Do you have aging fruit? No worries, make muffins.

 

Steel-cut blueberry muffins

Don't let your blueberries or bananas see the compost bin this weekend! Instead, try one of these healthy muffin recipes.

1. Gluten-free banana-nut muffins (recipe after the jump)

I make these muffins with Bob Mill's gluten-free biscuit and baking flour mix. They're really fluffy and sweet with little sugar added.

2. Blueberry muffins with steel-cuts  (recipe here-see notes below)

Steel-cuts are usually reserved for a weekend breakfast, due to the cooking time. Make a little extra and put them in your blueberry muffins for added satiety, and health benefits. This recipe is from NY Times, and they are sweetened with real maple syrup, so no refined sugar added! If you're used to a sweeter muffin, you can add a 1/4 cup brown sugar. I think they are much better with a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. 

Healthy Hump-Day Dinners

Not many people I know have endless hours available to prepare themselves healthy meals, myself included. So, I thought I would start sharing my favorite mid-week meals that take very little effort.

The first hump-day dinner is brought to you by Trader Joe's Indian Fare. Trader Joe's in general is great for these I-have-no-time-to-cook dilemmas, but today I'm featuring one of my favorite (and cheap) finds. If you don't have a TJ's, no worries. I have found similar fare at any health food's grocery in different brands. My favorite is the Punjab Choley, the texture of the chickpeas makes me not miss any meat in this meal. Just to warn you, this one is spicy! There are other varieties that are available with a lot less kick.

 My Vanna White showing off the product

I often serve these Indian dinner packets with brown rice and broccoli. I make the brown rice the morning of in my rice cooker, and set the timer so it's ready when I get home. Then, I steam the broccoli and set it aside. Then just pop the packet in the same boing water the the broccoli was steamed over, and 3-4 minutes later you're done! 

Happy Monday. How was your weekend?

Unfortunately, I've been feeling under the weather. I must have caught something at school, so most of my weekend looked like this. 

Before I fell victim to the cold last week, I made my friend Anna a birthday cake (I got the idea from Jordan's blog Oh happy day! ) and I wanted to share with you the present I gave her...

The little flower thing at the bottom ^ is a snack bag. They are from Semilla, which a a very cute family company that makes baggies with organic cotton, and lines them with a non-toxic nylon lining. They are also BPA free. They would be a cute and affordable gift for a mom with young children, or anyone who snacks regularly. I also love the different fabric designs. Their website also features a blog with lots of healthy, sweet snack recipes. Hope you have a happy, healthy week!

Stay Fresh

Buying organic means your veggies don't last as long, do you know these simple tricks?

Keep root veggies and asparagus upright in a little water. This has saved many of my carrots. 

Also, after buying celery- clean and trim stalks and store them in a container filled with water, make sure they are fully submerged.

What are your favorite stay-fresh tips? 

Recipe: Jam Cookie

I like baking any kind of cookie, but these ones are appropriate for a healthy living blog ;) Trust me, they are delicious. You can use any jam on hand. I had blueberry and strawberry this time around. They go great with tea or coffee breaks, and the best part about them is they don't require any refined sugar or butter to make...or maybe the best is they are so tiny you can eat a few of them at time. The recipe is after the jump.