MAPLE MORNIN MUFFINS

I've been eating vegan for over a week now, and have actually been feeling more energetic than I have in a long time. There could really be something to this... The hardest part about eating vegan so far has been preparation. I can't just grab or buy something easily on this diet, and surprisingly, this has been more difficult an obstacle than meat cravings or anything else.
To help make my breakfasts easier, I found these awesome fat free vegan muffins, and put my own spin on them. This could be a week of veganism talking, but I can't even tell they're crazy healthy!

1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
Dash of salt
1 cup pumpkin or sweet potato purée
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Mix these together, plop into sprayed muffin tins, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so.

The stuff above is really just a good base for a heartier muffin, though.

To the batter above, I added 4 or 5 shredded baby carrots, 1/4 cup oats, 1/4 cup chopped dates, 1/4 cup dried, unsweetened coconut, 1/8 cup flax meal, and topped the muffins with extra oats. They came out AWESOME!

I might go a little lighter on the spice next time, and I'd like to try adding bran, and maybe find a few more hearty add-ins for a super breakfast boost.

All in all, these Muffins make a great breakfast, and can be customized a million ways. These will definitely be in the regular rotation...