Healthy! Applesauce-Carrot Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used all-purpose.)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (I had apples to get rid of; if you do too, cook 3-4 peeled apples in a little bit of water until softened, then puree.)
• 3/4 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2-3 medium carrots)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.  (I used foil liners.  This will prevent the muffins from sticking!)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
3. Make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, honey, egg, vanilla, and applesauce.
4. Stir ingredients together until just combined and there are still some spots of flour remaining.
5. Fold in the shredded carrots just until combined (don't overmix or the muffins will be dense). 
6. Distribute the batter evenly among the muffin liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 
7. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. These muffins freeze wonderfully and keep well if covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.

*www.melskitchencafe.com

Cutest Ever! Sweet Potato Pizza Bites

my kids gobbled these up!  

feeling adventurous?  feel free to change the toppings of your pizza bites to your liking!

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes
• 1-2 Teaspoons olive oil or avocado oil
• 5 Tablespoons marinara or pizza sauce
• 1 cup grated, packed mozzarella, weighing 2-3 ounces (I used whole milk mozzarella.)
• 15 slices of pepperoni, about 2 ounces (I used this brand and quartered the slices.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Wash and trim the sweet potatoes, and cut them into ½ inch slices. You should have about 15 slices.
3. Brush the top of the sweet potato slices with oil (next time I'll try garlic infused) and place them on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the bottoms have browned and the sweet potato slices are almost tender.
4. Remove them from the oven and flip them over so the browned side is facing up. (Mine weren't browned, but I did a "fork" test on one of the slices and it was almost tender.)  Top each slice with about 1 teaspoon of marinara/pizza sauce. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella evenly over the top of each sweet potato slice, and top with one slice of pepperoni each.
5. Place the sweet potato slices back in the oven, and bake until the cheese is molten and the edges are crispy, about 5-8 minutes.
6. Serve immediately!

Notes:

You can cook the sweet potato slices to the halfway point and store them in the fridge if you want to plan ahead for a party.

*www.getinspiredeveryday.com