Day 3 of our 21 Day Yoga Challenge: Eat Healthy!

This recipe was inspired by the healthy muffins I ate at my yoga retreat at the stunning Xinalani Resort in Mexico in March. My recipe incorporates yogurt for moistness, almond flour, walnuts and chia seeds for added protein and nutrients. This recipe is gluten-free.

A couple of tips:

• The almond flour provides great taste and texture. However, the more you use, the more the muffins fall apart. When using almond flour in baking, don’t use more than 30% almond flour in the overall ratio of flour.
• I use a gluten-free flour from Trader Joe’s, but you could use another flour type – white or wheat, as a substitute.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free flour (plus a bit more if end mixture is too wet)
• dash salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda (this is an active ingredient, so add towards the end)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp. of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of canola oil
• 2/3 cup of vanilla or plain yogurt
• 1 cup of shredded carrot
• 2/3 cup of finely chopped pineapple
• 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds
• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Mix flours, salt & baking soda in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat sugar, vanilla, eggs, yogurt and oil together. Add carrots, pineapple, chia seeds and walnuts. Mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-18 minutes.