Breakfast Week Kickoff: Apple-Cranberry Pecan Muffins

Your 10th grade Health teacher told you over and over.  Your mom yelled it at you as you ran out the door late for school.  Your stomach not-so-kindly reminds you at about 9:00 in the morning....

"Don't forget breakfast! It's the most important meal of the day!"

Yeah yeah yeah......I admit- I spent the first 23 years of my life completing ignoring that advice.  I'm a pro at timing my mornings so precisely that I now exactly what time I have to wake up in order to squeeze in a shower, blow dry my hair, throw on some mascara, and run out the door to get to work on time.

However, being starving, staring a a computer screen with 3 hours til lunch to go is no bueno.  Plus your co-workers begin looking at you funny when they can hear your stomach rumble all morning over the cubicle walls (Sorry guys.....)

So now a box of instant oatmeal permanently resides in my file cabinet and every morning I have a hot, yummy, filing breakfast that holds me over until lunch.  I have seen the light! And I'm hoping you will too :)

I know- most people would consider oatmeal every morning deathly boring.  So this week, we're going to branch out.   I got muffins and bagels and cinnamon-sugar goodness coming your way.  Let's do this.  First up: Hearty, fruity, nutty muffins- the perfect grab-and-go breakfast.

Adapted from this recipe

What You'll Need:

• ¾ cup Whole Wheat Flour
• ½ cup AP Flour
• ¾ cup Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• ½ tsp Nutmeg
• 1 cup Dried Cranberries
• ¾ cup Pecans, chopped
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup Veggie Oil
• ½ cup Sour Cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Granny Smith Apple, peeled, shredded,  squeezed dry (about 3 apples)

What To Do: 

1. Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a muffin tin with liners.  Mix together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Add cranberries and pecans. 
2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk eggs, veggie oil, sour cream, vanilla and apple.   Fold this mixture into your flour mixture until just combined.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 15-18 minutes (until it passes the toothpick test).  Cool for about 10 minutes in the tin and the transfer to wire rack to cool completely