Muffin Challenge

Wonder Boy threw down the gauntlet. Or I did. I forget. But there was gauntlet throwing and there were words.

"You don't eat muffins!"

"Yes, I do!"

"What kind? I've never seen you eat one of the muffins I bake."

"I eat CHOCOLATE muffins."

"Oh." (pause) "So if I bake a totally yummy chocolate muffin that's HEALTHY, you will eat it?"

"Yes."

My point here was to bake a muffin with character and nutrition - not a cupcake by any other name (one of those names being Otis Spunkmeyer). It has to have a protein component in whole numbers, not decimals. It has to have fiber, and it has to be chocolatey. Because what is the point of having a cocoa-colored muffin if you can't taste the chocolate.

So I cheated. Following a good old Weight Watchers recipe ( 1 2 3 attributed to WW, but nowhere to be found on the official site except in the forums), I made these yesterday and had to bag some of them up to make it through to breakfast.

(I was not out to get the muffins into a certain point category because Wonder Boy is not following Weight Watchers, so if you came here for points, I've seen 2, 3 and 4 per muffin. But fortifying with extra egg, soy powder or similar is going to mess with the point value.)

The above conversation took place in a parking lot on the way out of a bookstore. I just happened to see a new cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, Deceptively Delicious. I didn't register the name until the next day when she was on Oprah. One has to wonder if Newman's wife is going to do a cookbook. (If Newman ever got a wife...)

But the book itself is a lovely volume: spiral bound, heavy good quality paper and ink, attractive layout and photography. And the sedition within was worth every penny I paid to look. (Seriously, this book is in my arsenal Amazon wish list now. Compare to The Sneaky Chef.)

Seinfeld (the wife) has been putting vegetable purees in her family's food for a good while, and wrote a cookbook/manifesto on how to do it. Before the show was over, I had the steamer going to rescue some Gonna Rot veggies from the bottom of the fridge.

Two cups of carrot puree later, and I'm making muffins from a cake mix. An hour later, Wonder Boy is scarfing down said muffins and declaring that there is NO WAY he can taste the carrot and he can't wait to see if his friend across the alley can tell.

Challenge Muffins

1 box devil's food cake mix
2 eggs*
3/4 c. applesauce
3/4 c. carrot puree

Mix ingredients together until most of the dry mix is incorporated. Spoon into baking cups or greased muffin tins. Bake according to box directions for cupcakes. (I made four giganto muffins and 24 minis.)

Let cool on rack. Can be frozen individually. Take one out the night before to thaw for a fast wholesome breakfast.

*Eggs are not necessary in this recipe, but provide added nutrition.

I will experiment later with using all carrot puree, or seeing how zucchini or beet puree works. Also I'm not there yet on the protein component, but I do have protein powders, nut meals and butters to add along with using a whole wheat cake mix or perhaps Spam puree. (Just kidding! that was an homage to another mom who has resorted to similar!)

Eat yer greens!