Slightly Different Pumpkin Muffins

Hello friends!

So, here is the first recipe on my new adventure of less sugar and such. I was thinking that pumpkins are in season and so of course I needed to make pumpkin muffins.

These muffins were so good that they didn’t last that long in my house. I think they may have lasted a whole afternoon. Anyway, I hope you enjoy them! Oh, and don’t be intimidated by the almond flour, which is sometimes called almond meal, it is really easy to find and use. I found it at Publix, Kroger and my local Trader Joe’s. It looks very much like a wheat flour, but is ten times tastier. I’ve heard that it’s good to try at least one new thing a day…perhaps this could be the one thing new that you try today.

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

1 ½ cups almond flour
¾ cup canned pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup raw honey
2 teaspoons almond butter
1 Tablespoon sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare 12 muffin tins with paper cups or coat with oil. Mix all ingredients (minus the sliced almonds) and pour evenly into tins. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and allow to cool. Enjoy a taste of fall!

Messy Life Or See How Big My God Is

Hello!

Well, here I am again with my messy life. Aren’t you thrilled for me to share what has been going on? LOL…it isn’t really that bad, it has actually been a blessing. Well, before I get too much into my story, let me share first what God has been teaching me.
God is faithful! God is merciful! These are the two primary things that the Lord has been teaching me. I am sure that this will just be the first in a series of posts about the mercy of the Lord, because He is teaching me so much.
Okay, back to my life. As many of you know my family has been through many ups and downs this year. Between health issues, financial troubles, lose of jobs, and all that comes with those circumstances, we have simply put our trust in the Lord. And He has always been faithful! On a personal level, I have had a few set-backs in my plans, but again God has been faithful at providing purpose. So all in all it has been a crazy but good year. Please hear my heart…I am not complaining, I’m just sharing so you can see how God is showing up and showing off. (Side note: He loves to show up and show off in our lives!)
There is a song that I love by Sarah Kelly that shares about the mercy and faithfulness of God. She cries out, “Your mercy, everyday brand-new, is now the song that I sing too”. That has been my cry as I have been learning about His mercy. He gives me mercy to make it through this day. In reality, God loves for us to turn to Him in the midst of trials and ask for His mercy. He wants to give us His mercy. Many times I have read Lamentations 3: 22-23, and it has simply been words on a page, but it has become alive to me.
“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning” (NLT)
As I share in the next few posts of the precious mercy of the Lord, may you come to know His mercy in a fresh way. Until next time, dear friends, be blessed!

Eating Better and Why

Hey my friends,
Over the past few months I have been on a quest. It has been exciting and quite the wild ride. What is this quest that has been taking my adventurous mind on a wild ride? It is the quest for a healthier lifestyle, which includes eating better.
So, over the next few months, I will try to share some of the things that I have been learning. I can't wait to share some of the yummy recipes that I have tried. I really can't believe how yummy and good for my health these adventurous ingredients can be. Who would have thought that I would know how to use almond flour? Or how about ginger root? What about the wonderful pomegranate? I mean who even knows what those things are? Right?
Anyway, before I share all the exciting ingredients and why they are good for us. I want to share why I have jumped onto this adventure. I mean, I always thought that I was living a relatively healthy lifestyle. I love hiking in the outdoors. I love my fruits and veggies. I know that I love my chocolate, but I have always limited my sweet tooth...well, some of the time :) But in the big scheme of things, I know that I have always eaten well, at least compared to the rest of America.And there in lies the problem for me, I have always looked at myself compared to others.
I have begun to understand that just like with everything else in our lives, God cares about my health. Now don't get all weird on me! I know that my health may not be up there as most important on God's list (if God even has a list), but I am beginning to see the value in being healthy for Him.
First off, we were made in the image of God. Our body is truly a gift that He gave us. "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness'...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26-27)
Second, He made you and I perfect. We were His perfect design. "For you formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them." (Psalm 139:13-17) I always like to think that God wanted a friend with curly ashburn hair, blue eyes, dimples, a second toe that is longer than the big toe, knees that just look weird, and elbows so bony that they just stick out all the time. Yep, that's me...God's friend! He created me just the way I am, just because He needed a friend like me.
So, if God made me in His image and He made me just the way I am because He thinks that is perfect...why wouldn't I care about my health? To take it just a step further, the Holy Spirit lives inside me (a concept that I am still learning much about). Why wouldn't I want to be as healthy as possible to serve and glorify the Lord? I guess scripture describes it best in 1st Corinthians: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (6:19-20)
So, to sum all these crazy thoughts together: I love the Lord. He made me perfect and loves me. He wants health and wellness for me, simply because He loves me. And because I love Him and want to glorify Him, I want to be healthy in order to do just that.
I was pondering writing this blog and had almost decided not too, when I heard a speaker say this:
"I met a non-Christian who was telling me why she didn't want to attend a local church. She said that she would not attend that church because the pastor was over-weight. When asked why that made a difference to her, she said that it was because he obviously didn't have his life in order, so why should she listen to anything he had to say"
This statement hit me between the eyes. In a world where knowledge is easily available, medicine is accessible, and organic foods are around every corner, why is it that I have never thought that my outside could effect the way a non-believer would look at my God. Think about it! The above statement really makes sense.
Please hear my heart, I'm not saying that we should think about what others think about our appearance...but I am saying that we are the glory of the Lord. What does that look like in your life? I pray that it is looking a little better day by day in my life.
I love you guys and can't wait to share more of my adventurous quest in the posts to follow. Until then...be blessed!

Favorite Blueberry Muffins

Hey guys!

I meant to share this recipe earlier during blueberry season, but it is still yummy delicious anytime of year. And it's as easy as pie...wait, is pie really all that easy. Either way, this blueberry muffin recipe is really easy. It starts with cinnamon graham crackers, so that helps with the ease of this recipe.

Try it out...you won't go back to any other recipe.

18 Cinnamon graham crackers, finely crushed (about 3 cups of crumbs)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
2/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375. Mix graham crumbs, sugar and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside. Beat egg and milk until well blended. Add graham cracker mixture; stir just until moistened. Gently stir in blueberries. Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly and ENJOY!!!