Fruit & Veg Muffins

Talk about a good way to fit fruit, vegetables and healthy fats into your diet, try these hearty breakfast muffins from www.allrecipes.com. I made these today and they are really good, sweet and moist! Ron was hesitant to try them, because he wasn't in the mood for a "veggie muffin," but he was pleasantly surprised when he ate one later in the day. He said "I didn't think they'd be that sweet."

It's not a quick recipe, but it's not difficult either. As the energy bars posted before, I like this recipe because of the changes you can make to suit your own taste. These muffins are not just for breakfast, I think they'll taste good at any time of day.

I recommend checking the reviews via the link above before making yours, and I've explained my substitutions below (in blue).

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 carrots, shredded
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 zucchini, shredded (I used one zucchini and one small mashed sweet potato based on the reviews)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil - coconut oil would be good too)
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour and added a little extra)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (used 1/4 cup of honey instead)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (didn't have so didn't use)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (used chopped walnuts)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (used chopped dates)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners.

2.  Mix carrots, banana, zucchini, vegetable oil, yogurt, and eggs together until fully incorporated.

3.  Whisk flour and baking soda in a separate bowl. Mix brown sugar, oats, coconut, pecans, cherries, cinnamon, salt, and ginger into flour mixture until all ingredients are coated in flour. Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture until just combined. Scoop batter into the prepared muffin cups.

4.  Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and edges are slightly brown, 17 to 22 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.


Action Item: Try these. East some now and freeze some for later!

For Further Reading: 10 Tips for Shifting from Processed to Whole Foods

Omega 3s for me, please.

We've probably all heard how important it is to consume Omega 3 fatty acids in our diet for lowering triglycerides and blood pressure. Omega-3s are essential fatty acids; we need them for our bodies to work properly. One of their most important benefits is that they seem to have an anti-inflammatory effect. And there are studies, reports WebMD, showing that omega-3 fatty acids may help with other conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and many more.

Are you getting enough in your diet?

According to experts, probably not. And most people you know – your spouse, your toddler, and your mom – probably aren’t either.

 

“Pretty much everybody’s diet is deficient in omega-3s,” says David C. Leopold, MD, director of integrative medical education at the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in San Diego. (from WebMD)

What foods, beside wild salmon, contain Omega 3s? Check out Your Omega-3 Family Shopping List.

Early research is showing that infants, children and teens can benefits from Omega-3s for cognitive development, growth, ADHD and asthma (read the article below for more information.)

 

How do you get your child to eat more Omega 3s?

Parents magazine offers some tips:

• Introduce fish to your baby during the first year, to help her develop a taste for it. Then serve it often.
• Be creative: Grill fish on skewers, sauté fish cakes, make fish tacos, or mix it into pasta sauce.
• Buy DHA-fortified milk, soy milk, eggs, and orange juice when possible.
• Get into the habit of cooking with canola, flax, hemp or soy oil.
• Bake chia, hemp or ground flaxseeds into muffins, pancakes and crepes, and sprinkle them over yogurt or cereal.
• Give your bigger children omega-rich walnuts to snack on.

Just like any other important nutrient, mineral or food – don't over do it and don't leave it out. Incorporate omega-3s into a varied, healthy diet.

 

 

Action Item: Seek out ways to incorporate fish into your meals. And keep eating those leafy greens! Check out allrecipes.com for salmon or tuna recipes that interest you.

 

For Further Reading: Omega-3 Fatty Acid Fact Sheet, Omega-3 and Brain Health, and Who Needs Omega-3s?