This morning, the little man and I went to a mommy and me meetup at a local park and we decided it would be fun to bring along some healthy muffins to share with our mommy and baby friends. We wanted something healthy and yummy so we figured our Apple, Carrot and Zucchini Mini Muffins were perfect for the occasion and boy was I right. They were a HIT! I think the reason they are a crowd pleaser is because they have the perfect amount of sweetness without being too sweet, they are moist and yet they still contain clean and healthy ingredients, which makes them even that much better! Giving you permission to throw that mommy guilt right out the window with these muffins!
This was actually the first time James has “helped” me in the kitchen. I usually just bake around him but lately he has been showing such interest to stand on a stool and do whatever it is I am doing, so this time I just went with it. He had an absolute blast helping make one of his favorite muffins, so for those mommies out there with little ones showing interest in cooking/baking, I totally recommend letting them help. He seemed to really enjoy the whole process from beginning to end and was even caught sampling some of the ingredients to make sure they were eatable before we put them in the recipe!
Now these muffins are truly great for the whole family to enjoy and great for any occasion. You could bring these with you as a snack to the park, pack in your kids (or husbands) lunches, or as a breakfast side. I love that these muffins are ACTUALLY good for you. They are gluten free, refined sugar free and are loaded with fruits and veggies so you don’t have to feel bad about eating 2 or 3 or as many as your little heart desires!
For this recipe, I used few healthy swaps as well as some nutritious add ins! For the flour I used oat flour instead of white or wheat flour (*if gluten free, be sure to use oats or oat four that say-gluten free). Instead of using white sugar I used one of my favorites, coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic index and also contains health benefits such as iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, etc. I also swapped oil for unsweetened apple sauce, but you could still use coconut oil or avocado oil if you wanted to. And for the kicker, this recipe uses a carrot, an apple and a zucchini for a little sneaky and healthy add in. If you know me by now, then you will know that I love finding ways to incorporate fruits and veggies into everything, so these muffins really excite me!
If you decide to make these tasty muffins, please let me know what you thought about them in the comment section below! Look forward to hearing from you :).
This recipe is a modified version of https://www.theleangreenbean.com version.
Recipe:
- 1/2 c shredded zucchini (remove excess water)
- 1/4 c of shredded carrot (remove excess water)
- 1/4 c of shredded, pealed apple (remove excess water)
- 4 tbsp of grass-fed butter
- 1/2 c of coconut sugar
- 1/4 c of organic unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 pasture raised eggs-( haven’t tried egg replacements)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 c of oat flour (can blend rolled oats in high speed blender if you don’t have oat flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp of aluminum free baking powder
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 and fill your mini muffin trays with muffin liners or oil.
- Mix first 8 ingredients until mixed (these are all of your wet ingredients)
- Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until mixed. Recipe will be thick.
- Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 10-12 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Enjoy!