I struggle to get my 2-year-old son to eat healthy, and if he even sees a hint of green or tastes a bit of vegetable in his food, he refuses to eat it. So one day when I was grocery shopping and saw muffins that were chock full of produce (including carrots, apples and pineapple) I decided to give them a shot. And as luck would have it, my petite gourmand actually liked them, and asked for seconds. Mom win! My son and I both enjoy these for a healthy breakfast or snack.
Ingredients:
1-1/4 c. sugar
1 c. whole wheat flour
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shredded, sweetened coconut
3/4 c. dried cranberries
1 apple (peeled and grated)
2 c. grated carrots
1 c. crushed canned pineapple (drained)
3 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the coconut, cranberries, apple, carrots and pineapple and stir to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Spoon the batter into muffin tins coated with non-stick spray and fill to the brim. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Macaroni Mom Tips:
* I grated the apples and carrots by hand, but also grated my knuckles in the process. I recommend you use a food processor to speed up the process and save your hands.
* The muffins are good for 3 days at room temperature and up to 2 months in the freezer. I froze the extra in batches of 6 in freezer bags so I could thaw them as needed.
