Friday 9 September 2011

The 1 Minute Muffin


Just popping in today for a quick status update and to share a recipe.

The end of my second week on low-carb is fast approaching.  How am I feeling?  GREAT!  No cravings, no headaches, and sleeping fairly well.  Am I hungry? Absolutely not.  In fact sometimes I have to remind myself to eat !

The only issue I am struggling with now is bloat thanks to this time in my cycle. But other than that all is moving along incredibly well. In fact, I have to say this all feels so easy. I just don't want to eat anything high carb.  The kids can munch on potato chips in front of me and I am fine.  Mike can indulge in a bowl of ice cream and I enjoy a tea.

Am I loving this so far?  You betcha!

Being a baker, I am also constantly researching low carb recipes.  One that I stumbled upon recently which , upon first glance, seemed horrid is in fact AMAZING.  It is the 1 minute muffin.  Recipes abound on the net for this low carb fave.  You can either make it on the sweet side or on the savory.  Play with your ingredients and see what you can come up with.

If you don't care for the spongy texture the flax meal tends to bring to this recipe then see my note at the bottom of this blog post for a great variation !

For me, with fall on its way,  I love the spice of gingerbread.  Nothing beats it.  So for breakfast today I decided to revamp the original 1 minute muffin recipe and turn it into a gingerbread muffin.  Was I successful?  I think so!   And it is incredibly good topped with cream cheese.

I cannot express to you how important flax seed is in your diet.  The nutrients and benefits are incredible.   Give this article a read for all the info:  Benefits of Flax Seed Meal

So without further ado,  here is the recipe for my version of  the Gingerbread 1 Minute Muffin


WHAT YOU NEED

1/4 cup flaxseed meal ( I use Bob's Red Mill Golden Flax Seed Meal)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 - 2 packets Splenda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

MAKE IT

SPRAY a small ramekin with cooking spray
IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together first 6 ingredients
IN SEPARATE BOWL,  whisk together butter and egg ensuring they are completely combined
STIR wet ingredients into dry ingredients blending well
SPOON batter into ramekin
MICROWAVE for 1 minute, HIGH power
REMOVE from ramekin and enjoy !

You can also change up the recipe even more for a different consistency by replacing the 1/4 cup flax seed meal with 1/4 cup of almond flour.  Then add 2 tablespoons flax seed meal along with the other dry ingredients.


17 comments:

  1. YES!!! This is so great! I'm on a low-carb and low-sugar diet too, so this is perfect for a late night snack and I already have all of these ingredients! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Quick, easy and tasty is my kind of recipe. Can't wait to try!


    scrumptioussaturdays.blogspot.com

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  3. That looks delicious! I too am on a low carb diet, but I certainly miss having a sweet treat!

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  4. I added 1 1/2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg for a pumpkin muffin. It was delicious. Thanks for the initial recipe.

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  5. OK. But...How many carbs, how may calories and .... You do not say!

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    1. It's pretty easy to figure out how many carbs, how many calories. There are many websites where you can input all the ingredients and get this info. Depending on the size of what you make for yourself, the nutritional data would change anyway. I think this blogger is smart not to put that info in -- to maintain permanent weight loss, one has to deeply integrate an understanding of carb and calorie counts.

      After 12 years of careful eating, I can pretty much tell you, with surprising accuracy, the carb and calories count of anything -- altho without knowing precise amounts, my guesses are imprecise but my guesses are always close to correct. The more you take responsibility for your own carb and calorie count, the more you will know. The more you know, the better choices you make. It takes time. Be patient, kind and self loving as you learn and evolve.

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    2. Hi, what is splenda?
      Writing from Israel. Thanks.

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  6. Please update the nutrition facts of this recipe ??

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  7. I do not calculate nutritional facts but base the recipe solely on the quality of ingredients.

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  8. 350 cals made with almond flour.

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  9. Very tasty & very muffin-y, which I appreciate! So nice to be able to whip it together without a lot of fuss (& without having to make a whole pan and then wait 30 minutes!).

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  10. Very yummy. Just had this for the first time this morning. My son even likes it.

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  11. I am surprised that for someone who seems to care a lot about healthy food -- and a baker!! -- would think using a microwave was ever a healthy choice. The microwave damages much of the nutrition in any ingredients you zap.

    A key to lasting weight loss, which requires lasting lifestyle change, is to prepare food. To cook. To bake. It is easy enough to bake a batch of low carb muffins in an oven -- you don't have the muffin in a one minute zap but I do not have to eat a treat in a compulsive hurry. I can wait 30 minutes.

    My favorite low carb baked treat is cheddar jalopeno scones or biscuits -- and, if I have it in the house, bacon cheddar scones. I use coconut flour and/or almond flour. I use organic stevia when I want a sweetener. Splenda is full of chemicals that we don't understand.

    Fauestess remarks that it is nice not to have to make a whole pan and then wait 30 minutes. Lasting weight loss really requires a meaningful, complete shift in how we see food. Why does everything have to be quick?!! What is more central to being alive than food and loving ourselves by carefully preparing real, whole food?!!

    I used to do recipes like this muffin when I first serious about weight loss -- 12 years ago. Changing how we deal with food takes a long time because we have been marketed the idea that quick and easy and instant is real food. All real change evolves in tiny incremental steps and we have to get away from the idea that quick and easy actually is quick and easy -- it is illusory to think easy is better.

    Love yourself and go to the trouble of making a whole pan and waiting 30 minutes. You can freeze some and have them available in an instant later!!!

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  12. Oh good grief.. Lets get off of the self righteous high horse.

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  13. Given your self experience 12 years ago...you of all should understand we all must start somewhere...we are all at different stages of incorporating changes to our lifestyle/journey. Some changes work for one yet not another. All around great ideas offered by all.

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  14. LOL, just reading these comments now. Everyone has a right to their opinion, as I have a right not to respond :) Have an awesome day everyone.

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