Zucchini & Carrot Trail Mix Muffins

As some of you already know, we've been making some positive changes in our home regarding health &  wellness. This includes the way we eat.

I recently fell in love with a new book, The Eat Clean Diet Recharged, by Tosca Reno. It has inspired me to take a step in the right direction and I hope to inspire others to do the same. After just a few weeks of cutting out the sugar, white flour and dairy, and adding lots of lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, fiber and plenty of water...I feel amazing! I have slipped up a bit now and again, but I just keep getting back up and moving forward. I'm hopeful that my family will follow my quest for health and enjoy re-training their taste buds as much as I am!

Today I was determined to make some kind of baked good -with nutrition- that was pleasant to the palate. I believe I have done that! I took my recipe for Lavender Honey Zucchini Bread (which uses honey as a sweetener) from The Lavender Gourmet and tweaked it a bit.... I used plain, raw honey instead of the lavender honey, and whole wheat flour instead of traditional baking flour. I added flaxseed, wheat germ, dried cherries, raisins, sunflower seeds and slivered almonds. The muffins smelled amazing as they were baking in the oven, and to my delight, my loving husband surprisingly said, "These are actually very good!" HA! You can believe me when I say that if they passed his scrutiny, they MUST be good.

Here's the recipe...please leave your comments and tell us what you think!

Carrot & Zucchini Trail Mix Muffins

Have you heard the story about the carrot and the zucchini who went for a walk down the trail?

1 egg

¾ cup raw honey

3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce

2 Tbsp almond milk (or soy, rice or low fat milk)

1 tsp orange extract

¼ tsp cinnamon

2 ½ cups 100% whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1 Tbsp wheat germ

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp sea salt

1 ½ cups grated organic zucchini

½ cup grated organic carrots

1/8 cup dried cherries

1/8 cup raisins

¼ cup raw sunflower seeds

¼ cup slivered almonds

In a large bowl, beat together the egg, honey, milk, orange extract and cinnamon. Mix well. Stir in the grated carrots and zucchini; set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and remaining ingredients. Mix well. Gradually add the flour to the honey mixture, mixing until well blended.

Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, remove from the pan and cool completely before serving.

Serve with a dab of honey butter, if desired. Makes about 18 muffins.