Easy, Healthy, Delicious Pumpkin Muffins

I'm a pretty healthy eater, but that's not to say that I don't crave some things that are not so good for me. :) And one of my biggest passions is cooking and baking. So, I often re-do recipes yummy foods so that they are healthy. Inspiration for this one came from my sweet (and very healthy) neighbor, Jessica Silva. Here's one of my favorites:

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

One of the best things about this recipe is that its so easy. I prefer to use plain canned pumpkin, but sometimes it is hard to find outside of the holidays, so Pumpkin Pie Mix is okay. You can use any muffin mix you like. I chose this one because it had a decent rating on my Fooducate app.

First, line your muffin tin with muffin cups and spray them with non-stick spray. Olive Oil spray is the best to use, for health purposes, and you can't taste the difference because its such a small amount! Lots of good, healthy fat.

For this recipe, you can either follow the instructions on the back of your muffin mix, substituting pumpkin for the oil. For extra delicious muffins, follow the recipe below.

Ingredients:

1 box of muffin mix that yields 12 muffins
1 whole egg, 1 egg white
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. pumpkin

Directions:
Separate one egg (I try to get the egg white first, just in case I drop the yolk in). Whisk eggs together with milk in a medium bowl. Add pumpkin and whisk well making sure that the eggs are completely broken up. Mix in muffin mix and mix just into combined. The key to light and soft muffins (or anything with flour) is not to over mix.

Equally split up the muffin mix and add to muffin tins. Pick up the pan and hold about 1 inch above the counter. Drop the pan a few times on the counter to even out each muffin and get rid of pockets of air. Bake on 425 degrees for 16-18 minutes.

Take out of the oven. Stick a tooth pick into the center of one muffin. If it comes off clean, they're done! If not, put back into the oven for a 1-2 more minutes.

Enjoy!

P.S.- You use this recipe with any flavor muffin you like. I've tried blueberry which is also delicious with pumpkin!