Chai Spice Butternut Squash Muffins

Tamar Rothenberg, MS, RDN

Snacks are an opportunity to boost your nutrition. Start with one, wholesome recipe and add my recommended pairings to balance the snack. Try a mix of prepared and convenience foods and keep it stress-free.

In this example, assemble a Chai Spice Muffin Box for a school lunch, an office snack, or serve with fruit for breakfast. The featured recipe is Chai Spice Butternut Squash Muffins. Now pair it with the following:

• 1 kiwi
• 1 cup yogurt
• 2 stalks of celery with nut butter or alternative seed butter.

This recipe makes 18 regular-sized muffins. Serving size = 1 muffin. Add mini chocolate chips for an extra special treat!

Chai Spice Butternut Squash Muffins

Ingredients

2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 Tbs avocado oil (or other mild flavored oil)

3 cups oats, quick

1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cardamom, ground

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup almond milk, unsweetened (or other milk)

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 eggs

3 Tbs coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Peel, seed, and dice butternut squash.
3. Line muffin tins with paper liners and spray with cooking oil for easy removal.
4. Toss diced butternut squash with oil and bake on parchment-lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes until soft. Set aside. Reduce oven to 375° F.
5. Add oats, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, baking soda, and salt to your blender or food processor. Process until mixture resembles flour. Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.
6. To your blender or processor, add butternut squash, milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, and process until creamy. Add eggs and process until smooth.
7. Make a well in dry ingredients and add the wet mixture. Stir until just combined.
8. Add batter to muffin liners 3/4 full and bake for about 15 minutes until tops spring back when touched.

Tamar Rothenberg, MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian who specializes in breast and ovarian cancer in her private practice in Los Angeles. She has a Certificate of Training in Vegetarian Nutrition and Herbal Formulations in Cancer Care; and co-led the clinical study, Coping with Cancer in the Kitchen, published in Nutrients. Tamar lends her expertise to Sharsheret Thrivers through nutrition coaching. Check out Tamar’s other recipes in her book, Cancer Diet for the Newly Diagnosed: An Integrative Guide and Cookbook for Treatment and Recovery. Visit Tamar’s website at https://www.tamarrothenbergrd.com/ for more information.

This recipe was submitted by the non-profit organization, Sharsheret, The Jewish Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer Community. If you or someone you love has been impacted by breast or ovarian cancer or has elevated genetic risk, contact Sharsheret for free support and resources. For more information, visit sharsheret.org or call (866) 474-2774.