in a whole lot of nuts, dried fruit and fresh fruit. 

These are made with a combo of flours and oats, plus nuts and fruit that will give you great nutrition, get you going and KEEP you going throughout the morning. 

Breakfast is SO important.  I actually lost weight from starting to eat breakfast (a healthy one of course).  The saying goes "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper".  This is a great quote to think about how to eat throughout the day.  Not saying I do all the time, but it's a good guideline.

These muffins a a bit dense but I wanted them that way- so it feels filling when you bite into it.  I used almonds, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried and fresh blueberries. Mix it up with what you like!

Ingredients
(Makes 12 muffins)

• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of instant oats (you know the rolled oats you make oatmeal with)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 3 tbs of canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup of orange juice
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of non fat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup of nuts (your choice)
• 1 cup of dried/fresh fruit (your choice)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with baking cups (or just spray with cooking spray if you don't have cups)
3. In one bowl combine the first 5 ingredients and whisk.
4. In another bowl add the next 6 ingredients (which are in italics-oil, egg, apple sauce, sugar and yogurt) and whisk until combined.
5. Add the first bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of the wet ingredients in 3 batches.  Add a little, then mix in, next batch, mix in, last batch, mix in.
6. Then gently fold all your nuts and fruits into the batter.
7. Fill the muffin cups until 3/4 the way up- don't be afraid to fill them a bit higher- they will not rise that much like regular cupcakes because they are dense.
8. Cook about 25 minutes.  Use a toothpick to check to see if they are done- if the toothpick comes out clean they are done- if not cook in 3 minute intervals until they are.

They stay good for at least 5 days in a ziplock bag on the counter.