Healthy Toddler Mini Muffins {toddler snack recipe}

I find that if I make anything in the form of a muffin my toddler goes nuts for them.  She literally devoured these muffins which are packed with veggies and fiber and no added sugar.  They look like a crappy carb (to her), so she was thrilled.  In reality, these muffins are a nutritional powerhouse, at least as far as baked goods go.  The recipe was inspired by “toddler muffins” I saw on Pinterest, which gave me the idea to use up a stray leftover jar of babyfood by making muffins.  I added in leftover steamed veggies (carrots and a bit of chopped cauliflower), substituted flax seed meal and oat flour for the wheat flour that the original recipe called for and used bananas and apple sauce as the “sweeteners”  and in place of butter in the recipe.   The result is a muffin that is hearty and filling – reminiscent of a whole wheat banana bread with only a hint of sweetness.  These are not the type of muffin you would consider a “treat” unless you are a real health nut (like me).  But for a kid who doesn’t get much sugar these are a winning snack and very simple to make.

Be sure to either freeze half of the muffins or refrigerate them within a day (or both).  Because of the high moisture content from the vegetables they will spoil quickly at room temperature.  Also, you can use muffin liners to make these (saves on clean-up), but because they are so moist some of the muffin will stick to paper liners.  The muffins take about 30 minutes to make, not include cooling time.

Healthy Toddler Snack Muffins

4 oz jar pureed squash baby food (such as Earth’s Best)
2 medium bananas (I used frozen bananas, defrosted in the microwave and used the resulting “juice” in the recipe)
1/3 cup shredded carrots (or a mixture of shredded steamed carrots and chopped cauliflower)
½ cup apple sauce
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup oat flour*
½ cup flax seed meal
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.  Mix squash through vanilla in a large bowl and stir until well combined.  Whisk together dry ingredients (oat flour through salt) in a medium bowl.  Add mixed dry ingredients to squash mixture and stir just until full incorporated and no dry patches remain.

2.  Divide batter among prepared muffin tins and bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.  Store at room temperature for 1 day, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze.

*To make homemade oat flour grind old-fashioned oats in a food process until they resemble a coarse flour.