Finding Creative & Delicious Ways to Sneak Vegetables Into Your Diet
Updated: Jul 17
Finding Creative & Delicious Ways to Sneak Vegetables Into Your Diet
’Tis the summer season for a variety of produce from the vines, and one of the most plentiful summer vegetables of all is zucchini.
Back when I lived in a house with an actual backyard, I grew all sorts of things but the one thing that grew the most aggressively was zucchini… which was quite unfortunate for me at the time.
From Childhood Foe to Kitchen Favorite: My Zucchini Story
I’m going to be completely honest here. When I was a kid, and even into adulthood, I HATED zucchini. I thought it was plain, bitter, boring, and honestly offensive to the dinner table. I would gag eating fried zucchini, turn my nose up at steamed zucchini, and cry alligator tears if I couldn’t leave the dinner table until I ate at least a few pieces.
Maybe it was the texture. Maybe it was the flavor. Maybe it was simply that I believed cucumbers were vastly superior. I digress.
At one point, I thought growing my own zucchini would change my mind. You know how some women say they don’t like kids, but it’s different when you have your own? I wondered if maybe zucchini would be like that for me.
Needless to say, growing my own baby zucchini only slightly improved my ability to eat it. Which became a problem because I had zucchini growing the size of my head and in very large quantities. So, I had to get creative, and by creative, I had to remember the one time in my life when I actually enjoyed zucchini: my mom’s zucchini bread.
When I was a kid, my mom used to make zucchini bread in a loaf pan. It was slightly sweet, warmly spiced, and very MOIST. Yes, I said it. And there was just something so delicious about it. I remember being stunned as a child, thinking, “Wait… this IS zucchini? And somehow it’s edible?”
Honestly, it was more than edible. It was good.
The Solution: Spiced Zucchini Walnut Muffins
So today, with a large amount of zucchini on hand because it was plentiful, in season, and on sale at the store, I decided to bring that childhood inspiration back in a more grown-up, protein-packed, plant-based way.
I made homemade spiced zucchini walnut muffins with amaranth flour, spelt flour, vanilla protein powder, pumpkin seed protein powder, freshly grated ginger, warm spices, and raw walnuts.
The goal was simple: create a filling, delicious breakfast muffin that could fuel workouts, support a busy day, and help me use up fresh zucchini in a way that actually tasted good. And honestly? They turned out so delicious that I knew I had to share them with you.
The Godmother Kitchen Lesson: Giving Foods a Second Chance
This brings me to an important Godmother Kitchen lesson: don’t count out a healthy, affordable, readily available vegetable just because you didn’t like it as a kid. Sometimes we don’t actually hate the food. We just haven’t met the version of it that works for us yet.
Try it in a new way. Sauté it. Bake it. Blend it into a sauce. Fold it into muffins. Add it to a vegan chickpea batter omelet. (Check out my Eat Like a Goddess Cookbook for bomb vegan omelet recipes) Turn it into a loaf, a breakfast bake, or a cozy little snack that makes you feel nourished instead of punished.
You never know… you might like it.
You might even love it.
And now you’re healthier for it.
You can always grow into new flavors, new textures, and new ways of eating.
From the LivnLife Kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. 💖
Recipe
Godmother Reflection
What is one food you decided you hated years ago that might deserve a second chance in a new form?
I love you.
You got this!
Danielle Rae
Godmother of Women
PS: Notes on Amaranth Flour and Spelt Flour
Amaranth flour has a beautiful earthy, ancient-grain flavor and adds minerals, depth, and heartiness to baked goods. It can be a little dense on its own, so I like pairing it with spelt flour to soften the texture and help the muffins feel more balanced.
Spelt flour gives these muffins a tender, bakery-style structure without needing all-purpose flour. Together, amaranth and spelt create a nourishing muffin that feels hearty, grounding, and satisfying without tasting like cardboard health food.
PPS: Notes on Baking with Protein Powder
Cooking and baking with protein powder is a little different from regular flour. Protein powders are dense, thirsty, and sometimes unpredictable. They absorb a lot of liquid, which means the batter may look thicker than traditional muffin batter.
For this recipe, the batter should be thick and scoopable, not pourable. Because these muffins are made with zucchini, flax, amaranth flour, and protein powder, they may look done on the outside before the inside is fully set.
Use the toothpick method toward the end of baking. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with moist crumbs, not wet batter or goo. If the muffins still feel too soft after cooling, you can return them to the oven at 325°F for 10–15 minutes to help the centers finish setting.
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