Zucchini and Banana Chocolate Muffins

My kids hate sandwiches in their school lunches. So I started making muffins instead. I keep a bunch of muffins in the freezer and my kids can pull out what they want when they pack their lunches. I spent the summer experimenting with some new healthy muffin options for the school year. And I came up with these yummy zucchini and banana chocolate muffins!

Unfortunately, my kids don’t need school lunches because they are still in my house all day, E.V.E.R.Y day with virtual learning. So I eat the muffins. If stress eating chocolate cake makes you feel bad about yourself, stress eating healthy chocolate muffins feels a whole lot better.

Besides, I got old and can’t eat chocolate cake anymore anyway (thanks IBS). So these make for a pretty decent chocolate cake substitute. Chocolate cake is one of my favorite things on the planet and I have missed it so much.

How Healthy Are They?

These are obviously not a substitute for just eating vegetables. But they are a lot healthier than your typical banana or zucchini muffin.  The bananas sweeten the muffin so I more than halved the amount of sugar that is used in many zucchini bread recipes. I also increased the amount of zucchini I add, so it is loaded with vegetables.  It is perfect for this time of year when zucchinis are growing like crazy! I also cut the butter in half by using apple sauce and the flour is all whole wheat. Technically dark chocolate is healthy, right? So I didn’t feel bad about adding a few chocolate chips.

Kid-Friendly Muffins

These are totally kid-friendly unless your kids don’t like banana bread. The chocolate makes the taste of the banana less pronounced than with banana bread, but you can still taste it a little bit. My boy hates banana bread, so this recipe was still a no-go for him. But Ladybug has been begging for them. I have to hide them from her. Go back to school and then I will let you eat my muffins!

Zucchini and Banana Chocolate Muffins Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tsps vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsps cocoa powder
• 2 ripe, mashed bananas
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease muffin tins or use muffin liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, apple sauce, butter, sugar, and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, mix together whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and coco. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and mix well.
4. Gently fold in the mashed bananas and grated zucchini.
5. Pour batter into the muffin tins.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
7. Remove muffins from oven and allow them to cool outside of the pan.

My other favorite healthy breakfast option is Apple Pie Greek Yogurt parfait!