Did you know that walnuts are one of the healthiest foods you can eat?  Walnuts are the only nut that contain a significant amount of omega-3 fatty acids. No other nut even comes close.  Eating a handful of walnuts every day is one small step you can take to protect your heart.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration even approved a qualified health claim for walnuts, the first ever for a whole food.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, stir together cereal, pumpkin, milk, eggs and oil. In a medium bowl, stir flour, brown sugar, baking powder and spices until well combined. Stir flour mixture and walnuts into pumpkin mixture. Scoop batter into muffin cups. If desired, add cheese filling and walnut crunch as directed below.

Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted through side of muffin top comes out clean.

Variations:

pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins:
1/4 cup Cream Cheese
1/4cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling on top of muffin batter before baking. Top with Walnut Crunch, if desired.

Walnut Crunch Muffins:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped  walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons butter

Combine all ingredients. Sprinkle on top of muffin batter before baking.

Nutrition information per serving:
190 calories, 4g protein, 29g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 160mg sodium, 7g total fat, 1g saturated fat