Baby Food Friday: Healthy Zucchini Muffins for Babies or Toddlers

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Now that Baby J is getting older he has decided he’s over purees.   He will eat them in order to get real food but he isn’t a big fan of them anymore.   He likes to feed himself so that is part of the problem.  He will eat purees out of pouches if he can feed himself.

This wouldn’t be a problem if he could eat everything but he has a very hard time with anything bigger then half an inch.   He gags a lot so I have to find food that is really soft and cut it into pieces.  I realize he only has 4 teeth (one upper and three lower) so he can’t chew everything which is an issue in itself.

Currently he loves eating any soft fruit, avocados, bread, pasta, rice, cheese, and yogurt.   He will eat other things, including Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets, but for the most part I have difficulty getting him to eat enough meat and veggies because he can’t eat them whole.   I’ve been looking for more ways to get either of these into his diet and these muffins are one of my favorite ways.

Healthy Zucchini Muffins are perfect for giving him fruit, vegetables, and grains.  I make them in mini muffin tins and then cut the muffins into 8-12 pieces for him.  He loves them and I love that they don’t have any added sugar in them.  They contain zucchini, applesauce, bananas, and your choice of fruit.  I like using peaches, plums, or strawberries but you can use any combination or single fruit.

These muffins are super easy to make and can be customized to your child.   For babies under 1 year you can cut them up and feed it to them, for toddlers they are great as a snack because they are full of vitamins and nutrients and easy for little ones to hold.  You can even add in a spoonful or two of honey for toddlers over the age of 1 to add some additional sweetness.

Baby J really enjoyed these muffins.   He kept picking up the pieces and chowing down on them.  I’ve made them a staple in our house and just rotate in different fruits and spices to make them taste different.  You can also add in squash instead of zucchini if you want but since zucchini is in season now it’s the perfect thing to use.

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Baby Food Friday: Healthy Zucchini Muffins for Babies or Toddlers

Yield: 24 mini muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes

Healthy Zucchini Muffins are a great way to get babies or toddlers to eat fruits and vegetables without all the added sugar.

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Ingredients

• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 c. baby oatmeal (or oats)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. zucchini, grated
• 1/4 c. butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
• 1/2 c. applesauce
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 c. chopped fruit (strawberries, peaches, blueberries, or plums work well)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a small bowl beat the eggs.
4. Add the eggs, zucchini, butter, applesauce, and bananas to the dry mixture and mix until combined.
5. Fold in the fruit.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups filling almost to the top of the cups.
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Busy Baker

**If freezing wrap the muffins in plastic wrap then place in a zip top freezer bag. Thaw on the counter 20 minutes before serving. Can be frozen for up to 3 months**