Morning Glory Muffins

Plus, learning to slow down

Nov 06, 2025

A few weeks ago I was putting together a reel on Instagram for a new recipe, these Morning Glory Muffins. I must confess, I find almost nothing in this life to be more soul crushing than creating reels. It always takes nine times longer than I think it will and involves a positively stifling amount of toggling and formatting and exporting and importing (pretty much all of my least favorite -ing words).

Video creation is simply not my gift. I have shaky hands and spotty natural light. But apparently this is part of being a food writer in the year of our Lord 2025, although the boss (me) is wishy-washy on this point.

I was bravely soldiering on, splicing together step by step videos and speeding them up to fit neatly in 30ish seconds. My hands sped through the steps, grating carrots and cracking eggs and mix, mix, mixing in .7 seconds flat.

And the whole thing just made me feel so incredibly…tired. I was watching everything come together with my speedy, graceful hands and I felt like a liar.

Because the truth is, you can’t make Morning Glory Muffins in 30 seconds. You can’t do much of anything worthwhile in 30 seconds, unless you count reheating your coffee in the microwave, again. The annoying reality is that most of the best stuff in life takes time and effort. Healing, forming new habits, grieving, taking care of our bodies, raising children, reading, falling in love, writing—all of it takes an enormous amount of time and energy and effort.

But social media and hustle culture has led me to believe that all my meals can be easy breezy. No egg shells to fuss out of the batter. No kids asking to help scoop the flour. And no dishes. Never any dishes, even speedy ones.

And of course, this doesn’t just apply to food. You can also get rich quick and lose weight fast and cut your work time in half and somehow look younger while doing it?! I didn’t realize how much my perception of time has shifted until I was smack in the middle of my very own time-warp, taking a muffin recipe that I spent an hour lovingly tending and condensing it to 30 perfect seconds.

So instead, I posted some slow videos that unfolded in the time it actually took. No editing, no speeding up. It’s kinda boring to watch, but it was what my brain needed. I needed to stop my own inner monologue from running at 2.8 speed and slow down enough to be present with the minute that was actually unfolding in front of me. I needed poetry, not polish. I hope it might be exactly what some of you might need today, too.

@neighborfoodie

A post shared by Courtney on Instagram: "Here’s to slow mornings.
To noticing the sunlight.
To living at a pace that matches your soul.
To chugging along
And to stopping and resting.

Here’s to gentleness
And enjoying your food
And letting your body take up the space it needs.

Here’s to not comparing your output to anyone else’s
To asking for help
And to collaboration over competition.

Here’s to honoring the hard work
Of grief
Of changing your mind
Of parenting differently
Of caring for your body
And caring for the world.

Here’s to letting it take the time it takes.
To knowing that healing is never linear.
And to realizing that the good stuff isn’t just a destination.
It’s right here too.

#poetrygram #poetryoftheday #slowliving #quietlife #slowmornings #enjoythelittlethings #asslowaspossible"

These Morning Glory Muffins are not the easiest or quickest muffin recipe to make. They contain an astonishing amount of fruits and veggies, which, unfortunately, require some prep. But if you’ve got the time to grate some apples and carrots, these muffins are more than worth the effort.

If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to eat carrot cake for breakfast, these muffins are for you. Besides the carrots and apples, they’re studded with raisins, coconut, and flax seed, and filled with warm fall spices. They’re hearty, nourishing little treats that are satisfying to prepare and healthy enough to make you feel a bit smug while you let your kids eat three of them for breakfast.

For step by step photos and tips on substitutions, storage, and freezing, visit the original Morning Glory recipe on NeighborFood.