Frankenmuffins

I don't know about most people, but as for myself...  I know I could do better at getting veggies into my body.  And more importantly to me at this point, as a mother, I want to get more veggies into my sweet little girl.  Her diet is determined largely by me (and somewhat by her dad, and I'll admit it:  he's a healthier eater than I am).  So it is up to me to make sure she is getting what she needs.  And, I often fall short on the veggies.  It's one of the reason I'm looking forward to a high-end blender and some green smoothies! 

Because I want my veggies to taste yummy.  And I'm always on the lookout for delicious recipes that include vegetables.  My stir-fry veggies recipe has helped me a lot.  I really like getting a variety of vegetables that way.  My husband loves it.  And so does my toddler.  But I don't make them every day, of course.  And so it's nice to have other recipes to turn to :). 

Well, this recipe is bomb.  My friend Lea saved some Family Fun magazines for me -- figuring I may find some family fun stuff to do with my young family!  And I found several awesome things.  Including a recipe for Frankenmuffins!  Granted, they are named to be suited for Halloween.  And I probably will make them for Halloween for sure!  But I wanted to try them out, and since I had all the ingredients (thanks to my THRIVE Spinach!), I felt motivated to do it today :).

FRANKENMUFFINS
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup milk (I used whole milk because it's what I had in the fridge)
6 ounces (6 cups packed) fresh baby spinach  (I used 3 cups THRIVE Chopped Spinach and rehydrated it)
1 large ripe banana
2 teaspoons vanilla (I used THRIVE Pure Vanilla Powder)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 16 muffin cups with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine first 7 ingredients and stir with a mix until well combined. 

In a blender, add the oil, milk, and spinach.  Puree until smooth.  Add banana and vanilla and blend until all is well combined.  Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until completely mixed (I used my stand mixer).

Fill each prepared muffin well two-thirds full.  Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes (mine took 17).

And seriously...  This recipe is amazing.  The batter tastes good too, just fyi.  And there's no raw egg, so it's pregnant-lady and toddler friendly ;).  But the real test is the muffin itself, right? And they are so good.  Especially about 10 minutes after I pulled them out of the oven! 

And so now you have an adult's opinion on them.  I think they taste great.  And I love that they have spinach and we're getting veggies.  And that there is whole wheat, which is also good stuff. 

But what does my toddler think?  So, I gave her half of one for a snack.  She gobbled that thing up and asked for more.  Which I didn't give her, as it's close to dinner time.  But I am thrilled that she liked it so much!  And the way I see it, these could even be used as a breakfast.  What a great way to get some veggies in you first thing in the morning!

So moms...  If you want something new to get veggies into your kiddos, give this recipe a try!  I will be making it again and again!

Cheddar Zucchini Mini Muffins

Ever since Lynnaea became a toddler (which happened before her 1st birthday, though I hate to admit it...), I've wanted to come up with healthy snacks for her.  I felt it was important to get her eating on a regular schedule -- 3 meals and 2 snacks.  But, being that I'm not super-creative and that I'm a first-time mom...  I wasn't very good at coming up with things to offer her for a snack.  (Heck, it took me a while to realize all the meal foods I could give her!). 

So I turned to Pinterest.  Because that's just how I roll.  And I came across this recipe for cheddar zucchini bread. 

I love this recipe for a number of reasons:

1.  It uses some whole wheat flour.  I want Lynnaea to realize that eating "brown" bread is better than eating white bread.  I want her to not throw a fit about eating wheat bread.  We have a lot of whole wheat at our house, because my husband grinds his own wheat to make his own bread.  I also have lots of all-purpose white flour, because I use it for baking other thing.  But still...  I've gotten used to making a lot of things (like pizza dough) with a mixture of both (which this recipe calls for both), and I want Lynnaea to grow up accepting that as just the way it is.  It's better for her anyway.

2.  It uses zucchini.  Which I categorize in the vegetable category.  And this means I can get extra veggies into her.  Plus, I still have frozen shredded zucchini in the deep freezer.  With 3 zucchini plants in the garden already.  And I'm hoping for another amazing harvest.

3.  I read the reviews and noticed I could cut back the salt significantly.  I grew up eating high-sodium foods.  Not a bunch of stuff out of a can, mind you.  But when a recipe (like arroz con pollo) called for a tablespoon of salt...  My mom added a tablespoon of salt.  And until I got married, it never occurred to me that that was a lot.  So I've been trying to cut back on the amount of salt in small ways.  Like using home-made broths in place of canned broths when I have it in the freezer.  Or replacing some of the broth with water.  I mean, I still want my food to taste good.  That's important to me.  But if I can healthify it even a little...  I'd like to do that.  For me, and for my kiddo.

Anyway, here's the recipe.  The only thing I did was bake in mini-muffin tins to make them toddler-friendly.  And I froze most of them, so I can take them out a little at a time.

Zucchini Cheddar Mini Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini\
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped scallions
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add in the zucchini, cheese, and scallions and toss to coat.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into a greased mini muffin tins and bake for 20 - 22 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool and serve.
6. * Loaves can be cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap or foil, placed in freezer bags, labeled and frozen for up to 3 months. Place in refrigerator overnight to defrost. 

Note:  I changed the cook time to apply to mini muffins.  Also, I didn't have buttermilk.  But a quick google search will tell you how much regular milk to use, in addition to either vinegar or lemon juice.  I used lemon juice.  Worked great.  And my munchkin loves these.