Strawberry Energy Muffins

The thing about having a marathoner (my husband) in the house is that it’s nearly impossible to keep the pantry stocked with healthy snacks. I try my best but, good God, the man eats like a horse! Thankfully, he has taken it upon himself to do some of the re-stocking. He found this recipe, which was developed by Liz Applegate, on the Runner’s World website. He played around with several different combinations – fresh or dried fruit, nuts or no nuts – until he found the perfect muffin to satisfy his carbo-loading palate.

Now, I have never had much success with whole wheat muffins in the past. Typically, I find that I have to substitute at least a little bit of all-purpose flour for the whole wheat flour to make them palatable. Not so with these muffins. The addition of the applesauce not only cuts the need for oil, but it produces a moist, flavorful muffin. Oh yeah – the 1 1/2 cups of fresh strawberries doesn’t hurt either. I love these, my kids love these and, most importantly, my marathon man loves these.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups whole-wheat flour and 1 tsp salt.

Add 1/2 cup brown sugar…

2 tsp baking powder…

and 1/2 tsp baking soda. Yes, I did notice that the leveling off was not quite up to par. However, I chose to keep my mouth shut. I figure that if he is willing to make muffins and let me take pictures, then who am I to nag?

Whisk the ingredients together.

Crack two eggs into a medium bowl.

Whisk the eggs, then add 1 cup skim milk (you can also use soy milk) and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce.

Mix the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Add 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries and 3/4 cup chopped nuts (Marathon Man used pecans).

Lightly coat a muffin tin with cooking spray. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. Marathon Man likes to fill them close to the top so he can have a generous muffin top (he doesn’t have a muffin top at his waistline, so he might as well have one on his muffins). Lay a couple of whole pecans on top for a decorative touch and toasty nut goodness.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown.

Serve them up. Well done, hubby!