Green Monster Spinach & Banana Blender Muffins

I can’t believe it, but here we are getting ready for Luka’s first school year. Welp, my baby is all grown up! Although I’m looking forward to seeing him start a new chapter, I’m dreading one thing: school lunch prep. The thought of having to come up with a nutritious and packable lunch every single day truly gives me anxiety. So, to help myself transition into this new phase of parenthood, I’ve been experimenting a lot in the kitchen. The goal? To build a list of go-to, creative, fun and easy recipes that are toddler-approved. Oh, and to sneak in fruit and veggies wherever and whenever possible…

If you’re on a similar mission, I have three tips for you:

1) Brainstorm a fun name for your recipes. I called these spinach & banana blender muffins “Green Monster Muffins” and watched Luka’s eyes twinkle with excitement. He got over the spinach part real fast when he realized it’s an essential ingredient in these monster creations!

2) Get your kids involved in the cooking/baking. They’re much more likely to eat the results when they’ve helped out in the kitchen!

3) Invest in a good blender. Buy a Vitamix. Don’t even think twice about it. Do it now and thank me later. In all honesty, I have never had an appliance quite like the Vitamix Ascent A3500. I call it my magic machine. It’s easy to use, durable, versatile, sleek and most importantly has helped me whip up some of the tastiest dishes (and cocktails) I’ve ever made. I use it to make everything from dips and smoothies to soups and muffins! It’s the easiest way to sneak fruit/veg into recipes and it saves me so much time in the kitchen. Did I mention it’s easy to clean (it has a specific program setting for cleaning) AND has a 10-year full warranty?! Yup! It’s worth EVERY penny. Trust me. Luka always smiles ear-to-ear when we use it because he knows something delicious is about to happen…

Ok, now that you have my three overarching tips for successful toddler meals and snacks, it’s time to share a healthy, easy recipe that will be on heavy rotation in Luka’s lunchbox this year. These Green Monster Spinach & Banana Muffins are gluten-free, packed with spinach (shhhhh, we call it monster juice) and contain other nutritious ingredients like oats, blueberries and bananas. They’re also quite forgiving so you can play around with measurements and substitutions. We make ours in two different sizes (mini muffins for Luka, big ones for mama and papa) so just keep an eye on them in the oven and test readiness with a toothpick throughout the baking cycle.

RECIPE: Green Monster Spinach & Banana Blender Muffins

Makes 18 large muffins. Prep time: 10 mins. Cook time: 22-25 min at 375 ° C.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 cups packed spinach leaves
• ¼ blueberries
• ½ cup milk
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla

Preparation

1) Pour rolled oats into your Vitamix and blend until you get a flour consistency.

2) Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.

3) Clean your Vitamix blender and add milk, spinach, banana and blueberries. Blend until it’s well-mixed (we like to use the Smoothie program setting).

4) Open the lid plug and add vanilla and eggs into your Vitamix blender. Pulse for a couple of seconds. Be careful not to over-mix.

5) Use a spatula to make a well in your dry ingredients and pour your green smoothie concoction into the centre.

6) Fold to combine, but don’t over-mix!

7) Divide batter evenly into muffin cups/tin. Bake for 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool and enjoy!

A huge thanks to Vitamix for sponsoring this post. As always, reviews and opinions are my very own.