As you may have surmised from the title, These are New Year’s resolution muffins. Not mine, necessarily, but they’re great for anyone looking to eat healthier and incorporate more whole grains into his or her diet. Millet is packed with protein and vitamins and provides a pleasant crunch, while whole-wheat pastry flour packs a wallop of fiber while keeping the final product light and fluffy. They’re not too sweet, with just a hint of lemon—a virtue that makes for a great breakfast or snack for adults, but not necessarily one for people whose idea of “whole grains” consists of the non-marshmallow pieces in a bowl of Lucky Charms, if you get my drift.
The recipe comes from the indefatigable Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day. It makes 12 muffins with some batter left over, so you could probably squeeze 18 out of it if you have that large of a muffin tin.
• 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (you can find this in the bulk bins): 50 cents
• 1/3 cup raw millet: 20 cents
• 1 tsp baking powder (try to find aluminum-free baking powder; there are so few ingredients in these muffins that the bitter, tinny flavor of most commercial baking powders really shows through): 2 cents
• 1 tsp baking soda: 1 cent
• 1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt (again, you can find this in the bulk bins): 1 cent
• 1 cup plain full-fat yogurt: 70 cents
• 2 eggs: 24 cents
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter: 48 cents
• 1/2 cup honey (hint: Grocery Outlet has the cheapest): 75 cents
• Grated zest and 2 T juice from 1 lemon: 59 cents
TOTAL: $3.50/12 = 29 cents each
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the top third of the oven. Grease a muffin tin (12 or 18 size).
In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: flour, millet, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the honey, melted butter, zest and juice, and yogurt and whisk until smooth.
Scrape the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until flour is combined. The final batter will be kind of dry and fluffy; this is OK. Divide it among the muffin cups, filling each just below the rim. Bake for about 15 minutes, until tops are lightly browned. Let cool in the pan until firm, about 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
When cool, wrap and freeze individually to reheat later for breakfasts or lunches (2 of these muffins and a small salad is a perfectly acceptable lunch, and under 75 cents).
The $35 a Week Project 