Max's Birthday Healthy Muffins

Delicious Black and White Healthy Muffins

For Max's first birthday, we were living in New York and didn't have a big birthday party for him. Instead, the 3 of us went on a small vacation, taking a cruise from New York to the Bahamas.

Being able to go on holiday with a commute that was no more than a 20 min cab ride from home was really amazing. And for Max, spending the whole week with both parents and endless staff fussing over him was more than he could have hoped for.

For his second birthday, we now live in London where he has way more family around him. He's also at an age where he can appreciate a proper party. So we planned a big celebration with lots of family and friends.

Then coronavirus hit...

So for his second birthday, the party is going to be Max, his parents and no one else. But that doesn't mean it's going to be boring and we've still got presents and balloons and decorations to give him a proper quarantine party!

When it comes to party food, we always believe in a good balance. And that means a mix of nutritious snacks as well as a proper birthday cake, and some healthy sweet treats too.

For the latter, having something that looks and tastes like pure indulgence, but is also packed with good nutrition is ideal. And that's where these healthy muffins fit in.

And while it might look like a lot of ingredients, it's still super easy to prep with just a couple mixing bowls.

Healthy Muffins Nutritional Stuff

The basis for this recipe is 3 types of wholegrain flour – rye, spelt, and wheat. All of these grains are high in complex carbs and fiber and certain minerals and provide a great and nutritious addition to the recipe.

Coconut is another ingredient we use in these muffins in 2 forms – coconut milk and coconut oil. They are high in fats and calories and provide a nice creamy texture and coconut scent to the recipe.

Raw cocoa powder is the ingredient that gives these muffins a chocolatey look and taste. It's also high in antioxidants which can greatly benefit the cardiovascular system and lower the risk of certain diseases.

A banana is a must-have in loads of healthy recipes! It adds to the sweetness and creaminess of the muffins and also provides some great nutrients like vitamins B6 and C, potassium and manganese.

To add some more sweetness to the muffins we use agave syrup. It doesn't spike the blood sugar like regular sugar but still provides enough energy and sweetness.

Healthy Muffins Preparation Tips

Instead of using 3 different types of flour you can substitute the rye and spelt one with the wholegrain wheat flour. A 100% rye muffin would be too bland and a 100% spelt one will probably not rise as much. But you can give it a go and let us know how it works.

When buying coconut milk, be sure you use real coconut milk (the full-fat one).

As a substitute for raw cocoa powder you can use melted dark chocolate – but make sure it is 70% cocoa or higher since these are the ones that give the perfect cocoa taste (and nutritional benefits). You might want to ease up on the agave in that case as the chocolate will likely have some added sugar.

When choosing the bananas, make sure you choose the ripe ones as these are the ones with the highest sugar content (sweeter) and easier to blend with the other ingredients.

Instead of the agave syrup that we tend to use, you can always do honey (if no children under 1-year-old will be eating) or other plant-based syrups such as maple or date.

If you don't have the time, or the will to make them black and white, you don't really have to divide the mixture before adding the cocoa powder. You can add it in the full mixture and just make full chocolaty brown muffins.

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What are your favorite healthy treats?