WARNING: I am going to talk about poop! So skip the first part if you just want the recipe!

For all you parents out there, I know you will understand when I say that having a child with “bowel issues” is NO fun. Be it constipation, diarrhea, or a mix of the two, it’s always a messy situation.

This was never an issue for my kiddos until a month ago when out of the blue my daughter started to cry, as if in excruciating pain, during her bowel movements (BMs). Of course, I put my dietitian hat on and started to make some mental notes as to how she was doing with the three “F’s” related to healthy BMs …

1. Fibre
2. Fluid
3. Physical Activity (yes, I know it doesn’t start with “F” but it makes the “f” sound!)

I just couldn’t figure it out … she eats amazingly well, drinks appropriate fluids and is very active. What was even more confusing was that her bowel movements were not even hard, they were soft and as normal as can be!

We have already seen her family doctor once and there is nothing structural going on, so it left me wondering why she was having such issues. We have not started toilet training yet and will certainly wait to now until we things have fully resolved. It is helpful that my sister is a family doctor/ER doctor and has been quick to reassure me and help me navigate some potential solutions. I won’t bore you with all of the details, but it is gradually getting better.

In the meantime, in my search for some new ways to incorporate healthy fibre into her diet, I experienced a small series of serendipities! I came across a fantastic muffin recipe with prunes, applesauce and ground flaxseed that I whipped up immediately (and enjoyed two muffins with a cup of tea fresh out of the oven).

As I scrolled through the blog where I found the recipe, I soon realized that I actually lived in the same subdivision as the author of this blog and that her son attends the same school as my son! Get outta town!

Long story short, I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Christina Austin of Strawberries for Supper over a post-school drop-off playdate with our two toddlers and heard all about her journey as a food blogger and her awesome family.

Serendipity amidst a frustrating situation… I love when that happens.

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High Fibre Prune and Flaxseed Muffins

Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 20 minutes; Yield: 1 1/2 dozen or 18 standard muffins

Recipe adapted from strawberriesforsupper.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed pitted prunes
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup raw cane sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (can use a mix of whole wheat and rye/oat/barley flour)
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin tins with muffin liners.
2. Combine the prunes and applesauce in a food processor, blending them until there are no big lumps remaining. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, ground flaxseed, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, stir the honey, cane sugar, canola oil, egg, and milk together. Add the prune/applesauce puree into the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just combined, being sure not to over-stir, which can produce “tough” muffins.
6. Spoon muffin batter into the prepared muffin tins. Fill until 3/4 to completely full, depending on how large you want your muffins.
7. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let me know what you think of these by commenting below!

Take it one bite at a time,

Rosanne