We nearly missed it.
Remember in my last post how I shared my excitement over going to my first Opening Night baseball game since I started dreaming of that day as a 10-year-old? We almost had to cancel our plans when my dad fell sick with a horrific stomach bug the afternoon before and could barely move off of the sofa all day. But…
My mom valiantly stepped in to pinch hit and gamely agreed to head to the stadium with me, even after waking up at 4:45 am, working a full day, and spending 3 hours in traffic. My mom is the best.
After inching around the parking lot for over half an hour, searching for a spot amongst all of the tailgaters with their chairs and grills spread out over three or four spaces each, we finally walked into the ballpark, hugged our new favorite usher, and greeted the sweetest family of fans behind us. (Hi Katie and Lee!)
Then the magic settled in. The same warm tingling that you feel running up and down your spine as a little kid rushing down the stairs on Christmas morning, the same goose bumps that you find covering your arms on your first day at a new job, the same butterflies in your stomach you experience on a first date, the same joy you feel after a long trip when you’re coming home…
Although the general population may find the game boring, that’s what baseball feels like to me.
For the next four hours, we clapped, shivered, shouted, and cheered our favorite Oakland A’s through their pregame festivities and nine innings to victory—a truly amazing moment since they hadn’t won Game 1 of a season since 2004!
But after driving home and collapsing into bed, life went straight back to the daily grind. With my alarm clock ringing a little earlier than I would’ve liked, I was really glad to have these Healthy Strawberry Lemon Chia Seed Protein Muffins to get me through the day!
Let’s talk a little bit about these gorgeous beauties! To start off, they’re entirely gluten-free. Coconut flour and protein powder make up the dry ingredients, with a touch of xanthan gum to help the muffins hold their shape. No, they don’t taste like coconut! Just really sweet and fruity—like spring!
Note: I have only tested the recipe with this protein powder. Not all protein powders absorb liquids equally. If you find your muffin batter is too dry after letting it rest, add a little more milk. If it’s too wet, add a tiny bit more coconut flour.
To keep the muffins moist and add to their protein punch, I turned to Greek yogurt. It’s my secret ingredient in healthier baking, and I’ve used it in countless muffins, cakes, cupcakes, and even frostings! In this recipe, it simulates the moisture of butter or oil for a fraction of the calories.
Not only are these healthy muffins full of protein and bright sunshiny flavor, they contain three superfoods: strawberries, lemons, and chia seeds! How’s that for a great way to start your morning? I pack as much fruit as I can into my muffins, so there’s a full cup of strawberries hiding inside, plus the juice and zest of lemons. All of that fruit makes these muffins absolutely irresistible!
So here’s to spring, baseball, and sweet clean-eating treats! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy strawberry lemon chia seed protein muffins!
| Healthy Strawberry Lemon Chia Seed Protein Muffins | | Print |
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (56g) coconut flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (13g) chia seeds
- 1 tbsp (5g) lemon zest (about one medium)
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) agave
- 3 tbsp (45mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about one medium-large)
- ½ cup (120mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 scoops (84g) Jamie Eason's Lean Body for Her vanilla whey protein powder
- 1 cup (140g) frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed slightly and diced
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 9 standard-sized muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the coconut flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chia seeds, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt until no large lumps remain. Stir in the agave, lemon juice, and almond milk. Mix in the protein powder. Add in the coconut flour mixture, stirring until fully incorporated. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Gently fold in the diced strawberries
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack.
I have only tried this recipe with this protein powder. Not all protein powders absorb liquids equally. If the batter seems too dry after letting it rest, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time. If the batter seems too wet, add additional coconut flour 1 teaspoon at a time.
These muffins freeze really nicely. To thaw quickly, place individual muffins in the microwave for 40-50 seconds on 40% power.
For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Protein Powder Recipes: Tips & FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low carb, high protein}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
I’m glad you got to see the game! These muffins sound amazing with the superfoods: I love chia seeds so much. They look so fluffy as well, pinned!
Thanks for your sweet words and pin Eve! 🙂
Did you know? Xanthan gum is most often made from corn and is very bad fo anyone with a corn allergy. It is also sometimes made from wheat or soy. My allergist told me that corn allergies are the fastest growing allergies now because of all the corn additives that are added to food, especially high fructose corn syrup that is in so many foods and snacks. Anyone with food allergies would be wise to check out supplements made from the food they are allergic to.
I like your recipes, but for this one I will have to adjust to eliminate the xanthan gum.
I appreciate your insights Ann, and I really hope you enjoy the muffins!
You are intriguing me with all of these coconut flour recipes. I have a big bag of coconut flour from Costco that I’ve only just started using (a pie crust that didn’t turn out very well). I’m going to have to give one of your coconut flour baking projects a try!
I hope you enjoy the recipe you choose Mary! 🙂 Coconut flour pie crust sounds really hard. The flour is so absorbent; I’d be afraid of it turning into a soggy mess for me!
You are exactly right (you baking whiz you) the coconut flour pie crust was very soggy.
Coconut flour is such a trickster like that! It always absorbs more than I expect… 🙂
that’s too bad your dad missed the game, but I’m glad you still got to go, and it looks like you had a great time with your mom.
and these muffins…perfect!
Thanks Heather! 🙂 Thank goodness we still have lots of tickets so my dad and I can go together to some of those!
I’m going to assume you made these gluten-free muffins JUST for me and have them all packed and ready to mail me….right? 😉 Moms ARE the best and I’m so glad yours stepped in because what an experience you got to enjoy! It would have been so sad if you missed their first game 1 win since 2004! (Or maybe you’re the good luck charm…just sayin’;)
Of course I made them just for you Sarah! Except I saved them in my freezer instead so I could hand them to you in person. 😉 Thank goodness for our sweet mothers last week — they saved the day!
2 scoops of protein powder for me is 38g. So I put in 4.25 scoops. The batter seemed very dry so I added another tbsp of almond milk. The batter seemed very “gummy”. I cooked for 25 minutes and although they are browned the centres are very soft and gooey. Should I cook longer? Suggestions?
I’m sorry the muffins didn’t turn out for you Jenni; that must have been disappointing. I’d suggest reducing the amount of your protein powder to be only 2 or 3 scoops. That should help the texture of the batter as well as the gooey centers!
Oh gosh…not disappointed….they actually were ok. In fact my husband LOVED them!
I just would have preferred them a little more cooked through. I think next batch I will reduce to 3 scoops of protein powder and cook longer.
I’m also going to try them with blueberries!!
Thanks Amy!!
My pleasure Jenni! I’d love to hear how reducing the protein powder and using blueberries works. It definitely sounds like something I’d like to try!
I loved this post! I’m a baseball fan as well – and a big fan of chia seeds and gluten free baking. This was opening week for my home team, the Toronto Blue Jays – and the beginning of my detox. So what a perfect muffin to make! <3
Thank you so much! I hope you’re able to go to a game if you’re a big Blue Jay fan. Opening Week is always exciting! Good luck with your detox too, and I hope you enjoy the muffins!
I would love to try this recipe but don’t need GF and therefore only use all purpose, whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour when baking. Do you have a conversion on how much regular flour to use in this recipe?
This recipe was specifically designed for coconut flour, so I can’t guarantee how much wheat-based flour you’ll need or if the muffins will turn out the same. I’d suggest starting with ½ cup, and if the batter seems too wet, mix in another 1 tablespoon at a time, up to ¾ cup. The bake time may vary too, so use the toothpick test to determine when they’re done. I’d love to hear what you try and how the muffins turn out Sarah!
We tried to make this recipe but they didn’t turn out. What consistency is the batter supposed to be? Ours was almost like very moist cookie dough so we weren’t sure what to do- nothing like regular batter. We went ahead and cooked them. The tops were very brown and cooked and the stick came out clean. However, after removing them from the pan, the bottoms were completely gooey- came out of the bad but very sticky and not holding together well. We used Vega viva vanilla protein smoothie instant powder drink mix, as the one you posted is unavailable for purchase. We used the 2 scoops recommended. Hoping you could help since the recipe sounds so delish!
I’m sorry the muffins didn’t turn out like you expected Elizabeth; that must have been disappointing. The batter’s consistency is supposed to be like fairly thick muffin batter, but not as thick as cookie dough. The strange consistency and gooey bottoms are probably due to the protein powder that you used. Not all protein powders behave the same, especially in baked goods. I recommend trying a different vanilla whey-based protein powder instead of plant-based; that should help a lot!
Hi! I decided to make these today, knowing that it might not work since I was making some pretty big changes. I only had almond flour and vital wheat gluten flour, so I used half a cup of each (since coconut flour is really absorbent). I also didn’t have any protein powder or xanthan gum, so I just omitted those. I didn’t have plain yogurt, so I used strawberry. So yeah lots of changes haha! But they turned out really well, slightly gooey in the middle but very tasty. Thank you! I know people hate when you rate recipes you changed, but I wanted to show how versatile this recipe is. 🙂
I’m glad you were able to make the muffin recipe work with what was in your pantry Jessica! 🙂