I LOVE muffins. Love, love, love them. But I’m always finding myself feeling bad after eating them, which is so silly. A girl can’t eat a muffin in the 21st century anymore without feeling all the sadness of the number of calories she just consumed. Life, eh?!

Luckily, this has inspired me to create some healthier muffins that not only will punch guilt in the face, but will also provide you will that extra energy boost and a protein POP for those slower mornings. Sign. Me. Up.

I love many things about these muffins: they are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and vegan. They are packed with healthy fats, fibre and protein. And, they are easy to make!

Let’s talk substitutions:

The fats: We know fats are important in baking. They keep things moist. Instead of butter, I’m swapping it out with some coconut oil. We all know the research on coconut oil, with its likeliness to improve hair, skin and nails, as well as boost brain health.

The binder: Typically, eggs are used to make everything stick together and to add structure in our baking. Since I wanted to keep this recipe vegan, we are subbing the eggs for chia seeds that have “gelled” in water. They create a gelatinous “paste” that mimics the job of an egg. Not to mention they have tons of fibre, good fats and protein.

The flour: You will rarely catch me eating white flour. Hell naw. Today, we are using coconut flour instead. Coconut flour definitely requires more liquid than your standard AP flour, and can be a bit tricky to work with, but the benefits are worth it. It’s gluten-free and promotes digestion with the ample amounts of fibre it provides.

The sweetness: I have made this recipe in two different ways. One way, I use JUST bananas to add a touch of sweetness, and the other, I add some maple syrup along with the bananas to satisfy that sweet tooth (naturally, of course). You can leave out the syrup if you prefer (just add an extra mashed banana).

Extras: There are a few other ingredients that I like to sneak into these muffins to give that extra little WAHBAM – coffee, maca and protein powder. Coffee brings out the chocolatey flavour, maca is healthy AF, and protein powder, well, I think that’s pretty clear. You can always leave these ingredients out if they are not for you!

These muffins release nicely from the sides of the muffin liners. I love shopping on Amazon to find liners that go with my mood, or a celebration if I am bringing treats. I love these rose gold ones, or these fun ones that come with cute little toppers. If I am just baking for myself, I like to use my silicone mold to reduce waste and have an easy clean-up.

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Vegan Power Muffins

Yield: Makes 12 muffins

Prep time: 5 minutes

Bake time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup plant-based milk
• 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup smooth almond butter
• 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp instant coffee (optional)
• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)
• 1 scoop (27 g) protein powder (optional)
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cups.
2. Mix the chia seeds with 2/3 cup of water in a small bowl and set aside to “gel,” at least 10 minutes.
3. Mix the milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the bananas, coconut oil, almond butter, vanilla, maple syrup, chia seeds and milk/vinegar mixture, until smooth.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk the coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, coffee, maca and protein powder (if using) until combined.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until fully combined (batter will be thick). Fold in the chocolate chunks.
7. Scoop the batter into the muffin liners and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until they look dry on the top and a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for later.

Best served at room temperature or from the fridge!

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Last summer, I backpacked through Peru and discovered a vegetable called maca. If you’ve heard of it, you may know that, when consumed, it’s known to majorly enhance energy levels. It also helps to increase fertility, especially in men. The Peruvians swear by it. You NEED to try it.

Maca grows at high altitudes in the Andes and looks similar to a rounded-out ginger root. It is typically dried out and processed into a powder for consumption, but I have also seen it in pill form (Costco). After hearing about maca and learning about it’s magic, I loaded up on a few bags before flying out of Lima. There, it was super cheap to pick up. Here, not so much. I usually buy mine at the Bulk Barn and it is decently expensive, but a little bit goes a long way. You can also (obviously) find it on Amazon.

One more thing about maca, it’s a libido-booster people…So if you need a little help in that department…I meannn, you’re welcome.

Moving along now. Superfood number two – Spirulina. Now this is the epitome of plant nutrition. Spirulina is a blue-green algae that again, is processed into powder-form (perfect for adding to smoothies or smoothie bowls, btw) and is jam-packed with the good stuff. The vitamins. The minerals. All of it. It will make you feel wonderfully alive and ready for all of the adult things that you must face throughout your day.

I must warn you though…it is unwise to put your nose anywhere near the opened container and breathe deeply. You will have major regrets. Don’t let the smell fool you though! You cannot at-all taste what your nose regretfully inhales…trust! Spirulina is also what gives it that pretty, vibrant green colour. I’ll admit – I originally bought it for the photos…not the health benefits. It’s cool, guys. It’s cool.

I buy my spirulina off of Amazon. You can find it here. I have also seen it for sale at Bulk Barn.

The rest of the ingredients are pretty basic. They are as follows:

• Frozen fruit (bananas, mangos and cherries)
• Protein powder (vanilla)
• Almond milk
• Preferred toppings (I like fresh fruit, hemp hearts, roasted nuts, pomegranate seeds, toasted coconut and peanut butter)

So basically, you throw the frozen fruit, superfoods, protein powder and almond milk into a food processor and blend until smooth. It has a similar consistency to “nice cream,” just slightly thinner. It’s everything wonderful, honestly.

After blended, transfer to a bowl and top with all of your faves! Yet another opportunity to sneak a few more energy-boosting ingredients in. Some other options are: chia seeds for protein, good fats and fibre, granola for the ultimate crunch factor, and dark chocolate shavings because uhm..the antioxidants…fine, it’s because I don’t go a day without eating dark chocolate and you shouldn’t either.

Power Boosting Smoothie Bowl

Servings: 1

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 frozen banana
• 3-4 frozen mango chunks
• 3-4 frozen cherries
• 1 tsp spirulina powder
• 1 tsp maca powder
• 1 tbsp protein powder
• 2 tbsp almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
• Toppings of choice (nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, nut butters, coconut, granola, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Add frozen fruit and powders to a food processor and pulse a few times to break up. Turn on the motor and blend on low speed, slowly drizzling in the milk.
2. Blend until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add your choice of toppings and you’re done!

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