Quick and Healthy Snacks: High Protein Muffins

Quick and Healthy Snacks and Desserts

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When you have a limited stomach capacity, you have to think carefully about what snacks to choose. You don’t want to fill what little space you have down there with snacks that provide only ‘empty calories’ i.e. lots of bulk, sugar or salt, and little else.

banana-mufffinsThis can be a problem when you’re out and about and are just looking for something to keep you going until you get home. Most snacks you can find to eat on the run will have little more to offer than empty calories. That’s why a good alternative is to take your own food out with you. (See Take Out Snacks)

You can face the same temptation at home, especially if your pantry is stocked with your family’s favourite biscuits and sundry treats.

One way to address the problem is to make your own High Protein Muffins. The recipes below are for both savoury and sweet varieties. They’re delicious but also nutritious, packed with protein, calcium and fibre from wholemeal flour, oats, almond meal and milk solids while being free of added sugar or salt. (If you prefer biscuits to muffins, try Quick and Healthy Snacks: High Protein Biscuits)

All the ingredients are readily available, while the recipes are easily adapted to your particular dietary requirements. (You will need a 12-cup muffin tray, but it can also be used to make Egg and Cheese Bites.)

  • If you have a nut allergy, you can omit the almond meal and use a little more flour, oats and/or skim milk powder.
  • Rather than sugar, in these recipes the sweetness is provided by desiccated (or shredded) coconut. If you have an allergy to coconut, you can omit it and, if you prefer, substitute 1–2 tbsp. sugar or honey.
  • To make the muffins gluten free, you can substitute 2 cups of oat flour for the 1½ cups of wholemeal flour.
  • The skim milk powder can be substituted by neutral protein powder or by soymilk powder.
  • The preferred Parmesan cheese is the finely grated cheese that you can find on the supermarket shelf, or vegans can substitute nutritional yeast.
  • The recipes specify olive oil for the savoury muffins and canola oil for the sweet muffins, but you can substitute the cooking oil of your choice.

 

Recipes:

Savoury Cheese Muffins

Savoury Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin and Coconut Muffins

Banana and Coconut Muffins

Mixed Berry Muffins

Apple and Sultana Muffins

Carrot and Sultana Muffins

Fruit and Nut Muffins

Lemon and Ginger Muffins

 

Savoury Cheese Muffins

  • 1½ cups wholemeal flour
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • 200gm grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup skim milk powder
  • Chives and pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • Oil spray (or paper cake cups)

 

  1. Sift flour and mix in dry ingredients
  2. In another bowl or cup whisk egg and add in oil and 1 cup cold water
  3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
  4. Stir only as much as you need to combine the ingredients, adding a little water as required to get a smooth consistency
  5. Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with oil (or place a paper cake cup in each cup)
  6. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups
  7. Bake in a pre-heated moderate (180°C) oven for approx. 20 minutes until golden and if you insert a skewer it comes out dry
  8. Turn out and cool
  9. Refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 5 days or wrap individually and freeze

 

Savoury Pumpkin Muffins

  • 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed
  • 1½ cups wholemeal flour
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • 100gm grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup skim milk powder
  • Ginger and cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • Oil spray (or paper cake cups)

 

  1. Boil, drain and purée the pumpkin
  2. Sift flour and mix in dry ingredients
  3. In another bowl or cup whisk egg and add in oil and puréed pumpkin
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
  5. Stir only as much as you need to combine the ingredients, adding a little water as required to get a smooth consistency
  6. Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with oil (or place a paper cake cup in each cup)
  7. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups
  8. Bake in a pre-heated moderate (180°C) oven for approx. 20 minutes until golden and if you insert a skewer it comes out dry
  9. Turn out and cool
  10. Refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 5 days or wrap individually and freeze

 

Pumpkin and Coconut Muffins

  • 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed
  • 1½ cups wholemeal flour
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup desiccated (or shredded) coconut
  • ½ cup skim milk powder
  • Ginger and cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • Oil spray (or paper cake cups)

 

  1. Boil, drain and purée the pumpkin
  2. Sift flour and mix in dry ingredients
  3. In another bowl or cup whisk egg and add in oil and puréed pumpkin
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
  5. Stir only as much as you need to combine the ingredients, adding a little water as required to get a smooth consistency
  6. Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with oil (or place a paper cake cup in each cup)
  7. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups
  8. Bake in a pre-heated moderate (180°C) oven for approx. 20 minutes until golden and if you insert a skewer it comes out dry
  9. Turn out and cool
  10. Refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 5 days or wrap individually and freeze

 

Banana and Coconut Muffins

  • 2 medium bananas, very ripe and puréed
  • 1½ cups wholemeal flour
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup (plus) desiccated (or shredded) coconut
  • ½ cup skim milk powder
  • Ginger and cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • Oil spray (or paper cake cups)

 

  1. Sift flour and mix in dry ingredients
  2. In another bowl or cup whisk egg and add in oil and puréed banana
  3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
  4. Stir only as much as you need to combine the ingredients, adding a little water as required to get a smooth consistency
  5. Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with oil (or place a paper cake cup in each cup)
  6. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups and sprinkle with additional coconut
  7. Bake in a pre-heated moderate (180°C) oven for approx. 20 minutes until golden and if you insert a skewer it comes out dry
  8. Turn out and cool
  9. Refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 5 days or wrap individually and freeze

Tip: if the bananas are not ripe enough, place them in the warming oven until their skin goes black

 

Mixed Berry Muffins

  • 1½ cups wholemeal flour
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup (plus) desiccated (or shredded) coconut
  • ½ cup skim milk powder
  • 1 cup (frozen) mixed berries
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • Oil spray (or paper cake cups)

 

  1. Allow berries to semi-thaw and chop any large pieces e.g. strawberries
  2. Sift flour and mix in dry ingredients
  3. In another bowl or cup whisk egg and add in oil and 1 cup cold water
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
  5. Add berries
  6. Stir only as much as you need to combine the ingredients, adding a little water as required to get a smooth consistency
  7. Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with oil (or place a paper cake cup in each cup)
  8. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups and sprinkle with additional coconut
  9. Bake in a pre-heated moderate (180°C) oven for approx. 20 minutes until golden and if you insert a skewer it comes out dry
  10. Turn out and cool
  11. Refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 5 days or wrap individually and freeze

 

Apple and Sultana Muffins

  • 1 (Granny Smith) apple, peeled and chopped
  • ½ cup sultanas
  • 1½ cups wholemeal flour
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup skim milk powder
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • Oil spray (or paper cake cups)

 

  1. Place sultanas in a cup, cover with water and microwave on high for 60 seconds
  2. Sift flour and mix in dry ingredients
  3. In another bowl or cup whisk egg and add in oil and sultanas together with the water
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
  5. Stir in chopped apple
  6. Stir only as much as you need to combine the ingredients, adding a little water at a time until you get a smooth consistency
  7. Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with oil (or place a paper cake cup in each cup)
  8. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups and sprinkle with additional coconut
  9. Bake in a pre-heated moderate (180°C) oven for approx. 20 minutes until golden and if you insert a skewer it comes out dry
  10. Turn out and cool
  11. Refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 5 days or wrap individually and freeze

 

Carrot and Sultana Muffins

  • 1 medium/large carrot, grated
  • ½ cup sultanas
  • 1½ cups wholemeal flour
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup skim milk powder
  • Ginger and cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • Oil spray (or paper cake cups)

 

  1. Place sultanas in a cup, cover with water and microwave on high for 60 seconds
  2. Sift flour and mix in dry ingredients
  3. In another bowl or cup whisk egg and add in oil and sultanas together with the water
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
  5. Stir in grated carrot
  6. Stir only as much as you need to combine the ingredients, adding a little water at a time until you get a smooth consistency
  7. Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with oil (or place a paper cake cup in each cup)
  8. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups and sprinkle with additional coconut
  9. Bake in a pre-heated moderate (180°C) oven for approx. 20 minutes until golden and if you insert a skewer it comes out dry
  10. Turn out and cool
  11. Refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 5 days or wrap individually and freeze

 

Fruit and Nut Muffins

  • 1½ cups wholemeal flour
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup (plus) desiccated (or shredded) coconut
  • ¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)
  • ½ cup skim milk powder
  • ½ cup mixed peel
  • 1 cup fruit juice (approx.)
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • Oil spray (or paper cake cups)

 

  1. Sift flour and mix in dry ingredients
  2. In another bowl or cup whisk egg and add in oil and fruit juice
  3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
  4. Stir only as much as you need to combine the ingredients, adding a little water as required to get a smooth consistency
  5. Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with oil (or place a paper cake cup in each cup)
  6. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups and sprinkle with additional coconut
  7. Bake in a pre-heated moderate (180°C) oven for approx. 20 minutes until golden and if you insert a skewer it comes out dry
  8. Turn out and cool
  9. Refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 5 days or wrap individually and freeze

 

Lemon and Ginger Muffins

  • 1½ cups wholemeal flour
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup (plus) desiccated (or shredded) coconut
  • ½ cup skim milk powder
  • Ginger and cinnamon
  • ½ cup preserved ginger, chopped
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • Oil spray (or paper cake cups)

 

  1. Sift flour and mix in dry ingredients
  2. In another bowl or cup whisk egg and add in oil, lemon juice and ½ cup cold water
  3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
  4. Stir only as much as you need to combine the ingredients, adding a little water as required to get a smooth consistency
  5. Spray a 12-cup muffin tray with oil (or place a paper cake cup in each cup)
  6. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups and sprinkle with additional coconut
  7. Bake in a pre-heated moderate (180°C) oven for approx. 20 minutes until golden and if you insert a skewer it comes out dry
  8. Turn out and cool
  9. Refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 5 days or wrap individually and freeze
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