By Ashley Wilhoite, BSN, RN, Wellness Director
I’m trying to be more open-minded these days. Having impartial thoughts and allowing new energies and perspectives to flow through our minds is how we learn and cultivate new ideas and new ways of life. More importantly, being more open-minded helps us strengthen our own belief in ourselves. It means believing that whatever truth you find, there might be more to it than you realize. I have found this to be the case in many areas of my life and have even applied this principle to the way I feed my body.
Clean eating is something I opened my mind up to just a few short years ago, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Do I have days when I veer off the path a bit? Of course I do – I’m human! Although I hate to admit it, sometimes I have entire weekends of being lost when it comes to clean eating. But the important thing to focus on is not the number of times we get off track but the efficiency of how we get back on!
Not all sweet treats have to be “bad” for you. By keeping an open mind, we can find still find “sweet tooth” satisfying options in much healthier forms!
The following palatable treats are sure to leave you feeling satisfied. I like making divine treats like these in muffin pans because they’re easy to eat on the go, there’s less mess to clean up, and you can toss them in a container to leave more deliciousness to enjoy the next day. I’m all about efficiency! Here’s one of my top picks for a sweet, healthy, efficient treat.
Savory Batatas
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6 muffins
Calories: 192 per muffin
Carbs: 18
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup baked sweet potato, mashed (120g)
- 5 tbsp almond butter
- 2 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp coconut flower
- 1 1/4 tsp Five Spice powder
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp Mini dairy-free dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin pan with oil or spray (I prefer avocado cooking spray because avocados are deficient in cholesterol and help promote a healthy heart) and set aside.
Using an electric hand mixer, beat the sweet potato, almond butter, and coconut sugar in a large bowl until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until mixed well.
Add the coconut flour, Five Spice, baking powder, and salt and beat again until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
Fill 6 muffin hollows just over halfway and bake until the tops are golden brown, which usually happens in about 23-24 minutes. You can insert a toothpick in the center of each muffin to ensure they’re done. The toothpick should come out nice and clean.
Let the muffins cool completely before removing them from pan. Serve and enjoy!
And something really special about these simple creations – they’re not only delicious, they’re gluten/paleo-friendly, too!
I hope you enjoy these sweet, healthy treats!!
