Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with whole grain flour, flax, shredded zucchini and yogurt.

Deliciously tender and healthy muffins!

How to make healthy lemon poppy seed muffins

Featured Ingredients

• Whole wheat pastry flour: Grab a bag and it'll change your life.  It has all the fiber of regular whole wheat flour but it's finely ground and soft and luxurious and beautiful.  It'll be your new favorite flour for almost everything.
• Oats: Again with the fiber.  And they provide a wholesome, hearty texture that can't be beat.
• Flax: Omega 3s, fiber and all that jazz.
• Greek yogurt: Protein, protein and more protein.  Plus, it keeps the muffins moist and tender.
• Heart-healthy oil: Of some sort. I like avocado, but you do you.
• Veggies and/or fruit: This time it's zucchini, next time it'll be some other brightly colored produce item to make the muffins reeeeallly special.
• A bit less sugar: A little sugar is totally okay in our diet, but a 12-cup muffin recipe does not need 2 cups to be sweet and delicious.  I use ½ cup.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, which together flour, oats, flax, baking powder and salt until combined.
3. In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until fluffy. Whisk in yogurt, oil, vanilla extract and lemon extract (if using) until combined.  Stir in shredded zucchini, lemon zest and juice and poppy seeds.
4. Fold dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Scoop muffin batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling about ¾ of the way to the top. Bake 18-22 minutes or until muffins are just set.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Recipe Substitutions and Alterations

• For the flour: You can use whole wheat pastry, whole wheat, all-purpose or oat flour.  If using almond flour, I use a blend of almond flour and coconut.
• For the Greek yogurt: You could try making the muffins with milk.
• For the yogurt: Try with honey or maple syrup, or brown sugar.
• For the zucchini: Shred, seal in bags and freeze during peak zucchini season. Or, if you can get your hands on fresh, shred it up and use in the muffins.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make these gluten free: Use gluten free all-purpose flour and gluten free oats. Be sure all other ingredients are gluten free.
• To make these dairy free: Use dairy free yogurt or milk.
• To make these vegan: Use plant-based yogurt or milk. Use an egg replacer or flax 'eggs' (although I haven't tested this).
• To make these nut free: This recipe doesn't contain nuts. Be sure all packaged ingredients are nut free.
• To make these egg free: Use an egg replacer or flax 'eggs' (although I haven't tested this).

Fabulous muffin recipes:

• Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Mixed Berry Crumble Muffins
• Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins
• Banana Crunch Muffins
• Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
• Blueberry Date Muffins

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