THM E Orange Date Muffins: DF, GF

A delicious THM E muffin that might be your new favorite!

Jump to Recipe

If you love oranges you will be in love with this muffin recipe! They are full of fresh, zesty orange flavor and soft dates.

Better yet, the texture of these muffins is soft and fluffy. So much just like a ‘real’ muffin that it is almost too good to be true!

This recipe was inspired by one I used to make and absolutely loved. They were a orange date bran muffin.

I was determined to recreate them in a Trim Healthy Mama and sugar free version. And I was lucky enough to get it right the first time!

These muffins are seriously amazing.

What makes these muffins an E?

On the Trim Healthy Mama plan, E meals are ones that contain healthy carbs but are low fat.

In this recipe we are getting carbs from the oats, orange and dates, and only a small amount of olive oil for some fat.

You can read more about E meals here.

Three great things about these muffins:

Other than the fact that these muffins are a THM E and taste delicious, they have three other things going for them.

1. They are gluten free.
2. They are dairy free.
3. They use no special ingredients.

There are more and more people that are eating gluten and dairy free these days.

It might be a personal choice or it might be a sensitivity or intolerance, but either way, dairy and gluten free recipes are popular.

One of the beautiful things about THM is that no matter what your food limits are, it is still totally possible to follow the plan.

I know many ladies who follow THM and are dairy or gluten free, and often both.

And of course we all love recipes that don’t contain many special ingredients! They are the cheapest and most budget friendly way to do THM.

This recipe does contain xylitol but I hardly consider that a special ingredient anymore. You can find low carb sweeteners in pretty much any grocery or bulk food store these days.

Is there enough protein in these muffins to eat on their own?

If you follow the THM lifestyle, you know that we should ask ourselves each meal, “Where is my protein?”

Protein is a key component of healthy weight loss, and helps you feel full and satisfied. This is especially helpful with E meals since many people feel hungry sooner after eating them compared to a S meal.

These muffins do have some protein from the oats and egg whites. Even though we should be mindful of including protein, not every single meal has to contain a lot of it.

I will eat these alone with a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast or a snack. But if you are wanting some extra protein, I would suggest adding a scoop of collagen to a hot drink and having that as well.

Or you could have scrambled egg whites or a side of geek yogurt to boost the protein content of your meal.

How many of these should I eat in a meal?

The carb limit for THM E meals is around 45g.

To be honest, I never worry about how many carbs I am eating. I simple eat to satisfaction and include lots of non-starchy veggies to feel me up if I’m extra hungry.

I think the longer THM is around, the more all of us are realizing just how beneficial good, healthy carbs are for supporting our hormones and adrenals.

I haven’t figured out the exact amount of carbs in these muffins but they would be on the higher end since they have oats, dates and half an orange. I eat two to three of these in a meal.

If you are someone who is more sensitive to carbs, start with one or two and see how your body responds.

I thought dried fruit wasn’t allowed on THM?

Wrong, it is! It isn’t encouraged to eat a lot of dried fruit on THM but is allowed in small amounts.

When fruits are dried the sugars become concentrated making them quite high in carbs, which is why you have to watch how much you eat, as it would be easy to spike your blood sugar.

But a few raisins in your oatmeal, cranberries on your salad, or in this case, dates in your muffins, won’t hurt anything.

Also, in this recipe, the dates are getting divided between ten muffins so there isn’t a lot in each one.

A variation to these muffins

These muffins also taste fantastic if you omit the dates pieces in the batter and stir in 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries or saskatoon berries instead!

How should I store these muffins?

You could keep them at room temperature for a day or two. Any longer than that I would recommend storing them in the fridge as low carb baking doesn’t do as well at room temperature as ‘normal’ baked goods.

And for long term storage, keep these in the freezer!

They freeze very well! A quick defrost in the microwave and they taste like they are fresh from the oven.

THM E Orange Date Muffins Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup finely chopped dates

1/2 a navel orange, cut into chunks, peel left on

1/4 cup egg whites

2 tablespoons light olive oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Scant 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup xylitol

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Stir the vinegar into the almond milk and set aside.
3. Put the oats into a blender and grind into a fine oat flour. Pour out into a bowl.
4. To the blender add the navel orange, 1/4 cup of the dates, the almond milk mixture, egg whites, olive oil and vanilla. Blend well until completely smooth.
5. To oat flour add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and xylitol. Stir together. Add the contents of the blender and mix to combine. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of dates.
6. Lightly spray ten muffin liners with cooking spray. Divide the batter between them. Bake for 15-16 minutes or until firm to the touch.

You can print this recipe here:

Pin it for later!

You might also enjoy this muffin recipe:

Autumn Spice Muffins with Walnut Crumble, THM S

All recipes and photos on this blog are created by and the property of Homespun Eats. Feel free to share a photo or link of a recipe and give credit to Homespun Eats, but copying a recipe or post in it’s entirety is strictly not allowed.