blueberry and butternut squash muffins

i've made these muffins quite a few times and they always meet littlefoodie pint sizes demands...sweet, crumbly with blueberries. they also meet mamafoodies demands...nutritious, whole and hidden veggies in them! sadly, gone are the days of raw tofu and broccoli lovin' from littlefoodie pain the butt. at least i can get them in when and where i need to without a turned up nose or delightful screech, mwwaaahahaha!
anyway, here they are...pretty straight forward and you can totally mix up butternut squash for sweet potatoes or pumpkin as well...maybe even some blackberries instead of blueberries? we love trader joes frozen blackberries here...straight up frozen!





enjoy!

blueberry and butternut muffins

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour flour
3/4 cup oatbran
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
11/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup mashed cooked butternut squash
1/2 cup milk
2 tbl canola oil (or unsweetened applesauce to cut the fat)
1/2 tsp grated orange peel*
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries*
handful of wheat germ

preheat oven to 400F.

grease muffin tins...i always use the mini muffin tin so i get about 24...for large it may make about a dozen.

combine flour, oatbran, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

mix together eggs, squash, milk, oil, orange peel,and orange juice in another bowl.

add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

gently fold in blueberries.

fill up almost all the way and sprinkle the tops with wheat germ...you can use oats too.

bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned lightly.

cool...or not and then eat them all up!

note:
a microplane grater is great for this...you can get them at hardware stores or these just about any fine cookware store.
you can also use a zester...just chop it up fine. be sure to only get the orange part where the oils are..the white part, the pith is bitter!

whether you are using fresh or frozen blueberries toss with a light coating of flour before adding them. it helps them from staying inside the batter and not sinking to the bottom.
if you do use frozen, which is just a great as fresh, do not thaw them! puhlease!