Summer is here and that means that it’s the glorious season of STRAWBERRIES! I rely on frozen berries for most of the year because I find out of season berries to be sadly anemic looking and tasting. So when July rolls around and the markets have fresh berries I am all over it!

I don’t consider myself much of a baker, and definitely not an experimental baker, but in talking with so many of my clients with gestational diabetes who want to enjoy something sweet that’s a bit friendlier for their blood sugars I decided I’d trial a new recipe to help them out.

One thing I often discuss with my clients is making room for sweets and desserts and how important this truly is over the weeks and months they are managing their blood sugars. It can be too easy to enter into the mindset of “total restriction”, which often leads my patients to email me things like…

“I’m really struggling with the diet. It’s just so hard.”

“I feel like I’ve cut out so many things I’m becoming anorexic.”

“My cravings are so bad, but I’m not going to risk having dessert at my daughter’s birthday”

Mama, this does NOT have to be you! Sweets and your favorite desserts can absolutely be mindfully enjoyed while managing gestational diabetes. The key is giving yourself permission to have the desired sweet, but being mindful of how it may impact your blood sugars.

If you eat the cupcake, for example, and your blood sugars are pleasantly lower than you expected, that’s great! If you enjoy the cupcake and see a small glucose spike later on, please don’t beat yourself up! One reading does not define you as a person or mother. The point of a cupcake is to feel pleasure or enjoy in the moment of sharing a birthday treat with your daughter, not to feel guilt and go down a shame spiral. You can accept the reading, and move on knowing the next day can be completely within your control.

Let’s say you do have a bit of a sweet tooth and want to incorporate sweets more regularly into your diet. That’s where my high-protein Strawberry Almond Flour Muffins come in! These seasonal bites are low in carbohydrate and added sugar, and boosted with extra protein to keep those blood sugars stable.

Let’s look at some of the key ingredients inside:

• Flour- I use a mix of white whole wheat flour and almond flour for a fluffy, but protein-rich base. I adapted this recipe from one that did not include almond flour, but it came out very nice.

• Collagen powder- for even more protein I am sneaking in some Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. I use the unflavored original peptides and love this brand because it doesn’t contain questionable ingredients and is safe for pregnancy.

• Olive oil- for a truly moist muffin I am using extra virgin olive oil, but you can easily swap in applesauce here too.

• Yogurt- to bump the protein and richness factor even more I use whole milk Greek yogurt.

• Strawberries- this was my berry of choice, but you could easily use blueberries or blackberries too.

I can’t tell you how delicious these came out! I had one for a snack (and my niece snuck one too), but think they could be a perfect breakfast paired with some eggs on the side, or even eaten as an evening snack with some nut butter drizzled on top. My recipe made 7 muffins- an odd number I know, but that’s the way the batter was shaking out! I really hope you all enjoy this seasonal sweet treat!

Strawberry Almond Flour Muffins- makes 7 muffins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1/4 cup collagen peptides, plus 1 Tbsp

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with liners or use non-stick spray.

2. In a large bowl combine flours, collagen, baking powder and salt.

3. In a medium sized bowl whisk together yogurt, egg, olive oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.

4. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

5. Place strawberries in a small bowl and coat with reserved 1 tbsp collagen peptides.

6. Gently fold strawberries into the batter.

7. Fill the prepared muffin tin, nearly filling each muffin to the top. This should make ~6-7 muffins.

8. Bake muffins at 400 for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool fully and enjoy! Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months.

*Each muffin contains roughly 18 grams of total carbohydrate.