Gluten Free Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

Now that I've been blogging a few months, and following other blogs, I have started to feel the peer pressure of getting away from processed sugar.  It can only be a good thing to have less sugar in our diets while increasing the fiber and fruit and vegetable intake.  I'm still really unsure of how to accomplish this, but reading some other investigating blogger's works it's getting easier.  As always I'm constantly looking for ways to get more veggies into Ceci, when I stumbled across a recipe in the back of a random parent magazine I found at the library on the free shelf.  It had an article on feeding picky eaters, from infants just starting on solids, to small children.  The recipe recommended for toddlers was "Gluten Free Carrot Zucchini Muffins" I was so excited to find a recipe that suited all my needs and I didn't have to mastermind flour substitutions for once.

I made these on a snow day last week so I had to use what ever I had in the house because I couldn't go out and buy the extra ingredients.  We didn't have zucchini so I just used all carrots instead, and I didn't have pure maple syrup, or coconut oil and substituted accordingly.  It also called for "quick cooking oats" which I haven't found in the stores here yet, so I subbed Rolled Oats and let them sit in the wet ingredients for a bit to soften.  The first one I tasted, I thought, "what have I done, why am I trying to go without sugar?  This is silly, I love sugar, why!?!"  Now after having a few more of them they are growing on me and I find they taste pretty good.  I should mention they present more like a power bar than a muffin, they are very dense and did not rise very much.  Still they are hearty and filling for a quick snack, and with the addition of some cinnamon very tasty.  It is really nice to know that when I eat them I haven't consumed a ton of sugar hidden behind all the carrots, raisins, and oats.

Gluten Free Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

1   very ripe Banana, mashed
1   Cup unsweetened Applesauce
1/4  Cup Vegetable oil
1   Egg, slightly beaten
1/4  Cup Honey  (should sub pure maple syrup for children under 2)
2   tsp Vanilla
3   Cups grated Carrots

2   Cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats

1   Cup Rice Flour
2   tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Golden Raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).  Fill muffin tins with liners.
In a large mixing bowl combine banana applesauce and oil.  Blend in egg, honey, and vanilla.  Stir in carrots, and oats (this will help soften oats for cooking process).
In another bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt.  Stir into wet ingredients until combined.  Fold in raisins and let batter sit for 5 minutes.
Fill liners with batter, Bake for 25-30 min.  Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.