| Alisann and Hunter Heath can hardly wait to get one of the muffins their mother Shelly Heath baked for them. |
Shelley Heath loves to cook. She also loves to take an ordinary recipe and change it to suit her family and make it their own.
“I like to make easy healthy meals and baked items,” says Heath. “I try to make everything as nutritious as possible.”
She has been cooking since childhood, learning to make bread from her father and grandmother.
“My grandmother would bake a huge batch of bread every week” she says, “and my dad cooks too.”
She’s passing that legacy on to her own children; they help out regularly in the kitchen.
As a registered nurse Shelly knows how important it is that her family eats well and gets the most nutrients from every bite.
“I am trying to teach my children to make wise food choices early. I believe it will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”
That’s why she likes this muffin recipe so much.
“It’s so versatile” she says. “I can add whatever I want�carrots, zucchini, fruit, oat bran, it all adapts well to the recipe and my kids love them!”
And love them they do; Alisann and Hunter could hardly wait to eat the delicious blueberry muffins their mother had prepared. Alisann dug right in, while Hunter picked out the blueberries first, popping them into his mouth and licking his lips. Shelley looked on with a smile.
“This is my favorite muffin recipe because it is healthy and versatile.” She said. “Plus the kids will eat them.”
Basic Oat Bran Muffin
11/4 cups flour (use either wheat or white or a combo of both)
3/4 cups oat bran
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven 400.
Combine all of the dry ingredients in large bowl.
Slightly beat egg and combine with milk, oil, and vanilla.
Add all of wet to dry ingredients and mix by hand just until combined.
Line muffin tin with liners or spray with non-stick coating.
Bake for 18 min.
Makes 9-12 muffins depending on how full you fill each tin.
Blueberry variation
Fold in one cup of frozen blueberries and one tsp lemon zest before baking.
Zucchini variation
Fold in one cup shredded zucchini and one half cup raisins and or walnuts before baking.
Carrot variation
Add 1/2 tsp of nutmeg to dry ingredients. Fold in one cup shredded carrot and one half cup raisins and or walnuts before baking.
Cranberry orange variation
Substitute orange juice for milk in recipe. Fold in 3/4 cup of dried cranberries and 1 tsp of orange zest before baking.
Banana nut variation
Decrease oil to 1/4 cup. Fold in one cup mashed banana and 1/2 cup of walnuts before baking.