S.O.S Blueberry Muffin Fiber Bites (recipe)

Jacen’s had a long road with Ehler’s-Danlos Syndrome. This little known disease is a chronic medical condition that affects muscle and ligament elasticity.

Jacen has the obvious weakness in muscles like his arms, legs and abs.. and tons of joint dislocations. Specifically in his case, the weakness also extends to his cardiac tissue and GI tract.

Since the day Jacen was born he’s suffered with his tummy issues. Periodically, his tummy becomes so distended he looks pregnant. At its worst, he’s even needed hospitalization and an NG tube.

Pediatric constipation has become a wide spread epidemic, as low income families rely on prepackaged, high preservative food to make ends meet. American diets are high in affordable items like cheese and bread, as access to produce continues to err on the expensive side. Even children without medical conditions like Jacen’s struggle with chronic GI issues.

We are currently mid-struggle with a severe GI flare. I’ve been in constant contact with his doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital (bless that man, I love him.) It’s not looking good, and we are trying some home remedies to avoid being admitted.

The Doc is pumping him full of medicine, but diet and water intake is crucial in these times. I whipped up a batch of emergency fiber bites to help him out, but really the whole family loves them!

Semi-Homemade Emergency Fiber Blueberry Muffins.

Ingredients:

1 box cake or muffin mix (whatever you have on hand.)

1 cup almond milk

1 bag frozen blueberries

2 cups almonds

1 cup steel cut oats

⅔ cup (or one individual container) applesauce

Choice of toppings

(We chose sprinkles to try and cheer Jacen up)

Directions:

Soak almonds and oats in boiled water (off heat) for 15 minutes to soften.

Strain excess water, immersion blender almonds/oat mix.

Combine 1 cup almond milk, ⅔ cup applesauce and cake mix in a bowl. Add blueberries (we chose to also use the immersion blender on the fruit to reduce the choking risk for our 1 year old. This step is completely optional.)

Combine batter, oats&almonds, and blueberries.

Transfer to cupcake molds.

Bake at heat and time recommended on box mix. (Because we have not used egg, cooking time may be reduced- it also means it’s safe to lick the spoon!)

Cool and add toppings.

You’ll notice the batter goes much further with the added ingredients, usually doubling the net batter. These freeze incredibly well, and are easily transported for breakfast on the go. Try heating them up with a scoop of ice cream for dessert- YUM!

The nutrition facts on these little guys vary depending on brand of ingredients, ours worked out to be 25 grams of fiber per serving! Almonds, oats, and applesauce are fiber POWERHOUSES!

For best results with tummy issues, drink plenty of water with your high fiber foods.

You’ll notice no where in this recipe does the word “keto” show up. It’s definitely not low in sugar. Sometimes in emergency situations, we have to balance getting the right nutrients in our bodies via the most efficient method. In this case, I need my son to get his fiber in, and disguising it as little cupcakes works best.