Sarah's mind boxes

Sarah is suspicious of anything I cook now.  If it's unfamiliar, she'll ask, "Is it vegan?" and if I say it is, she stubbornly refuses to try it.  This morning she asked me to make blueberry muffins.  I used my old standard recipe, but veganized it.  

I told her to go clean her room while I made them, so she wouldn't notice my substitutions: 1 T. ground flax seeds soaked in 3 T. water in place of the egg, almond milk in place of milk, a little oil in place of the 3 T. butter.  I also added a dash of almond extract, just to seal the deal.  Then I hoped that she would be so distracted by the smell and look of them that she wouldn't even ask if they were vegan.  

Sure enough, they smelled amazing, and she was very hungry, so she snatched one up and ate it without a word.  I said, "How was your muffin?"  She replied, "Good! Thanks."  She went back for another.  She was in mid-muffin when Noah, who had been outside playing basketball, came into the kitchen.  He said, "Wow, are those vegan?"  (He has been vegan for about 2 weeks now. He calls himself a cheagan--cheating vegan--because he only eats vegan at home, which is still most of the time). I said, "Yes, they are."  Sarah sputtered, "They're vegan?!  Ew!" 

Then this happened:
Me: If you would pry open your mind, you might find that you like a lot of vegan foods.
S: My mind has five boxes: 1. Fear 2. Smell 3. Digestion 4. Taste 5. Sight
N [rolling his eyes]: You're a mind box.  That makes no sense.
S: It's what keeps me safe at night.
N: Fear?!  Fear and digestion keep you safe at night?
S: Fear is the smallest box!

This conversation was heading nowhere, so I said, "Let's get to our devotions."  Our reading was Psalm 42, and when I got to verse 8, I read:
The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.

I paused to say, "Did you hear that, Sarah? That's something to keep you safe at night!" 

UPDATE:  I am still tweaking this recipe to make it healthier.  Today I eliminated all the white flour and replaced it with oat flour (which I made by processing oats in the food processor) and reduced the sugar to 1/3 C.  Still delicious.  Next time I will try a different grain flour and 1/4 C. sugar.