Grape Muffins! What!

I'm always a sucker for a cheap buy at the grocery store... no I do not go out and purchase the dented cans, or the clearance section foods (because we all know that those things are sketchy, way past their expiry date, and just plain unsafe); but I do always looking out for the latest coupons on the web, in the flyers, placed on store shelves. The only thing that I find sneaky about the coupons that you pick up in-store, is that they always hike up the price of the item that the coupon is good for. For example, I found some 50cents-off coupons for cereals in the cereal section but alas the price of the Mini-Wheats was a whopping $6.99 (when I normally purchase them at $4.99). So even with the coupon I'm not saving money :( Tricksters... I have learned how to use in-store coupons wisely though; the key is to be patient. Grab all the coupons that you are interested in, but don't go and purchase the items at that store, or on that day. Since the in-store coupons are usually good for the next 4-6months, I put all of my collected coupons in an envelope in my purse, so that they're always there for me to access when I go out shopping. And when the store decides that they're going to have a "sale" on a product whose coupon I picked up a few months back, *ba-bing* EXTRA SAVINGS!!

So, why am I randomly talking about coupons? Well, because I was walking through Save-On Foods today when I happened upon a sale on Europe's Best Frozen Grapes (I love frozen fruit!). The bag of grapes was priced at $2.99, when the usual price is $6.99... and wouldn't you know it, I had a coupon for $1-off any bag of Europe's Best Frozen Fruit! Woot! A whole bag of frozen grapes for only $2!!

And when I brought the grapes home, I decided to be healthy and reward myself with my favorite healthy muffins... Grape Bran Muffins!


Healthy Grape Bran Muffins
Yields 9 Muffins

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cups wheat bran
1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp maple syrup (you could use honey if you wish)
2/3 cups buttermilk
1 egg white, beaten
1 tbsp butter, melted
2/3 cups Europe's Best Di-Vine frozen grapes, thawed

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease muffin pans or line a pan with paper cups.
3. In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat bran, salt and baking soda. Add maple syrup, buttermilk, egg and butter; stir just to moisten.
4. Stir in the thawed grapes until just combines.
5. Pour batter into prepared muffin pans, until each muffin cup is 3/4 full.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

I really enjoyed these muffins. My family isn't all that in to eating bran and flax and all that fun fiber stuff, so it was a little tough convincing them that these muffins were just as good as banana muffins. My youngest sister, who really loves blueberries, actually liked the muffins (probably because she thought that the grapes were simply gigantic blueberries)... but hey, whatever gets them eating more fiber! You gotta get that 25g a day to stay regular :P

So, what have we learned today? Hoard in-store coupons and always keep them at the ready, and also... fiber is our friend :)