Something Even My Trainer Would Eat!

I love oatmeal. I often eat it for breakfast, sometimes I even snack on it (straight-up, right from the box, just remember to chase it down with lots of water), and I particularly like cooking with it (as in, oatmeal cookies!).
Another person who really loves her oatmeal is my fitness trainer, S. I diligently meet with her once a week for our one hour work out. Even at 5am, she’s got to be the most bubbly and energetic person I know. She's a huge fan of oatmeal and for the last several years of knowing her, she has enthusiastically touted the wonderful health benefits that this grain has to offer. S ought to know too. She's a body builder with a killer physique and practices her philosophy of healthful living every day of her life. So, when I took out my trusty oats-only cookbook called Oat Cuisine (don't you just love that title?), I searched for something that would make S proud and something that would make my taste buds happy.
This recipe for Pumpkin Bran Muffins sang out to me. I substituted applesauce for the oil to make it even healthier and brought a batch of these to S one morning. She not only loved how they tasted but asked me for the recipe too!
So simple to throw together, they make a wonderful snack or a quick breakfast when you don't have time to make that big bowl of oatmeal.
Just bake a bunch and freeze them for the week ahead. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Oat Muffins (adapted from Oat Cuisine by Bobbie Hinmann)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 and 1/3 cup wheat bran
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinammon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup canned pumpkin--get the kind that has no sugar added to it, just plain pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated fresh orange rind
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees; lightly grease 10 muffin cups with a nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix the first six ingredients together and make a well in the center.
3. Mix the pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup, milk, vanilla, and orange rind together well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients and mix until blended (do not overmix the batter).
5. Stir in the raisins if using.
5. Evenly scoop the batter into each muffin cup.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
7. Remove muffins to a rack and cool.
Yields 12 muffins.