Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Can I let you in on a little secret? I HATE SPLENDA.

No seriously…I do.

I think it has a funny aftertaste, and whenever I bake with it I think my recipes come out wrong. But, I am a glutton for punishment so I continue to try and use it.

If you follow my Instagram (aheartyjourney) you saw that at the Farmers Market this week I got some strawberries and rhubarb. I was thinking about making baked oatmeal, but every work day at 10 a.m. I have a snack. It’s usually a muffin or a breakfast bread that I make the previous week. I have learned pretty quickly that if I eat smaller meals I do not binge eat at the end of the day.

I learned that Splenda makes a brown sugar version and decided to give that a try. If you are expecting a sugar invested muffin these aren’t for you. I still think the Splenda gives these muffins a funny taste, but they are much more tolerable than anything I have ever made before. I guess I need to get used to things not being overly sweetened. But I am very excited about how they turned out. They are sweet and tart and will be the perfect mid morning pick me up for this week.

Strawberry  Rhubarb Muffins

1/2 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1/4 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup white flour
1/3 cup wheat flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon Splenda brown sugar

1 cup strawberries and rhubarb

Combine greek yogurt, applesauce, milk, egg and vanilla in a small bowl.

Sift flours, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and brown sugar into a large bowl.

Finely dice strawberries and rhubarb.

Combine the wet mixture with the dry mixture, add the strawberries and rhubarb. Evenly divided into 12 muffins filled with liners or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!

**Side note – if you’re like me and no one in your house will eat healthy muffins you can always freeze them. Cool completely. Then place the muffins on a baking sheet and freeze. You can either wrap them separately or add them to a large freezer safe bag.