Wedding Dress Muffins

I loves me some baked goods. I drool at the sight of a bakery, I don't even need to smell it. This is a genetically inherited trait from my father. We have a running joke that if you're ever out with him some where and you can't find him, look for the closest bakery. I kid you not, it works every time. We were on a roadtrip once and we saw a sign on the side of the highway that said "Mmmm pies"; we heard the words escape under my dad's breath and then he pulled a U-turn to find out if in fact they were delicious pies. The sign did not lie.

Now that the wedding is only a few short months away, I really have to try harder to cut back my bakery habit. I took inspiration from this carrot and banana muffin recipe from Eating Well, making a few substitutions since I didn't have quite everything they called for. The original recipe has 198 calories and 6 grams of fat per muffin, awesome! It's super healthy and really delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup bran
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup packed brown sugar, or 1/2 cup Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking
• 1 cup mashed bananas, (2 medium bananas)
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots, (4 medium carrots)
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 18 standard-size (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water; let soak for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oat bran, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice in a large mixing bowl.
4. Whisk egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy. Add brown sugar (or Splenda) and whisk until it has dissolved. Mix in bananas, milk, oil and vanilla.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients; stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently stir in carrots and the drained raisins. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with nuts.
6. Bake the muffins until the tops spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.