We used another VitaMix from Vitalicious. This time the BlueBran. Alone it’s good but not my favorite. It’s super sweet with a very bran texture which is fine but I thought adding a little chocolate would make it even better. I’m happy to say I was right. ;)

The toddler and I have been snacking on these for a few days. The size is right, the cocoa powder balances the sweetness and the additional blueberries and chocolate chips give you a surprise in every bite.

You do need the mix for this recipe and you can purchase it online by clicking here. Be sure to use my Roni’sWeigh code for 10% off anything in the Vitalicious online store.

Here’s what little guy and I did…

• 3 egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 box of BlueBran VitaMix (Muffin Mix)
• 4 tbsp Dark Chocolate Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (20g)
• 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries (70g)
• 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips (28g)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Line a standard 12 cup muffin pan with baking cups.

Whisk together the egg white and water until frothy.

Add the Mix, cocoa powder, chips and blueberries to the egg whites and mix well.

Scoop about 3 tablespoons of batter into each baking cup.

Bake for 23-27 minutes until firm.

Disclosure: Vitalicious is a paying sponsor of Roni’s Weigh. They do send me free products from time to time but the opinions expressed in the post, as always, are my own. I am a fan of their mixes because they are one of the few I can find that are made with whole grains.

Here’s the story…. I had a bunch of blueberries aging in the fridge. They weren’t pop-able anymore but they weren’t ready to be thrown own either. So I decided to puree them up for this idea.

They didn’t come out perfect but they sure were tasty and the toddler ate two. Here’s a pic of them upside down so you can see the "caky" part.

• 1 and ¼ cups (150g) of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 packet of truvia (stevia)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup (114 g) plain non-fat yogurt
• 1 cup (~220 g) blueberry puree (about 2 cups whole)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 6 muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Puree the the blueberries for at least 2 minutes (the puree will get dark) and set aside.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and truvia. Set aside.

Whisk the egg, yogurt, and blueberry together. Add the flour mixture and mix to just combined.

Pour evenly in to the muffin tin (top with sprinkles if desired) and bake for about 18 minutes.

They shouldn’t stick so remove them when still hot. They will be super moist but will firm up when cooled.

I’m not sure what I would do differently next time, maybe increase the baking soda. The only think I didn’t like about them was the fact they didn’t rise. Other then that the taste was perfect. Here’s the toddler adding his sprinkle touch. ;)

I realize these are quite out of season but the toddler and I were just in a mood yesterday. You can surely take the same idea and use a different flavor cake mix and pudding box. Think chocolate cupcakes with raspberry frosting or butterscotch even! Carrot cake with vanilla. Vanilla cake with chocolate! I could go on and on. The combinations are endless!

These are both toddler and husband approved. The toddler wasn’t a fan of the frosting until it hardened a bit. The husband thought they could be slightly moister. But for all their critiques the whole batch is almost gone. I’ll let their actions speak louder then their words. ;~)

The Cupcakes

• 1 (15oz) can pumpkin
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 box Spiced Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix)

The Frosting

• 1 (8oz) package of reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 box (1oz) fat free/sugar free pudding mix Cheesecake flavor
• 1/2 cup skim milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk the pumpkin, egg whites and water together until well combined.

Add the cake mix and combine with the whisk until just blended. A few lumps are ok.

Evenly distribute the batter into 24 cup cake tins with liners.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Now for the frosting… Beat the cream cheese, dry pudding mix and milk until smooth.

Smear on cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle if desired! :)

Here’s what I’m getting on the nutritional information. I’d love a double check as it’s much lower then I thought WITH the frosting. Let me know if you get something similar.

You”ll notice sprinkles in some of the pictures. Sad the say the only way I can get the toddler excited about baking with me is to promise a sprinkle session. He still has fun and participates through the whole process…

…but he’s just doing it for the sprinkle pay off. Apparently hanging out with mom in the kitchen just isn’t as cool as it once was. :(

• 1 and ¼ cups (150g) of whole wheat white flour (regular whole wheat works too)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 large overripe banana
• ½ cup plain non-fat yogurt
• 2 tbsp honey (42g)
• ¼ cup applesauce
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup blueberries (148g)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Mix the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside

In a medium bowl mash the banana with a fork. Add the egg whites, yogurt, honey, applesauce and extract. Whisk until well blended and a bit “frothy”.

Mix the sifted flour with the banana egg mixture and the blueberries until just moistened. Don’t over mix!

Spray a 6 muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Evenly distribute the batter in the muffin tin cups. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon (or sprinkles!) Bake for about 25 minutes.

The toddler added the sprinkles which creates a nice crunch on top. I think next time I’ll add a handful of chocolate chips for a bonus. Especially now that I calculated the nutritional information to find each muffin is less then 150 calories!

• 5oz dried prunes
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (45g)
• 1/4 cups cocoa powder (20g)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 scoop unflavored protein powder (I used 20g of 100% Any Whey)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small sauce pan add the prunes with enough water to cover them. Boil for 5 minutes and then simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and protein powder. Set aside.

Line a 6 muffin tin with muffin liners. Spray with non-stick spray in desired. (I used aluminum liners, they didn’t stick at all!)

Drain the prunes. They should be soft. Puree them in a food processor (I used my Magic Bullet). Add the banana, vanilla, and molasses, blend until smooth.

Pour the prune mixture in a bowl. Whisk in the egg. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until just combined. If you are adding any chips, do it now.

Divide the batter into the 6 muffin tins and bake for about 17 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Nutritional Information is just the batter, no sprinkles or chips as I would make them plain for myself but they make a great starting point to let the kids have a little fun. I don’t mind adding sprinkles or chocolate chips to a whole grain muffin base with no added sugar. :~)

Then I remembered the Berry Oatmeal Cups and asked the toddler if he wanted to make muffins. Of course he said "Yes!" And so did Irish. :) Notice someone is getting camera shy.

So we (toddler and I) really did LOVE these. I didn’t even bother asking the husband. He doesn’t even like "regular" muffins and I’m not even sure he’s ever even eaten oatmeal. His reaction would have been the standard, "I don’t like it but I can see why others would." And I just didn’t want to deal this morning. As I say… more for us!

• 3 mashed bananas (the more ripe the better!)
• 1 cup vanilla Almond milk (you could use skim but you may want to add a little sweetener)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp Baking powder
• 3 cups (240g) Old Fashion or Rolled Oats
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp (42g) mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips together, and let sit while you prepare the muffin pans.

Spray a muffin pan and/or liners with with non-stick spray.

Stir the chocolate chips into the oatmeal batter.

Divide batter into 15 muffin cups. They should be just about filled.

Bake 20-30 minutes, you’ll see the edges just starting to brown and they will be firm to the touch.

The muffins may stick when hot but are removed easily when cooled for a bit.

I love how they came out. REAL most and sweet. Almost too sweet, so you may want to reduce the honey by a tablespoon if you don’t like a sweeter muffin. The toddler? well… the toddler took a bite and declared he "loved them!" Then he took another bite and said he didn’t. Ahhh how I LOVE 3 year olds! All in all he liked the flavor but the apple chunks got him. As soon as he hit one he made a face. I think he gets it from me, I never liked chunks in things when I was a kid either. If it wasn’t chocolate chips then I didn’t want it in my cookies. Raisins, nuts, whatever. My mom used to grind them up so I wouldn’t complain. :)

Anyway, this is how I made them and I’ll put Krista’s original ingredients in [brackets].

• 3/4 c whole wheat flour (90g)
• 1/2 c wheat bran (30g)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (61g)
• 2 tbsp molasses (41g) [1/4 c brown sugar]
• 1/4 cup non-fat yogurt + 1/4 cup water [1/2 c nonfat milk]
• 1 tsp vanilla [3/4 t vanilla]
• 3 tbsp honey (63g)
• 1 medium apple, cored, & diced (I left the skin on)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin cups by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, wheat bran, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon) in a bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the wet ingredients (applesauce, molasses, yogurt, water, vanilla, honey) together in another bowl.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together with the diced apple. [Krista also added raisins and pecans]

Spoon into muffin sprayed muffin tins (9-10). Bake about 20 minutes. Cool in muffin tin for a minute and then remove to cool on wire rack.

Here’s a little before and after baking…

And here’s my measurer. :) I really LOVE baking with him. Notice the mess.

As for the nutritional information. This is based on how I made them. I got 10 but they were small. 9 would probably be better.

These are great to make in a pinch and by replacing the oil and eggs with pumpkin you are reducing the fat and adding a bit of fiber. Don’t get me wrong they aren’t by any means "healthy" but they lighten up an old favorite and kids love them! ;~)

To make them more festive without icing, add sprinkles before baking!

• Chocolate Fudge cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Supermoist Cake Mix, Chocolate Fudge)
• 1 (15oz) can of pumpkin
• 2/3 cup of water
• Sprinkles (optional)
• Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Beat the cake mix, pumpkin and water for about 2-3 minutes.  The batter will seem light and airy.

Spray 2 6-cup muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray. Scoop the batter into the muffin pan and top with sprinkles.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

I made 12 large cupcakes but you could make 24 smaller to cut the calories in half, just reduce the cooking time a bit.

The toddler liked everything about them except the blackberries. I had to use a frozen mixed berries as I didn’t have any other fruit options at home. He’s just not a fan of blackberries. So every time he’d hit one he’d ask me to eat it. It was kind of funny. He did devour two the morning we made them, although he had a hard time waiting for them to cool, as you can see in the photo. I love pouty toddler pictures!

The only thing I changed from the original recipe was using Stevia instead of Splenda. You could also use honey, or really skip all together if you don’t like your oatmeal too sweet, the bananas add a nice flavor.

• 3 mashed bananas
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 tsp Stevia or 1/4 cup splenda
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbps Baking powder
• 3 cups quick oats
• 2 cups frozen blue berries or mixed berries [still frozen]

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix all ingredients except the berries together, and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the berries.

Spray a muffin pan and/or liners with with non-stick spray. Divide batter into 15 muffin cups. They should be just about filled.

Bake 20-30 minutes, you’ll see the edges just starting to brown.

The muffins may stick when hot but are removed easily when cooled for a bit.

So this morning, in attempt to get my eating habits back in order I decided to give them a try. Making them was fun, the toddler helped and they took 15 minutes flat! My only problem came about afterwards. They all stuck a bit to my mini muffin pan but it didn’t bother the toddler and I, we still had fun dipping them in ketchup! Honestly, he loved them and so did I. I only wish I had some red bell peppers and maybe some chives. They both would have been good in there.

This is how I made them, take the idea and run with it. The base recipe is really versatile. Oh! and you are going to get a lot of pictures with this one. I was a bit camera happy this morning!

• 2 whole eggs
• 6 egg whites
• about ¼ cup sweet onion diced
• about ¼ cup button mushrooms diced
• about ¼ cup green bell pepper diced
• about ¼ cup zucchini diced
• about ¼ cup cherry tomatoes diced
• 1tbsp (5g) Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp (7g) of real bacon bits
• non-stick olive oil spray
• Kosher Salt & Pepper
• Dried Parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Dice all the veggies and set aside.

Crack the eggs in a medium bowl and set aside.

Mix the Parmesan cheese & bacon bits together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add in all the veggies. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and sweat for a for minutes until soft and the flavors merge.

Beat the eggs with a little salt and pepper.

Spray a 24-cup mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place about 1 tbsp egg mixture in each muffin cup. You will have some leftover.

Scoop about ½ tbsp of the cooked veggie mixture into each muffin cup. Using the rest of the egg mixture, top off the muffin cups making each one about even. Sprinkle the cheese bacon bit mixture on top.

Bake for 10 minutes. Serve! I sprinkled with a bit of parsley.

Here’s the before and after cooking. They do rise up quite a bit!

And finally, the toddler shots, of course! :~P

Update:I made these again this time halving the recipe for only 2 servings and they came out just as good! They still stuck but this time I ran a toothpick around the edge when they were still hot and that helped a lot. I think I’ll be buying a silicone muffin pans just for these!!

The husband’s response was, “eh”. This type of muffin isn’t his cup of tea, but he ate one. Oh well, more for me!

• 1 package BlueBran VitaMix (Blueberry Bran Muffin Mix)
• 1 c water
• 1/2 cup egg substitute (like egg beaters)
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup drained, rinsed and chopped peaches (start with about 1 cup packed in water or light syrup)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Lightly spray muffin pans to accommodate 18 muffins with olive oil spray.  (Be sure to use regular size muffin pans, not the mini’s or the extra large ones)

Mix all ingredients, pour into muffin pans (they will be almost full) and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. 

I made them last night and split the tasty results with a friend. Let’s just say Good stuff! Everyone enjoyed them except the toddler, he was a bit turned off by the look of them, but that’s fickle 2 year old for you.

• 1 package BlueBran VitaMix (Blueberry Bran Muffin Mix)
• 2 egg whites
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 8-oz tub Philadelphia Fat-Free Cream Cheese
• 6 Tbsps. powdered sugar
• 1 low-fat graham cracker sheet, crushed (2 squares or 4 rectangles)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.

Prepare according to package: In a large mixing bowl, combine VitaMuffin mix, egg whites and water. Blend well. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix fat-free cream cheese and powdered sugar to thoroughly blend.

Divide muffin batter evenly among the baking cups. Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly on top of the batter in each cup. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over each muffin.

Bake according to package, about 25 minutes, or until firm.

Allow muffins to cool, then indulge your cheesecake craving in a lusciously light way!