Oat Bran Chocolate Chip Muffins

Hey guys!
I came up with a really good muffin recipe today when I was playing around with oat bran and almond flour. I wanted to pop in and share it because it's definitely one to bookmark!

These babies are packed with healthy ingredients and they are perfectly fluffy and delicious. They're perfect for a pre-workout snack, crumbled on top of yogurt, or spread with a smear of nut butter. You can sub any combination of mix-ins for the chocolate chips as well.

Oat Bran Chocolate Chip Muffins
makes 12 muffins
click here to pin this recipe!
Ingredients

• 3/4 cup oat bran
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup regular flour (we only had white on hand so i used white, but whole wheat would definitely work too)
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (i used Chobani 0%)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 
• 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or other mix-ins)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients (oat bran, both flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon) in a medium bowl. 
2. Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the rest of the ingredients, except for your mix-ins. 
3. Stir in your mix-ins and spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Scoop batter into tins. 
4. Bake muffins for 15-18 minutes or until firm to the touch. 

I sprinkled walnut chunks into half of them (my mom doesn't like walnuts in baked goods and i wanted her to be able to enjoy them!) and both versions were delicious. 

These muffins were amazing warm out of the oven - I dug in right away! 

They were so good I went back for a second one which I crumbled on top of a bowl of vanilla chobani. 

Enjoy!

Giveaway Winner! [My Saturday Five.]

hello everyone! i hope you're having an amazing weekend so far. mine has been off to a pretty good start!

i am loving writing these weekend countdown posts - here we go!

5 Things That Are Making Me Smile 

1. Getting my first college acceptance from a school here in California - UC Irvine!

2. My mom surprising me with a little "Congratulations" package for getting into UCI. She got me flowers, TJ's apple butter, TJ's dark chocolate sea salt covered almonds (go get these now. i mean it.), and a tangerine Hansen's soda. I love my mom!!

the flowers are gorgeous!!!

3. Getting home from a super sweaty workout at the gym (the stairclimber never fails to challenge me!) and finding Ginnie Mae sleeping on the table. She is such a prima donna! but it's impossible to ignore her cute little face so i let her stay there for a little bit ;)

gimme a belly rub!

4. Stopping at the grocery store on the way home from the gym and getting both pink lady and honey crisp apples to try! 

The rest of the loot: 

• 2 vanilla chobani
• 2 packages 2% shredded cheese and 1 block 2% sharp cheddar
• 2 bags romaine lettuce
• 1 jar peanut butter
• 1 box Special K Protein Plus Cereal
• 1 Cashew Cookie Larabar
• 1 lemon-lime powerade zero as a post-workout treat!

5. Not having to work either Saturday or Sunday this weekend. it's been long time since i've had both of those days off! 

4 Favorite Pins of the Week

(sources one, two, three, and four)

3 Current Favorite Meals/Snacks

• a egg, cheese, and raspberry jam sandwich. OH MY GOSH. how did it take me so long to try this????? if you have not tried the egg/cheese/jam combo go make it now!! 

 this. was phenomenal. 

• plain greek yogurt with TJ's honey apple butter

• huge salads with turkey, cheese, and hummus

2 Favorite Posts This Week

• My Tips On Getting Your Butt Out the Door (to workout!)
• The Latest (recipes i've tried, eats, workouts, and outfits)

1 Giveaway Winner! 
Thank you to everyone that entered my Thank You Giveaway - you all mean the world to me :) 
Annd the winner is: Lily at Eating For Excellence - congrats! email me at julianna.m.foster@gmail.com with your info so I can get the goodies sent out to you asap! 

what have you been loving this week? 
favorite current meal?

The Latest.

the latest recipes I've tried: 

these almond flour cookies from tina's blog - i subbed the cherries and walnuts for chocolate chips.

these were really good warm out of the oven, but a few days later they were a little too moist and grainy for me. 

i also tried caitlin's recipe for santa fe casserole and it was awesome! super full of flavor and really easy to make. win win! 

the latest eats: 

oats with chia, flax, almond milk, peanut butter, & strawbs

cereal bowl with panda puffs, puffed millet, strawberries, greek yogurt, and almond milk

plain 0% Cho with mocha protein powder stirred in, topped with cereal and a crumbled almond flour cookie

simple berry smoothie enjoyed while reading blogs in the early am!

apple cinnamon CHO with a tortilla n pb

another cereal bowl with strawbs (hiding underneath!), kashi golean, puffed millet, honey bunches of oats, panda puffs, and almond milk

egg white oats with almond butter and pb - i wasn't a huge fan of the eggy texture :( 

vegetarian nachos (corn chips, hummus, refried beans, salsa, cheese, greek yogurt) enjoyed while watching TV! 

the latest workouts:
this week I haven't been feelin' it. maybe it's because track season starts in a week (more on that soon!) and I know I'm going to be working like crazy? anyway, I've used a lot of my tips to get your butt out the door to get in some activity this week.

• Sunday: 20 minutes elliptical, BodyPump
• Monday: 4 mile run
• Tuesday: 15 minutes elliptical, BodyPump (early AM)
• Wednesday: 20 minutes elliptical, 30 minute walk (chattin' with my momma! <3)
• Thursday (today): none 
• Friday plans: BodyCombat class (early AM)

the latest outfits: (this week i am loving scarves!!)

insert awkward look on face here... ;)

what is your latest favorite meal? workout?