Banana zucchini muffins

Ingredients

• 1 small zucchini, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 3 small ripe bananas, mashed (about 1-¼ cups)
• 1 cup (250 mL) natural peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup
• 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a muffin baking tray with muffin cups.
3. Grate zucchini using the smaller holes on a box grater. Squeeze out the excess water and set aside.
4. Combine mashed bananas, peanut butter, eggs, vanilla and maple syrup in a large bowl.
5. Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until everything is well combined. Gently stir in the shredded zucchini.
6. Using a ¼ cup measure or an ice cream scoop, portion the batter into each muffin cup, ¾ of the way to the top of each cup.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes and let cool before serving.

• Cooking know-how: These muffins freeze well, make a batch and store any extras in an airtight container or sealable freezer bag to enjoy later.
• Balanced meal: Make this muffin a meal by adding ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt and ¾ cup mixed fruit or berries. These additions would provide 360 calories, 14 g fat,  34 g net carbs, 20 g protein and 7 g fibre.