Jenna Danielle

Branding, Marketing, Tacos & Sarcasm

Healthy Harvest Muffins

Gorgeous gold measuring cups and spoons courtesy of Styled Settings.

These dense, power-packed muffins are tasty and a great snack or grab-and-go breakfast for busy mornings. They have no added sugar, wheat, dairy or eggs so they’re vegan and all that good stuff. And yes, they have beans in them (whaaa?). Don’t think about it, you won’t taste them or feel their texture, I promise.

I love these guys for a quick after the gym snack. Don’t let the long list of ingredients daunt you, half of them go into the food processor in one easy step. Give these muffins a try, my house loves them and I never feel bad about eating a second.

These beautiful gold measuring cups and spoons are courtesy of Styled Settings. I can’t get over how pretty they are! They’re the perfect pop of color in my otherwise white kitchen. We moved in 6 months ago, and I still can’t figure out what color (if any) I want in the kitchen, so we’ve left it pretty simple.

If you’re looking to add some color to your place settings and cooking utensils, you have to check them out. I’m eyeballing their gorgeous boho place settings right now…. Maybe I can convince Brian that gold eating utensils are absolutely essential for such a white kitchen….

Healthy Harvest Muffins

Preheat: 350
Bake Time: 30-40 minutes
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Makes: ~15 muffins

1/4 c. black beans–cooked and drained
1 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
15 dates, pitted
2 t. vanilla extract
1 T. orange zest
1/4 c. coconut oil

1 1/2 c. oats blended into flour + 3/4 c. whole oats
3 t. cinnamon
1 t. allspice
1/4 t. salt
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
3 T. arrowroot powder

3-4 medium carrots, grated
1 medium apple, chopped small

1/2 c. unsweetened dried cranberries
1/2 c. nuts of your choice (pecans are awesome in this recipe)
1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine black beans, applesauce, dates, vanilla, zest and coconut oil and puree into a thick paste. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine oat flour, oats, cinnamon, allspice, salt, baking powder and soda and arrowroot powder. Take your puree mix and add it to the dry ingredients, stir to combine well. The mixture will be dry and not like a batter at all. Don’t panic. 😉

Add carrots and apple, then fold in the cranberries, nuts and coconut until just combined.

This mixture will be thick and almost dry. Scoop it into sprayed muffin tins, and pack  down. These guys really don’t rise, so fill to the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. The tops will be a little golden and the centers will be set. Allow to cool. This recipe makes about 15 muffins.

Let me know in the comments if you make them! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Pin for later:

Healthy Snacking

It’s so easy to stop and grab a snack at the gas station. Or the vending machine. Or the pantry where you proceed to eat an entire bag of Goldfish in one sitting (guilty). Snacking is a huge area where if you fail to plan, most of the time you’ll find yourself stuck and hungry. No one wants that. Have a back up plan.

Because of my stomach issues, I can’t eat very much at once. I eat small portions about every two hours (if I can).  And when I’m working out regularly I find that I’m constantly hungry.

This will probably happen to you as you become consistent in your fitness journey. It is completely normal but you need to really pay attention to the things you’re putting into your body as a result of all those munchies. Processed and fried foods are simply not the way to go. They’re empty calories that really don’t do much for your hunger. If you find yourself starving in between meals, reach for some good stuff instead. And please beware of granola bars and the like in the store. Most of those are laden with sugar. Protein bars as well. Many of them are high in protein, which is nice to keep you feeling full, but can be high in fat, carbs and sugar too. Always check the labels.

    • Cottage cheese (low or non fat) 
    • Nuts
    • Whole grain bread with peanut butter
    • Celery sticks with peanut butter
    • An apple with peanut butter (I really like peanut butter….)
    • Hummus and veggies
    • Guacamole and salsa with veggies
    • A cheese stick (you know those individually wrapped ones you pack in school lunches?)
    • Boiled eggs
    • A piece of fruit
    • Lightly salted popcorn (NO butter/cheese/artificial flavors)
    • Beef jerky (tasty, but pretty high in sodium, make sure you’re not eating it all the time)
    • My Harvest Muffins

I like to set myself up for success every Sunday evening/night. I’ll boil, peel and bag some eggs, slice and bag celery or carrots, bake some Harvest muffins, or put cottage cheese (liberally splashed with Cholula) into small tupperwares. These things don’t take much time (unless you’re baking the muffins, then set aside a little over an hour) and they set me up for success during a busy week.

Remembering to grab your snacks on your way out the door is another matter. I’ve yet to master that. Any tips? Do share in the comments or on Insta!! Go ahead and include #JennaDanielleFitness so I can see what you’re snacking on!

real, delicious snacks to help cut weight and feel good!