I don’t know about at your house, but things at our house have been crazy busy! One way you can tell is that our freezer has gotten very, very empty. How is that a sign? Well, it means I have been depending heavily on my leftovers stockpile for dinners, as well as my quick breakfasts stash.
So today I am replenishing my stores a bit. I made a big trip to the grocery store (first trip since our CSA ended for the season, such a hard transition) and have been whipping up some goodies. One of which is a new favorite recipe in our house: Spelt Sweet Potato Muffins.
Yes, I have been on a sweet potato kick lately! But let’s pause for a moment and recognize why:
1) they are rich in Vitamin C, which helps with building up our immune systems, maintaining youthful looking skin, and digesting our food.
2) they are a good source of Vitamin D, which we hear so much about these days! Vitamin D helps stabilize our mood, increase energy, and build healthy bones, teeth, and heart.
3) they are wonderful for their iron content, which helps with energy and immune support
4) they are great for magnesium, the anti-stress mineral. And who doesn’t need that?!
5) they are a wonderful source of potassium, which helps to maintain our electrolyte balance and reduces swelling
6) they are sweet but don’t give you a sugar rush. This is important for maintaining a healthy blood sugar level, which we all need help with!
7) they are high is carotenoids (beta carotene, for example), which help ward off cancer and also slow aging.
Amazing, right?!
There are many reasons to love these muffins. They are packed with goodness, they have less sugar than most muffins because of the sweet potato, they are delicious, and they are made with spelt, which is easier for some to digest than flour (although it is not gluten free). Using yogurt here adds nice moisture and also fluffiness (sort of like using buttermilk). I recently made them as a snack for my son’s class and got rave reviews. I like to throw in some walnuts to up the protein and add in some omega-3s, but they can easily be nut-free. They freeze really well and can be a great start to a morning or a nice change from the standard lunch box fare.
- 1 cup spelt flour (could also be made with whole wheat or all purpose flour)
- 1 cup oats
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
- ½ cup yogurt (preferably whole milk yogurt, could also be made with milk, soymilk, almond milk, etc.)
- ¼ cup coconut oil (could also be made with canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
- If your sweet potatoes are not cooked. Roast them, whole, in the oven at 425 for an hour. Allow them to cool, cut open, and scoop out.
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin tin.
- In a large bowl whisk together the spelt flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a second bowl, mash the sweet potato with a potato masher or fork, add in the eggs, yogurt, coconut oil, and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix in the walnuts. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on rack.
These are still my go to muffins and such a crowd pleaser! Easy to make and nourishing.