Zucchini Oat Muffins

By the time we reached Canyonlands National Park — the final stop on our grand tour of Utah’s Mighty 5 — we had officially entered the vacation fatigue but emotionally attached to rocks phase of travel.  At this point our bodies were held together entirely by salty snacks, sunscreen and sheer national park loyalty.  We had already conquered Zion National Park, survived the sandy chaos of Bryce Canyon, scaled rocks so steep that we had to crawl on our hands in Arches and tested our hiking limits in Capitol Reef.  We were ready for whatever Canyonlands had in store for us.😅 

Canyonlands is massive, vast and dramatic. It's the kind of landscape that's impossible to capture through the lens of a camera.📸  That didn't stop me from trying though.😅  It was a lot to take in but I'm eternally grateful that I got to see this amazing creation with my own eyes.  

We finished out our national park journey with the hardest and steepest hike of our journey yet.  We can now check "scrambling and bouldering" off of our bucket lists. 😂⛰️  The hike was hot and difficult but it the views from the top of the mountain made it worth every treacherous step.😆   

​Standing at the edge of these magnificent mesas and watching the endless canyons stretch into the horizon felt like the grand finale that we had been building toward all week.  I could have stood on top of this mountain for hours - party because of the view and partly because I wasn't sure how I was going to get myself down the mountain.🤣  

It was hard to see our 1800 mile trek across Utah come to an end but it was good to get home too.🚗  Living out of a suitcase for 10 days got a little tiresome and I was ready to get back in my own bed after our vacation.  It was also nice to be back in my kitchen so we didn't have to look for a grocery store or a restaurant for every meal.  Having snacks at my fingertips is a blessing and a curse.🤣    

Most days on our trip we would pack snacks to eat in between our hikes and park adventures.  My lunches consisted mainly of granola bars, cheese sticks and almonds so I was ready for a little more variety in my lunches when I got home.  I was craving homemade, healthy and nutritious food.  Zucchini oat muffins for the win. 

Zucchini Oat Muffins
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup finely grated zucchini 
1 egg
¼ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup oat flour
¼ cup ground flaxseed
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Whisk together applesauce, egg, yogurt, oil, and vanilla.

Grate and squeeze zucchini to remove moisture.  

Stir into egg mixture.

Mix oat flour, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda in another bowl.

Combine wet and dry ingredients gently.

Spoon into mini muffin tins. 

Bake 20 minutes at 350. 

Ciao!

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