Pages

Saturday, April 19, 2014

PUMPKIN APPLE MUFFINS

Made these and I LOVE them. Seriously! They are super yummy! Here is the recipe from Eating Bird Food. The only thing I did differently was doubled the cinnamon to 1 tsp and skipped the topping.



Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup (1/2 stick) Earth Balance Buttery Stick or butter, softened
  • ¾ cup sucanat or dark brown sugar
  • ¾ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
  • ¾ cup pumpkin (roasted or canned)
  • 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 Tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup quinoa flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1½ cups peeled and finely chopped apple pieces (about 2 apples)
  • Topping
  • 2 Tablespoons sucanat or dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or coat with cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with the 6 Tablespoons of water and let sit while you start preparing the other ingredients.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the topping – 2 tablespoons of sucanat with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the quinoa and whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
  5. In a large bowl, mix the ¾ cup sucanat with the softened butter until combined. Add the flaxseed/water mixture, pumpkin and vanilla. Stir in yogurt.
  6. Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Gently stir in the apple chunks.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the brown sugar topping. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.
  8. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Store any leftover muffins in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

MATERNITY CLOTHING: WHY I LOVE H&M BASICS

Yes, this will be my one and only maternity fashion post - if you can even call it that. After a recent trip to H&M, I feel the need to share (weird. me? share?) my extreme excitement over how many non-maternity pieces they have that work for my expanding belly. Seriously! It was fabulous. Not only are they not maternity clothes (so I don't have to feel weird about wearing them post baby) but they have great price tags! Most items I just sized up one size and they work like a charm! I would suggest actually going to the store vs. ordering online. Some items I didn't need to size up and some I did. It is obviously hard to tell those things when buying online.

I have a few thoughts when it comes to buying maternity clothes. I personally do not like to spend a lot of money. Wait... who am I kidding? I don't like to spend a lot of money on anything. Hey, call me frugal cheap! ;) Anyways, this might (might not) be my last pregnancy. That being said, I really do not see the need to spend a lot of money on clothing to get me through the next three months. I try to buy as many non-maternity items as possible b/c they work great during that awkward postpartum stage (and possibly even after) and buying basics works great b/c you can dress them up with jewelry, scarves, shoes, etc. You know, the stuff that stays the same size no matter how big your belly gets....

Anyways, I am loving H&M basics. Here are a few things I picked up to get through the home stretch.

Oh, wait one more thing....
I hate maternity jeans with a passion. They slide down in the back constantly and make your butt look saggy. I pretty much wear leggings with EVERYTHING and these ones from Old Navy are my favorite! I wore them all through my last pregnancy and I ordered another set (black and grey) this time around. I love them AND they are 50% off right now - two for $15!

And b/c I wear leggings with everything and firmly believe leggings ARE NOT PANTS, I am always looking for long tank tops, shirts, cardigans, and tunics that are long enough to cover my butt. Thanks H&M for having me covered... literally. ;)

Old Navy Jersey Maternity Leggings
Ok, now on to the H&M basics....

Jersey top - $9.95

Maxi Dress - $17.95

Jersey dress - $12.95
This might seem like an odd one, but after sizing up, the dress is not that tight on me - plus, I wear it with my favorite leggings and a cardigan that covers my butt. :)

LOVE this cardigan. It is plenty long and lightweight, so it will work great into the hot months of summer!

Long tank top - $5.95

These pants!!! These pants!!! I love them! They work great now and will work perfect for the awkward post baby stage! Yay for elastic waists!