Zucchini Carrot Muffins!!! Packed with nutrition and colorful veggies, these muffins will make a wonderful, healthy addition to your child’s lunch!
My mother and I are really close. That wasn’t always the case. As we both grew older, our love and understanding of each other has deepened. As a child, she always showed me what hard work looked like and she always put us kids first. She taught me what it means to be a mother. She loved us, took care of us and fed us.
When I moved away from home for the first time, we had daily phone calls. After the birth of my first daughter, my mother stayed with us for a few weeks to help me out. And she continues to help me with Phoebe and Madeline and all of her grandchildren.
There’s nothing that can replicate a mother’s love.
Before the first day of school, I had to help Madeline, my youngest, select her morning milk for school. This would be the milk that she drinks every morning, Monday – Friday, at school with her morning snack. At lunch, she also has the option to buy more milk then if she wants to. Each child got to choose between white milk or chocolate milk. I gently helped her make a decision to select a milk that I, as her mother, would be comfortable with.
She knows chocolate milk is not forbidden. She knows chocolate milk is a treat. And all families are different. This was a decision I made for our family and I am not saying that one milk is healthier than the other.
As a mother, I want my children to be exposed to a wide variety of foods and lots of fruits and vegetables. I feel very strongly that children’s eating habits are cultivated at a young age. If they are only exposed to fast food, chicken nuggets, chips, juice boxes and soda, that’s all they are going to want.
It’s easy to fall into packing ready made snacks and pudding cups but with just a little planning and preparation, you can pack a healthier lunch for your child. And no one is perfect. There will be some days where the alarm doesn’t go off, where you’ll give your kid some money to buy lunch or you’ll simply throw whatever you have into a plastic lunch container.
And that’s fine. We’re human.
But for the days where we do wake up on time and are maybe even planning ahead, let’s pack some healthier options for our children. Throw an apple into their lunch and leave the skin on. Peel and slice up some carrots or get some dried fruit.
My oldest daughter has a fellow classmate with a severe peanut allergy so a list of approved “ok to bring in” snacks was sent home on the first day of school. I was going down the list and was thinking wouldn’t it just be easier to give our children fruits and veggies for snacks?
My kids never cease to amaze me. I made these muffins for them, not completely sure that they would like them. . but they loved them. I’m convinced that anything in muffin-form is a winner in our family.
These Zucchini Carrot Muffins are so tasty and I love how you can actually see the veggies in there! They are only subtly sweet and are so very moist and delicious. You don’t need butter or honey or anything! Well, maybe a big glass of milk.
After taking my nutrition course, I now think about more ways to bump up the nutrition factor in the recipes I make, like this cinnamon flaxseed french toast. Adding the flax egg was on purpose. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s. Omega-3 essential fatty acids, are the “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects.*
I hope you give these muffins a try! They also make for a great breakfast or after school snack for kids and adults!
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 heaping cup mashed ripe bananas
- 1 cup grated zucchini; skin on
- 1 cup grated carrots
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a muffin pan with non-stick baking spray or line a muffin pan with liners and set aside. Combine the flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl and mix together. Let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken.
- Using a large mixing bowl, add in the "flax egg" (the flax + water mixture), and mix with the coconut sugar, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla extract. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: the whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Mix in the bananas, grated zucchini, and grated carrots and stir to combine. Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups and bake for about 25 to 28 minutes, or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for at least 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
*Source: WebMD and the Providence Blog regarding flaxseed and Omega-3 fatty acids.
Disclosure: This is a paid, sponsored post in partnership with Providence St. Joseph Health. All opinions started here are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting me in partnering with campaigns that I believe in and feel passionate about.
I seriously think that we all have the days where we are the best versions of ourselves and that feels good, but then we also have the days where we’re the opposite. Like you said, human. I try to steer my kids toward good choices, but I can be pretty strict about drinks. I don’t allow soda, which sometimes makes me feel like I’m being too over the top. But then no cavities, so yeah. Can’t decide. 🙂
These muffins look so incredible. I’d love them, too. Anything in a muffin mold, for sure!
I just met some RD (registered dietician) moms on the trip I was on and we were discussing soda and other stuff and one mentioned exactly what you said here. . I also don’t give my kids soda and they have never really asked for it. Frankly, I think age 5 is too young for soda . . but now when my oldest goes to birthday parties or whatever, and if she wants orange soda or something like that, I just let her. but yeah, no cavities for my oldest either! in like 4 years! 🙂 thank you, Mir, for the comment!
Anything in muffin form is definitely a winner in my house, too! That’s so great that you have such a close relationship with your mom. I’m sure your girls love that, too. And these muffins look fantastic, Alice! I would’ve never thought to combine zucchini and carrots before, so I love the healthier combination!
Oh I’m going to have to try these! I froze a bunch of shredded zucchini this summer and we love carrot muffins! My mom always used to make carrot pineapple muffins and as a child I refused to eat them – now I love them and the kiddos do too!
So lovely that you have a close relationship with your Mom, Alice! So sweet 🙂
These muffins look fantastic and love all the healthy ingredients in there too. Would love these for breakfast with some coffee, of course 😉 They look so moist!
I don’t have human children (only fur babies here), but I’m a firm believer that what you feed them now will absolutely affect their eating habits later! I was always forced to at least have ONE bite of something, even if I said I didn’t like it. At the time I of course hated that rule, but now I look back and I am SO thankful for it. I think you are a fabulous mother Alice and your girls are so lucky you care about what they put into their bodies! I think a lot of parents could learn a thing or two from you!! Anyways, these muffins look absolutely delicious! You are so right, anything in muffin form is always winning, but I actually LOVE that you packed these with veggies and flaxseed! Nutritious nom noms going on here! Cheers, friend!
Good reminders Alice! I’m not packing school lunches just yet but hopefully I can keep this in mind for next year. And I think your right, kids will eat anything if it’s in muffin shape! 🙂
I am 100% with you on this. I have a very picky eater on my hands and somethings I think it would just be easier to give in and let him have XYZ. But i’m hoping standing my ground on this stuff will pay off in the long run. These muffins look delicious, Alice! I’d sure love one in my lunch 🙂
I love this post Alice. Since finding out I was pregnant, I have worried about how to help my son develop healthy eating habits, and now at 13 months, he only wants to eat fruit and cookies. This muffins are a great way to sneak in a few more veggies. Pinning on my board for healthy eating ideas for kids 🙂
Hi Michelle, Thank you so much and hang in there!!! keep introducing veggies and fruits and other foods to him. . I let my oldest dip her raw veggies in ranch dressing. . she’s still eating a ton of veggies! and if he likes mac and cheese, add veggies into that too!!!
you’re so right. packed lunches do not have to mean processed. these muffins would be a welcome lunchtime treat and i imagine they’re super moist and flavorful. a great after school snack too!
Love these healthy muffins, such a treat!
Love this post, Alice! Moms are the best and you are such an amazing mom to your girls! These muffins look and sound absolutely perfect, I know my kids would gobble them up in no time!
Hi there
Ingredients don’t list eggs but directions have flax egg
Is this recipe suppose to have eggs in it?
Hi Sharon!
The “flax egg” is the tablespoon of flaxseed meal + the water. . this is a way to bind things together without an egg!!! I’ll make a note now in the recipe card!!! Sorry if that was confusing!