Carrot muffins, Sweet Potato muffins, or Pumpkin muffins- this is a versatile recipe!
With a picky-eating toddler at home, I am constantly thinking about how I can pack the biggest nutrient bang per bite in his narrow-ranged mealtime repertoire.
For those unfamiliar, there’s an ongoing debate over whether hiding veggies in our children’s food is “good” or “bad.” Well, I’m not a pediatric expert, but I am an expert of my son. And my stance is: DO WHATEVER WORKS!
The most important goal for me with meals is to make them fun. If he doesn’t like broccoli, then that’s OKAY. I’m confident that one day my son will try broccoli again, and whether he likes it or not, that’s HIS decision to make! Sure, hiding veggies is TOTALLY feeding into his pickiness… and like the textbooks say, “hiding veggies doesn’t necessarily teach him about the importance of eating a balanced diet,” but I’m confident that he has his whole life to learn about a balanced diet (especially with a dietitian for a mom)!
My son is quite stubborn and therefore, my main priority at mealtimes is to make them a POSITIVE experience. No food fights, no problems!
Plus, I actually have fun hiding veggies in dishes! It allows me to increase the nutrient density of meals. Listen, I try to serve some veggies in the whole form sometimes, but it’s never a forced situation.
I’m also a fan of efficiency…, especially in the morning. I created this recipe with a few goals. Did I want an easy breakfast option in the house? Yes, but I also wanted to assure myself that as a family, we’re adding some AWESOME nutrients into our day.
The trick with this recipe is that you want to blend your wet ingredients (and BTW- sugar is considered a wet ingredient)! I add bananas, which also offer moisture and flavor. Whole wheat pastry flour keeps the muffins light and carrots add great color! Flax and avocado oil boost the healthy fat content and whole-milk yogurt knocks the protein out of the park
(Makes 12 standard-sized muffins)
Ingredients:
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional; may substitute raisins)
- 2 cups flour (pastry flour works well, or use 1 cup whole wheat + 1 cup all-purpose)
- ¼ cup oat flour
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup plain whole-milk yogurt (Skyr works best)
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup carrot, finely grated or diced (substitute with mashed baked sweet potato or pumpkin, if desired)
- 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin pan with 10–12 liners.
- In a food processor, blend the yogurt, oil, vanilla, sugar, bananas, and eggs until smooth. Add the carrots and pulse until fully incorporated.
- Transfer the wet mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flax, and oat flour.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring gently until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, then divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to cool before serving. Enjoy!
