Best Muffins EVER!

Blueberry Steel Cut Oat Muffins

 

1 cup Rogers Steel Cut Porridge Oats

1 cup water, boiling

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/4 cups Rogers All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
* I used frozen mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries and blueberries)

Pour boiling water over steel cut porridge oats in a bowl; stir. Let stand 10 minutes or longer if you have time. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin with  nonstick spray.

 

In a medium bowl, combine steel cut porridge oats, buttermilk, melted butter, egg, vanilla extract and brown sugar.

 

In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in blueberries to coat. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture, stirring until just combined (do not overwork the batter). Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake 20-25 minutes, until tops spring back lightly when touched. Cool slightly in muffin tin before transferring to racks to cool completely.

 

 

 Nutritional Information per 1 muffin

 204 calories, 6 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 248 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 14 g sugars, 5 g protein.

 

Fitness Friday: Documenting

I love the idea of documenting my fitness journey with something similar to what one blogger named  Cathy Zielske came up with. Each week I plan on taking a photo and jotting down my measurements so that I can chart my progress. I think it will help keep me on track and motivate me to keep going when I feel discouraged. I have to keep reminding myself that change takes TIME. Hopefully having visual evidence of my journey will  remind me that change is taking place even if the number on the scale is not budging (which is often the case).

 

I am finally going to the gym on a regular basis and I feel as though I am getting stronger, but I think that I am going to need to take things to the next level and start prepping my meals for the week if I want to start seeing more fat loss. I am terrible about meal planning. And I mean TERRIBLE! I have been trying for years to use a meal plan and have failed miserably.  After watching a handful of YouTube videos of people prepping food for the week, I have managed to carve out some time during one of Levi's naps to cook a pot of brown rice, bake a pan of  baked yams, chop veggies, and cook a bunch of lean protein. Having healthy options on hand makes staying on track MUCH easier.

 

I feel the need to explain, once again, that I am not trying to loose weight and get fit because I hate my body or because I am not comfortable in my skin.  I simply want to see what my body is capable of.  I am always curious what my body can do. It's part of the reason I gave birth naturally, ran a marathon, and have competed in triathlons. I love challenging my body and this is just a new "challenge".
 

I have always seen myself as "voluptuous", and "curvy", but for the first time in my life I actually believe that there is a firmer, stronger body under my curves and I would like to see what that looks like. I happen to like my curves, and I can always welcome them back if the "hard body" look I am trying to adopt is too hard to maintain or limits my lifestyle too much. It's simply an exciting new journey, especially since my days of growing and birthing babies is OVER!!!!!!

This life

 

Oh this life, this beautiful life. It is filled to the brim with the mundane as well as the extraordinary.

 

  

Today I was standing at our window with Levi, watching the city trucks collect our recycling, and found myself serenaded by the sweet movement of his body as he inhaled and exhaled with excitement. It was probably the only moment in the entire day where I found myself truly "in the moment" and reveling in its richness. I found myself marveling at the roundness of his cheeks, the way his hands clutched my shirt, the softness of his skin, and the shape of this little lips. Finding myself thinking "this is what makes life meaningful", "this is why I had this sweet boy in the first place". Seconds later, life came crashing in again, like an expected wave that still catches you off guard. A scraped knee, a wailing child, a lost toy, a hungry belly, an overturned dish, a phone call. All too quickly I found myself swept back into the frenzied, distracted pace that pre-occupies much of my day.

 

These Days: February

 

Wearing
a purple knit cardigan from Bootlegger and my favorite pair of black yoga jeans (my momma was kind enough to mend them for me during her recent visit)

Feeling

honored to have been asked to serve on the board for our local pregnancy crises center
 

Blog Loving
 lifestyle photographers Jenny Jimenez and Logan Cole

Reading
STRONG fitness Magazine

Wishing

that I was better about carving out time with my hubby

 

Enjoying
my clean vehicle (thanks momma!)

 

Drinking
half a cup of coffee every couple of days (when I need extra energy)

 

Dreaming
about the day that Claire goes to Kindergarten (is that terrible?)

Eating
lots of frozen blueberries and plain Greek yogurt

Listening
to "Inspirational Rhymers" on Spotify when I am working out at the gym

 

Feeling
irritated at the clutter in my house

Learning
to let myself crash once awhile

  

Struggling
to be productive after the children go to bed

Starting
to train with a personal trainer once every two weeks
 

Attempting
to prep healthy meals for myself  (today I made spinach and Havarti stuffed chicken breasts, roasted sweet potatoes and brown rice). Hopefully it will last me all week.

 

Watching
YouTube videos about women who have transformed their bodies with weightlifting.
 

Thinking
about how to be more efficient with my time



 

Rambling

 

 

After taking an extended break from blogging, I often have a hard time deciding what to write about.  After a lovely Christmas and a holiday with friends and family, my mind and my desktop are stuffed with memories. Perhaps I should give myself the permission to ramble on about whatever pops into my head.

I still have crumbs on the lips from the most delicious homemade bread that Amelia brought home from sparks a couple days ago. I NEED to find out who made it and get the recipe. Have I mentioned how much I love good food!

 

I am trying to motivate myself to finish waxing a dresser for a friend. She gave birth to a sweet baby boy this week and I am sure she would appreciate the extra storage space.

I tried tackling our finances today after taking a break from adding up receipts for the past year. Yikes. We seem to chronically live outside our means despite our best efforts to live on a budget. We are still trying to find the balance between being "good stewards" and "living a little".

I finally packed away the last of our Christmas décor away and have started a gallery wall dedicated to our travels. It gives me SUCH intense joy to glance over at photos of the far flung places we have traveled, especially now that my world is so small. Nathaniel and I have started dreaming about the day we will be able to take our kiddos to Hawaii. I can just picture Amelia hording anoles (little lizards), Claire loosing her mind over all the flowers and Levi frolicking in the waves.

Speaking of Levi, he has FINALLY started sleeping through the night. Hallelujah! The world is a whole lot more sparkly with a decent night of sleep.

 

Nathaniel's schedule at worked changed and I am thoroughly enjoying the change in our routine. I love that he is home by 4:30pm everyday, the fact that the children get to spend more time with him after school and that I don't have to deal with the girls at bedtime  (my least favorite part of the day).

 

I am so glad that we went up to Kamloops to visit our friends and frolic in the snow, because I have a feeling that we won't be doing much of that around here anytime soon. I finally got a chance to go through our pictures over the holidays and choose a few to share.

Making perfect snowballs with Allan.

Enjoying a delicious breakfast at the Dodd's house.
 

Captivating scenery

Sledding is pretty awesome when you don't have to climb up the hill. Props for the guy who brought two ski-doo along with him

And made an awesome fire to keep all the kiddos warm.
 

 

 So much snow!!!!

These logging trucks reminded me of my childhood when my parents would take my siblings and I  up the mountain to go sledding.

Babies and snowflakes falling out of the sky!

 

Gratitude

 

My heart feels full of gratitude this dark, early morning. I am grateful for hot, soapy water  to wash out pukey bowls, for a washing machine, for a hot cup of Echinacea tea, for cozy socks, a decent night of sleep and the fact that my sweaty, sleepy baby is happy being carried around on my back while I get stuff done.

 

  Although it was NOT nice to wake up to a puking baby, I can't help but think "at least it was not the middle of the night", "at least Nate was home to help with the sheets", "at least it is a Saturday and I am not trying to get the girls ready for school". The remainder of our morning was spent listening to classical Irish music on spotify and slowly catching on the dishes that I did not have the energy to tackle the night before.

 

Gratitude.

It is not always easy to find things to be grateful for in the midst of a crummy situation, but it is a valuable skill to have.

 

Lately I have been reading a heavy peice of medical literature about the horrific conditions in which people lived in the 1800's. As a result I have found myself appreciating the things in my life that I ordinarily take for granted. I also find myself overwhelmed with gratitude that I don't have to watch my children die of scurvy or starvation. Man, if that doesn't put things into perspective, I don't know what will.  

 

We have SO much to be grateful for.

 

I admit I have not been a source of gratitude the past couple of years. I have grumbled and complained a great deal. I have not always been enjoyable to be around. I have been guilty of being cynical, critical and negative.  Sleep deprivation has certainly played a role in my attitude and in my ability to cope with life, but I think it is possible to have a cheerful heart and a positive outlook despite one's circumstances. I admire people would have been through insane amounts of loss and brokenness and yet are still able to utter the words penned by a man named Horatio G. Spafford. You may recognize the words...

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
   When sorrows like sea billows roll;
   Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
   It is well, it is well with my soul.
2.  

I feel as though the Lord is working on this area of my life right now, teaching me that it means to be able to say "it is well with my soul". Teaching me how to have an "attitude of gratitude" as my father would say. It sounds corny, but there is incredible beauty in those words.

 

 

Quote of the day

 

"The emotional labor pains of becoming a mother are far greater than the physical pangs of birth; these are the growing surges of your heart as it pushes out selfishness and fear and makes room for sacrifice and love. It is a private and silent birth of the soul, but it is no less holy than the event of childbirth, perhaps it is even more sacred."- Joh Kusek