Healthy Protein Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 fresh pineapple – peeled, cored, and sliced
• 4 carrots, trimmed
• 3 zucchini
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hempseed
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Run pineapple and carrots through juicer according to manufacturer's instructions. Pour juice into a container and reserve pulp in a bowl. Run zucchini through juicer and add zucchini pulp to pineapple-carrot pulp. Discard zucchini juice.

Measure 2 cups pineapple-carrot juice. If juice doesn't reach 2 cups, add enough water to make 2 cups. Bring pineapple-carrot juice and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Measure 1 cup cooked quinoa and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 16 silicon muffin cup molds and place on a baking sheet or line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Sift whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together in a bowl.

Mix applesauce, yogurt, sugar, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Stir applesauce mixture, small amounts at a time, into flour mixture until batter is just combined. Fold the reserved 1 cup cooked quinoa, hempseed, raisins, and pineapple-carrot-zucchini pulp into batter; allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Spoon a heaping 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 23 to 27 minutes. Cool muffins in tin for 5 minutes before removing from muffin cups.