Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Need more chocolate in your life? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
No lie, I have become a world class chocoholic lately. Second trimester cravings? All chocolate, all the time.
There is a not-so-secret ingredient in these delicious muffins I’m sharing though, which makes me feel better about eating one (or two) each morning.
ZUCCHINI.
Yes, I realize that it’s not zucchini season. In fact, last I checked it was still the middle of winter. But when ya girl is seven months pregnant (um WHAT) and craving double chocolate zucchini muffins in March, we make double chocolate zucchini muffins in March.
We also make homemade popsicles on repeat, but that’s neither here nor there.
(similar to my last post, if you’re completely uninterested in any sort of second trimester recap, feel free to scroll right on down to the good stuff!)
Ahh, the second trimester. Aptly named the “golden period”!
(but do people really call it that? I feel like maybe someone mentioned this at some point, and I just never questioned it)
Whatever you want to call it, the second trimester was a BREEZE in comparison to the first! Starting around week thirteen or so, I really started to feel like myself again… it was like I came out of a fog. The days seemed brighter, I was smiling more than once a week and I no longer counted down the hours until bed! Peter even stopped cowering in the corner every time he saw me, so I think we both breathed a gigantic sigh of relief when I (finally) turned this monumental corner.
In my opinion, the most important change was that the incessant nausea finally went away. It was like night and day, really. One morning, the smell of eggs made me want to hurl, and the next I was making myself a soft scramble to throw on top of a piece of avocado toast. Wild!
Once the wide world of food opened back back up to me, my focus immediately shifted to making sure I was getting the nutrients that me and baby needed to thrive. I stumbled upon the @prenatalnutritionist page on IG, which has been a TRUE lifesaver. Ryann Kipping is a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified lactation educator — in other words, a wealth of knowledge. The monthly subscription ($14.99/mo) to her Prenatal Nutrition Library website has been more than worth the investment. So I leave the medical stuff to my midwife, and rely primarily on TPNL for all things food and nutrition. I highly recommend to all my mamas-to-be out there!
Questions on prenatal vitamins? Not sure whether matcha is OK to drink during pregnancy? Want to learn more about the benefits of folate? Check, check and check. She’s got it all covered for you.
(and, for the record, I REALLY miss my daily matcha)
Once I started eating foods that were not primarily beige, I realized another strange thing… my dairy and gluten intolerances weren’t quite as bad. I do not understand this ONE BIT, but wasn’t about to question a good thing! So it’s been Greek yogurt bowls every morning (topped with none other than these double chocolate zucchini muffins), sourdough bread and REAL donuts (well, a bite here and there). Although, I must admit, it’s been hit or miss — some days I feel totally fine, and others I feel like my stomach is going to pop from the bloat.
(you know, like after I eat full dairy Van Leeuwen ice cream five nights in a row… #noregrets)
But in general, this has been a fun experiment for me. As you know, I’m a bit of a food nerd — so having to adjust my diet to make sure I’m getting all the nutrients needed is a strangely satisfying experience. I admit, I may have gone a bit overboard on the sweets during Cookie Week (and possibly the weeks following), but it was the holidays! and baby wanted cookies. Otherwise, just trying to keep my plate colorful and eat as many REAL foods as possible.
YAY for being able to eat food again!!
Another amazing part of the second trimester was that my energy returned! Well, for the most part. I definitely still needed eight hours of sleep every night, but was I at least able to make it through the day without feeling like I was sleeping with my eyes open for 80% of it!
But as the weeks went by, I found that I was basically useless by 7pm or so… like cross-eyed and braindead. I’m generally a night owl, so it was a biiiig adjustment to try and align my daily schedule with my energy levels. No more 10pm chores for this gal! I’ve been making an effort to take advantage of the first hour or two of my day to tackle my to do list, knowing that my energy tank after work will likely be on empty. Everything feels a bit backwards, if I’m being honest.. but maybe this is just the first step towards achieving my lifelong goal of becoming a morning person!
Or maybe it’s temporary. After all, what is time! Especially once baby arrives… day and night are going to collide.
But for now, I’ll use my morning energy to accomplish as much as I can — including exercise, which is ALSO back on the table. WAHOO!
Pre-pregnancy, my daily movement included things like: kickboxing, yoga, pilates, HIIT workouts, long walks… literally anything and everything. I REALLY took advantage of all the free workout options that fitness instructors made available at the start of the pandemic. A few of my favorites were the kickboxing classes offered by @taylorraealmonte and the INSANE weekly live workouts from @rachaelsgoodeats. There was nothing better than taking my full hour lunch break and working up a good sweat midday.
But obviously those kinds of high intensity, high impact workouts aren’t necessarily the best option for my body right now. Another new (to me) fitness find is @karaduvalpilates, a truly brilliant Boston-based pilates instructor who is known for her very specific pilates offerings — known as The Origin, The Foundation and, most recently, Precipice. I started taking Kara’s live classes last March, right as the pandemic hit. Her technique and philosophy is very different than most fitness instructors — she focuses on breath, functional movement and a deep connection to and understanding of your body. After taking her live classes religiously for nearly six months, I felt good — like, really good. Strong and much more aware of my body than I had ever been.
So when Kara debuted her fitness platform, Range, in early October, I jumped right on that bandwagon. Another monthly subscription that is WELL worth the price ($35/mo). Since we had cancelled our gym membership months earlier, I considered this a pregnancy gift to myself HAHAH
What I love about Kara’s pilates offerings is that so many of her classes have a pre/postnatal focus and/or can be easily modified. Once I got back in the swing of things in the second trimester, I hopped right back on Range and dove headfirst into the prenatal section of the platform. Some days I need a class that focuses on hip and low back stability, while other days I want a good upper body workout. Range literally HAS. IT. ALL. and Kara provides so much insight during her classes — general education, informative cues and all sorts of modifications.
In case it wasn’t obvious, I’m clearly obsessed with these pilates classes.
I actually started to experience a lot of hip pain in the second trimester, primarily from sleeping on my left side for most of the night (as is recommended). So I turned to pilates, yoga, stretching and walks around the neighborhood in order to find some relief.
But as this little one gets bigger, so does this belly of mine. In case it wasn’t obvious from the above photos, I definitely “popped” sometime between weeks 22-25. Peter has taken to staring at my belly and telling me to “watch where you’re putting that thing!” Some days I definitely feel… large, for lack of a better word, while others I forget that I have a volleyball for a stomach and try to squeeze into places I no longer fit!
If I’m being honest, I’ve always been a little worried about how I’d feel gaining weight during pregnancy — especially in places and ways that I never have before. But it’s actually been pretty fascinating watching my body grow, and knowing there is a little life inside of it.
The human body is CRAZY.
But if I had to choose one REALLY ANNOYING THING about pregnancy (not that you asked), I would hands down say that it’s the congestion. Why does no one talk about this? I had NO clue that congestion was a normal side effect of being pregnant. I shit you not, my nose has been stuffy for the better part of the past four and a half months. To the point that it keeps me up at night.
what. the. actual. fk.
What also keeps me up at night is the kickboxing classes that seem to be taking place in my belly on the reg. Like WHAT IS GOING ON IN THERE. Maybe we have a gymnast on our hands? Oy.
I probably started feeling movement as early as week 16 or 17. But as I mention to anyone who will listen, my stomach generally makes a LOT of noise. Like constant grumbling and digesting going on in there at all times (is that even normal?). So early on, I wasn’t sure whether I was feeling my recently eaten food making its way into my intestinal tract (graphic, sorry) or if it was this little one starting to bounce around. But once I had my first ultrasound, I watched the movements on the screen and was able to match them to the movements I was feeling inside.
INSANE. I’m pretty sure pregnancy is the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced. Also, the strangest.
Luckily, I have lot of friends who are also pregnant and/or have recently given birth. So even with COVID being present and accounted for (still), I feel like we have a lot of support available to us, which has been a blessing.
Alright, let’s take a hard left and move on to the main event here — these double chocolate zucchini muffins are what dreams are made of.
This recipe is another gem from Monique over at Ambitious Kitchen — originally developed as a dairy-free, nut-free and gluten-free double chocolate zucchini bread. I made it a few times in bread form, and quickly realized that muffins would be another delicious way to enjoy it.
(because in case you didn’t know, I looooove muffins)
I obviously tweaked the recipe right off the bat. and then tweaked it again… and again. Monique developed it to be nut-free, which is not something I typically care about (and if this child has a nut allergy, so help me). She opted to use oat flour, but I don’t generally love the texture of baked goods made entirely using oat flour. So I chose to mix up my own blend instead– oat flour + almond flour + a GF flour blend, in whatever combination I had available for use. Sometimes I make these muffins using 1/2 cup oat flour and then 1/4 cup each of almond and GF flours — while other times I only have 1/4 cup of oat flour on hand and have to make up for it with more almond/GF flour.
I’ve found this recipe to be very forgiving — which is good, because I’m notorious for never making anything the same way twice. At least, that’s what Peter thinks… but OBVIOUSLY when I’m testing a recipe for the blog, I have to make sure it works exactly as I’ve written it out. Just to be clear here.
(are you reading this, Peter?!)
Another way I like to switch things up is by using different nut/seed butters. Most often, I’ll use a combination of tahini and almond butter — but have also substituted cashew and pecan butters if I happen to have them on hand. But you do you! Use what you have or what you prefer.
I honestly could not be more obsessed with these muffins. No lie, I’ve made them weekly for the past two months. They are chocolatey and delicious and actually quite filling. I’ve also thrown a few in the freezer to see how well they hold up after a month or two — I have a feeling they will be the perfect snack to grab while on the go with a newborn.
Alight, let me leave you with a pro tip to cap off this novel: shred your zucchini on the smaller side if you’re trying to hide the veggies from your kids (or husband)!
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup nut/seed butter [see Notes]
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup milk [see Notes]
- 1 cup flour blend [see Notes]
- ½ cup cacao/cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips [see Notes]
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; line a muffin tin with liners.
- Squeeze excess liquid from the shredded zucchini, and add to a large bowl. Add in egg, nut/seed butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and milk, and mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients (flour, cacao/cocoa powder, baking soda and salt), and gently mix until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop into muffin tin. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out clean.
- Store in the fridge for 5-7 days or wrap individually to store in the freezer (up to 3 months).
My favorite nut/seed butter combination for this recipe is almond butter and tahini (1/4 cup of each), but feel free to use what you have on hand or what you can based on dietary restrictions. The original recipe calls for sunflower butter, which is typically allergen friendly.
I typically use a mix of oat, almond and a gluten-free flour blend, but feel free to use what you prefer (or have on hand).
Recipe From: Ambitious Kitchen | Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Almost in the home stretch here, my friends! I’ll catch you on the flippity flip.
Look at you and your baby bump… so cute. Glad you’re feeling better for most women the second trimester is a good time. Can’t wait to try the muffins. Love to you and Pete
thanks so much, Liz 💛 😊 definitely happy to be feeling better!!
You look absolutely gorgeous! The muffins don’t look so bad either! ❤️
aww thanks so much, Sue 😘
My beautiful girl! These posts always make me laugh. You continute to amaze me every single day! We’ll make these muffins in Maine, because God knows, I probably won’t make them on my own….although, you never know. lol Love you, honey!
HAHAH I’ll have to make a batch (or two) for us 😊😘 love you!