A Twist on Pancakes

This should keep me going for a while!

What is it, you ask? Today its a whole wheat pancake, made from scratch (pat, pat). A spread of almond butter and some banana slices. Pretty tasty.

I have also discovered how much nicer my food pics look when I use a program like Instagram. I do not boast photography skills, and I am usually too focused on just getting a picture of what I am eating or cooking to make a nice presentation like a lot of other food blogs too. I really need to be better about that. So for now I will cheat! Photo today is my typical "not thinking" shot. Gotta work on that.

Tonight we are having "date night" and going to sushi with some new friends. Sushi is so pretty. Hope I don't screw it up and can manage to take some photos of our food. 

Happy Saturday! What did you have for breakfast today? What do you have planned this weekend?

Healthy(er) Zucchini Muffins

 What on earth do you do when the zucchini you planted in your garden starts going off? I was faced with this dilemma, but have managed to keep myself pretty busy in the kitchen, with simple recipes that taste great and make me feel good about participating in growing my own food.

I never buy commercially produced muffins because I have seen the crazy fat/sugar/calorie content in them and also never trust what preservatives may be lurking inside. Bakeries are fun, but since their success depends on their stuff tasting over-the-top good, you know they are not skimping  on the sugar or fat either. So I had some fun making my own and shared them with my family and co-workers. I substituted some of the traditional ingredients for healthier ones and was pleased with my results. Especially when my kids gobbled them up and asked me to make them again when they were gone!

Maybe just a little too enthusiastic about this muffin

Zucchini Nut Muffins
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon - I looove cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
1/2 cup applesauce - no sugar added
 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 12 paper baking cups in a regular size muffin tin. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

Place egg, sugar, oil, zucchini and vanilla in a medium bowl. Mix well. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in nuts and spoon batter into muffin cups.

Bake approximately18 to 22 minutes. Muffins should be slightly browned. Insert a toothpick into the center and make sure it comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, and enjoy!

Makes 12 muffins. If you have more zucchini than you know what to do with, double the recipe and share with others! I did!

**I used whole wheat flour in place of all purpose white flour. Applesauce was added for moisture so you can use less oil. Turbinado sugar was used in place of granulated white. 

My kids weren't too excited about eating zucchini, until they saw that it was in the form of what looked like a cupcake. Whatever works.