Go ahead, have a muffin!

For a couple of reasons, I rarely make muffins. First there’s that white flour thing; and, second, if I make them, I will eat them all – and I will eat them all within 24 hours. Oh, and third? Lazy. But sometimes I really WANT a muffin I don’t have to feel too guilty about.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just trying to eat better, it can be initially expensive to stock your pantry with healthier options. And if you’re cheap, like me, you probably don’t want to buy a 5-pound bag of whole wheat flour just so you can scoop out a single cupful to make the occasional batch of homemade muffins.

It has always been more appealing to me to buy a pre-made mix, add one or two readily available ingredients and be done with it. Honestly? I’ve had the same canister of baking powder in my cupboard for about 10 years. That’s how much I bake these days. (Okay, okay…don’t even say it – I’ll throw it out.)

This is why I was happy to discover Southaven Farms Baking Mixes. Have you tried them? They are all natural, unsweetened, 100% whole grain mixes you can use for muffins, cakes, pancakes or waffles. You add milk and yogurt and, optionally, your choice of sweetener - and that’s it. If you use skim milk and fat-free plain yogurt, each muffin is about 110 calories (assuming you make 12 bigger ones). Complete nutrition information and ingredients are shown with each mix.

And the flavor choices? In addition to the standard wheat, wheat bran, oat bran (wheat-free), and multi-grain mixes, they also have yummy choices like mocha, cinnamon, ginger spice, chocolate and cornbread (wheat-free). Oh, and be sure to check out the recipes on their site, too. So many options for each mix!

So far, I’ve tried the multi-grain (great pancakes!) and the cinnamon (delicious muffins). I have ginger spice up next, which I will probably use to make pumpkin muffins (because I just realized I have EIGHT cans of pumpkin taking up space in my cupboard).

My 7-year old granddaughter “helped” me make the cinnamon muffins and she loved them. So it’s a really nice, healthier option for kids, too. (I also didn’t tell Mr. Jelly Belly they were “healthy” and he ate them, too.)

If you’ve tried these mixes already, what’s your favorite? I’m getting ready to order a few more and need to narrow down my choices!