Loaded Whole Wheat Muffins

I have such a hard time getting my kids to eat vegetables. Luckily, I'm sneaky and find ways to hide veggies in their food as much as possible. These muffins have squash and carrots hidden in them and they are still super yummy!

I struggled with what to call these scrumptious little muffins. I got the idea of adding fruits and veggies to the muffin batter from a recipe called "toddler muffins", but my almost-eight-year-old won't eat them if I call them that. So we'll go with "loaded muffins" because these bad boys are packed full of nutritious stuff! :)

Loaded Whole Wheat Muffins

1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or sweetening agent of your choice)
2 large bananas, mashed
1/4 cup pureed squash
2 carrots, pureed (or grated)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup whole wheat flour
 1/2 cup oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. In a mixing bowl, blend wet ingredients together. Mix in oats, baking soda, and spices. Add the flour last and stir until combined. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

*Tips: For the squash, I freeze pureed squash in ice cube trays and keep some handy in the freezer. Aside from these muffins, I can sneak it into pasta sauces and some soups. If you happen to have a little one in the baby food phase, a jar of baby food squash works, too!