What’s In Your Muffin?

Here’s what’s in mine…

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup agave
• 1/3 cup pure dark maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 2+ ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• 1 cup organic frozen blueberries

SO GOOD!  Here’s how you make them…

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease the pan
3. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter, agave & maple syrup with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in almond milk and vanilla.
6. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.
7. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.

This is an adaptation from a recipe I found on EverydayFood. The agave and maple syrup have a lower glycemic index than the granulated sugars, which is always a benefit and I use Almond Milk because I don’t do regular milk. I also use less salt and a bit more banana. Next I’d like to try making them with different flours… that’s another day though. These are fantastic.

Healthy, Tasty & Efficient Breakfast

Last night I soaked a big scoop of chia seeds in about 3/4 cup of almond milk - this morning I pulled it out of the fridge and lo & behold.. it was like a thick tapioca. I drizzled just a little raw honey on it, added some chopped walnuts, green apple, 1 chopped date and some cinnamon and YUM! So easy - no cooking involved yet it’s almost like having a bowl of oatmeal or cream of wheat (but not sticky or gooey - very light!).

If you’re looking for a light yet filling breakfast, or snack, give it a try. You can use water or any type of milk you want and mix in any type of fruit or nuts. Easy combo.

Pardon the crappy photo - I’ve gotten in the bad habit of using my iphone. I’ll be returning to my real camera asap.

Cha-cha-cha Chia! Not Just for Decoration

I bought some chia seeds last year when I was participating in AmyA’s 44 Day Green Smoothie Challenge - I use them here and there in smoothies but sometimes forget I have them. They’re considered a super-food and are full of omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, protein, vitamin B complex, potassium, fiber and more. I like them because they help regulate blood sugar levels and they form this really cool gel when soaked in water - almost like a thin pudding.

I just read a great article on Intent, watched this short video and have been inspired to pull them out this week. Tonight I’m going to soak some in water and try Brigitte’s cereal suggestion. If it tastes good, I’ll post some pics and whatever recipe I come up with.  If you’re curious about chia seeds, here’s another article with a concise overview and a few recipes/uses for them. Just for fun, I also threw some into the base of a plant I have sitting in my window and over the past week the sprouts have grown 2-3 inches! I may cut them and throw them into some salads this week. Ahhh.. the joys of experimenting with new foods.

Oprah’s Dream Board

As I was reading an article this morning I noticed a promotion on Oprah for a new Dream Board tool. Of course I checked it out so I could tell you about it! It’s a downloadable application you install to your computer and can access from your desktop (it runs on Adobe Air). Essentially, it’s a blank canvas that you fill with images and words using their easy-to-use editor.  It includes a library of images from Getty or you can select personal images from your hard drive. The idea is to fill the board with whatever it is you want this year (or in life in general). You should look at it on a regular basis so you stay focused on those things - whether it’s eating better food, exercising, taking a vacation, buying a home, spending more time with friends, learning something, making more money, etc - you fill your board with these images and then use them as inspiration to make them happen. I’m a fan of making dream or “vision” boards but have always done it on my own. This tool makes it pretty simple and offers a bonus option to have it printed at Walgreens. The image above is an example from the application.

Authenticity

You are here to create an authentically empowered life. There is no guarantee you will do it. It’s up to you.

— Gary Zukav

Part of living those words is really digging deep, listening and finding your own unique self and the gifts you bring to the world. Here’s an interesting article on Oprah.com about Finding Your Gift, by Ken Schuman and Ron Paxton who wrote The Michelangelo Method. From the article:

Your gift lies in the place where your values, passions, and strengths meet. Discovering that place is the first step toward sculpting your masterpiece, your life.

The first thing this requires is hope…

I like this post by Cheryl Nordyke of Waves of Gratitude. Cheryl and Kim are also guest bloggers at Thankfulfor.com’s blog.

dailyinspiredthoughts:

A few posts ago I blogged about thin threads and how some of us face obstaceles in our lives and we get by on a thin threads. Today, i want to talk about how a thin thread can lead to something amazing. In January 1848 a contest was held to see who could fly their kite across the river. The purpose of the contest. The day following the successful kite flight, a stronger line was attached to the kite string. A rope followed, and eventually a cable consisting of thirty-six strands of number 10 wire. This eventually became a suspension bridge. A thin thread that flew a cable was used to allow them to place a cable across the river to build a bridge. Sometimes we can start with something small and turn it into something amazing. The first thing this requires is hope .