Hi GDW readers! I am so excited to have the opportunity to be a guest blogger in Allison’s realm. Aren’t her humor and sweet personality contagious?

My name is Olga and I ramble over at Healthing It, where I document the good, the bad and the ugly of breaching the paradox: a healthful balance of nutrition and fun in college. I’m a fan of quality beer and baked goods but also love fresh vegetables and whole grains; hence the balance!

Fall is one of my favorite seasons for many reasons. One of them is definitely the food: a variety of squash, pumpkin, apples, apple cider, seasonal ales, apple cider donuts…you get the idea

I thought that I’d share a recipe for a healthy and delicious treat with you today: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins. I topped them with shredded coconut, just to remind myself that winter is on its way!

Oat bran does not only rival oatmeal in my breakfast of choice but is also great for baking. Your friends won’t even know it’s there!

The muffins are fat free and very easy to make. The recipe:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins
(Makes 12 standard muffin pan muffins)

Ingredients:

o 1 cup oat bran
o 1 cup whole wheat flour
o 1 cup pumpkin
o ½ fat free plain yogurt
o ½ cup chocolate chips
o ½ cup brown sugar
o 1 egg
o ½ tsp cinnamon
o ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
o ½ tsp salt
o 1 tsp baking soda
o 2 tbs pumpkin butter (I used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter)
o shredded coconut for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oat bran, flour, spices, salt and baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and brown sugar together. Add in the pumpkin, yogurt and pumpkin butter.
4. Mix the flour mixture and wet ingredients together just until moist.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Fill the cups of a standard muffin tin about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with shredded coconut, if desired.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

You can enjoy a warm muffin right out of the oven:

Or crumble it over your yogurt & banana breakfast mess:

Or heat it up and top with the nut butter of your choice for a tasty dessert:

I hope you enjoy these muffins, and happy fall! Feel free to stop in and say hello to me.