My mother used to make the most delicious zucchini bread. Whenever friends were coming over to our house or she needed a culinary gift, it was one of the most popular recipes in her repertoire. It’s amazing to me that a bread starring a vegetable (technically, zucchini is a fruit, but try convincing your kids of that fact) was so appealing to a kid like myself, but it was. So, if you have a little one who is normally zucchini averse, this bread may turn them around on it for good.

I don’t know why so many people have emailed me recently asking for a healthy zucchini bread recipe, but I’m happy to oblige with a weelicious version. There are a lot of zucchini bread recipes out there loaded with white or brown sugar, so I decided to make mine using agave nectar instead. I also opted to bake them in muffin cups instead of a loaf shape so it’s more kid friendly. Zucchini is a good supplier of potassium and vitamin A and it has a consistency that makes for a deliciously moist bread. When I made a batch for breakfast last week, Kenya turned into a muffin eating machine. It was then that I realized that it wasn’t important if zucchini was a fruit or a vegetable. To him, it was simply delicious.

Zucchini Muffins (12 Muffins or 24 Mini Muffins)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs, whisked
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/3 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
2/3 Cup Agave Nectar
1 1/2 Cups Zucchini, shredded (about 2 small zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined.
5. Pour the zucchini mixture into large or small muffins cups (I like to use a small ice cream scooper to make spooning into the muffin cups easier).
6. Bake 15 minutes for small muffins and 20 minutes for large ones.
7. Cool and serve.

There has only been one other recipe that I’ve tested for weelicious — the Dark Chocolate Cupcake — that took as many tries to perfect as this recipe. It required 9 tries to make the perfect pineapple carrot muffin WITHOUT using refined sugar and here it is! I’m really excited about how they came out because not only did Kenya love them, but the final batch was gorgeous, super easy to prepare (once I got the flavor right!) and made the perfect amount of muffins for a few days worth of meals and snacks for our family. The best part, though, is that they freeze extremely well too. You can toss a bunch in a zipper bag and into the freezer and whenever you need one, just put it in your little one’s school lunchbox and it will be defrosted and ready to eat by lunchtime. Isn’t it great when a recipe actually makes life easier?!

Pineapple Carrot Muffins (Makes 14 Muffins)

1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Wheat Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Butter, melted
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Pineapple, chopped fine and drained well OR 1 8 oz Can Crushed Pineapple, drained well
1 Cup Shredded Carrot (about 2 Large Carrot)
1/2 Cup Walnuts, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
2. In a large bowl combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl combine the butter and agave using a whisk or an electric beater to combine.
4. Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
5. Add the vanilla, pineapple, carrots and walnuts (if using) to the butter mixture.
6. Stir in the dry ingredients, making sure not to over mix.
7. Pour the batter into regular size, paper lined muffin cups.
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

KitchenAid Precision 24-cup Mini Muffin Pan

We REALLY love muffins in our house. Not only do we eat them for breakfast, a snack or even dessert; also, they travel well AND you can freeze them to have any time you’re in the mood for a treat. These orange date muffins only take minutes to whip up, and they are really healthy. The flavors are so rich, but none of it comes from sugar, and they’re naturally sweet.

This is the perfect muffin to make at this time of year since dates and oranges are both in season. I even bought the walnuts for this recipe at the farmer’s market; they were so fresh, add a nice crunch and dash of protein to the muffins making them the perfect snack.

Orange Date Muffins (makes 12 muffins)

1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Butter, melted
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Dates, chopped
1/2 Cup Walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together into a separate bowl.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with the dates and walnuts.
5. Divide the batter between 12 greased or paper lined muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

KitchenAid Precision 24-cup Mini Muffin Pan