Protein Muffins?
“Are those protein muffins?” my son Zack asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
“Yes,” I said. “Apparently. But really, it’s just a muffin. Want to try one? They’re actually pretty good!”
Here’s what happened: one night after coaching Fit Over Forty, I was in No Frills and spotted a mix for protein oatmeal muffins. I love muffins, but bakery muffins are huge, pack about 600 calories, and don’t fill me up. I limit them. A smaller homemade muffin now and again seems like a better choice. It’s like the restaurant salad that can top 1,600 calories versus the one you make at home. I thought the mix was worth a shot. Yes, baking from scratch is the ideal, but that’s not where I’m at right now!
You may have noticed these days that all sorts of items now contain protein, oatmeal, pancake mixes, bars, and even chips. Are these products a good source of protein? Let’s review.
First, “protein” on the label doesn’t mean high protein. For some foods, it’s just a sprinkle, i.e., 4 grams per serving. When we want protein to do its real job, build muscle, support recovery, and keep us full, the mission is to choose foods where protein makes up most of the calories.
👉 My rule of thumb: Aim for a minimum of 10 g of protein per serving and pay attention to how many calories you’re eating to get those grams. Some options don’t provide enough bang for their buck.
Reality Bite: Protein vs. Calories
Protein muffins (The Quaker oats mix I made) → 3 muffins: 360 calories, 9 g protein - majority of calories from carbs/fat.
Protein bar → 20 g protein, 220 calories = 80 from protein, 120 calories carbs/fat.
Protein shake (with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk + whey isolate) 25 g protein, 150 calories. Almost pure protein
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken breast → 38 g protein, 230 calories - basically all protein!
Nonfat Greek yogurt (1 cup) → 15–20 g protein, 120 calories
As a protein source, these muffins I made from this mix are a fail. But as a muffin? They were really tasty, a reasonable size, and I ate two and paired them with a blueberry smoothie made with protein powder - a filling meal. I won’t be baking up a storm of these, but it was a nice treat.
Other options with these muffins could be:
Two eggs + a couple of tablespoons of egg whites, and some ham
A cup of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit
👉 These are the kinds of matters we’ll dig into in our upcoming 8-week Fitness & Nutrition Series, on how to see foods for what they are so you can fuel smarter and build meals that truly move you toward your goals.
