Books to Belly: If You Give a Moose a Muffin & Yogurt Apple muffins

In my house, we are big fans of all Laura Numeroff books! IF YOU GIVE A MOOSE A MUFFIN is a great children's story about asking for something that leads into many, many other somethings…(moms relate now)! The little boy in the story starts off giving moose a muffin- but the moose wants jam on his muffin. The moose comes inside for some of the mom's homemade jam. He wants more once they are all gone so they head out to the store; however, the moose finds himself chilly and asks for a sweater. The loose button on the sweater reminds him of puppet socks his grandmother used to make so he asks the boy for some old socks. Of course with a puppet show, you'll need scenery! One thing leads to another and moose asks for more and more from the boy. 

IF YOU GIVE A MOOSE A MUFFIN is part of the If You Give…Book community , a group of animals and their human friends who laugh and play together, go to exciting places, celebrate holidays, and eat delicious treats. Another favorite of ours from this community is If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Trying new foods and eating healthily is such an important part of raising my children. I have found that being in the kitchen together has opened my kids up to doing just that. They love participating in the preparation of the foods they eat. Sometimes they love new foods, other times- they don't. I'll never know if they'll like something unless I try giving it to them. Our Books to Belly posts inspire picky pallets to try new foods while also promoting a love of reading. I cannot think of a better way to connect to a story - than with food! 

Of course with this story- we had to make muffins! These apple yogurt muffins are healthy and taste like little apple pies! They are absolutely delicious and taste like your eating something bad! 

Apple Yogurt Muffins

What you need

• 1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs. packed brown sugar, divided
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chilled butter, divided
• 3/4 cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-in. cubes
• 1 Tbs. flax seed
• 1/2 cup rolled oats

What to do

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Spray muffin cups with non-stick spray (or line with paper liners). In a bowl, whisk flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

2. Melt 1/4 cup butter. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, egg, and melted butter. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in apples; set aside. 

3. In a food processor, combine flax seeds, oats, and remaining butter and brown sugar. 

4. Fill muffin cups almost to the top. Sprinkle each with 1 tsp. of seed mixture. 

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.
We hope your children love the muffins as much as they do the story! Enjoy!