Shortcut Zucchini Banana Muffins

It's that time of year when zucchini seems to be everywhere. If you have a garden, you're probably at the point where you're trying to figure out what else you can possibly do with it.

Lately I’ve been making these on Sunday mornings when I’m squeezing a few meal prep items before we’re out the door for church. They're quick, easy, and don't require much thought—which is exactly what I need at that time of day.

My shortcut is Birch Benders pancake & waffle mix. I add a couple of bananas, some zucchini, maple syrup and chocolate chips and call it a muffin.

Now that school is back in session, I've been making these as mini muffins so we have something easy to grab for snacks during the week. I freeze them and pull out a few at a time as we need them.

If you’re feeling EXTRA- if you have some sourdough discard laying around add some for that extra nutrient boost and flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Birch Benders pancake & waffle mix

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed

• 1 cup shredded zucchini, lightly squeezed

• ⅓ cup maple syrup

• 1 egg

• ½ cup chocolate chips

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon vanilla, optional

• Sourdough discard, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line a muffin tin.

2. Shred the zucchini and lightly squeeze out some of the extra moisture.

3. Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Add the maple syrup, egg and vanilla and mix.

4. Stir in the zucchini, pancake mix and cinnamon.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips. If adding sourdough discard, stir it in here and add a little more pancake mix if the batter feels too wet.

6. For mini muffins, fill the cups about ¾ full.

7. Bake mini muffins for 12–15 minutes, or until set and lightly golden.

8. Cool completely before freezing.

For the freezer

Once the muffins are completely cool, I put them in a freezer bag or container and pull out what we need throughout the week. They thaw pretty quickly, so there's no real planning involved.

That's pretty much the point of these. They're not complicated, they're not a project, and I don't have to think too hard about them. I can make a batch quickly on Sunday and have snacks ready for the week. A little zucchini, a little chocolate, and nobody needs to know exactly how much is in there.

Make them mini for an easy grab and go snack!