Home ยป Papaya Coconut Muffins

Papaya Coconut Muffins

Good morning!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, welcoming spring your way. My weekend was spent recovering from my PRK vision correction surgery. My surgery was at 3pm on Friday and it was not enjoyable. Though, that was just the beginning. It’s been about 65 hours since my procedure I have spent at least 60 of those hours in bed, getting through the pain with Tylenol 3’s. Recovery has not been a walk in the park. I don’t know how else to describe it other than it feel like shards of glass under my eyelids. Very unpleasant.

My vision instantly went from 20/800 (people, I was blind…literally) to 20/80. It seems to fluctuate a lot — sometimes my vision seems really clear, other times, not so much. And needless to say, I have not done any March Madness viewing, blogging, blog-reading, etc. In fact, this is the first time I’ve been at my computer in several days. I have my next follow-up on Wednesday and I am hoping by then to be getting a lot closer to my new normal as far as pain level and vision. I am trying to be patient, but it’s not easy when it’s something like your eyes and eyesight at hand!

There has been nothing exciting going on in the Prevention Kitchen. I’ve been eating out of the freezer, clearing out the comfort foods…and Mr. Prevention…well, he made Buffalo Chicken Dip for the games. Not that that should come as a shock to any of you 😉 I did make a REALLY good smoothie this morning. I battled a 2-hour bout of nausea before my stomach gave me the okay for something smooth and sweet. I landed on frozen pineapple and bananas blended with plain Kefir and Silk vanilla coconut milk. I am pretending I’m on a beach somewhere, (virgin) pina colada in hand…

In keeping with that tropical coconut theme, I threw together these awesome muffins on Friday morning. I wisely (and correctly) figured that I wouldn’t be up for much of anything over the weekend and it would be nice to have something quick and easy on hand for breakfast/snacking.

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Papaya Coconut Muffins from Skinny Taste

1 1/4 cup papaya puree
2 cups 100% whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp butter or 50/50 Smart Balance Butter Blend

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 F. Puree papaya in a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Add coconut and mix to combine.

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, melted butter, vanilla and puréed papaya. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.

Pour batter into a prepared muffin tins and bake at 325 F for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes. Yield: 12 muffins.

Nutrition Information (per muffin): 154 calories; 4.6 g. fat; 20 mg. cholesterol; 218 mg. sodium; 24.9 g. carbohydrate; 2.9 g. fiber; 0.6 g. protein

Result: These were very good, but a bit dry. I could tell the batter was rather thick and next time I would just add 1/4 more (for a total of 1 1/4 cup) papaya puree. Other than that, I love that they are low in calories and the coconut flavor is wonderful. Even the coconut-hating Mr. Prevention enjoyed these! Easy to make, too!

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Question: Do you like papaya?


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23 Comments

  1. J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog)
    March 21, 2011 / 9:15 am

    Oooh, very tropical! I love papaya. Yum!

  2. Matt
    March 21, 2011 / 9:21 am

    OMG. Bookmarked!

  3. renee@mykitchenadventures
    March 21, 2011 / 9:30 am

    oh so sorry it hasn’t been a very smooth recovery for you….every day that passes is a day closer to being back to the norm…sans glasses or contacts! ๐Ÿ™‚

    I don’t really like payaya…but I love MANGO and came up with a low fat mango pineapple muffin recipe that is really moist….but adding coconut to it….hmmmm…I think that might take them over the top…I am going to post this week I think!

    Take care Nicole and feel better!

  4. Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman
    March 21, 2011 / 9:46 am

    Totally understandable. Anything involving my eyes makes me uneasy. I hope you get your vision back to normal–OK, better than normal–soon!

  5. Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg
    March 21, 2011 / 9:55 am

    I am not a big papaya fan…but these look tasty enough to convince me otherwise!

  6. Tes
    March 21, 2011 / 10:07 am

    Oh my God! I have never thought of papaya in muffin before. I love Papaya, but never thought of cooking the ripe one ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Amy B @ Second City Randomness
    March 21, 2011 / 10:09 am

    So sorry to hear it was such a downer weekend. ๐Ÿ™ Just a few more days of recovery and I’m sure you’ll be good as new (if not better because you can SEE!).

    I do not so much enjoy papaya, but have been LOVING coconut… in pretty much everything.

  8. Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun
    March 21, 2011 / 10:42 am

    I hate hearing its been a rough recovery. Hope it gets better soon!

    And those just scream summer. Also, they scream delicious.

  9. Anne Marie@New Weigh of Life
    March 21, 2011 / 1:59 pm

    I’ve never had papaya. I’m clearly missing out!

  10. Brianna
    March 21, 2011 / 2:02 pm

    mmm, I don’t think I’ve never had papaya in a muffin. I love papaya. Sounds like a great combo.

  11. Brianna
    March 21, 2011 / 2:02 pm

    oops, don’t think I’ve EVER, I mean. I can write, I swear ๐Ÿ™‚

  12. Andrea@WellnessNotes
    March 21, 2011 / 2:41 pm

    Sorry your recovery has been difficult. Hope you’ll be all recovered soon!!!

    The muffins sound & look great! Very wise of you to bake them before your surgery! Plus it was probably a good idea to keep yourself busy before the surgery…

    I like papaya but don’t eat it very often.

  13. Melinda
    March 21, 2011 / 2:44 pm

    I really need to try these cause I have the whole wheat pastry flour here. I really need to use it. Maybe I will when my MIL is here visiting. I am glad you are healing now and hope you are back to yourself soon. I am afraid to have any procedure like that done because I am worried about pain and I am unsure I could handle the procedure. I cringe when anything is near my eye. I hope this does the trick for a long long time.

  14. thehealthyapron
    March 21, 2011 / 3:08 pm

    I have never tried papaya! I will have to give it a go! Perhaps next week’s grocery trip!

    Hope you continue to get better! That surgery is no walk in the park! eek!

  15. Leah @ Why Deprive?
    March 21, 2011 / 3:21 pm

    Ick – sorry the recovery is sucking so much . . . at least it will be worth it in the long run! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Those muffins sound amazing. So summery! ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. Kristen (swanky dietitian)
    March 21, 2011 / 4:10 pm

    These muffins look great!
    That is exciting that you had eye surgery. Even though it stinks right now, I am sure you will be thrilled when you can see clearly!!

  17. Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather
    March 21, 2011 / 5:03 pm

    Hope you feel 100% very soon Nicole!

    Ever since I ate a shredded papaya salad in Seattle I have been loving papayas. These sound so yummy and tropical!

  18. Christina @ Food.Fun.Fabulous.
    March 21, 2011 / 7:58 pm

    I hope you feel better soon! I hope to have the Lasik surgery someday…..Also, just made these muffins with a few adjustments. SO GOOD! You are a recipe genius ๐Ÿ™‚

  19. Morgan @ Healthy Happy Place
    March 21, 2011 / 8:09 pm

    Hope you feel better soon…I bet your vision will be absolutely perfect !

  20. AstraLibris
    March 21, 2011 / 8:23 pm

    Oh no, this sounds like such a painful journey, I’m so sorry! I’m thinking of you and hoping all will be well, clear, and pain free soon! I am quite impressed that you were able to bake these gorgeous muffins while in recovery… I adore papaya and coconut and am super excited to bake these soon! ๐Ÿ™‚

  21. Mo'Betta
    March 21, 2011 / 8:54 pm

    Man, that surgery sounds awful! I hope in a few days your eyes will feel perfect and you’ll have such great vision that you’ll feel like it was worth it!

  22. CaSaundra
    March 25, 2011 / 9:09 am

    Oo I bet these are super moist..and they remind me of summery days!

  23. Pingback: Chia Oatmeal Energy Bars & Coconut-Oat Macaroons | Prevention RD

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