Maple Oatmeal Protein Muffins

I made this muffins yesterday as a snack for my brother's weight lifting competition. Glad I did because we were there FOREVER. It was so much fun though- so proud of him!

These muffins have a warm maple flavor that made my apartment smell like a bakery in the Fall. Super healthy option for a light breakfast, or mid-day snack.

Maple Oatmeal Protein Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup oatmeal
1 scoop vanilla whey protein (I use Cellucor)
3 tablespoons granulated stevia
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/4 cup lite maple syrup (NOT sugar-free. You can also use regular if you prefer.)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon maple extract

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. In a food processor or blender, mix the oatmeal, whey protein, granulated stevia, and baking powder. Place in a bowl and set aside.

3. Add the egg, syrup, apple sauce, oil, and extract to the food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the dry ingredients back into the food processor and blend until smooth.

4. Add the batter to the muffin tins. Cook about 12-15 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Optional Cream Cheese Filling:

Combine 6 tablespoons low-fat or fat-cream cheese with 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Blend until smooth. Using a knife, cut a small circle in the muffin (do not go all the way through). Add the filling to the hole (I like to place my filling in a plastic bag and cut off a small corner at the end to "pipe" my filling).