Fall Muffins - Kid Friendly, Mama Approved

I was on the phone with Janet M. planning and collaborating Mothers' Center business whilst putting these delicious muffins together when she asked me for the recipe, and I thought let's make a blog post!

It's tough getting veggies into my kids without a little help from grains, sugar and anything resembling a "treat". Even though we're so close to Halloween again, I can totally get away with adding more monster muffins into rotation right now (add spinach to any cupcake or muffin batter: green "monster muffins"), I had a lot of zucchini on hand, and they really love it, so I make it!

I do use a boxed mix for this a quickie. Making it a quick accompaniment to a protein for any meal - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, treat - meets all expectations But if you're a baker, or gluten-free, you can google a muffin recipe from scratch, and proceed with the rest of the recipe after the mix to get your veggie muffin on.

Quick & easy boxed mix. Trader Joe's sells this banana bread mix which works like a charm. Pick one up, and follow the recipe as directed on the box for the muffins. I like to use half coconut oil, half ghee in place of the vegetable oil. Pre-heat oven to 325º, and get your muffin tin in order.

Grate one zucchini in a bowl, and try to drain out as much moisture as you can. I place the shredded zucchini in a colander for a while to drain, and press down on it to squeeze excess moisture out. I've left this step out in the past, and the muffins do come out extra moist. I've also added a banana to up the moisture and sweetness. It does crumble a bit more as well with the added banana.

If I have extra time, I'll shred a bunch of baby carrots too.

Mix eggs, oil & water first, then fold in dry ingredients. Careful not to over mix.

Mix the veggies in gently.

I scooped about 2 heaping tablespoons into each muffin. I also added a few chocolate chips because chocolate. It's like a tiny surprise in each muffin.

I bake them for 40 minutes, sometimes longer if I want crispy ends. Let them cool down, and they're ready to eat!

I'll refrigerate them for a few days, and they're great right out of the fridge cold, but we also love them warmed up a bit too. Sometimes warmed, sliced with a drizzle of maple syrup, and some whipped cream. Have fun with it. Kids devour them every time! So do the adults.