In the last few weeks my two older daughters have started going through a “picky phase” with food. This happens from time to time, usually when our family falls out of our normal meal routine. It can start with a missed grocery shop or simply not scheduling in time to meal prep. When that happens, I tend to resort to my go-to meals: a simplified menu I know the girls will eat including homemade and store-bought options, often lacking a variety of vegetables.
Having just had a baby a couple of months ago, we have relied on the simplified menu as we adjust to life as a family of 5. Vegetables aren’t being eaten as often as I’d like and most of the time, all the girls want is challah, cheese and peanut butter and jam. NOT the palate I envisioned for my kids.
So I started searching for new recipes that would appeal to my girls.
I am not the type of parent who “hides” vegetables into their kids’ food. Instead, my strategy is to include my girls in the baking or cooking. They are always excited to try their masterpiece and often tend to pick at the ingredients throughout the process which is awesome when you’re working with fresh fruits and veggies.
This morning we opted for carrot zucchini muffins. This recipe took about 15 minutes to prepare because peeling and grating the carrots and zucchini take time. Alternatively, you can peel and grate both ahead of time to reduce your prep time to 5 minutes. While these muffins were meant to be a snack, the girls ate them for lunch because admittingly, I was unprepared with any other lunch options (#momlife). THEY WERE A HIT!!! The girls enjoyed them more than I could have imagined and I still have another few left for this week and froze some for another day in the not-so-far future. Such a success!
These veggie-filled muffins can work as a breakfast, lunch or snack idea. They can be eaten at room temperature or warmed up and last up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
Carrot Zucchini Muffins:
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
· 2 cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
· 1 tsp Baking Powder
· 1 tsp Baking Soda
· ½ tsp Cinnamon
· ¼ tsp Kosher salt
· ½ cup Organic canola oil
· ¼ cup Unsweetened apple sauce
· 1 cup Raw turbinado sugar
· 3 Large eggs, room temperature
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
· 1 ½ cups carrots, grated
· 1 ½ cups Zucchini grated, squeezed from juices
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F, line a muffin tin with cupcake liners or spray with coconut oil and set aside
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together canola oil, apple sauce, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract
3. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon).
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix.
5. Add grated carrots and zucchini and mix until well combined.
6. Divide the mixture between 12 muffin tins and bake at 375°F for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry.
7. Take them out of the oven and let them cool. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Recipe adapted from: https://veronikaskitchen.com
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