Feelin' Blueberry

It's been a while since my last post and I thought I should post something in September so here you have it. This should be a post all about Lily, but that will take a little more effort than I currently have the time or energy for...so mostly this post is about muffins. Let's face it, Lily is a bit more complex than muffins. :) Just thought I would share this yummy recipe we tried a week or so ago. A post just about Lily will be forthcoming.

The story:

Lily begged for us to buy some fresh blueberries at Sprouts and we agreed knowing she would probably not eat them all, but hoping she would anyway - because anytime we can get her to eat something healthier it is a victory! They were on sale so Mike was feeling a little bit more daring and bought two packages. I have to preface this by telling you - I have never really liked blueberries except as an ingredient in some very delicious homemade mixed berry ice-cream - nor have I really ever liked cooked fruit. Not pie, not struedel - well, there is one exception here too - banana bread. So I made these muffins for Mike and Lily, and to use up the blueberries - not really planning to eat them myself except maybe one tiny taste. I searched for a recipe that also had zucchini in it because zucchini bread is one of the few ways I can get vegetables into Lily's little body these days. So this is how they turned out:

Kinda weird looking coloring, but super yummy flavor (and this coming from a person who does not usually like blueberries or cooked fruit!) I have actually been looking forward to making them again, though this time I think I would try a little less sugar or honey instead (to make them healthier, and because I added the crumb topping) and half the amount of blueberries and cut them up in smaller pieces to better suit the tastes of my family. The blueberry begger herself ended up picking out most of the blueberries (though she gobbled up her Dad's pancakes the day before). I myself was hesitant about the juicy blueberry areas, but actually thought it was a pretty nice balance and didn't stop at just one muffin! Seriously. My tastes must finally be maturing! Still think I will stick to chocolate or banana cream when it comes to pie :)

The recipe:

Blueberry-Zucchini Muffins  (Makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour (1 cup all purpose + 1/2 cup whole wheat)

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup olive oil (I used a little butter + olive oil)

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup shredded zucchini packed (squeeze out excess moisture and blot with paper towel, I used a little shredded carrot with the zucchini to make up my one cup)

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your muffin tin and paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the sugar, egg, olive oil, milk and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in the zucchini. Add the flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into the muffin cups.

I added a little cinnamon crumb topping from another recipe, but just halved these amounts: Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Enjoy!