Healthy Whole Grain Blender Muffins

Healthy Whole Grain Blender Muffins are an easy recipe, full of whole grain goodness, and perfect to make-ahead for busy mornings. 

It’s a baked good recipe! Are you shocked?!

They are rare around here, but I have to say that having a young toddler in the house, I’m feeling more inspired to bake! Partly so that I can include her in the process, and partly because it’s a fun experiment as I learn.

The first round of these healthy whole grain blender muffins? Texture was ok but the flavor was off and they weren’t nearly sweet enough. But refined sugar free, as I sweetened them with honey! So I tried using real sugar (as in the white stuff!) and it improved both the flavor and texture SO much. And it got me thinking about if it even matters (nutritionally) if you have a muffin that’s refined sugar free, full of whole grains, and topped with hemp seeds.

I’d argue no. Because a muffin is a muffin. Whether you pack it full of nutritious foods or not – you’re still eating a sweet baked good in the morning.

This concept of a “nutrition perspective” vs a “habits perspective” is one that I’ve read more about in It’s Not About the Broccoli (affiliate) and I have to say that I’m totally guilty of this thinking – especially when it comes to food for my kids. I (of course) love adding nutrition into foods where I can. But not to the point of making a muffin or cookie unrecognizable! Because for me, the point is to enjoy a cookie for being a cookie or a muffin for being a muffin.

Because when we focus too much on adding nutrition into items like muffins and then serve them for breakfast because they are healthy, we’re actually training our kids to expect and prefer sweet, baked goods for breakfast. They don’t know which muffins are paleo and sweetened with maple syrup or which muffins are just “regular” versions. They are both a sweet, baked good. So the focus needs to shift from purely nutrition, to a healthy mix of both nutrition and habits. Makes sense, right?

I think that this concept is one that is a journey. Maybe you experiment with how much nutrition you can add in, without losing the enjoyment factor of a baked good. And that will differ for all of us! If you’re making a treat for a young eater, they may not know the difference anyway and would completely enjoy a treat made with almond flour and sweetened with honey. The important distinction is that you’re serving it as a treat, and not necessarily as a meal.

Healthy Whole Grain Blender Muffins

I wanted these healthy whole grain blender muffins to taste good to the whole family so they are packed with good-for-you ingredients like oats and whole wheat flour – and also a touch of real sugar, giving them the flavor and lift of a MUFFIN MUFFIN!

I love how they turned out, give them a try and let me know what you think! And don’t miss my spinach muffins recipe – the green blender muffin version.

Healthy Whole Grain Blender Muffins Recipe:

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