By Sixteen months. Nora says "Babcia" now, which is the Polish word for grandmother that she has learned to use for Babcia Rose specifically, not for Patty who is also a grandmother but who is Grandma, which is different and to Nora apparently important. Babcia is Babcia and when we went to visit on Sunday Nora ran through the door saying "Babcia, Babcia" and Babcia Rose said something in Polish and opened her arms and Nora ran to her and climbed into her lap with the confidence of a child who knows exactly where she belongs in every room she enters.
Owen said "thank you" this week. Completely unprompted. I handed him a banana and he took it and said "thank you" in his clear specific voice and went about his banana and I stood there for a moment feeling the particular emotion of a parent when their child does something good that you did not ask for, which is: I must be doing something right, followed immediately by: I cannot take credit for that, that is just who he is.
Babcia Rose turned ninety in January and she is still sharp and present and she baked a plum cake last week that Patty brought over and that Ryan ate three slices of and which had a crust that I have been trying to understand for fifteen minutes of concentrated reverse-engineering. I have not cracked it. I think the secret is lard. I think she uses lard and has never mentioned this and never will.
I made slow cooker pulled pork on Sunday: pork shoulder from Aldi, a bottle of Aldi BBQ sauce, a chopped onion. Eight hours. Shredded. We ate it on buns with Patty's coleslaw for Sunday dinner and took the leftovers to the park Monday for a picnic lunch, which was: sandwiches in the shade, a container of watermelon, two toddlers who are very interested in the ants that are also interested in the watermelon. A complete summer afternoon.
The pulled pork and coleslaw were the main event on Monday, but what made that picnic feel complete — what kept two toddlers happily sitting on a blanket in the shade instead of sprinting toward the ant situation full-time — were the zucchini muffins I had tucked into the bag almost as an afterthought. Owen had two. Nora had one and then pointed at Owen’s second one with the focused intensity she normally reserves for Babcia. They travel well, they hold together in small hands, and they use up the zucchini that is, as of this week, absolutely taking over the counter. This is the recipe I keep coming back to every summer.
The Best Whole Grain Zucchini Muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup honey or pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup neutral oil (such as avocado or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini), excess moisture squeezed out
- 1/2 cup mix-ins of your choice: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or raisins (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well with cooking spray.
- Prep the zucchini. Shred the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Place the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towel and squeeze firmly to remove as much moisture as possible. Set aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly combined.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey (or maple syrup), oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined — a few small lumps are fine. Fold in the squeezed zucchini and any mix-ins. Do not overmix.
- Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They are best slightly warm but hold beautifully at room temperature, wrapped, for up to 3 days — or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 175 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 25g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 180mg