300+ Recipe Digital Cookbook
"I spent 10 years creating and testing recipes for this cookbook, it's my proudest creation!"
300+ Recipe Digital Cookbook
"I spent 10 years creating and testing 1000's of recipes for this cookbook, it's my proudest creation!"
- Mariel, Author & Founder
I’m following a trainer program from bodybuilding.com. It is a three-month commitment and it’s hardcore. I love it. It’s my 3rd time around doing the same program. I don’t get bored repeating it, because every week is different. It’s pretty rad. And free.
The program is threefold: workouts, nutrition and supplementation. This time around I am solely sticking to the workouts and to the nutrition, leaving out the supplement part. I wanted to test how my body would do without supplements. I’ve been giving my body all the nutrients and vitamins it needs through whole foods.
And guess what? I feel fantastic.
I eat every 3 hours and I am at the gym every day. I love my gym. Five days a week I do weights and cardio, and 2 days a week I only do cardio. My cardio consists of 20-25 minutes of “fasted” moderate-cardio, and 20-25 minutes of moderate-cardio after lifting weights.
“Moderate” cardio means: not intense. Performing it to where you would be able to have a conversation with someone if you chose to, an activity that doesn’t completely take your breath away. I try playing around with the treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, rowing machine, step-master, or I will even do a fast paced walk/jog around the park. My favorite ones are walking up and down the stairs and the elliptical. I’ve noticed that these two are really easy on the body.
When it comes to nutrition and supplementation, the program is really good at providing you with all the information you need. The supplements are great and I used them to complete my first two rounds of the Trainer (not this time around though). I also followed the nutrition they suggested, but I’ve noticed that I do better with the Paleo diet. So…I am sticking to my beloved Paleo. My digestive track works ten times better, I don’t feel bloated, I feel energized, my organs function much better (including my brain) and my body feels leaner.
Even though this is not Paleo mandated, currently, I am trying to stay away from sugars as much as possible. This includes fruits and natural sugars such as honey, maple syrup, etc. I’ll just use a bit of honey or maple syrup to sweeten my recipes, but that’s it. I have been cutting out sugars for a couple of weeks now. I don’t crave fruits anymore, and to tell you the truth, I don’t even miss them. I have way too much fun with healthy fats, various proteins and veggies. To give you an example…I’ve made these delicious Carrot and Zucchini Muffins, which consist of vegetables, nuts, honey, eggs and spices. They turned out great. Try them out; you will too see that staying away from sugar is not as hard as you’d think.
Carrot and Zucchini Muffins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
These Carrot & Zucchini Muffins are the ultimate nutritious breakfast or snack; delicious and comforting, and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 3/4 cup grated zucchini
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 cup organic raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners and set aside.
- Mix almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda and sea salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, honey, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until no lumps remain. Fold in grated carrots, grated zucchini and raisins.
- Fill muffin liners with batter ½ – ¾ full, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool a bit and enjoy right away or refrigerate for later consumption for up to 1 week.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
PIN ME
super excited to find this recipe as i’m trying to get my two little boys to eat paleo with me. only problem is, i believe there is a typo in two of the ingredients: i believe 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda and 1/2 tablespoon of salt should read 1/2 teaspoon instead. mine were edible but definitely too salty. may try these with dates as a sweetener too.
Hiranya! Thank you SO much for letting me know, I’ve already corrected the two typos. Definitely teaspoons, not tablespoons! My bad! Sorry about that…try them again and hopefully this time they won’t be that salty! 😉
I did try them again and we all loved them. I should have known better anyway! Who purposefully writes 1/2 a Tablespoon especially right after writing 1 1/2 teaspoons of something else? We’re going to make them again this morning and have warm muffins with butter for breakfast. What an indulgence! And they’re so easy to make the kids can help (1.5 and 3 yrs old). Have you ever tried it with Stevia powder? I was thinking of doing that this morning but worried that there wouldn’t be enough liquid ingredient then…
Hello! So – I have to admit I’m not completely paleo (I love my oatmeal too much haha), but I tried your muffins and they were AWESOME. As I didn’t have any coconut oil, I was trying to get inventive and I used applesauce instead. And I still think they turned out great! I didn’t add as much honey because I knew the applesauce would provide some natural sweetness. I also adore cinnamon and even added a touch more.But they were fantastic !! I have a question aside from the muffins however: I am an avid female trainer as well, and looking for a new program. I was wondering what 3-month program on bodybuilding.com you’re using? I’m sifting through them trying to find one I like, and the one you described sounds ideal for me. Just wondering if you could point me in the right direction? Thanks so much!
Hi Kayla! Yay! I’m glad you liked the muffins and that, with slight variations, they turned out great! Applesauce is always a great oil substitue! 🙂 Nice work! I am currently following the Kris Gethin 3 month Trainer (www.bodybuilding.com/gethintrainer). I started with the Jaime Eason LiveFit Trainer (www.bodybuilding.com/livefit) and I loved it as well. Kris Gethin’s is way more hardcore, which is the way I like it ;). Check them out and decide which one aligns best with your goals! Thanks for visiting my blog and for making my recipes!
LOVE these! Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll be making these again for sure!
Hi again, I was on your site earlier and left a comment about The Paleo Recipe Book. If you haven’t taken a look yet I suggest you do. It is a great book for bloggers like yourself to get tons of new visitors http://mypaleomeals.info/go/recipes
Yup, that slhoud defo do the trick!
Do you have the nutritional info per serving on this?
Hi Joel! Thanks for asking! I just added the nutritional information (you can fin it below the recipe’s steps). Hope this helps!
I just started cooking with almond meal and this is my first recipe with coconut flour….AMAZING!! My husband, 2 1/2 year old daughter and I LOVE these muffins. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Oh, how cute! Your 2 1/2 year old likes these as well?! That makes me smile super big! How great! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Luckily she is an amazing eater, and I started out feeding her whole foods when she was 8 months old. 🙂 She devours these muffins!
I made these muffins exactly as the recipe is written and… they were the BEST paleo treat I’ve ever tasted. And they passed the biggest test of all (my man loved them!)
Thanks!
Awesome! I am so glad you liked these Kristen! 🙂 They are one of my faves too!
Thank you for the amazing recipe!! These are SO delicious!
I made them with almond flour from almonds roasted on a baking sheet for 20 min. at 300 F until fragrant and golden inside, and then cooled. I used 3/4 cup grated carrot, 1/4 cup raisins, all-purpose flour and olive oil (not having coconut flour or oil), and omitted the vanilla.
I’d like to try them some time with almond flour from un-roasted almonds too. I bet both are equally great flavours!
Anyway, you’ve helped me rethink muffins. Rather than a fluffy ball of flour-sugar-oil, I love this idea of nut flour-vegetable-fruit muffins. Who care if they don’t rise and aren’t fluffy! I love that they’re full of nutritious ingredients and wonderful flavour!
Thanks,
Erin
Thanks for such your nice comment Erin! I am glad you liked these muffins!
Mariel,
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I was just looking for Paleo Zucchini Muffins and yours was one of the first to come up. Honestly, I have some zucchini that I don’t want to go bad and a TON of carrots (what can I say, the five pound bag was on sale.). Interestingly I just signed up for bodybuilding.com and have been doing a bunch of research on there, and training VERY similar to you in the gym and with the cardio. So yay for us! Anyway, do you have ANY idea at all how many calories are in these…or protein/carbs? I would have no clue…. so figured I would ask you. I want to make them but I want to make sure I eat them at the right time of day with the appropriate protein shake if necessary. Any help greatly appreciated! Thank you and best of luck to you!
Monet
Hi Monet! Nice to meet you. 🙂 That’s really great that you are following a training program…bodybuilding.com is a great resource! So the nutritional information for these muffins is listed in the blog post….but let me copy that right here for you:
Nutrition per muffin: 203 calories; 16g fat; 9g carbohydrates; 6g protein.
Hope this is helpful! I wouldn’t have these muffins everyday necessarily, but they are perfect as a treat once in a while!
Doh! I don’t know how I missed that. THANK YOU! 🙂 🙂
These have become my family’s new favorite muffins. I’ve already made a few batches because we can’t stop eating them; they’re perfect for any time of day! So moist, just sweet enough, and with such healthy ingredients! Thanks so much for the recipe!
That’s so great to hear, Carolina! Glad you and your family like ’em! <3 🙂
Finally! A great muffin recipe! LOVE it!
Do you have a suggestion on what I could sub for the honey? I was thinking dates, but I wasn’t sure how much to use. Or maybe stevia?
Hi Caitlyn! Pure maple syrup would be a good option. 🙂
This recipe is fantastic! My daughter and I have been Paleo for 3 weeks and this is perfect. We added pecan pieces and they were delicious! My 11 month old grandson loves them too.
Hi Jana! I love to hear that you three loved the recipe, makes me happy! 🙂 That pecan addition sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing!!
I have been making these for 2 years and they’re a lunchtime staple for my kids (5 & 3). I add a banana to the batter, which seems to make them a little fluffier and definitely sweeter, and I make them into mini muffins, and freeze them 3-per ziplock bag. Then, I just grab a bag a day and throw it into the kids’ lunch boxes. Love the convenience and the nutrition for my preschoolers!
Hi Lauren! What an awesome comment to read! I absolutely LOVE to hear you and your little ones have enjoyed these muffins for 2 years! And what a great idea about adding the banana, I’m definitely going to have to try that soon!