Food In Many Forms

It is an unfortunate truth that you don't find many Trader Joe's in the city - it was true in Baltimore, it is true here in Boston as well. The other day, I was perusing the bakery section. The muffin selection seems like it has something for everyone - flavors include streusel, morning glory, banana chocolate chip, carrot ginger, blueberry raspberry oat bran and greek yogurt lemon poppyseed. I've tried several of them, but I always feel like I have to choose between prioritizing whole grains, flavor, or good ingredients. Finally, this past weekend, I decided to try to replicate one of the TJs muffins, but with my own tweaks to include whole grains, lower glycemic index, and less sugar. If you believe the internet, this recipe came from the Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket, and it became well known when it was published in a magazine in 1981. They were a big hit - I just want to figure out a way to up the protein content a tad but otherwise I'm quite satisfied...

I think the "Cupcakes" turned out pretty well, but they really look and taste more like muffins. They would be great for a quick breakfast and are a lot better than some of those oatmeal breakfast bar recipes I've tried. I ended up doubling the recipe, which made 26 muffins. I ended up using almost an entire zucchini, two small apples, shredded carrots and chopped raisins, and I definitely recommend using some kind of dried fruit to add some sweetness. It seems like a lot of people just use the leftover fruits and vegetables from their juice smoothies, which I think is a great idea!