muffins at 7, hungry at 10

[david kaplan]

I've gotten into the habit of making a batch of muffins every week to eat for several days' breakfasts. For dry ingredients, I use half whole-wheat flour and half ground flax; for wet ingredients, I mostly use yogurt, along with a couple of eggs and a bit of oil. I add plenty of chocolate chips and some cinnamon and nutmeg, and I'm very happy with how they turn out. They are easily portable, freeze nicely, have lots of fiber, and are tasty. I've never liked breakfast cereal or food-substitute bars like Clif or Power bars, and these fulfill the same role for me that cereal or those bars do for others (convenient, high-fiber, etc.).

However, after eating two of them at home for breakfast, I'm hungry mid-morning. I could, of course, just eat more, but I suspect it's more that a largely-carbohydrate breakfast isn't going to keep me like a plate of bacon and eggs would.

So here's my home-cooking question: how can I alter these muffins to make them more filling without sacrificing texture or taste? Is there a different type of flour I should use? What would adding protein powder do to the texture, and which kind would be best? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

[DiningDiva]

You've got carbs covered but are in need of some protein, 2-3 ounces of protein, with your breakfast. Protein is the component that will sate your appetite and keep you feeling full longer.

You've got options. Split and fill your muffins with a nut butter, they'll still be portable. Eat a hard boiled egg 3 times a week, or really a hard boiled egg + the cooked whites of a 2nd egg. Have a cup of good quality yogurt with the muffins, still relatively portable. Strips of a low moisture cheese, such as cheddar, swiss or jack are portable, or add some strips of meat such as turkey, ham or leftover protein from the night before. Costco sells big bags of chicken tenders; they can be easily poached while you're getting ready in the morning, or cooked off the night before. And to be clear, I'm not suggesting these as add-ins to the muffins but as items to be eaten separately in conjunction with the muffins.

If you really want to add even more to your muffins, investigate Jay Robb's Protein Powder or Egg White Protein Powder; it comes in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Both are "clean" products, meaning they don't have a lot of extra additives and will provide a whopping 24 grams of high quality protein. They're palatable even when just mixed with water, so I would imagine they'd be okay in your muffins. Sweet Whey Powder can be found at many health food stores and would also be an option for your muffins. I think the problem with trying to add protein to your muffins is that you probably can't add enough to be a viable nutritional "hit". I think you'll get better results adding the protein as another component rather than trying to make it multi-task with so much other stuff.

[piccola]

bulk it up with fiber and protein. replace some of the yogurt with cottage cheese; throw in some grated veggies and/or fruits. dried fruits like prunes or figs can help, too.

you can also replace some of the fat with peanut butter - it's heart-healthy and full of protein.

[birddogfoodie]

Here you go, split the muffin in half, fry an egg (over easy please) and some breakfast meat (preferably pork) and lay them gently on the bottom half of the muffin. Place the top of the muffin on top of the eggs and breakfast meat and eat. Voila! (Extra napkins may be required now) Not hungry until at least 10:30! lol

[tobycat]

Just recently lost 55 lbs on a low carb, high protein, high (good) fat diet and still losing.

Ditch the chocolate chips, they may be messing with your blood sugar as are the high carbs in the flour, making you hungry a short time later.

Pump up the protein and the oil.

Maybe put on a spread of natural peanut butter.

Do you have this with a cup of coffee with caffeine in it? That messes with blood sugar too, as well as adding any sweetener like sugar, sugar in the raw, fructose etc.

There are tons of low carb sites and low carb recipe sites that have muffin recipes, google them.

You can always replace the flour or part of it with almond flour or replace the chocolate chips with walnuts.

It's my understanding that eating something like chocolate is for a short energy boost, not long sustained energy, so there is a glucose spike then a sharp drop resulting in hunger because the body needs more fuel once the chocolate's sugar has been burned up.

[morebubbles]

I second the addition of soy flour. Also, more fiber=more filling (some rolled oats maybe). An apple & a piece of cheese on the side would be good as well, & portable too.

[bolivianita]

shredded carrots, nuts and raisins, shredded apples, or eat one instead of two muffin and a hardboiled egg.

[tartetatin]

I would add some nuts or seeds, sunflower seeds are great and walnuts, almonds or pecans or hazelnuts work well too. You can add them whole, or grind them if you would prefer.

[doctor_mama]

You might want to sub some soy flour for some of the ground flax. This would boost the protein content which could help you avoid the blood sugar crash in mid-morning.

[orangewasabi]

would you consider making savoury muffins -- add chedder, bacon, onions, parmesan. I find these more filling and lasting

[david kaplan]

Definitely. If I use scallions rather than onions, could they go into the batter raw, or should I sautee them first?

Also -- would my base of wheat flour, flax, and yogurt still be appropriate for savory muffins?

[Non Cognomina]

How about substituting some quick oats for the ground flax? I find oats are very filling and may help sustain you for a while longer. You may need to add a little more liquid, as the oats will absorb some and may cause the texture to be less moist. You may also consider adding some nuts, nut flour or dried fruit along with your chocolate chips. To augment your liquids, try some peanut butter, apple sauce, pumpkin puree, or other fruit puree.

[Anya L]

Carbohydrates empty from your stomach fairly quickly, whereas fat empties much more slowly. It sounds like you are trying to make your muffins low fat, but adding more fat would help you stay full longer and would probably improve the taste and texture. Nuts would also be great for this, and would provide more fiber and protein.

[david kaplan]

I tried pine nuts one time, and they ended up mushy after cooking. Would walnuts or pecans keep their texture better?

[morebubbles]

If you toast the nuts a bit, it'll bring out their flavor & it'll avoid mushy texture.