Win your Valentine over with Dark Chocolate Strawberry Muffins

In my quest to dream up healthy substitutions for Valentine's Day treats, I can't help but think of strawberries and chocolate. So tonight I made a new recipe for high protein chocolate muffins - with a gooey strawberry centre. And let me tell you - they're fabulous. Share them with your significant other, or (as I'll likely do) put them in a tupperware and hide them in the back of your fridge so no one else can find them and you can have them all to yourself!

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Muffins
makes 9

Ingredients:
1 cup oats, ground
3 scoops of vanilla/chocolate protein powder
6 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 egg
1 small banana
1/2 cup strawberries diced
2 tsp of unflavoured gelatin (I use the Knox brand that comes in individual packages)
2 tsp corn starch

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Combine dry ingredients in magic bullet/blender and mix well.
3) Remove dry ingredients and put into a medium sized mixing bowl.
4) Combine banana, unsweetened almond milk, vanilla and egg in magic bullet and mix until smooth.
5) Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until well blended.

6) In a muffin tray, fill 9 spots approx 1/2" full of batter.

7) Bake on middle rack for approximately 8 minutes.

8) While baking, microwave diced strawberries until soft (if you want, you can add splenda or stevia - I didn't this time around...but feel free to do it for yourself)

9) Combine cornstarch and gelatin with just enough water for them to blend in.
10) Stir into strawberry mixture.

11) After 8 minutes of baking, remove partially filled muffin tray from oven (they should be somewhat firm but not cooked all the way through). Put approx 1 tbsp of strawberry filling onto each muffin.
12) Top each muffin with additional batter to cover the strawberries.
13) Put back into the over for approximately 10 minutes (or until cooked) **Don't forget that when baking with protein, don't overcook! They will get hard and dry quickly! Keep a close eye on them :)

My advice? Top them with yogurt or your favourite nut butter....delicious!
Calories per muffin 102; fat 1.7g; carbs 10g; fibre 2g; protein 11.5g