Carrot Cake Protein Muffins

I remember someone telling me once that if you eat too many carrots, your skin will begin to turn orange. There are seriously times when I worry about this because I LOVE carrots and eat them almost every day. Carrot sticks, baked carrots, carrot juice; if its made out of carrots, I’m eating it! Lucky for me, carrots are one of those foods that are really good for you. For one, carrots are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals that are good for your body. They have a high amount of the anti-oxidant carotene, which contributes to regulating blood sugar levels in the body. Regular consumption of carrots helps to lower your cholesterol therefore reducing your risk of heart disease. This is a big one, ladies, since heart disease is the number one cause of death among women today! Oh, and let’s not forget the one that our moms always told us when we were little: carrots are great for our eyesight! That’s right, our parents were telling us the truth. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene which the body converts to Vitamin A, a crucial ingredient to maintaining good eyesight.

Not only are carrots great to snack on, but they are wonderful to bake with. Adding carrots to your muffins, pancakes, breads, etc. will help to naturally sweeten the food, allowing you to use less refined sugar (if any).

Since I have this love affair going on with carrots, I thought it was only natural to create a protein-packed carrot recipe to share with all of you!

Carrot Cake Protein Muffins

• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup Flaxseed Meal
• 2 scoops Fitmixer Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
• 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/2 cup Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 cup Coconut Milk or Almond Milk (both unsweetened)
• 1 Egg + 1 Egg White
• 2 cups Shredded Carrots
• 1/3 cup raisins (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. Honey (optional – I didn’t actually use honey in this recipe and they were sweet enough, but if you like your muffins sweeter, feel free to add a little)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tin or silicone muffin cups with cooking spray. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together yogurt, eggs, and coconut milk. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined. Fold in shredded carrots then scoop into muffin tins filling 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean and muffins are a light golden brown. Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts: Calories – 67, Carbs – 9, Fat – 2, Protein – 5, Sugar – 13 (honey and raisins not included in nutrition facts)