Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

There’s a war raging within you.

The enlightened side wants you to turn over a new leaf. To stop falling into the temptation of processed foods and sugary treats. To get up earlier. To exercise more often and with greater intensity. To crave and seek out wholesome, real foods. To fill your diet with colorful fruits and veggies, dark leafy greens, lean meats, and fresh nuts and seeds. To lose the weight and feel con- dent and energized—once and for all. To have others notice your inspiring transformation. To be the best version of yourself.

Then there’s the dark side . . .

The dark side is happy with your bad habits and doesn’t see a problem with your daily indulgences. It whispers to you to reset your alarm for some extra sleep. It grants you permission to take a break from exercise. You’re so tired, it comforts, there’s always tomorrow. It tells you that wholesome foods are boring, take too much time to prepare, and are much too expensive to be practical. It wants you to stay the same, to fade into the background, and to keep quiet. It’s afraid of you becoming the best version of yourself.

All day long battles between these two sides are fought, won, and lost, leaving you to wonder . . . who will win the war?

The answer is simple. The side that wins is the side that you feed with your thoughts and attention. It’s the side that you most identify with. It’s the side that you decide is most comfortable. But alliances can change. The battle isn’t truly lost unless you give up. If your dark side has been on a winning streak, then maybe it’s time for that to change.
Never give up on what you truly want. Strive toward it with laser-like focus. Get up and dust yourself off. Decide who you want to be and don’t stop working for it. Imagine yourself at the finish line.

You. Can. Do. It.

If there’s one recipe that can help you change course—and convince you that veggies can indeed be dangerously decadent—it’s this one. These muffins are hiding nutritious and fiber-filled zucchini in their chocolaty depths. What a delightful secret! The best part is that most people don’t even notice the little specs of veggie—children and adults alike.