Skinny Zucchini Pineapple Muffins

So, I haven’t posted any recipes in awhile. Blame it on my lack of creative juices… busy schedule…or just plain laziness, I will not!! I don’t have any great excuses, only that I’ve been testing a lot of recipes and none of them have been up to par, or awe-inspiring, or worthy of posting to the blog. This blog is a record of my recipe successes, not my recipe “meh, that’s edible…”

I think someone once said, necessity is the mother of invention, and that is exactly how this recipe was born. I like to sleep in in the morning for every single second I can before I actually have to get up and go to work, and breakfast doesn’t win out over sleep. But eat, I must. So, I needed a (healthy) breakfast that I could grab on my way out the door to eat in my car during rush hour AND something that meets all of my other insanely neurotic requirements:
Free of dairy, gluten, refined sugar
Low-fat
Low-calorie
High fiber
And high protein to keep me full until I can find a minute to stuff my face with my second meal of the day (lunch…)

Thus, Skinny Pineapple Zucchini Muffins were born! (I know, I’m excited too…) I think (read: HOPE!!) that I’ve created a recipe that you will love! They are a delicious, quick grab-and-go breakfast, and healthy to boot. These Skinny Pineapple Zucchini Muffins are dairy, gluten, oil, and refined sugar free! I hope that you love them as much as I do.

Skinny Pineapple Zucchini Muffins

1 cup Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats
1 1/8 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
½ tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
½ cup Walnuts, Chopped (OPTIONAL)
1 large Egg, Beaten
½ cup Coconut Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
¾ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
¼ cup Cultured Almond Milk Yogurt, I used SO Delicious Brand
1 cup Zucchini, Shredded
½ cup Crushed Pineapple in Juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line muffin pan with muffin liners
Please note: When I am baking gluten free, I like to use either a whisk or a fork (depending on what I am making) to combine my ingredients, so as not to over mix. Gluten free baking components tend to absorb the wet ingredients quickly, which is why it is important to make all necessary preparations in advance, so that your batter isn’t sitting for an extended period of time. Preheat your oven, line your muffin pan, get all ingredients out on your workspace so they are ready to use. If the batter sits, your baked good may end up with a less than appetizing texture.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in one bowl: Flour, oats, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and walnuts if you’re using them. You can really substitute any type of nut that you have on hand, or even dried fruit if you’re feeling like a real rebel!

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: egg, sugar, vanilla, applesauce, almond milk yogurt, zucchini, and pineapple.

Stir your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients, just to combine. Do not over mix.

Fill muffin cups with the prepared batter. I used a 1/3 cup measure to fill my cups, but you could use an ice cream scoop or another method, just ensure that the cups are filled to the rim.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes and rotate the pan. Bake for another 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

This recipe makes about 12 muffins. The muffins freeze really well if they are cooled entirely before freezing. I store mine in the freezer in an airtight container and pull one out each morning and microwave it for about 45 seconds to defrost/warm up.

Recipe by: Jenna Throne

Blueberry Oat Bars minus the Starbucks

Recently, I was thinking about how different life in San Francisco is compared to what it was when I was growing up in the suburbs. All I knew was big business, Starbucks, Target (which I’ll never betray! I LOVE YOU TARGET!!), McDonald’s (blleehhhhhh!!), Chipotle, etc., etc… But I can’t lie; moving to San Francisco changed me, it changed me for the better. I became aware of the need to support my local businesses and the relationships, the sense of community, which is built when you’re a regular at your local businesses. Supporting local business is important because the people who own these businesses are your neighbors, trying to live their dream by owning their own business and being their own boss. Who am I not to support someone living his or her dream? Local businesses recognize and appreciate your business and create a sense of community that can be lacking in this big city. Almost immediately after moving to San Francisco a sense of community became a necessary ingredient in my personal happiness. With my personal happiness comes inspiration to create recipes that meet our dietary restrictions and fulfill my cravings for the food from the big businesses of my hometown! Lucky you!! So, here it is, without further ado…

Blueberry Oat Bars minus the Starbucks:

Once upon a time, Starbucks made a deliciously sinful blueberry oat bar full of refined sugar, gluten, and maybe even dairy…GASP!!... and I loved that blueberry oat bar for breakfast with my dirty chai latte. Alas, I replaced my regular (suburban) Starbucks visits with visits to my (urban) local coffee shop but still longed for a delicious blueberry oat bar that I could enjoy considering our dietary restrictions. Thus, GF, DF, Refined Sugar Free Blueberry Oat Bars were born (or made, if that word grosses you out less…)

Ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
¼ cup agave nectar, or less depending on the sweetness of your berries and your palate
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 ¾ cup gluten free oats, uncooked
1cup gluten free almond meal
½ cup of gluten free coconut flour
¾ cup coconut sugar, firmly packed
½ cup chopped nuts; I used walnuts (this is an optional ingredient)
½ teaspoon gluten free baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup coconut oil, melted, plus extra for greasing your baking sheet.
**I use coconut oil when I bake because of all the dairy free options, it behaves the most similarly to butter and has the fewest ingredients, all of which I can read and recognize.

Prepare:

Gather all of the recipe ingredients

Tools:

1 mixing bowl
1 sauce pan
1 11 x 7 inch baking pan
1 cup, ½ cup, ¼ cup measures
1 tablespoon measure
1 teaspoon, ½ teaspoon measures
A fork (or clean fingers!)
Heat proof spatula
Improvise your tools as needed (I can’t always find all of my measuring spoons…)

Preheat oven to 350 F

Grease 11x7-inch baking pan with coconut oil

Blueberry Filling:
In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, agave nectar, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let the blueberry-filling simmer uncovered. Stir in lemon juice. Since I do not use cornstarch to thicken the blueberry filling, it’s important to let the blueberry-filling simmer uncovered, letting it reduce until it thickens naturally, approximately 10 minutes, depending on whether you used frozen or fresh berries.

Crust and Topping:
While your blueberry filling is simmering away, combine oats, almond meal, coconut flour, coconut sugar, nuts (if using), baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt

Add melted coconut oil, mixing until crumbly. You can use a fork but clean fingers make quick work of this step!

Reserve approximately one-third of your mixture for the crumbly topping and firmly press the remaining mixture onto the bottom of your greased 11x7 inch baking pan, creating the crust.

Bake your crust for 10 minutes.

Spread your prepared blueberry filling over your partially baked crust, leaving ¼ inch of space around the edges, so the filling doesn’t spill over onto the bottom of your oven.

Sprinkle reserved oat topping mixture evenly over the blueberry filling and lightly press the topping down into blueberries.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, if the bars are not properly cooled, they tend to crumble apart.

Once cooled, use a very sharp knife to carefully cut your blueberry oat bars into desired portions.

Store tightly covered

You can freeze the bars in an air-tight container or a freezer bag and pull them out one at a time for breakfast or a snack, defrost them by microwaving them for about 20 seconds.

Enjoy!!