Not only are these healthy muffins great for breakfasts and snacks, but they freeze well. Stock up for last-minute breakfasts!
It finally happened. As of today, I have two middle-schoolers. Going to school in Vancouver, I never had to experience middle school because elementary school included kindergarten through grade 7, and then we moved straight into five years of high school. Middle school seems to be this "in limbo" time when everyone starts to sweat, emotions swing from happy to frustrated within mere minutes and parents suddenly seem to know nothing (according to the middle schoolers, at least).
So far (knocking on every piece of wood in the house as I write this), the experience has been relatively smooth for our family, and now we're hoping that the eldest middle-schooler can help the newly anointed sixth-grader to navigate his way through the first year with minimum damage and maximum self-satisfaction.
Finger and toes crossed, and wine at the ready. For the parents, not the boys.
I am a firm believer in starting the day with a healthy breakfast, knowing from personal experience that the ol' neurons don't seem to fire properly without some fuel. The boys get up in time to fix breakfast (yes, truth be told, they prefer to do their own cooking in the morning). Cereal, yogurt parfaits, omelets, scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos - every morning is a little different, but I always insist on whole grains, a dose of protein and some fruit or vegetables.
Whole wheat muffins are a great option for breakfast, particularly if you're more of a grab-and-go kind of family (believe me, I get how those mornings can go!). For my boys, muffins are usually paired with some fresh fruit and yogurt because the I find that the amount of protein in muffins isn't typically enough to keep them full until lunchtime.
These particular muffins are a great way to work in a dose of vegetables first thing in the morning, as they're chockfull of grated zucchini and carrots. If you have nut allergies or aversions in the house, these will taste just as good without the pecans.
If the muffins aren't going to be eaten within a few days, cool completely, then pack them in a single layer in a resealable freezer bag, and freeze them for another morning. It just takes a couple of minutes to defrost them in the microwave.
Other quick & healthy breakfast recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's On-the-Go Egg Breakfast Pita Sandwich
Cookin' Canuck's Healthy Yogurt Breakfast Parfait with Blueberries & Granola
Two Peas and Their Pod's Baked Peanut Butter Apple Oatmeal
Bam's Kitchen's Toasted Almond & Date Larabars
Pretty Polymath's Power Sunrise Smoothie
Whole Wheat Zucchini Carrot Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup grated zucchini
- ¾ cup grated carrot
- ⅓ cup + 3 tablespoons chopped pecans divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the applesauce, Greek yogurt, brown sugar and egg.
- Add the applesauce mixture to the flour mixture and stir well to combine.
- Stir in the grated zucchini and carrot, and ⅓ cup chopped pecans.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups (about ¼ cup each).
- Bake for 7 minutes. Place the remaining 3 tablespoons pecan pieces on top of the muffins. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean, and additional 7 to 9 minutes.
- Remove the muffins from the pan and allow to cool. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Karen Hegy
What size are the muffins? Large, Medium, mini?
Dara
Hi Karen, I used a regular sized muffin pan and the cooked muffins rise to just above the side of the pan (see final photo in this post). I hope you enjoy them!
Ellen
I made these muffins from the directions and believe they could use a more sugar as they are only slightly sweet. Otherwise, they are very good.
Renee - Kudos Kitchen
Your boys are adorable, Dara. They grow up so fast, don't they? Must be from eating all your healthy and delicious meals. These muffins are the perfect thing to grab and go on a busy school morning. They look so tender and moist!
Susan
Some happy boys there, I would be too if I had these muffins in the morning! We had middle school as well and I really couldn't imagine being in a school with kindergarteners running around next to 7th graders. Such an age difference!
Martha @ A Family Feast
Your boys are so handsome! Love that you can freeze these muffins and then just grab and go on busy mornings!
Lana | Never Enough Thyme
I remember those middle school days so well! I'm very happy that your boys seem to be dealing with that transition in a positive way. And no wonder when they're getting great nutrition like these delicious muffins.
Angie
What a great way to get veggies in your kids in the morning! And your boys are so handsome! I love that they like to cook breakfast too! So sweet!
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy
Can't wait to make these. I love that they are low fat and low sugar. I love to have healthy, homemade food waiting in the freezer too. Happy back to school, Dana
christine
Oh wow, school started already? I thought we were early starting next week! I love that these freeze well. I'm not always on the ball for cooking early in the morning but I would make a batch of these and freeze and dole out as needed.
Paula-bell'alimento
So perfect for back to school breakfast or lunches!
Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Your boys are so cute! My boys don't start until Sept. 8! I agree, healthy breakfasts are so important! These muffins look fantastic!
naveen
well looks those muffins , she made those muffins healthy by putting carrot and zucchini
good baking
Bored wiki
Colleen (Souffle Bombay)
Look at those cuties! They are ready...WE are not, lol! Your muffins look to be a perfect lunchbox snack...a little piece of home & their mama while away in school 🙂
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch
Those sweet faces on your boys!!! I hope they have a wonderful school year - I'm crossing my fingers and toes for the same for my "not so little" boy too!
And oh - These muffins look delicious and so healthy too! Want one or three for breakfast! xo