No offense to Old Hazza, but the eggs we raise are the best I have ever tasted in my life... They are laid by 100% free range chickens. They eat all that is available on our small farm including fibrous grass, bugs, and other such things... I think that the difference might be that they are happy chickens. We have 16 laying hens and each has their own personality, likes and dislikes, etc. I have a favorite named Phoenix because she is fire red. She sits on my shoulder while I mow the grass... As content as can be. They roost in the trees at night and scratch around all day. They visit with us and chase the cats and all sorts of funny things. They are great producers and fun pets. We don't weigh or measure their eggs or rate the shades of the yolks, but we eat them everyday and breakfast just seems like one big dessert! In my life I have never enjoyed a more rich, hearty, creamy, delicious egg from any other source. Can it not be true that happy hens just produce better "quality" eggs? I know we need large farms and such but that just don't settle well with me... It makes me feel bad to think about the mundane lives that they have... Just sayin...

A lot of good ideas have already been shared, but I would suggest you find a different recipe that meets the criteria you are looking for rather than altering your Refrigerator Bran Muffins recipe. And to be brutally honest, there are a lot better choices that are low-sugar, low-fat and high-fiber than this recipe (even if you alter it). This recipe happens to be one of the most contrary recipes when it comes to muffins, and breaks all the "rules" for quick bread. By that I mean: --Muffins are designed to be made quickly and immediately popped into the pre-heated oven. The leavening reacts once when it's mixed with the liquid ingredients, and again when it hits the heat of the oven. That's why it's important to have the oven pre-heated for anything that is leavened with a chemical leavening (baking soda or baking powder). When the leavening agent sits for a a prolonged period of time in the batter in the refrigerator - it is rendered useless which accounts for very little in the way of loft in these muffins. --As flour sits in liquid for a prolonged period of time the gluten develops. Every step of making muffins is so you DON'T develop the gluten - everything from the fat in the recipe, what method you use for making muffins (cake method or traditional method) to keeping mixing to a bare minimum aids in keeping the gluten from developing. Over-developed gluten makes for tough muffins, which is a characteristic of this recipe. When gluten is over-developed this batter gets "stringy". When leavening gasses have to work hard to drill through the long gluten strands it leaves narrow holes that run from the bottom to the top. This recipe was designed for the busy homemaker so they could have the batter ready in the refrigerator and quickly make muffins as needed during the week, but the refrigerator storage of this recipe is now considered a health risk since there are raw shell eggs in the batter. It is now suggested, for food safety, you bake all this recipe rather than use it for a period of time from the refrigerated batter. Freezer storage of baked muffins is a better choice. When you alter recipes you need to understand the science each ingredient brings to the recipe. Sugar and fat are tenderizers, so when you reduce those you will alter the tenderness. You also need to consider the ratio of ingredients one to another. Proportions need to be maintained of the ingredients that are tenderizers (fat and sugar) and those that are structure builders (flour and eggs). When you reduce fat and sugar you will sacrifice the tenderness unless you add an ingredient/s to help adjust for that. If you use egg whites instead of the whole egg to reduce total fat, you will quickly find egg whites are a drying ingredient without the yolk. The fat and lecithin found in the yolk add a whole different dynamic. I'd suggest going to the Eat Better America web site where you will find a number of "healthified" muffin recipes, including bran. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Eat Better America

A combination of things has put an end to my bechamel days. First, the attempt to eat lower fat and calories, but also I have become increasingly sensitive to lactose, or something or other in what passes for milk these days. I was never a milk drinker and just don't use it enough to warrant getting raw milk, which I'm sure would help with the flavor and lactose issues. The last couple of times I have tried to make it I just wasn't satisfied and I think it has to do with the shelf stable milk I used, which is what I have on hand nowdays. I read the alternative recipes posted here with great interest. I find that mostly these days I just use a reduced liquid for my sauces, even pasta. Or just top with evoo and parm. or feta cheese.

You can save a bundle making 'homemade great start' breakfast meals in advance when eggs, bacon or sausage are cheap. Just cook them as usual, freeze, then nuke your creations when desired and presto, a hearty breakfast. Here's what I do, make a batch scrambled eggs or french toast or pancakes, fry up a pound or two of bacon or sauage and make home fries. Then arrange the food on individual plates or containers with those snap & seal disposable plates (Hefty snal & seal plates for example) and voila, 'meals on wheels'. Perfect for those times when you don't have time to cook. You can nuke these babies just like a store bought 'great start' with the added benefit of knowing the ingredients. Breakfast burritos are wonderful too, just scramble those eggs with some pieces of shredded ham, green peppers, onions and mushrooms or whatever your heart desires, divide your cooked concoction amongst the tortillas, roll 'em up, wrap them in plastic wrap then pop them in the freezer. Their ready to go when needed. All previous posters are so right about buying eggs when inexpensive. If you want to just freeze eggs, scramble an egg then pour it into one section of an ice cube tray, 12 eggs will fill the tray. Pretty simple and handy to use when eggs sky rocket in price.