Seriously.
Right now blogging is just about the last thing I want to do. You see, the Mr. and I are leaving for Italy in just under two months and having just started planning our trip (finally), the only thing I want to do when I sit in front of a computer is go to TripAdvisor.com and book romantic bed and breakfasts in Piedmont, make dinner reservations in Emilia-Romagna, and map out our to-do list in Rome, Florence, and Venice. I mean, the fact that I have even typed half of a paragraph is blowing my mind. I am a woman obsessed. And honestly, how could I not be?! We've been dreaming about this vacation for as long as I can remember and now that it's almost a reality, it might be taking over my life.
If we're being honest... 20 minutes or so just passed while I cheated on you with TripAdvisor.... oops.
Even though I haven't blogged in almost a week, I will have you know that I have still been working it in the kitchen. I've taken photos, jotted down recipes, fed my husband..... all of the things. But even now, I sat down to blog and a B&B in Barolo just confirmed our reservation and suddenly my mind is drifting yet again.
Lucky for you, I am eating a left over muffin (because I am too lazy to make myself lunch) and remembered that I have a recipe to share. Hopefully I will end up sharing it at some point... ADD is a very real thing in my life right now. Ok, two more things and then the recipe will come. Promise.
1. This overcast weather is a tease. It's really turning my rain loving lady brain on in the worst way and I really don't like being disappointed. Plus, this humidity? Gross.
2. I got a new job today!!!! Well, it's not a new job.... it's my same job, but rebooted and better in every single way possible! I will still be working as a personal chef, so discretion is key, but if I could tell you, you'd be totally happy for me... so, I am very excited!!! I will get to have dinner with my husband again, work less hours, not commute to Malibu (thank god!!!) and make more money! Ah!
Ok, so on to these muffins......
If you can't tell, we have been on zucchini overload lately. Between our garden and our CSA, I've needed to get creative to use them all up! You can only eat grilled zucchini so many times and I haven't been able to figure out how to put it into ice-cream yet (gross) so I decided to put my baking face on (it's mostly my face, just swap light makeup for a light dusting of flour).
I made zucchini bread a while back and while it was delicious and pretty healthy, I still had a hard time eating it because it didn't have that much nutritional value. I always say that everything in moderation is A-OK, but I don't really love eating anything that my body doesn't get any value from. Well, except for ice-cream, obviously. And alcohol. Thankfully wine has SOME good properties about it, such as lycopenes and making me a blast at any party. Anyways, I was super excited to come across this recipe for zucchini muffins because not only are they packed with nutrition from the zucchini and banana, but they are also packed with whole grains. I used whole wheat flour, spelt four, which contains more nutrition and protein than wheat flour, and ground flaxseed, which is super high in omega-3s and other beneficial nutrients..... and not only did they pass my test, but they passed the husband test, which is very tricky for baked goods!!!
Zucchini & Banana Muffins with Flaxseed & SpeltNonstick cooking spray (I used spray coconut oil)
1 cup organic whole wheat flour
3/4 cup organic spelt flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup lightly packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (from 1 large zucchini)
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (from 1 large banana)
3/4 cup non-fat milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
whole grains are the best grains.
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add zucchini and banana and stir to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix! Over mixing the spelt flour will cause your muffins to be crumbly instead of moist because the gluten in spelt flour break down very easily.
Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let muffins cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
Makes 12 muffins.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
hey, muffin.
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