Naturally sweet, family-friendly muffins made with oats, apple, carrot, and honey

Just wait until you taste these gluten-free honey muffins — they’re soft, warmly spiced, and naturally sweetened with real honey instead of refined sugar. Packed with fiber-rich oats, fresh carrots, and crisp apple, these easy muffins are perfect for breakfast, snacks, or a healthy treat any time of day. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and can easily be made nut-free by using sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of nuts. These are kid-approved, meal-prep friendly muffins my whole family loves — especially my grandkids. We enjoy them with a dollop of cottage cheese or ricotta for a balanced, protein-rich bite.

And there’s more to love: a recent study in the Journal of Food Science found that honey’s natural aroma enhances sweetness, meaning you can use about 40% less honey than sugar and still get the same sweet taste — with fewer calories and less added sugar. That makes honey one of the smartest swaps you can make in baking, and it’s exactly why this recipe is both delicious and dietitian-approved. Whether you’re looking for a refined sugar-free muffin, a healthy snack for kids, or a cozy fall muffin recipe to add to your rotation, this one is worth bookmarking.

Honey Harvest Muffins

Honey Harvest Muffins

These muffins are so easy to make…my kids even make them for me on Mother’s Day!  If you happen to have any leftovers (and that’s unlikely!) just pop them in the freezer and defrost individually for a mid-week treat.

Banana Almond Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 egg whites
• ½ cup extra olive light oil or avocado oil
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup Almond Breeze almond milk*
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed well
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350◦F

Spoon flours into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.

Whisk together with the next 4 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a large bowl.

Combine sugar, egg whites, oil, vanilla extract, yogurt and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until blended.

Add almond milk and mashed bananas, beating at a low speed until blended together.

Add flour mixture to above mixture and beat at a low speed just until combined (don’t over mix.)

Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Coat 2 loaf pans (9 X 5 inch each) or mini-muffin pans with cooking spray. (I use pans that hold 12 muffins per pan and this recipe makes around 3-4 pans of muffins.)

Spoon batter into pans and fill about 3/4 way. Sprinkle almonds evenly over batter.

Bake breads (in loaf pans) for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, or bake muffins (in muffin tins) for around 20 minutes and check as above. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

* Any type of Almond Breeze almond milk would work but I especially love Almond Breeze Blended with Real Banana for this recipe.

Yield is either 2 loaves or around 40 muffins.

You may be wondering why this story about working from home has been paired with a picture of pastries. In full disclosure, I, too get driven to distraction when I’m working from the office in my house. I’m frequently fighting distractions, and today’s diversion of the day was all about muffin making. 

Although working from home has become more commonplace, for many of us, this past week it became the new normal. For some, it may have initially felt like an adult ‘snow day’, offering a relaxed environment in which to conduct business, perhaps even including wearing your pj’s and slippers and skipping your early morning shower. But as the day progressed, you may have found that a break from your workplace, brought a break from work. 

If this sounds familiar, that’s because not everyone knows how to work from home. To be productive, you may need to fend off distractions, fight the desire to eat unnecessarily, and learn to know when to push pause. As someone who has worked from home for more than 30 years, I’m here to share some tricks of the trade that really (sometimes) work.

Nix the notifications.

If I checked my sentence structure as often as I checked my Instagram comments, I’d be writing stellar stories, but that’s easier said than done. To help me focus I (try to) turn off social media notifications to help me pay attention to the task at hand. (I’m @bonnietaubdix on Instagram BTW, if you’re distracted and you’d like to DM me! There’s a good chance I’ll be checking in shortly!) 

Turn off the TV.

I know it’s tempting to keep up with the news, but you can pull yourself away from the tube and check updates in an hour or two. No news is good news when you’re being productive.

Don’t work on your bed.

While we’re trying to fight off the zzzzz’s, you might hear your pillow calling to you if you work from the comfort of your mattress. When you hear yourself saying, “I’m only going to close my eyes for a minute,” that’s the time to leave your bedroom.

Step away from the fridge.

Working a few feet from food is incredibly tempting. The worst place to work is in the kitchen where your fridge and pantry could be at an arm’s length. If possible, try to sit at a desk or stand at a counter in the living room or in a place where nothing edible resides. Simultaneously eating with your keyboard as a side dish, might not keep you from getting your job done, but it usually results in not paying attention to the taste, texture or temperature of the food you’re eating. That lack of awareness could result in overeating and under appreciation of whatever is on your plate.

Bring on the beverage.

If you need to put something in your mouth while working on an assignment, try to make it a steamy mug of tea. Hydration is important to help keep you alert and a hot beverage will take you longer to sip on than something cold. Try adding a cut apple to a mug of apple cinnamon herbal tea so when you’re done, you’ll find a baked apple to munch on. 

Social distance from your pet.

My dog used to be my most fun distraction. If he begged to be lifted to my lap, there’s no story that would have superseded that request. But pets, albeit adorable, may need to be put on hold instead of holding them while you’re working on a less huggable project.

Set a timer.

If you’re really having a hard time sitting in your seat, set a timer for an hour and give yourself a break when you hear it chime.

Get out.

If you really can’t work within the walls of your home, go to a local coffee shop, or better yet, a library where you may find it easier to concentrate. (Just be sure to wash your hands when you get back!) 

There are some distractions that may be worthwhile. Running up and downs stairs, standing while working, taking a walk or asking Alexa to play your favorite song and dancing could help get your creative juices flowing while also keeping yourself awake and feeling fit.

And if all else fails — here’s the recipe to these delicious Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. If you bake them — please post your photo and tag me!

Although these muffins contain zucchini, they’re not meant to be a way to “sneak” veggies in — they’re a way to celebrate them! My family loves this treat for breakfast, paired with a scoop of cottage or ricotta cheese or with a schmear of nut butter. They also stand alone as a snack because they provide satisfying protein, whole grains, fiber and a host of other important nutrients.

Just a warning — you may want to bake up a few extra batches — these muffins freeze beautifully for about 3 months, so you might want to have some on hand to grab one before leaving the house to enjoy as a perfect late afternoon pick-me-up!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup avocado oil or extra light olive oil
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (any type and any amount of fat)
• 1/2 cup mashed banana (1 small)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons of chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup coarsely grated zucchini (about 1 medium-large; do not drain)
• 3/4 cup chopped unsalted nuts (your favorite types)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray mini muffin pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Whisk together the oil, sugar, egg, yogurt, mashed banana and vanilla together in a medium bowl until combined.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula just until combined. Try not to over mix.
• Fold in the zucchini, nuts and chocolate chips.
• Pour batter into the muffin tins, filling each cup around half-way.
• Bake for around 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove the muffins from their pans and place them on a wire rack to cool.Yield: ~22 mini muffins

While my boys were growing up, the Sunday of Mother’s Day meant that I had to stay upstairs in my bedroom until their “surprise” was ready for me. I could tell by the clanging of pots and pans that an attempt was being made to duplicate one of our favorite recipes and that I was going to be greeted by irresistible baked goods and a sink filled with dishes. Although the countertops were often doused in flour and it seemed there were more ingredients outside of the pantry than in it, whatever they made came with a side dish of love…an ingredient I tried my best to pass along to my children.

I always believed that the kitchen and supermarket were akin to invaluable classrooms where kids could learn lessons for life. The majority of the time, I played the role of teacher in those classrooms, planning family meals and creating tasty dishes. But on Mother’s Day — the kids ruled where messes got ignored and messages rose to the top. 

Mother’s Day is the perfect time to let your kids show off the skills they picked up from you — so help them to give you the greatest gifts of all:

1. Let them shop. If you’re preparing a special meal, let your kids be in charge of crafting the shopping list. Let them help decide which items to put into the cart. A trip to the store is a great opportunity to explain why some foods are better than others, compare labels, and plan how the bounty in your cart will be woven into your exciting day ahead. 
2. Let them cook. You don’t have to be an iron chef to teach your kids the essentials about how to throw together a few ingredients to create a delicious dish. Share a few easy recipes with them so they can take a whirl at creating something without your help. If your children are young, be sure to include recipes that don’t require the use of knives or a stovetop and if they want to play in the kitchen without your help…be sure that someone like dad is around to oversee the operation. 
3. Let them create a tradition. In our busy lives while multitasking is commonplace, we miss out on the importance of creating a moment that could become a memory forever. Connecting in the kitchen on this day can be magnetic and attract many other days where you all sit at the table and share more than a meal. Families that eat together share essential conversations, with the table acting as a welcome mat for discussing the ups and downs of your lives.

I’m excited to see what my kids have in store for me this year. As they have grown, their cooking skills have blossomed along their appreciating for the importance of blending nutritious and delicious on the same plate. These days…they are teaching me.

I wish you all a Mother’s Day filled with those that reside in your home and your heart.