Special K Protein Plus Review & Special K Cereal Muffins

Starting a new year always brings new resolutions, and 2013 is no different. One of the things I want to accomplish this year is to incorporate more healthy meals into our dinner rotation. Nothing hardcore, because that never works for us. Instead I will start replacing some of my ingredients with healthier alternatives.
 
I also want to loose at least 20lbs. Between April and September I had poison ivy twice. One time was pretty severe, so I had to have steroid shots twice along with a round of oral steroid's at the same time. I'm never a fan of those, because they can cause weight gain, but what can you do.   

I'm a big fan of protein shakes and meal bars, so I jumped on the chance to review the new Special K’s Protein Plus Line. My meal bar of choice is the Zone Perfect Bars and for shakes currently I'm using the vanilla cream Muscle Milk. I love the powder, because it's makes great smoothies especially with fruit added.

Sometimes I rely on ready to drink shakes, especially for on the go breakfasts. I have seen the Special K Protein Line in the store, but have never tried it. I received my sample box from Special K and it came with a box of Special K Protein Cereal, ready to go (3) Protein Shakes and a variety of Protein Meal Bars. I thought it was a pretty good start, so I could at least see how they taste and if they were filling or not. 

The shakes come in 5 different flavors, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, French Vanilla, Strawberry and Strawberry Banana. My favorite was the Milk Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry. Each shake contains 10 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, 5 grams total fat per serving and each are under 200 calories. 

I usually have a shake for breakfast with a choice of a piece of fruit, small bowl of oatmeal or a healthy muffin. For lunch I grab another shake along with a choice of a 1/2 of a lean meat sandwich, small salad or a mixture of fruit and veggies pieces. For dinner I eat smaller portions of whatever I make for my family.  

  I loved the shakes and they kept me full as long as I ate something else along with it. The same is true with the meal replacement bars. As long as I ate something along with the bar then I stayed pretty satisfied until the next meal.


Eating the bar alone as a meal replacement just doesn't work. I tried and I was hungry just a couple hours later, but that's the same with any meal bar for me. I thought the cereal was really good alone or with fruit added, so that was a plus for me. I actually used the cereal to make some breakfast muffins. 

These muffins pair perfectly along side a shake or for a quick snack with skim milk. All in all I think the Special K Protein line is good taste wise and the shakes and bars do keep me full, but I will continue with the Zone Perfect Bars out of preference. I do plan on getting a few of the Special K Protein shakes for days when I need a portable breakfast.   

Special K Cereal Muffins

1 - egg
1/4 - cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 - cup skim milk
1/4 - cup honey
1/2 - cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour, sifted
1/2 - cup all purpose flour, sifted
1 - tablespoon baking powder
1/4 - cup brown sugar
1/4 - teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 - teaspoon salt
1 - cup breakfast cereal, crushed (raisin bran, special k, corn flakes or all bran)

Streusel Topping:
2 - tablespoons ground flax seed
2 - tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 - tablespoons brown sugar
2 - tablespoons pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease regular size muffins tins or mini muffin tin with baking spray. Muffins liners can also be used. 

In a mixing bowl, beat egg and whisk together with oil, milk and honey. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix well. 

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until moist (batter should be lumpy). Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.

To make the streusel topping add the butter, ground flax seed, brown sugar and pecans together in a small bowl. Mix to combine. 

Sprinkle the streusel topping on top of each muffin and bake for 20-25 minutes or (until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean).

Remove muffins from pan immediately and cool.

Recipe yields: 6 regular size muffins or 12 mini muffins

Cook's Note: unsweetened applesauce or canola oil can be used in place of coconut oil. 

Recipe Adapted from: food.com

This is a sponsored post. I am a participant in the Walmart Moms Program. Walmart has provided me with a product sample and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. Participation in this program is voluntary and the opinions stated above are entirely my own