Some Gnarly Muffins!

I have a 16 month old son who is getting better about trying new and different foods. But it hasn't always been this way. He went through a definite picky stage. A stage where he would just look at something and refuse to eat it if it didn't look familiar. Because of this stage I worked hard at getting creative to get fruits and veggies (mostly veggies since he is really okay with most fruits) into foods that looked familiar. A great recipe I found recently has some great grains and added fruits and veggies, and until I can get more of the veggies into his diet without hiding them (who knows...that may be years!) this is what works for me!

I started with this recipe for Gnarly Muffins from Joy the Baker. I made a few alterations of my own, but the abundance of carrots and apples in mine made them nice and moist! Here is how I made them:

1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c flax seed meal
3/4 c wheat bran
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c shredded carrots
1 c shredded apple
1/2 raisins
3/4 c milk
1/2 c egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl with a wooden spoon, mix all dry ingredients.
Add carrots, apple, and raisins.
In a small bowl, mix milk, egg and vanilla. Add to dry/fruit mix and stir just until moistened.
I filled my 12 silicone muffin cups totally full and baked them a bit longer because they were bigger. Took mine close to 30 minutes.
Eat, and enjoy. And share with your family members who don't get all their fruits and veggies!

Other foods that look familiar and I can add healthy stuff to: pancakes, dips, sauces, and yogurt, to name a few.

This is what works for me. Head on over to We Are THAT Family for more great posts.

Menu Plan Monday - December 14

I've got to get back on track!
We've been eating out of our freezer A LOT the past couple of weeks since our main freezer broke and we've needed to get the freezer cleaned out some to make room for normal everyday use...but now it's time to really start cooking again. And I am ready! I have a new desire and excitement when looking for recipes since I have a toddler who is starting to eat more of what we are eating and this makes cooking for all of us more fun. Also, my husband has been having a huge problem with heartburn and I know we could eat even healthier than we already do sometimes, but this makes it even more important that we are eating foods that are good for his stomach.

Spinach Tortellini Soup I've made this once before (it freezes great!) and it was delicious.
Making this Chicken Tortilla Bake when we have company over next weekend.
Cheese and Spinach Tart with Glazed Carrots (found this recipe in the January 2010 issue of Parents magazine, but can't seem to find it online to link to it)
A Pea and Potato Soup made similar to the recipes given here (to have some extra easy food on hand for my son).
Making this Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole for a meeting.
Trying out this Pumpkin Cake recipe on some company next weekend.
Some other snacks/breakfast foods I plan on making to have on hand for all of us, but mostly for my son: Lemon Yogurt Snack Cake, Banana Oat Muffins, and Applesauce Muffins.

For even more great menu ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com.