It’s no secret that increasing fibre in your diet is a sound strategy for happy bowels. Just about every single packaged cereal advertisement on TV sings the praises of a high fibre diet listing benefits ranging from lowering cholesterol to improving bowel health by reducing constipation. And it’s true: The more fibre you eat, the more bulk in your stools, which aids your body in removing toxins. The bottom line (no pun intended) is that many Canadians suffer from constipation and fibre is critical to combating it.
That said, I’m pretty sure my mom wasn’t thinking about happy bowels when she baked these molasses-infused, dense and delicious bran muffins with juicy bursts of raisins for me the last time I went home for a visit. Lucky for you, she was kind enough to write out the recipe so I can share it here.
The star ingredient in this recipe is organic oat bran which is a very high fibre cereal milled from high protein oats. I love this particular brand of oat bran because it’s grown in the picturesque northwest United States, which Bob’s Red Mill claims is some of the best oat-growing country in America. Oat bran is a source of tryptophan, selenium and manganese and contains 6g of fibre per serving. The benefits of a diet rich in whole grains and fibre are extensive and the studies have shown a reduction in heart disease and lower risk of breast cancer. These muffins are a healthy addition to your diet, but be careful not to eat one right before a main meal because they are practically a meal in themselves, dense and delicious!
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/2 cup sucanat sugar
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup almond milk
1-1/2 cups of organic oat bran
1 cup raisins (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes for plumping action)
Method
Preheat your oven to 400F, grease a muffin pan with coconut oil. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. Beat coconut oil and sugar in a bowl. Then stir in molasses eggs, almond milk and bran. Fold in raisins and combine the dry and wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 15-18 minutes. Makes about 12 muffins.
One muffin is perfect for breakfast with some fruit and a hard boiled egg. EnJOY!
Joy McCarthy, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach of Joyous Health, loves to inspire others to eat well, live well and be happy.
Joy has clients from all over the world and consults via phone and Skype. Contact Joy today and take the first step.
