Low Fat Blueberry Bran Muffins

Wow! Given my need to travel every 2-3 months to see my mother in Florida (she is now in a nursing home in Georgia), other life demands, and now the weather drama in Iowa, it has been hard to keep up with my blogs. My sincere apologies for the sporadic posting. I leave tomorrow morning, if the trains are still running, for a ten day trip to Watkinsville, Georgia (two days each way by train). I have my fingers crossed that this will all work out. There are floods in many spots across the state of Iowa. Some railways have been washed out and it is raining heavily as I write…

You might wonder why I am going by train. Well, simply put, the airline tickets are now out of my reach. I made the trip to Florida in March by car but the gas prices are now a dollar higher. So I did some creative thinking and research. I discovered the cheapest and potentially most comfortable way to travel would be with a 15-day rail pass with Amtrak. The question is whether or not I will be able to sleep in a coach seat. The roomettes and sleeper cars were booked and out of my price range anyway.

This should be an adventure! I hope the weather and travel conditions are better wherever you live.

Before I go, I would like to leave you with my recipe for  Low Fat Blueberry Bran Muffins. I have what I hope is a helpful article on healthy low calorie breakfasts with sample menus on my Women and Weight Website. But I have yet to publish the recipe for the muffins till now.

These muffins are great tasting, nutritious, low calorie, and easy to prepare. What more could you ask for? Maybe less expensive blueberries? The price of blueberries is starting to come down where I live. If the prices are high for you, check the frozen foods section. Sometimes you can get a far better price with frozen blueberries and they work just as well. I’ve also had good results making this recipe with peaches.

Low Fat Blueberry Bran Muffins
(Makes 12 muffins)

1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup applesauce
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix together wheat bran and milk; let stand for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together applesauce, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir in bran mixture. Sift together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into bran mixture until just blended. Gently fold in blueberries. Fill greased muffin tin and bake in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Per muffin:

125 calories
4.7 grams of fiber
3.7 grams of protein
0.6 grams of fat
28.5 grams of carboydrates
1.7 grams of iron

Hope you like the muffins! Enjoy.

Lori