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Friday Favorites – October 12th, 2018

Happy Friday!  It has been quite the week over here. It has been an exhausting but fulfilling week.  Work kept me challenged in the best way this week but things on the home front left me exhausted.  Katie has a pretty bad cold that has kept both of us up for at least two hours each night. We saw her pediatrician yesterday for her 15 month check-up and he confirmed that it is a bad cold. Unfortunately, at this age there aren’t many things you can give infants to help with the cough and post nasal drip so all we can do is comfort and continue to push fluids and give Ibuprofen or Tylenol in addition to the natural chest rub and cough syrup we are using.  Luckily, we don’t have any plans this weekend other than a casual date night in Brooklyn tonight. Since cooler weather has finally arrived, I think we’ll get into the fall spirit by buying some pumpkins, baking and spending a lot of time outside. Hopefully the fresh air will help Katie feel better!

gourds

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

  • I picked up the ingredients for this healthy white chicken chili at the grocery store yesterday. Filled with mushrooms, beans and ground chicken, this healthy white chicken chili recipe has a ton of flavor and is always a favorite in our household.
  • Did you know that baking is one of my favorite ways to relax? I’m hoping to find time to bake pumpkin bread and these soft pumpkin cookies. I mean how can you go wrong when a recipe promises chewy pumpkin cookies with salted maple frosting?
  • Since I left my favorite Fresh lip balm on the airplane last week, I took that as a sign to order two new tints for the season – spice and petal.
  • I’m focused on improving my mental game in advance of next week’s half marathon. Therefore, I’m spending my spare time reading Deena Kastor’s memoir, Let Your Mind Run and reading multiple race recaps from inspirational running friends like Charlie and Janae.
  • Just when I needed something to make me smile earlier this week, my friend Leslie shared this homecoming video on Facebook. Holy heck this dance team is incredible! I love the theme and the fact that everyone was cheering and clearly in awe.
  • Last week during my brother’s wedding weekend, I received multiple compliments on not only the dress but also my eyelashes aka mascara. As many of you know, I have very short, stubby lashes and have rarely found a mascara that will both lengthen and provide ooomph without making me look like a crazy lady. This L’Oreal mascara goes on easily, without clumps, and miraculously comes off when I wash my face. I’ve tried many mascaras that are double and triple the cost but this one is my favorite since it adds length and volume with a perfect consistency.

I’m hoping to hop back on here later this weekend to share a few of my favorite wardrobe items for fall as well as tips for traveling with a 15-month old. But now, it’s time to shutdown my computer and say hello to the weekend! Have a wonderful weekend friends!

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Grain and Sugar Free Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Hello! I am so thrilled to help fill in for Ashley as she takes care of her new baby girl! I remember how wonderful (and sleep deprived) those first moments were … so I am wishing her the best as she recovers and enjoys all of those baby cuddles.

My name is Laury, and I started a blog in 2009 called The Fitness Dish. After the birth of my second child I took a few years off from blogging to focus on my family and my business … but now I am back! My blog has a new name and a new look, and I am so excited to be connecting with this community again!

I am a power yoga instructor, sports nutritionist, personal trainer, and mom who teaches people how to create healthier habits in all areas of wellness. On my blog, you will find recipes for low-sugar meals, DIY beauty & skincare, wellness tips, as well as some yoga & fitness sprinkled in.  It is basically all of my passions poured into one place.

Ashley said you guys needed more breakfast ideas, so I am going to share one of my FAVORITE freezer-friendly muffin recipes with you today.

I created this a few years ago for my son when he was doing baby-led weaning, and I was nursing (and ravenous).

Many of my friends and family make this still today, and love it!

These muffins have NO added sugar, so they are best enjoyed warm, topped with some grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil on top.

You can certainly add some Grade-B maple syrup (I would suggest about 1/4 cup) of you think you or those you’re serving it to would love a tad more sweetness.

If you are doing a program like The Whole 30, these are compliant (just use coconut oil instead of butter).

Adding more healthy fats in place of the added sugar for flavor was key for me in reducing overall sugar in my diet. It is satiating and keeps my belly full and taste buds happy!

I am lucky to have a flexible job, working from home and teaching yoga at the studio several hours per week.

However, there is a lot of running around and chaos that happens daily.

Mornings are full with work outside the home, afternoons I am with my 3-year-old son and 75-pound high-energy puppy (all while trying to sneak in computer work for my home-business during nap-time if it happens).

Once my husband is home from the office I am usually running off to teach yoga classes.

A flexible job where you can be home a few hours during the day has its perks, for which I am grateful, but it also presents its own set of challenges.

Having food prepped for easy grab and go is crucial for us to stay on our healthy eating game.

Picking one day to make a bunch of things ahead for breakfast and lunches (as well as planning my dinner menu) has been super helpful.

These grain and sugar-free blueberry muffins have been a staple in that rotation!

 

 

GRAIN-FREE BLUEBERRY MUFFIN RECIPE

makes 12 muffins

ingredients:

  • 1-2 ripe plantains (2 cups, pureed)
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk (I like this brand: guar gum and BPA-free; you can also use raw grass-fed whole milk)
  • 3 TBSP coconut oil, melted
  • 5 eggs (pastured and soy-free a plus!)
  • 1 cup frozen organic blueberries, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the plantains skin lengthwise with a sharp knife to remove the peel (make sure they are ripe, or they will be very hard and a regular blender won’t handle them). Puree plantain in blender or food processor. Meanwhile, sift dry ingredients in a bowl (you can just add them to a bowl and whisk them together). Add half of the blueberries and milk to the blender and quickly blend. Add melted coconut oil and vanilla to a bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer and start mixing. Add plantain/blueberry mixture and scrape down sides until just combined. Alternate dry ingredients and eggs and make sure it is combining, but try not to over-mix. Add remaining blueberries hand stir in. Pour batter into parchment muffins liners in muffin tins. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Please let us know if you try them.

If you have the time and want to pop over to my blog to say hi … I’d love to “meet” you!

Thanks for reading!

XO

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Fall Salad Recipes

healthy fall salad recipes

This week I have the pleasure of hosting Charlie, who some of you may remember from my time living abroad. A wonderful friend who I keep up with through email, text and social media, we hadn’t seen each other in a year since she lives in London. Hosting her post marathon has provided us the perfect opportunity to catch up. Tonight, around 5:30pm I realized that though I was hosting her for dinner this evening, I unfortunately had no ingredients in my fridge. Instead, when I opened the fridge looking for inspiration I had the harsh realization that I haven’t been to the grocery store this week.  Does this happen to anyone else? 

Anytime I need quick dinner inspiration, I turn to Pinterest. With a few easy search terms, which included fast, easy, healthy, fall and salad this evening, I had more than 50 different recipes at my fingertips just in time to head to the grocery store. Many of these use a few of the same ingredients, such as pecans, maple syrup, and cranberries, which means that if you buy a larger package,  you can keep the leftovers in your pantry to use for the next week’s Fall salad.

In case your meal planning needs some inspiration, here is a round-up of healthy, delicious Fall salads that are filled with flavor, nutrients and enough protein and fat to leave you satiated.

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