With the weather slowly starting to cool down (well supposedly!) and the Autumn months upon us, healthy, weight loss friendly snacking solutions sometimes becomes a little thinner on the ground.
A change in season and temperature has a dramatic effect on our tastebuds and the kind of foods we want to eat. This shift is based on evolution and the fact that certain foods were only available in season, for specific times of the year. The body also requires a different balance of nutrients at different times due to the what’s going on in the great outdoors.
We tend to want to reach for dense, warming snacks when we’re pulling on jumpers and jeans. Not only do they fill us up, they also comfort and soothe us when it’s wet, cold or even frosty outside. A healthy, tummy loving morning or afternoon tea can help give us the required energy we need to get through the rest of our day, especially when that day most likely involves braving autumn and winter conditions to pick up or drop off kids/get to work/walk the dog/do the shopping.
These delish savoury muffins work equally well as a morning or afternoon tea and could even be served as a light lunch with salad. Packed full of nutrients from diced pumpkin, baby spinach and with a generous helping of protein and calcium from the two different types of cheese used, these little guys will keep your metabolism burning long after you’ve finished eating.
While we’ve used spinach and pumpkin with goats cheese and parmesan, you can alternate the ingredients to suit what you like eating or have handy. If you can, stick to using a stronger flavoured cheese. The rich flavours of goats cheese and parmesan means you end up using less product which cuts down on calories.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups wholemeal flour (we used spelt flour)
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup diced pumpkin
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves, rinsed and shredded
- 200 grams goats cheese (or your chosen cheese)
- 100 grams parmesan
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup of low fat milk
- 2 tbs dijon mustard
- Olive oil for drizzling and greasing muffin tins
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Place pumpkin on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil
- Pop in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes or until soft
- While pumpkin is cooking, combine eggs and milk in a large bowl and mix well
- Sift in flour and baking powder and stir to combine
- Add cheeses, mustard, spinach and when cooked, pumpkin
- Gently stir (you want a thick, lumpy texture and don’t want the pumpkin to become pureed)
- Grease a 12 capacity muffin tin with olive oil or cooking spray
- Spoon mixture into muffin tins and place in the oven
- Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the tops of muffins become golden brown and mixture is cooked through.
Makes 12 muffins – Calories per muffin – 110
