There comes a moment in time when Mother’s must do what must be done. Tell a fiblet.
Not a fib or a lie or even a white lie. A fiblet. My youngest gal’s favorite word for a “slight truth”. You might think me a completely terrible parent for telling a fiblet. But alas, it’s been necessary a time or two.
Especially when my youngest gal announced she no longer ate vegetables. I was horrified. How could my child not eat her vegetables? I’m a chef for Pete’s sake. Aren’t my children supposed to have advanced palates and eat absolutely anything I cook? Apparently not.
So, I did what any good Mother would do. I hid veggies in the food. Mashed potatoes included mashed cauliflower, steamed and finely diced broccoli went into the meatballs and roasted zucchini went into our favorite grilled hamburgers.
I was on a role. I was feeling so proud of my ingenuity and cleverness. And not once did I have to tell a fiblet. Until the muffins.
Zucchini, carrot and pineapple muffins. Yep, I thought to myself, this was going to be great. I’d get my little gal eating veggies for breakfast and dinner.
As soon as the muffins came out of the oven my little gal was sitting at the counter, ready and waiting for her muffin. She kept telling me how delicious they smelled, and that these were absolutely going to be her favorite muffins ever!
Then she broke one open and adamantly stated “What’s all this stuff in my muffin?” And here’s where that fiblet flew right out of my mouth. “It’s called a confetti muffin”. “You know, like those yummy confetti sprinkles we put on cupcakes”.
Ok, so I know what you’re thinking. If she’d ask me what the “confetti” was made of I would have come clean and told her. I promise. But she never asked. (Phew!)
Wishing all you Mom’s loads of love, lots of laughs and giggles, quiet time for yourselves, and true joy.
Karista
Confetti Muffins (Zucchini, Carrot and Pineapple Muffins)
When I created these muffins I wanted them to be as delicious and health friendly as possible. So I made lots of substitutions that I believe are all in good health. Most of the ingredients can now be found at any major grocery store chain. However, if you have a local natural market or a Whole Foods close by, you’ll definitely find a good selection of these ingredients. I’ve also included a gluten-free recipe following the whole grain recipe. Happy Baking!
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
½ cup coconut oil (softened) or grapeseed oil
½ cup brown sugar or Agave syrup
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup grated fresh zucchini
½ cup grated fresh carrot
½ cup diced pineapple (fresh or organic canned with no added sugars)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I like King Aruthur)
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Directions
Pre heat the oven to 350F.
Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
Whisk together the softened coconut oil and brown sugar until nicely combined. Add one egg at a time and whisk until creamy. Then mix in the vanilla.
Fold in the zucchini, carrot and pineapple.
In a separate bowl mix together the wheat and all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Gently stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and try (really hard) not to over mix. (I’ve been known to over mix a time or two) All you want is for both mixtures to be nicely combined.
Fill the muffin cups about ¾ full. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are firm to the touch.
Let the muffins cool on a wire rack before serving. Enjoy!
Gluten Free Confetti Muffins
If you are looking for a simple gluten-free muffin mix, I love Pamela’s gluten-free baking mix. Follow the basic muffin recipe, adding in the same amount of veggies and pineapple as the recipe above. If the muffin batter seems too thin, add a bit more of the gluten-free baking mix. Bake as directed.
I prepare these muffins with Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour. I get a lot of my almond flour recipes from the brilliant gluten-free and paleo blogger, Elana’s Pantry. She has a delicious selection of gluten-free and paleo friendly recipes on her site. Here are some blanched almond flour confetti muffins I whipped up… adapted from Elana’s Pantry.
Ingredients
Makes about 8-10 muffins
2 cups Honeyville blanched almond flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup diced pineapple
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line a muffin tin with 8-10 muffin cups.
Whisk together the dry ingredients. Then whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in the veggies and pineapple.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and firm to the touch. Enjoy!
Fiblet! What an awesome word :D. These sound awesome, Karista.
Haha! Thanks Nick! Yes, I think my daughter thought it sounded much less naughty. 🙂
Nothing wrong with a little fiblet, such a great word too
Haha! Thank you. My daughter thinks that word sounds less naughty. 🙂
funny & yummy.
Thanks! Two things we do alot of around here… eat and laugh. Happy Cooking!
A mom’s got to do what a mom’s got to do…..I’m all for a fiblet if it helps to get one of my girls to eat more vegetables! Nice to see that Susie Q has that same beautiful smile that she did when she was a young’n.
Aww… thank you! She does have a beautiful smile and although I’m probably biased, she’s just as beautiful on the inside. Wishing you a fabulous Mother’s Day!
I love these! And fiblets is such a lovely word 🙂
Haha! Thanks Tandy. Wishing you a delicious day! 🙂
What a funny story! Can’t wait to make these muffins.
Your little Suzy Q – so precious!
Thanks Michele! Little Suzie Q has always had that “I’m up to something” smile. Your littlest has some sweet, heartwarming little smiles just like that, and it often reminds me of Suzie Q when she was little. Hugs to ya Michele!
Fiblet – I love it! Only used when absolutely necessary though… 😉
What magnificent muffins – I would be in the kitchen right now making up a batch but alas I don’t have any zucchini!
Your daughter is a beautiful girl – looks a lot like her mommy.
🙂 Mandy
Awww… thanks Mandy! She was quite the clever little gal and always one step ahead of me. Still is. 🙂 Have a delicious day!
What a great flavor combination for these muffins – they look delicious!
Thanks Bill. I think they are super yummy, especially with a cup of coffee. Not terribly sweet, just about right. Have a fabulous day!
Agree with other commenters that ‘fiblet’ must be the cutest little word I’ve heard in a long time. And little Suzie Q is quite the beautiful young lady now… I’m presuming largely due to the covert veggie consumption 😉 Lovely Mothers’ Day post, Karista, and a recipe I’ll have to try. Thank you!
Thanks so much Deb! My little gal was always coming up with new words, phrases… and excuses. 🙂 She was a clever little gal, and still is. Hope you like the recipe. It’s not too sweet and I think divine with a cup of tea or coffee. Have a delicious day!
Happy Mum’s day to you. Every mom deserves to tell a little fiblet or 2…Your photo shots are great!
Haha! Thanks Bam! And Happy Mum’s Day to you too!!
Happy Mother’s Day! Sometimes a mom has to use a fiblet. Love the story and the muffins.
Absolutely! We Mom’s must stick together on the subject of fiblets. 🙂 Thanks so much Karen and wishing you a delicious Mother’s Day too!
Karista,
This post gave me such a huge smile . . .
Firstly, Happy Mother’s Day to you, lovely lady! Your girls must be so incredibly proud to have a woman accomplished, beautiful, and intelligent as you for a mother!
Secondly, the fillet was imperative, I think. The potential damage caused by your lil’ one eschewing vegetables far outweighs the tiny sacrifice in confidence you had to make in order to keep her healthy. And really, I don’t see any place in which you truly fibbed. You simply coined a food item; you gave it a fun, fresh name, making the experience a delightful one. I don’t see any difference between what you did, and making homemade popsicles using apple juice inside of sugar-water.
Oh, and your Suzie is lovely by the way, please tell her I said so! She takes after her momma, for sure. 🙂
Xoxox
Cara I love your posts and comments! Your ability to persuade using such beautifully clever and intelligent dialogue is amazing. A rare gift! You should have been a litigator. 🙂 You’d make a great attorney!
Thanks for the sweet compliments. I hope all is well in your world and that life is treating you like a Queen. Hugs to you my friend!!
These have got to be great, carrot and pineapple make a fantastic cake.. the rest is going to just make it better.. and your daughter is beautiful, she has the same smile as when she was little.. c
Thank you Cecilia! She is a cutie and still the clever gal. 🙂 Have a lovely week!
Your little Susie Q is a sweetheart.. she has the say little smile and expression in these photos! I love your confetti confession.. quick thinking on your feet, mom:) I think a fiblet now and then never hurts…
Thank you for the sweet words. My little Suzie Q is a sweet gal indeed. And yes, she still has that same “I’m up to something” smile! 🙂 Have a fabulous week Smidge!
Love that you were on a mission to vegetise everything! Confetti muffins, (good save!) I might need to remember that one down the track, lol! I’ve often had a savoury Zuchinni muffin but never sweet so (I might) have to see if I can fool the other adult in the house too 🙂
Haha, love the word “vegetise”! And funny, but I’ve never had a savory zucchini muffin. Would love to try one though. I make zucchini fritters, or fried zucchini which are savory but the bread and muffins are usually sweet. Happy Cooking!
These muffins sound fabulous! Love this flavour combo 🙂
Thanks Geni! They’re fairly moist and so lovely with tea or coffee.
Aw. What beautiful light in the photos and how adorable is Susie Q:)!! Pineapple is the one thing I’m allergic too haha, so I’ll just make these another kind of fruit, instead!
Haha, thank you! So sorry your allergic to pineapple! Bummer 🙁 Any other sweet fruit would do I’m sure.
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These sound fabulous! I am always looking for a new, fun, muffin recipe 🙂
I love sneaky nutrition. It’s the best fiblet there is. And those muffins look scrumptious!
LOL! What a great way to describe it… sneaky nutrition. Love it Melanie!