Zucchini Carrot Muffins

Even as I'm writing this post, I'm sitting here enjoying one of this delicious muffins. I can not describe how good these are! They are super moist, just sweet enough, great for desert or breakfast, and you don't taste the vegetables! And even if you have a picky child, or fiance like me, the aren't going to know there are veggies in it unless you tell them. Really, have them try it first then share that it's good for them.

I actually found these muffins on another site, and I just knew I needed to add my own twist to them. And I even managed to make them even healthier and pack more veggies into it. To start simply mix all the dry ingredients together. I don't sift them or anything like that. Simply dump them in a bowl and mix away. Feel free to lessen the amount of sugar, or use a sugar substitute.

Now, you may notice there aren't any nut or oat chunks in my dry mix. I actually take the time for one more little step. I place my oats and nuts into a mini chopper, or food processor, and lightly chop them up. I personally don't like the texture of the whole oats and nuts in my muffin. You can also use just about any nut you have on hand. I've used walnuts, almonds, and pecans. All are very good. I would stay away from peanuts though, as they have a much stronger flavor.

Now mix the wet ingredients. Here you'll notice a very pale, eggy color. This is because I used applesauce in this batter, not apple butter. My favorite thing to do is to add both applesauce and apple butter. They each have their own unique flavor and really help to sweeten the muffins. Next grate your veggies. Use a hand grater or a food processor. My tip to you if using a food processor is to grate using your grater, but then to chop it up a bit more with your blade, just for 3 seconds or so. I've noticed the grated pieces can be a little on the larger side.

Yes, all those veggies go in the muffins! Can you believe that? Your family is sure to get their veggies for the day. Mix in the veggies and the raisins to your wet mixture. You'll end up with a goopy mixture that looks like this:

Your almost done! Add the dry ingredients into the wet veggie mix. I just use good ol' fashion elbow grease, but a mixer would work fine as well. I normally add the dry ingredients about half at a time. This way I know everything is incorporated very well. 

Once your dry mixture is incorporated, spoon your batter into greased muffin tins. Now the first time I made these I tried to use paper muffin cups. Boy do the muffins stick to the cups! I really recommend just spraying the tin and adding the batter. (Which is what I've done ever since,and it works perfectly) I get about 24 muffins every time I make these, and fill the cups about 2/3 full.

Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Test with a toothpick, when they are done a toothpick should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack, or enjoy warm. These are great plain or with a touch of spray butter! Now, here comes the recipe. You have made it this far--so don't run away when you see the ingredient list. Chances are you have most, if not all, of them in your pantry!

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

adapted from EatingWell

1/2 Cup Oats

1/4 Cup Walnuts, chopped

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Salt

2 Large Eggs

3 Large Egg Whites

1/2 Cup Apple Sauce or Butter

1/4 Cup Canola Oil

1 Cup Grated Zucchini

1 Cup Grated Carrot

2/3 Cup Raisins

Preheat your over to 350 degrees. Spray your muffin tin with non stick spray. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Be sure to really incorporate all the ingredients. In a large bow, combine the eggs, applesauce or apple butter, . Grate your zucchini and carrots, if you have not already. Then mix the zucchini, carrots and raisins into the wet mixture. 

Combine half of the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Fully incorporate the two together, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Spoon into greased baking tin, about 2/3 full. Bake for approx. 20 minutes or until toothpick can be inserted and come out clean. Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack. 

Freezer Meal-- After baking flash freeze on a baking sheet. Transfer to freezer bags. To Eat: Take out to thaw, or heat for 30 - 40 seconds in the microwave. 

Calories-- 120    Fat-- 3g  Carbs-- 21g   Sugar-- 12g    Protein-- 3g 

* Nutritional Info will vary. Depends on brands and ingredients used.

What's For Lunch? Healthy Options

I know its been a while since I've posted so I'd like to give you all an update! I'm still chugging along with the eating healthier goals I have. I still haven't quite done as good as I should be. I'm back to college and have super busy days becoming a teacher. So I will admit its been very hard to stay healthy. I've been so busy, its just so much easier to just grab something quick and go.

I've noticed my biggest issue is healthy lunches. This week, I've done absolutely terrible with my lunches. I've had single serving frozen pizzas, shrimp poppers, and not so healthy sandwiches. Now I will say yesterday for lunch I had Subway, and they can be a wonderful resource for healthy lunches. Just really watch your condiments! I think it's about time to go for this thing fully. So I've compiled some super recipes, both quick and healthy. No more excuses for fast food or unhealthy lunches! Wanna know something really cool? All these wonderful recipes are under 500 calories!

Vietnamese Salad Rolls

Muffulettas

Shrimp and Rice Noodle Salad

Caprese Salad Pita Pockets

Greek Pasta Salad

Carrot & Hummus Wrap

*Disclosure- These recipes are compiled from all over the web. They are not my own recipe and I do not wish to take credit for them. Each caption will link you to the original site and recipe.

I hope these recipes give you a few ideas and get your brain flowing with a few healthy alternatives to lunch! Not your style? Pinterest has an "endless" supply of great healthy meals! Leftovers from dinner are always great the next day for lunch as well.

Week One- Accomplished!

Happy Saturday Everyone! It's my last big weekend of the summer, my fiance and I are moving into our college apartment Wednesday. And soon after, its back to classes and school work. So I decided its finally about time I actually stuck to my plan of getting healthy.

I finally realized that its up to me. No one can change my body for me, and no one can make me do it. The reality of it is- I have to be willing to change me, and I have to want to change for me. What I mean is if your not ready to commit 100% your never going to reach your goals, and well, you'll have to start all over again! I know I'm tired of starting over! I figured I'd start before I went back to school, hoping to change some of my basic habits so I'm not doing it when school starts!

So what exactly am I talking about? Well I'm starting my journey to a healthier life. I've started eating better and really focusing on my portion sizes. And I'm happy to say I've made it through week one. Now this isn't to say I did perfectly, because I promise I didn't. Just last night we had a little celebration for my fiance finishing his summer job, and well the food was so terrible for you. But the big thing is, I'm back on track today.

How am I doing it you might ask? I wish I had a magic button I could tell you to push, or a fail proof "diet" plan, but honestly I'm doing it my way! I'm simply replacing junk food with healthy food and I'm starting a walking plan when I get back to school.

I'm here to tell you, YOU can do it too! I just want to give you a few pointers and tips that I've looked at before starting my journey.

1) "Eating healthy is too expensive." I'm here to tell you its not! If I can do it on a college kids budget, I know you can do it too! Here is a great article that really puts things into perspective. It may surprise you how much healthy food you can get at the store for those 4 fast food meals you (and your family) were going to have for dinner.

2) "Do your research." No one wants to sit for hours and hours doing research about something. But it is a good idea to develop some sort of a plan. Take the time to find some healthy recipe alternatives to your favorite foods. You may also find some great tips! Such as how food journals significantly increase your rate of success!

3) "Find a program that works for you!" Just because there is this "amazing" diet program that your best friend did and lost 20 pounds doesn't mean its going to work for you. There are so many resources out there to help you on your journey, find one that is right for you! I'm using a free online site called SparkPeople. It is a really wonderful site that provides tons of resources in one spot! It has everything- food tracker, exercise tracker, recipes, calorie calculator, teams, support, workout videos and more! It's certainly something to look into, maybe it will work for you!

4) "Drink more water!" For me this is super easy. I already drink tons and tons of water. Its my drink! (I'm not crazy I promise, but I'll take a cold glass of water over a cold soda a-n-y day!) I actually just bought this really cool water bottle as part of my back to school supplies. But the cool thing about it (other than its pretty turquoise color) is it has ounces marked on the bottle. So you can easily tell if your getting your 8 glasses (64 oz) of water a day! Now I got the 32 oz version of this bottle, and easily drink 4 bottles a day. But if your like my fiance and think that is just too much water, stick to just 2 bottles a day!

The only other thing I did was really prepare for my journey. I prepped my food. Yes, I took the time to chop veggies and get snack ready. And honestly, it is more than worth the time! Its so much easier to grab a healthy snack now, since they are just as convenient as the less healthy options. And really, you can do the prep for the whole week in just an hour or two. But I also spent a few hours making some healthy freezer foods! I made chicken and spinach taquitos as well as zucchini carrot muffins. Boy are they good! I promise, the recipes are coming!

I know this post is long, but I really hope it helps! If it helps just one person, it was worth it! I'm going to continue to share my journey with you, but I'd love to hear yours as well! Feel free to share your own tips, we can all help each other!