Skinny Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

It's my first summer cooking bucket list recipe and I actually cheated and made it a little over a week ago and have been enjoying it almost daily ever since! In fact, I just ate one as a morning snack and it was just as delicious as the first day. 

These definitely don't look healthy, but I promise you they are! 

Every year my mom says she isn't planting a garden. And every year, without fail, there's a garden. And there's nothing better than being able to walk out the door and pick fresh veggies. Tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, beans, broccoli, cabbage, squash and zucchini are the usual residents in my parent's garden and once everything starts to produce, there seems to be an overabundance! I love zucchini, but you can only eat so much before it gets boring. That's what makes this recipe so great. It gives me another way to use up some of the zucchini before it goes bad! It's also gives me something quick and healthy to grab for breakfast as I'm running out the door.  

Skinny Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
From Ambitious Kitchen 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 small to medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 teaspoon melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup mini or regular chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin (or two) with cupcake    liners and generously spray inside of liners with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Squeeze shredded zucchini of excess water with a paper towel.
3. In medium bowl combine dry ingredients; set aside.
4. In bowl of an electric mixer, add mashed bananas, oil, honey, vanilla and eggs; mix until smooth. Add in zucchini, applesauce, and yogurt and beat again until well combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until just combined, being careful not to over-mix the batter. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Evenly divide batter into muffin cups (I got 15 muffins out of my batter).
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

This best part about these muffins is that they only have 150 calories, 3 grams of fiber and over 4 grams of protein! I can eat one first thing in the morning if I'm feeling super hungry or later in the morning for a snack and not feel guilty about it! 

But how am I still enjoying these over a week later? The freezer is your best friend! These make a pretty large batch, so unless you're planning on feeding a whole family, you'll have a ton of these leftover. Once the muffins have completely cooled, place them on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer for about 2 hours. Then place the muffins in a freezer bag, making sure you let out as much air as possible, place the bag back in the freezer and wah-lah! Grab a muffin out of the freezer for breakfast, pop it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and you're good to go!   

These are definitely something I will be making again and again! If you have any great zucchini recipes, I'd love to hear them!