Appointments

It stormed yesterday. It will storm again tonight and through until Monday evening. Today we managed to fit in all of our appointments.

At one of our appointments we had a lively discussion with the professional we visited about nutrition, food, health, and reliable information. I promised to share my Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Recipe, and added in some information on sources of reliable information that I find helpful. I sent the following information to them, and will share it here as well.

Other suggestions for reliable sources of information will be gratefully received!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (my recipe, always evolving)

Ingredients

BASIC DRY
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar and/or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp liquid stevia to liquid ingredients
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup shredded zucchini (do not peel) or shredded peeled apple

BASIC WET
1 egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 to 1/2 tsp liquid stevia if desired
2 tbsp molasses
1 cup milk, approximately, slowly add more if needed

Ingredient Notes:
Oats: I use large flake oats, for a chewier muffin.
Cocoa: I sift the cocoa to avoid lumps.
Sugar and Stevia: 1/4 cup of sugar makes a lovely, not too sweet, muffin. Stevia can be used instead of sugar, or in combination with sugar for a sweeter muffin. I use NOW brand liquid stevia, which is not bitter, and does not contain maltodextrin, erythritol, or any other artificial sweetener, as most supermarket stevia products do.
Molasses: I use black strap molasses, but any type of molasses will work well.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, flax seed, sugar, cinnamon, chocolate chips and zucchini, mix, ensuring grated zucchini is well separated.

In another bowl mix together egg, oil, vanilla, liquid stevia if using, and molasses

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined, DO NOT OVER MIX.

Scoop batter into muffin tins (can use paper or silicone muffin tin liners), and bake for 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 400F.

Reliable sources of information:

Canada’s Food Guide
https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

Canada’s Food Guide is a great resource, from the Canadian Federal Government.

ZOE for health and nutrition
https://zoe.com/
King’s College London, Stanford Medicine

These world respected scientists do an excellent job of presenting the scientific evidence to the public.

I do not purchase any of their materials or services. They provide free information through their podcasts and youtube videos, which are well researched by actual qualified research scientists, and offer a balanced perspective.

National Centre for Home Food Preservation
https://nchfp.uga.edu
University of Georgia
Science tested how-tos, and recipes for things like canning, freezing, etc.

I always start here first when I need information, and like to keep up to date with the most current science.
For beginners this is the best place to start, learning the basics, for safety sake.
Once the basics were understood, it is easy to assess recipes and techniques I bump into on social media.

Office for Science and Society: Separating Sense from Nonsense
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/
McGill University

An excellent reference for those of us trying to make sense of all the conflicting information on social media.

Worldly

Weather

-18°C
Date: 6:00 AM EST Friday 14 February 2025
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 103.1 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: -11.2°C
Dew point: -14.1°C
Humidity: 79%
Wind: W 8 km/h
Wind Chill: -23
Visibility: 24 km

Quote

“There are two kinds of light–the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.”
James Thurber
1894 – 1961