I’m happy to report that the preliminary batch made muffins that were only 2 points each – and if you make mini muffins, they’re only 1 point. (And depending on which scoop you use, I even got them down to 3 muffins per 2 points!) (see note below about calculating points and my view on fruits and veggies!)
It wasn’t as sweet as I had hoped, but that is easily fixed next time. They’re still cooling and are VERY moist, almost gooey. So I am going to use less zucchini next time and maybe a bit more whey powder to add flavor and help with the moisture. So far Ashley loves them and Kevin said they weren’t disgusting but he’s not a fan of zucchini to begin with, so I’ll take that as a compliment! :)
Some of the interesting modifications for this recipe:
- Greek Yogurt – I used a small container of Yoplait Non-Fat Honey Flavored Greek Yogurt in place of some of the oil and eggs. It helped with the subbing as well as adding flavor.
- Flax Meal – I used 2 TBS in hot water to make a healthy egg substitute.
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – the recipe called for a cup of both white and whole-wheat flours, which essentially is how you make whole-wheat pastry flour – equal parts of both. So I just went with one ingredient!
- Sweeteners – I assumed the other flavored items in the mix (yogurt, whey, vanilla) would help with the sweetness so I didn’t want to add the full amount of sugars – as well as trying to get it “healthier”. I used half regular white sugar and half organic sucanat – which is pretty much just really raw sugar. (I got a small bulk bag of it at Marlene’s to start experimenting with.) The recipe is definitely not too sweet, but it could use a little something else. I guess it just makes them taste that much healthier. J
- Vanilla Whey – we have the big bag of vanilla whey protein from Costco that I’ve only used to make shakes so far. But today I read in someone’s comments to the recipe I found that they added a scoop of the powder to their recipe. I figured it was worth a try considering it just adds protein and flavor and very little else!
- Chia Gel – I still need to get my full post about Chia written, but I’m still using it and finding all kinds of new ways to incorporate it into our foods. I have a mason jar of the gel in the fridge for times like this when I just want to add a bit more power punch to my food without adding too much flavor or calories.
- Soy Protein Powder – I didn’t add this ingredient this time, but I am considering it. It’s an easy way to add a considerable amount of protein without adding the fat. and it might help with the moisture issue too.
So here it is! And, I do suggest mixing the dry and wet separately – I don’t remember all the science behind it, but I remember reading there are real reasons to do it!
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 cup Regular Oats
1.5 tsp Baking Powder
1.5 tsp Baking Soda
1.5 tsp Cinnamon
.25 tsp Allspice
.25 tsp Nutmeg (I didn’t use this much as I thought it was overpowering)
1 tsp Salt
1 scoop Whey Protein Powder (1 scoop is about 35grams)
Wet Ingredients:
1 egg
1 egg white
2 Tbs Flax Seed Meal mixed with ¼ cup hot water to make egg substitute
.5 tsp Vanilla Extract
.25 cup Sugar
.25 cup Sucanat
1 Tbs Vegetable Oil (optional, could probably omit completely)
1 6oz cup Yoplait Greek 2x Protein Fat Free Yogurt Honey Vanilla
3 Tbs Chia Gel
2 cups Zucchini – shredded
2 bananas – I keep left over ones in the freezer and then zap them in the microwave for 1-2 mins when I need them.
Preheat oven to 325*. (original recipes call for 350, but I found the insides didn’t cook as well as the outsides, so I lowered the temp and went longer. This might not be an issue with a less moist batter.)
Mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs and flax meal mixture.
Add the sugars, oil (if using), yogurt, chia gel and vanilla.
Add the dry and wet ingredients together until just combined.
Fold in the zucchini and bananas.
Pour into either 2 greased loaf pans, 24 lined muffin cups, or 45 lined mini muffin cups, or a combination of all three!
Bake until they test done. (I use dry spaghetti noodles to test them!) My regular sized muffins took almost 45 minutes and the minis took almost 30+.
POINTS CALCULATIONS:
According to the Weight Watchers Recipe Builder program, it takes into account all the ingredients and calculates the point values based on the entire recipe. So if you make something with fruits and veggies, it will count those normally “free” items and they will contribute to the over all point values. So when I make things that have fruits and veggies in them, I choose to leave them out of the builder. Example: a fruit smoothie – when entered into the recipe builder, you add points to your smoothie by adding all the fruit you put in it. If you eat that fruit by itself, they’re 0 points. So for this Zucchini Banana bread recipe, I didn’t enter the zucchini or bananas. If I had, they would have added 7 points to the whole recipe. Maybe not a whole lot, but enough to leave them out in my opinion! You are more than welcome to add them back in for a different point value.
Without them the whole recipe is 52 points ∻ divided by 24 muffins = 2.167 each = 2 Points.
With them the whole recipe is 59 points ∻ divided by 24 muffins = 2.45each = still 2 Points since WW rounds their points up/down. But if you change anything in the recipe, the points might go up more dramatically with the "free" items included. :) Personal preference!!
Nutrition Facts for 24 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 73.3
Total Fat 1.2 g
Cholesterol 10.8 mg
Sodium 233.9 mg
Potassium 31.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 11.5 g
Dietary Fiber 1.6 g
Sugars 2.8 g
Protein 3.7 g
(I don't think the chia and whey "goodness" came through on the nutritional value chart. But I know they're in there, adding nutritional value! Makes this less of a "dessert" and more of a healthy snack, one I don't mind letting my 15 month old eat!)
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