Eat Like New York City Marathon Champion Shalane Flanagan

I am not proud of it, but I eat my son’s muffins. In my defense, they’re delicious. And healthy.  

These so-called Superhero Muffins, which taste like mini-carrot cakes, are actually packed with fortifying oats, almond meal, grated apple, grated carrots, walnuts and raisins. No surprise since the recipe comes from the book, Run Fast. Eat Slow., which was written by New York City Marathon champion and Olympian Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky. My wife makes us these baked goods several times a month, and we eat them for breakfast or as a healthy snack with some almond butter. My 3-year-old thinks they’re a treat and I tend to agree with him.

The sequel to Flanagan and Kopecky’s best-selling book, Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow, just came out Tuesday and offers three versions of the muffin recipe. “Superhero Muffins are back by popular demand,” the authors note in the book. And “all versions still contain hidden veggies—shh, don’t tell!”

An added bonus is that “we’ve tweaked every recipe to ensure it turns out equally delicious whether you’re making it gluten-free, nut-free, or dairy-free/vegan.”

However, don’t be ashamed if you want to add chocolate chips to the batter, after all that’s how Flanagan makes them.  

Superhero Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups Almond meal*
• 1.5 cups Old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• .5 tsp Fine sea salt
• .5 cup Walnuts, raisins, or chocolate chips (optional)
• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup grated Granny Smith apple (about 1 apple)
• 1 cup grated Carrots (about 2 carrots), peeled
• 6 Tbsp Unsalted butter, melted
• .5 cup Honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and walnuts, raisins, or chocolate chips (if using).
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, apple, carrot, melted butter, and honey. Add to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each to the brim. Bake until the muffins are nicely browned on top and a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Allow muffins to cool completely before storing.
5. Store leftover muffins in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. If you like them warm, reheat on low power in the microwave.

*If you have a high-powered blender, you can make your own almond meal (flour). For 2 cups of almond meal, pulse 10 ounces of whole raw almonds on high speed until finely ground.

Reprinted from RUN FAST.COOK FAST.EAT SLOW. Copyright © 2018 by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. Photographs copyright © 2018 by Alan Weiner. Published by Rodale Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC