This month's recipes are a trio of fruity muffins. Whether they're packed with sweet dates or speckled with tangy cranberries, these muffins are easy to make. They also freeze well, so feel free to make up all three recipes and kept a few of each on hand for nibbling and pack the rest away in the freezer to have handy for morning visitors during the holiday season.

I encourage you to share your recipe ideas and comments. You can always post comments in the discussion board using the forms provided in the articles or email me directly at . I'd also encourage you to experiment with this month's recipes and make them your own. Enjoy!

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Orange Date Muffins 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour 1 c. flour 3/4 c. packed brown sugar 3 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 2 eggs 1 c. orange juice 1/3 c. margarine, melted 3/4 c. chopped dates 1/3 c. chopped walnuts 1 tsp. grated orange peel Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Lightly spray the liners with cooking spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, juice and margarine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Fold in the dates, nuts and orange peel. Fill the tins with batter until they are two thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Yields: 1 dozen Preparation Time: 30 minutes

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Blueberry Yogurt Muffins 3/4 c. whole wheat flour 1 c. flour 2 T. packed brown sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 egg 1 1/4 c. nonfat vanilla yogurt 3/4 c. frozen blueberries 2 tsp. grated lemon peel Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Lightly spray the liners with cooking spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the egg and yogurt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Fold in the blueberries and lemon peel. Fill the tins with batter until they are two thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Yields: 1 dozen Preparation Time: 30 minutes

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Cranberry Oat Muffins 3/4 c. whole wheat flour 1 c. flour 2/3 c. packed brown sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 3 T. rolled oats 1 egg 3/4 c. nonfat vanilla yogurt 1/4 c. olive oil 1 c. frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Lightly spray the liners with cooking spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the egg, yogurt and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Fold in the cranberries. Fill the tins with batter until they are two thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Yields: 1 dozen Preparation Time: 30 minutes