Strawberry-Rhubarb Muffins.

This healthy breakfast or snack recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb Muffins includes my favorite early summer fruits: strawberry and rhubarb.

This weekend involved beautiful, sunny weather and a warm Saturday. K and I did a lot of exploring, including a visit to the 57th Street Art Fair in the Hyde Park neighborhood. We walked around the University of Chicago campus afterwards, a place neither of us had visited before. The campus is in the heart of Hyde Park, about six miles south of downtown, and includes a quad lush with trees and colorful landscaping.

I took way too many photos of the neat buildings and historic details in the area, such as vines covered hidden details like this vintage sign.

We also squeezed in a quick trip to the Green City Market. I met a friend halfway for a run, and K biked down to meet me at the end of the workout. It was a picture perfect summer day in the park, and I finished 5.5 miles.

There were peonies for sale at several of the market booths {these colors were in my wedding bouquet - love}. There was also a parasol vendor selling these beauties.

We picked up a few things for the week, including a container of strawberries from Seedling Fruit. I had a stalk of rhubarb at home from last week's grocery trip with a goal of making healthy muffins for the week. I see rhubarb everywhere these days - advertised in pie, crisps, you name it. There are many muffin recipes out there using strawberries and rhubarb, but often with buttermilk and mountains of sugar. I wanted to create a muffin that I would feel good to start the day with while still keeping the delicious taste of two early summer ingredients.

While researching rhubarb details, I learned it's actually a perennial vegetable. Only the stalks are edible, as the leaves of rhubarb are poisonous. The reason rhubarb is so prevalent in spring and early summer is due to the fact that it thrives in cool weather. This recipe turned out similar to the Banana Cherry Muffins I made this winter. I think these will be perfect to snack on for breakfast this week with a smear of almond butter.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Muffins
Makes 12 muffins.

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 cup strawberries {heaping!}
1 stalk rhubarb
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping~
3-4 strawberries for slices
6 teaspoons raw chopped pecans

How to~  
*Chop strawberries and 1/2 stalk of rhubarb. Mix with white sugar and set aside.
*Mix dry ingredients in a bowl - white and wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
*Mix the wet ingredients in a mixer on low - eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and oil.
*Add the dry ingredients slowly in batches, mixing only to combine.
*Stir in the chopped strawberry + rhubarb + sugar mixture.
*Add batter to a greased muffin tin and top each muffins with 1/2 teaspoon chopped pecans and one strawberry slice.
*Bake at 350 degrees for ~17 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.