It might be a few days into December, but that doesn’t mean that our favorite fall ingredient, pumpkin, doesn’t have a few starring roles left to play in the kitchen – like these chewy, melt-in-your mouth muffins! These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are a pregnant girl’s baked-good dream come true!
Not a fan of pumpkin? That’s okay! You can substitute 1 cup finely shredded zucchini, or 1 cup mashed ripe bananas to get a different flavor.
Regardless, these delightful muffins are full of SO many healthy and nutritious ingredients that are nourishing for both you and the little one, including chia seeds!
Chia seeds are good for everyone, but especially for ladies who are pregnant and nursing! They are full of omega-3 fatty acids, which are excellent for baby’s brain and eye development. They also contain a good amount of protein for muscle growth, fiber which can help ease any unlovely constipation your pregnancy might have brought with it, and iron to increase the blood blood cell supply to make sure both you and baby have enough! Seeds (all kinds – chia, pumpkin, sesame, and many more) all contain these nutrients, with many more benefits than what are listed here.
To get the recommended amount of omega-3, consume about 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, or another seed of your choice, each day.
Chia seeds also give these muffins a nice little crunch and chewiness in the midst of all the moist goodness. Yum!
There are also some other great add-in options besides chia seeds to pump up your nutrient intake – ground flax seed and brewer’s yeast give these muffins added protein, omega-3, and fiber as well!
Now, let’s get baking.
For these muffins, you’ll first add all of your wet ingredients in a large bowl. You’ll need 2 eggs, ½ cup honey, 1 cup pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), ½ cup melted coconut oil or canola oil, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, and 1 tsp vanilla.
Whisk these all together in a large mixing bowl.
Now get another medium sized mixing bowl and add the dry ingredients. For this, you’ll need 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 2/3 cup almond flour, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 3 tbsp ground flax, and 2 tbsp brewer’s yeast.
Whisk all of these until everything is thoroughly blended.
Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Just like this!
Now scoop your muffin mix into a regular sized muffin tin that has been sprayed with a no-stick spray or lined with paper- fill them all the way to the top! We had enough for 13 muffins.
Pop these babies in the oven and let them bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
They pop right out of that muffin tin when they’re done, leaving a no-stick mess for you to clean up.
Yummy!
For a condensed version, see our recipe card below.
Happy muffin munching!
Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, tag @mumberryfit in a picture of your baked muffins on Instagram, and don’t forget to pin us!
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