How to Make Protein Pregnancy Muffins | Healthy Pregnancy Snacks

I am pretty much on quest to eat the best, most pure food during this pregnancy. These delicious protein muffins are both sweet and healthy, making them the perfect pregnancy snack. With chocolate chunks, protein powder, and nutritious toppings, these muffins satisfy that mom-to-be late afternoon craving without feeling guilty.

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I am pretty much on a quest to eat the best, most pure food during my first pregnancy.

In my first trimester I wasn’t able to eat much meat. I did eat some, but it just didn’t sound as good.

I was reading in one of my pregnancy books how important protein is during the mother’s pregnancy diet. And of course my midwife agreed. I was a little worried that I wasn’t able to get enough in, so I started looking for more ways to get high quality protein in during the day.

In comes these muffins! Now at 5 o’clock instead of snacking on chips or whatever sweet item we have in the cupboard that week, I can eat these muffins and get some nutritional value to me and the baby 🙂

Also did I mention these muffins have protein and chocolate all in one? Sign me up!

Getting hungrier by the day

If you follow me on YouTube, you might remember my exciting announcement a few weeks ago.

I remember back in my first trimester food didn’t sound so good. I kept reminding myself though that pregnancy is not a sickness, and everything I was feeling was a good thing. This made it a lot easier to get through the days of hungry yet not wanting to eat!

With that said, I’m super happy to be feeling more back to normal. And not only back to normal, but now I’m HUNGRY! I will never forget the feeling around 14-15 weeks when I started craving food again. I knew the light at the end of the tunnel was near.

Now my problem is I can’t get ENOUGH food. I’m like a hungry hungry hippo.

I eat big meals and I love snacking. But I can only snack on apples and peanut butter so much each day. Or yogurt and fruit… those are my go tos. Luckily now I have created a third option! This should make things a little easier in our next pregnancy… yes I am already thinking about that. Is that bad?

I had some fun reading about healthy pregnancy diets here.

TOOLS NEEDED

Medium bowl

Large mixing bowl

Stand up mixer (you could also use a hand mixer)

Wooden spoon

muffin or cupcake tray

parchment paper liners

cutting board

knife

Protein Muffin Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

3/4 cup organic unflavored protein powder (we like this one)

just over 3/4 cup einkorn all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

Teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 taspoon salt

Wet ingredients & sugar:

2 eggs

1/4 cup maple syrup

teaspoon vanilla extract

half cup whole milk

quarter cup yogurt

1/4 cup white sugar

half a stick of butter (4 TBSP)

Fold-in ingredients

3/4 cup chopped chocolate

half cup raisins

half cup coconut

Why Einkorn Flour?

This recipe calls for Einkorn flour, which is an ancient grain that’s non-hybridized and better for you than traditional processed grain. It contains higher protein and lower carbohydrate than most grains today. For that reason, we try to use einkorn for our pizza dough, muffins, and pastas. I thought it would be great for these muffins as I’m pretty much on a quest to eat only the best and most pure food during this pregnancy 😉

You can read more about einkorn here.

If you don’t have einkorn flour, you can substitute for regular flour. However I have to say I have not tried it yet. My guess is it would be about 1/2 cup regular flour since this recipe calls for 3/4 einkorn (the conversion is not exactly 1-1). But you can kind of see how it looks and adjust as needed.

How to Make Protein Muffins

First, combine the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.

Add the wet ingredients and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until smooth.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, about 1/3 at a time.

Using a wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate, raisins, and coconut.

Line a cupcake pan with parchment liners and spoonful the dough into the mold.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the top of the muffins start to brown.

Can I freeze protein muffins?

Yes, you can store in the fridge for 5-7 days or freeze them for later.

FAQs:

Is protein good for you while pregnant?

Yes, protein is not only good for you but very important during pregnancy for the growth of your baby! I found that I wasn’t getting enough protein in my diet, so I made these muffins so that even when I was snacking I was still getting protein.

Can I eat a chocolate muffin while pregnant?

Of course. I find that a little bit of healthy sugar like chocolate raises your blood sugar just enough to give you good energy (don’t over do it with those chocolate though, of course!). These muffins have some chocolate in them, but also lots of protein, raisins, and coconut so you’re getting a blend of ingredients. There is no need to avoid sweets completely in pregnancy – just be sure to check your diet with your doctor and eat everything in moderation. Too much of anything is never a good idea 🙂

What protein should a pregnant woman eat?

As long as you are eating pure, high-quality protein, you are probably OK. Of course, always check with your doctor or midwife that you’re eating the right amounts and types of protein. Some good sources of protein during pregnancy are eggs, farm fresh meats like chicken and grass fed beef, cheese, nuts, fish, eggs, and yogurt. Of course, you also want to eat enough vegetables, and other macronutrients like iron and calcium. Read more about pregnancy diets here.

What are the best snacks for pregnancy?

The best pregnancy snacks are the ones that have nutritional value and few artificial ingredients, like yogurt, nuts, cheese, or fruit. Try to avoid processed snacks like chips or ice ream that can contain artificial ingredients, fillers, and oils. You can also make these protein pregnancy muffins to get a sweet and crunchy snack with chocolate, raisins, and coconut.

Of course, always check with your doctor or midwife to make sure you have a good pregnancy diet.

More Healthy Pregnancy Snacks

I always cook farm to table whole foods, so here are a few other recipes that you may enjoy:

Sneaky pasta alternative: how to make spaghetti squash

Cheesy Sourdough Biscuits

Homemade Sourdough Bread

Roasted Chicken One-Pot Dinner

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Homemade All Natural Ice Cream

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