The Relatives Are Comming...

Spring is upon us and so are the upcoming holidays, which means relatives will be in town. This week we'll be sharing some tips and recipes to make your meal preparation a breeze. First we'll share some quick and health muffin recipes courtesy of Women's Health Magazine:

Just bake a batch over the weekend and throw the extras in the freezer. Then, on weekday mornings, microwave a muffin for 30 seconds for a portable meal that'll make you a hundred times happier than cold cereal would.

Apple-Cinnamon Oat-Bran Muffins
Papaya & Pineapple Muffins
Date & Oatmeal Muffins
Carrot-Ginger Bran Muffins
Banana, Yogurt & Walnut Muffins

Batter up - Pro tricks that'll make any muffin recipe rock:

Kristina Montaine, pastry chef at Mani's Bakery Café, a healthy bakery and celeb hangout in Los Angeles (regulars include Sharon Stone, Michelle Pfeiffer, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers), dishes up her best muffin-making advice.

>>Speed-sift Whisking together the dry ingredients will save time.

>>Don't whip it Unlike cake batter, muffin batter is meant to be a tad lumpy. Too much mixing can lead to overly dry, dense muffins.

>>Go down the middle Bake your bombs on the center shelf of the oven for better heat distribution.

>>Use the touch test Give your muffins a light tap right in the center. If they spring back, they're done.

>>If you can, resist Sure, they smell amazing, but let muffins sit for about five minutes once they're out of the oven; they're still baking even while they're cooling on the wire rack. Besides, a too-warm muffin can burn your tongue.

Use this, not that: Baking edition
Cut the fat, calories, and bad stuff with these swaps:

Use this: 1/2 c sugar + 1/2 c fruit-juice reduction (boil down an unsweetened fruit juice concentrate until syrupy) or 1/2 c agave syrup
Not that: 1 c sugar

Use this: 1 c whole-wheat flour
Not that: 1 c white flour

Use this: 1 c canola oil or 1 c grapeseed oil or 1/2 c oil + 1/2 c apple juice
Not that: 1 c butter or 1 c vegetable oil

Use this: 1/2 c mini chocolate chips
Not that: 1 c chocolate chips