Sweet Potato Cranberry Muffins (gluten free)

These guys are a fun and different way to get some nutritious  sweet potatoes (packed with vitamin A, beta carotene and antioxidants). You can add whatever kind of fruit or nut combination or keep them fruit/nut free for a leaner muffin. 



Sweet Potato Cranberry Muffins

What you need:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/3 cup vanilla protein powder (I like Isagenix IsaPro...just find one that doesn't have sugar or other sweeteners in it)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (or a pinch)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt (or a dash)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla (or a smidgen)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 large eggs lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup cranberries (optional)
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
• cooking spray or muffin tin liners

What to do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Peel your sweet potatoes and make them into rice-sized pieces. I'm too lazy to get out my food processor so I just spiralize mine  and then run a knife through them until they are small (takes about 3 minutes total this way-see photo below for what it should look like)
3. Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix well
4. Use a 1/3 cup to fill your sprayed or lined muffin tins
5. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until golden on top

They are great straight from the oven (after cooling a bit, of course), but even better the day after or after freezing and thawing. 

The recipe makes 12 muffins and this is what you are eating nutritionally speaking:

Per muffin:

96 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 13 grams carbs, 1.5 grams fiber, 4.5 grams protein

Aren't these the cutest? I never know what a "dash," a "smidgen" or a "pinch" means...so that's why I have these measurements, which I 'm pretty sure defeats the purpose of the care-free cooking terms :)