Blueberry Beet Muffins

Beets are amazing.  They are excellent for your heart, contain a ton of folate (great for pregnant women), vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and many other important vitamins and minerals.  If you don't like beets, it doesn't matter because you won't even be able to taste them in this recipe - I promise!  I made these for a breakfast playdate in my mom's group the other day.  I wanted something mostly healthy that would please both kids and adults so I searched for a beet muffin recipe but found mostly beet cupcake recipes.  I ended up finding a recipe and then adapting it to what I wanted.  Hope you like it!  Sorry about the blurriness of the picture!

As you can see, the muffins turned out this weird green color.  My second batch ended up cooking a little longer and those turned red on top, but when you crack them open, they are green inside!  I have no idea how this happened - red beets, blue blueberries, green muffins?  Well, that's color mixing science for you!  Regardless of the color, these muffins are delicious.  They are moist, just sweet enough, and have no hint of beet flavor.  I'm thinking about adding in some oats and flax meal next time to kick it up a health notch.  I can't wait to make another big batch of these!

Yields:  14 - 16 muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup red beet puree (about 2-3 medium sized beets) - *see roasting instructions below
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup plain almond milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted & cooled
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

*How to roast the beets:  Remove the stems, leaving about 1 inch on.  Lightly scrub the beets to remove any dirt/particles.  Place beets on a sheet of tinfoil, fold over and pinch the edges together to create a little pouch.  Place pouch on a baking sheet at roast at 375F for 45 min to 1 hour or until beets are soft (can easily pierce a fork through them).  Let beets cool until you can handle them.  Wearing gloves, remove the skin (you should be able to easily rub/slide it off).  Cut into chunks and puree in a food processor until nice and smooth.  Set aside until you are ready to use it.  You can freeze any extra for later use.

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  In another bowl, combine the beet puree, eggs, yogurt, milk, sugar, butter, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
2.  Add the beet mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine, but don't over mix.  You will still have a few lumps.  Gently mix in the blueberries.
3.  Line a cupcake pan with paper liners or parchment paper.  Fill cups 2/3 full.  Bake at 375F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

**Special Note:  Beets will stain, so be careful when you're cooking!  Also, what goes in must come out, so if your toddler is eating beets don't be surprised if you get a red tinted poop or reddish pee in their diaper!**

Olive had some leftover beet puree mixed with yogurt and bananas for breakfast the next morning.  :)