I’ve become one of those moms who hides vegetables in my kid’s food.
I never thought I’d see the day, let alone see it so soon. (Mind you, my daughter is just 15 months old.) Of course I thought my kid was going to happily devour all the homemade organic delights I placed in front of her! She wasn’t going to be one of those picky eaters. Wrong.
Sure, there are days when she’ll happily eat the healthy and wholesome meals I make for her. And then there are the days where she literally won’t try a bite of anything I set in front of her. Those buckwheat soba noodles she devoured last night? Today, she acts offended by their mere existence.
She’ll eat applesauce from a squeeze pouch, but she won’t eat it from a spoon. She likes frozen blueberries, but won’t eat fresh ones. And if I can hide it in a quesadilla, she’ll eat it.
Babies, man. They are so cute. But they are SO crazy.
And that, my friends, is how I found myself blending spinach and bananas into muffins. I’m one of those moms now, and I don’t mind it one bit. If it gets my kid to happily devour vegetables, I’m all for it. (Whatever works, right?!)
There are plenty of other healthy toddler-friendly recipes out there, but I thought I’d share my adaptation of this recipe for spinach banana muffins as they’ve been a big hit in our household. You can toss in other fresh fruits or veggies or substitute other greens (chard, kale, etc) for the spinach. If you want to make a double or triple batch, they also freeze nicely.
These Whole Wheat Spinach Banana Muffins are quick, easy, and are generally well-received by tiny little crazy people. ;)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line or grease a muffin tin.
- In a blender or food processor, combine banana, spinach, applesauce, egg, honey, oil, and vanilla. Blend until well combined.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir til just combined. The mixture will be thick and dense. (If too thick, add a bit of water or milk. You will not be able to pour the mix.)
- Spoon into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until tops of the muffins are beginning to brown and the muffins are set.
Notes
Adapted from Tribe Magazine
http://rosemarried.co/2016/01/26/whole-wheat-spinach-and-banana-muffins/
Thank you for this!
You’re welcome!
I’m willing to try! My two-year-old is suspicious of anything green, to the point that he’ll point out green food in books with alarm. “There’s lettuce on her burger, buddy. It’s okay. She likes it.”