Breaking up is hard to do – and our love affair with gigantic bakery treats is no exception! A typical 400+ calorie coffee-shop muffin or danish buys us around 60 grams of carbohydrates made up of sugar, flour, and minimal fiber, and sends our blood glucose for an unpleasant roller-coaster ride. On the other hand, swearing off sweet treats forever and in every form is unrealistic for most. Your best bet is to bake your own treats at home, so here are a few recommendations plus a recipe my family loves:
- Mini-size everything. We are typically satisfied with a few bites of something sweet, but will continue to eat more if it is in front of us. Mini-muffin liners are great for lots of things, including homemade dark chocolate.
- Experiment with new ingredients. Nut flours and ground flaxseed provide healthy fats and coconut flour is high in fiber. Cut back on the sugar and try replacing some or all with the new sweeteners on the market, such as stevia, xylitol, and erythritol.
- Baking is a labor of love so save it for special occasions and share your creations with the ones you love.
Lemon Mini-Muffins (Adapted from Elana’s Pantry)
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
3 large eggs
¼ cup honey
¼ cup avocado oil
1 tsp lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
Optional – unsweetened coconut flakes or chopped pistachios for garnish
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F and prep a mini-muffin pan with 20 liners. Combine dry ingredients in food processor and pulse. Add remaining ingredients and pulse again to combine. Spoon approximately 1 tbsp into each muffin cup and top with optional ingredients if desired. Bake 8-12 minutes and cool completely.
Approximate nutrition info per mini-muffin: 50 calories, 3.5 gm fat, 4 gm carbohydrate, 3 gm sugar, 0.5 gm fiber, 40 mg sodium.