• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Browse Recipes
  • subscribe
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Life Currents
Home » Grinch Muffins

Grinch Muffins

December 10, 2021 by Debi Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yum
Jump to Recipe

These Grinch Mini Muffins are a great holiday treat for baby and toddler, but they’re also great for adults!

Made with whole wheat flour, banana, a little lemon zest, and packed with spinach, these muffins can be served as breakfast, lunch, snack or even a festive dessert!

And who doesn’t need a little delicious nutritious boost in their day!

The same recipe as my Spinach Quinoa Muffins but with some heart. The Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day. Maybe that’s the day he ate these delicious little muffins! Hee hee

All you have to do is draw a cute little heart on top in icing and you have yourself a Grinch mini muffin!

three green muffins with icing hearts on them.

We appreciate your support

This post may contain affiliate links. Life Currents participates in different affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information see here.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

And check out these adorable Grinch Haystack Cookies!

There’s so much to love about these muffins!

Blender muffins
These are freezer-friendly
There’s that hidden veggie so your kids or husband don’t know!
They make a great breakfast, lunch, snack or even dessert
Fits in a lunch box

Can these be made ahead?

Yes! These can easily be made ahead for a quick breakfast or snack at any time. Add the icing heart to them right before serving, as icing tends to melt or bleed if left out too long.

The muffins will keep for about 2 days in an airtight container on the counter.

If you aren’t going to eat the quinoa spinach muffins right away, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can these be frozen?

For longer storage, about 3 more months, put the muffins in an air-tight container or a zip-top bag and place in the freezer.

To defrost, take them out of the freezer and pop them in the fridge overnight.

They can be enjoyed cold from the fridge, or reheat in the microwave about 20 seconds for refrigerated, and 60 seconds for frozen. You can also reheat them in the oven or toaster oven at 350° F for 5-10 minutes.

Can I make these vegan?

If you’d like to make a vegan version, substitute an additional tablespoon of ground flaxseed blended with 3 tablespoons lukewarm water for the egg.

Can I substitute the sugar?

The sugar in these muffins may be replaced by an equal amount of honey or maple syrup, but this substitution will alter the texture of the muffins.

three green muffins with red icing hearts, square crop.

How to cook quinoa

You’ll need to make sure you have some cooked quinoa.

Run cold water over uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh strainer.

In a medium saucepan, add ½ cup quinoa and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer about 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff gently with a fork.

Once you have the cooked quinoa, either freshly cooked, or leftover, proceed with the rest of the muffins. (This recipe is a great way to use up any leftover quinoa that you may have.)

Do I need to take the stems off the spinach leaves?

No, you don’t have to remove the stems. Just throw the leaves in there, stems and all. Those prewashed containers at the grocery store sure are convenient for this!

Draw the Grinch’s heart

These sweet little muffins get their lovable Grinch nature from the red heart on top.

It’s easy to draw a heart free hand with icing from the store.

If you’d like to make homemade royal icing, check out Cake Whiz for a great recipe.

You can also buy premade icing hearts, decorations, or sprinkles from Amazon with my affiliate links.

Let’s connect

If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools

If you try this recipe,
please come back & leave a comment below letting us know how it goes.
Share a picture & tag @lifecurrents on Instagram.
Or you can upload a “tried it” photo (I would love to see)
via the pin.

three Grinch muffins on a white background.

Grinch Muffins Recipe

three green muffins with red icing hearts, square crop.

Grinch Muffins

Debi
These Grinch Mini Muffins are a great holiday treat for baby and toddler, but they’re also great for adults! Made with whole wheat flour, banana, a little lemon zest, and packed with spinach, these muffins can be served as breakfast, lunch, snack or even a festive dessert!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prevent your screen from going to sleep.
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 32 mini muffins
Calories 50 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Around 3-5 cups fresh spinach enough to yield 1 cup puree
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 overripe banana
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 lemon or ½ teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • ½ cup cooked quinoa
  • Red icing to draw the heart

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. In you have metal muffin tins, lightly grease & flour metal mini muffin tins. Silicone muffin cups don’t need any prep.
  • In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients: flours, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.
  • In a blender blend the spinach with the water. When you get one cup of puree, return the puree to the blender, add banana, egg, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, lemon zest (or lemon extract), and flaxseed, and blend until everything is uniform.
  • Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture in batches, stirring gently just until evenly distributed. Gently fold in the cooked quinoa.
  • Spoon the batter into muffin cups, and bake 10-13 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
  • Allow the muffins to cool completely, and draw the red heart on the top of the muffin in icing.

Nutrition

Calories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 29mgPotassium: 48mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword Grinch, muffins, quinoa, spinach
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yum

Filed Under: Breakfast, Christmas, Desserts, Side Dishes Tagged With: Breakfast, Christmas, desserts, healthy, muffin, quinoa, spinach

You May Also Like

square crop of a collage of 4 images of tailgate desserts.
Tailgate Desserts
scrambled eggs on a plate with English muffin and tater tots and a fork.
How to make Microwave Scrambled Eggs
square crop homemade mint candies stacked up, one has a bite missing so you can see the inside.
Homemade York Peppermint Patties
desserts
Subscribe

Join my mailing list to receive the latest recipes FREE to your inbox!

about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

Previous Post: « Espresso Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookies
Next Post: Aztec Hot Chocolate »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read More >>>

desserts
Subscribe

Join my mailing list to receive the latest recipes FREE to your inbox!

Most Popular Recipes

a white gravy baot filled with gravy and some chives and a cloth napkin next to it.
stuffing in a casserole dish with a wooden spoon, topped with 3 sage leaves.
a slice of The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever in front of the whole pie, whipped cream on top.
square crop of a bowl of soup being served with a ladle.
square crop of pieces of bark in a wire container with a piece in front and some broken pretzels around
a large bowl full of vegetarian pot pie soup and a spoon next to it.
cooked green beans in a bowl.
four iced pumpkin cookies on a cooling rack
a blue ceramic cup filled with a milk drink and two cinnamon sticks in the lower right.

Footer

SEEN ON

as seen on

Life Currents is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

This month’s featured recipes:  Vegetarian Chili Verde Stew, Polar Bear Paw Print Cookies, Baking Tips, and Tea for Sore Throat.

Want to tip me? You can Buy Me a Coffee! And thanks!

© 2023 lifecurrentsblog.com. All rights reserved. Find my Privacy Policy Here.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Yummly