Picky Eater | Fruits & Vegetables
My oldest is my only allergic child. He’s 10-years-old, almost 11 (I can’t believe how fast they grow!!). He is super picky. He absolutely is repulsed by fruits and veggies. He doesn’t like the texture, the taste, any of it. He will literally refuse to eat. You could load the house with only fruits and veggies, and he would go hungry. He just won’t eat it, UNLESS, I bake it into a muffin, cake or other baked good. Then he’s all about the fruits and veggies.
Quinoa for Protein
So I have several muffin recipes that I also try to add quinoa in for extra protein. These Eat Your Fruits & Veggies Kid! Muffins are full of zucchini, carrot, banana and applesauce. You can skip the banana and applesauce for eggs, but since I need to get him fruits & veggies I replace the egg even though he doesn’t have an egg allergy. He actually loves eggs and we raise our own backyard chickens.
Gluten Free & Sugar Substitution
These are also able to be made gluten-free as well as with sugar sub such as maple syrup and honey! For a breakfast or snack muffin, they are pretty dang healthy, well by family standards ha!!
I hope your family loves them as much as my picky eater does.
Eat Your Fruits & Veggies Kid! Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 cup water
- 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or gluten free measure for measure flour
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 T baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 whole ripe banana, mashed
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 cup grated carrot
Instructions
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Bring the water to a boil, and add the quinoa. Turn the heat to low and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Let rest about 5 minutes and then gently stir with a spoon. Set aside.
Grate one cup each of zucchini and carrots. Using paper towels or a dry clean kitchen towel, squeeze the excess water from the veggies. Mash your banana, and measure out your applesauce.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to a bowl and whisk. Create a giant crater in the center. Add the oil and fruits to this crater. Mix well with the dry ingredients just until combined. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes in lined muffin tins filled 3/4 full. Makes 2 dozen. See notes for substitutions.
Recipe Notes
Gluten Free: You can sub the all-purpose flour for any measure for measure gluten free flour such as Pillsbury or King Arthur.
Whole Wheat: If you would like to make this with whole wheat, I have found it works best when you do half and half - half all-purpose and half whole wheat (meaning 1 1/4 c of each, to get the total 2 1/2).
Sugar Substitution: If you decide to replace the sugar with maple syrup or honey, you need to REDUCE the amount to 1 C plus 2 T of maple syrup OR honey INSTEAD of the 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
Egg replacement: You can use 4 eggs in this recipe instead of the banana and the applesauce. Alternately, you can sub out one fruit for 2 eggs. Meaning sub out the banana for 2 eggs and/or the applesauce for 2 eggs.
