Why Muffins?

Mission Possible: Get your veggie on! 

Like many moms, I have a picky eater at home who won’t touch vegetables, but loves muffins, so I started playing around with infusing my muffins with puréed vegetables – an idea that has been around for a while (think The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious). However, I did things a little differently. In addition to creating muffin recipes using the tried-and-true orange vegetables (carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, etc.), I used weird vegetables (or at least vegetables not typically used in baking) like peas, asparagus, beets, green beans, avocados (technically a fruit), and parsnips. It became a challenge to see what kind of vegetable I could get my son to eat in a muffin. Watching him take a bite of my Golden Beet Bran Muffin with Flaxseed, and hearing him yummmm in satisfaction was like winning the gold – and it fueled me to keep making more muffins.

Operation Have Fun: play with your food 

Since kids are more likely to eat food that is cut into fun shapes, I started playing around with how I presented my muffins. I created muffin kebobs, muffins baked in ice cream cones, muffin pie, muffin pizza, muffin sandwiches, and muffins in waffle bowls - all big hits with my picky eater, who also happens to have a sweet tooth. So, yes, as you can imagine, I started to play around with making dessert muffins with fun toppings and surprises in the centers, which became a great cupcake-alternative for parties. I still wanted to feel good about what I was feeding my son, though, even as a treat, so I started adding other healthy ingredients to my muffins, like flaxseed meal, spelt flour, and walnut oil, which is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Muffins to the Rescue: Save the day and win over your picky eater 

I don’t have a culinary background (although I’ve taken a few cooking classes). I am just an ordinary mom who likes to have fun in the kitchen and wants to feel good about what she’s feeding her son. These recipes are for other creative moms who love to bake and have the time to play around in the kitchen. Feel free to riff off of my recipes and come up with something ingenious – and delicious – of your own. And please let me know about it. I think it’s important to create a community – and to value each other’s contributions. Too often we create something (a collection of poems, a clothing line, or, in this case, muffins) and think, “Who am I to do this?” but who are you not to?