Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Every Sunday night a familiar aroma fills our home. The fragrance of homemade blueberry muffins ushers in a new week of deadlines, possibilities and coffee breaks.

For a healthy and filling on-the-go breakfast, I've found this delicious recipe from eatbetteramerica and have made some small adaptations. There are two ingredients that make this baked good so very good for you:

Local Honey

and Whole Wheat Flour.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees and place muffins cups in your muffin tin; I usually only use nine of the 12 "muffin holes," but feel free to make 12 smaller muffins.

Whisk 3/4 cup fat-free milk, 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup honey and one egg in a large bowl.

Stir in 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3 tsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt until all the ingredients are mixed together.

Fold in 1 cup (half bag) of frozen blueberries. Using real, whole blueberries is so much more tasty and healthy than those canned pseudo-blueberries found in pre-made muffin mixes!

Folding...

In a separate, small bowl mix together 1 TBSP of packed brown sugar and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon for muffin topping.

Spoon muffin batter into muffin tin; sprinkle topping on each one.

Bake for 20 minutes on 400.

I've found that if you let the muffins cool and then seal them in a container ,they can make it all the way to Friday. Grab one on the go with a banana for a delicious, well-balanced meal. 

To Carve a Pumpkin

This past weekend my whole family was in town for my grandfather's surprise 80th birthday (more on that in the next entry), and we were able to share a Halloween tradition: pumpkin carving!

I actually got the idea (and courage) the night before at a fun carving party held at my friend Kelly's house. My lovely partner-in-crime Dana helped me create the pumpkin below (left).

Although our pumpkin didn't win the contest, we still had a blast, and I found how easy and fun it is to carve these festive autumn vegetables. 

So, the next night while Alabama was taking on the Gamecocks upstairs, a handful of the kids (young and old) were meticulously carving up pumpkins downstairs in the basement.

First, pick a pattern for your pumpkin. If you google "Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns," you'll find a slew, but I like this particular site: http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pattern.htm

For under $3 you get a pdf pattern that you can print and reuse as many times as you like.

Next you'll need to pick out your pumpkin; we lucked up and found a nearby pumpkin patch at Asbury United Methodist Church. I've learned from experience that gourds, though aesthetically pleasing, often have a denser center and are thus more difficult to cut. We picked out a selection of orange pumpkins and a miniature white one.

Then comes the fun part: gutting the pumpkin! With a sharp knife, cut a jagged line around the crown of the pumpkin. This creates a nice, finished look. Below Jessica elegantly demonstrates how to pull off the crown once the cutting is complete.

Assorted pumpkin crowns.

Next step is removing all the innards from the pumpkin. Elizabeth and Emme illustrate that this task can be a full-body, two-person one. Trash the seeds or rinse them for toasting.

Next you'll need to "poke" your design on the face of the pumpkin to make cutting easier and your design more accurate. I used a nail to trace mine.

If you're not creating your design freehand, you can tape your printed patter onto the pumpkin face and poke along the lines; see Tara's example below.

After you poke the design out, cut along the dotted lines you've created with a sharp knife.

Insert tea lights into the bases, light and ENJOY!

Happy Halloween!

The Cat's Meow

Because my otherwise sweet and charming roommate Natalie (a.k.a. Natty Patty) disdains cats, I'm not allowed to enjoy the company of one of my very favorite creatures within the comfort of my own home. 

Forgoing my desires for the harmony of the entire household, I've resorted to miniature statue versions of these furry feline friends. Here are two Halloween-themed cats I would like to share with you. They are from Attic Antiques on Cahaba Valley Road and were created by an in-house artist who makes like creations for all holidays. 

Thankfully Natalie has blessed their presence; after all, who can reject a party-hat wearing kitty cat? Meow!

 

Eat What?!

One of my greatest fears in this tweeting, texting, emailing world in which we live, is that truth, genuine relationship, and understanding are taking backseat to perception, social networking, and efficiency. 

In the course of a day, a person can communicate with co-workers, read a book, watch a favorite TV show, order dinner, and peek into the lives of dozens of strangers without ever leaving the computer screen. Humanity is more "connected" to each other globally and locally than ever before because of technology yet we oftentimes have no idea how much our neighbor is struggling with loneliness or that our co-worker is about to file bankruptcy because we're too busy checking out so-and-so's Facebook status. This hurts my heart, and I think it hurts our Father's heart as well. 

God created us for relationship--with Him and with others. He wants us to be in constant relationship with Him through His Word, prayer and time enjoying His creation. He also desires for us to have community with one another and not just via email.

I've been convicted of my constant state of distraction and lack of time in the Word, and am praying for wisdom on how I spend my time. I want scripture to transform my life; unfortunately it's often just a glimpse over coffee before I fly out of the door in the morning.

Hebrews 4:12 says, "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." As Christians, this book is central to our very beings. I'm thinking, perhaps I should live in it a little bit more!

In his book Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading," Eugene Peterson says "Without this text, firmly established at the authoritative center of our communal and personal lives, we will founder. We will sink into a swamp of well-meaning but ineffectual men and women who are mired unmercifully in our needs and wants and feelings." 

Hence his wholehearted assertion to "EAT THIS BOOK," meaning to not just glance over it in passing, but to read, without distraction, intently and fully focused and with prayer for wisdom while doing so. To mull over passages, seek the Greek and Hebrew meanings of words, and spend time in memorization. But most importantly, we are called to LIVE scripture.

I love how Peterson describes this idea of living scripture:

"Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus' name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son."

My prayer is that you will find satisfaction and life in His Word along with me. Good night and sweet dreams!