Heart Healthy Berry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 ½  cups wheat bran
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh berries such as blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease muffin cups and set aside.  Mix together wheat bran and milk, and let stand for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix together applesauce, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Beat in bran mixture.  In a separate bowl, mix all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Slowly stir flour mixture into bran mixture until just blended.  Gently stir in berries and spoon batter into muffin cups.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.  

Nutrition Information:

This recipe makes 12 muffins.  The wheat bran, and fresh berries add fiber to make these muffins heartier and more filling.  In addition, the berries add vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting antioxidants.  Blueberries contain more antioxidants than most other types of berries.  The unsweetened applesauce and brown sugar, sweeten the muffins without adding unhealthy refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup like many store-bought muffins.  Finally, the fat-free milk in place of regular milk or oil keep these muffins heart-healthy!