Morning Glory muffins

I am not a morning person. I'm not a lot of things — for example, I'm not good at math, I'm not a very well traveled person and I am also not very fond of heights. But I would have to say that a morning person is one of the very biggest things I am not. I just can not stand having to get up early.

Unfortunately, one of the things I AM is a journalist at an afternoon paper. A page designer/ copy editor in fact. So I have to get up early every day. Sometimes I have to get up REALLY early, like at 4:00 a.m., and this is so terrible to me that I can't even describe it to you. The only two things that help the situation are really hot, 30-minute showers and Morning Glory muffins.

I stumbled across the recipe for these muffins on the internet somewhere (NOT Weight Watchers), but I entered the ingredients on the WW recipe builder and they come out to 4 points each. That can seem like a lot for a breakfast item, especially since I usually pair it with an apple or banana (1 point) or carrots. But the truth is that these muffins are really good for you, and can give you that kick start that you need to make it through the day (and usually fills you up so that you can get away with a pretty light lunch).

MORNING GLORY MUFFINS (4 points each)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrots
1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup raisins
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly oil 18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, apple butter, oil and vanilla.
3. In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
4. In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ; sprinkle over the muffin tops.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed.

18 servings/1 muffin per serving
Servings Per Recipe: 18
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 195
Total Fat: 4.2g
Cholesterol: 12mg
Sodium: 170mg
Total Carbs: 37.5g
Dietary Fiber: 2.1g
Protein: 3.1g