Baking always gives me a chance to decompress; it’s a time-out for my brain’s to-do list and instead lets me focus on the simple tasks of scooping, measuring, and mixing to the beat of chill music.
Since I love long-distance endurance training, running, biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing; therefore, I need carbs and protein to keep me going. I’m not a fan of grocery store pastries as they tend to be quite cakey or too sweet. Even good bakeries tend to overdo the sugar they use, and having a hard spike in my insulin means a crash where I’m moody and hungry. If I need the extra protein, I pair a scone with a boiled egg, and it’s an excellent base for prolonged endurance activity. I use the vanilla protein powder and the sugar substitute Monk Fruit to lower their glycemic index and make them slightly healthier. If you want the original recipe, adapted from Salley’s Baking Addiction, you can find it here.
Blueberry Protein Scones
Adapted from Salley’s Baking Addiction
Ingredients
1 & ½ Cups of All Purpose Flour
½ Cup of Vanilla Protein Powder
½ Cup of Monk Fruit Sugar
½ Teaspoon of Salt
2 & ½ Teaspoons of Baking Powder
½ Cup of Frozen Butter
½ Cup of Cream (and a bit extra (2 tablespoons for the top, or milk)
1 Large Egg
1 & ½ Teaspoons of Vanilla
½ Cup of Frozen Blueberries- (frozen is best; then they don’t get squished when mixing)
Brown Sugar to put on top (not required, but I like it)
Directions
Mix flour, protein powder, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
Take out the frozen butter and a box grater to grate it onto a cutting board.
Put the butter scrapes into the flour mixture and mix, then put the bowl in the fridge to keep cold.
Use a beater or whisk to combine the cream, egg, and vanilla in a smaller bowl.
Bring out the large bowl and pour the wet ingredient along with the blueberries into the bowl. Mix with a spoon, and then use your hands to squish it all into a ball. You may need more cream or flour here, depending on the texture.
Once the ingredients are together, I take out a large piece of parchment paper and put the ball on a lightly floured surface. I used a rolling pin and my hand to flatten it into a disc. At this point, I usually wrap the disc in the paper with saran wrap and put it into the freezer for future use. (I typically pull the frozen disc out before a weekend road trip).
But if you are making them right away, store the disc in the freezer and set the oven to 400F.
When the oven is near temperature, take the disc out and cut it into triangles or slices. I usually cut into smaller pieces and make 12 scones, but if you prefer, you can make 6 larger ones.
Then brush the top of the scones with cream and sprinkle with brown sugar. They take about 24 minutes in my oven, but everyone’s oven is different, so check them at 22 min and leave in longer if they are larger sections.
Once they have cooled, try not to eat them all at once!
Store them in an open bowl or empty plate. If you seal them in a plastic bag or container, they lose the dry flakey flavor and taste cakier (unless you prefer that texture).
I’m pretty impulsive, I see something on social media or hear someone rave about a new travel destination, restaurant, or activity, and I want to try it too! Once I noticed the social media post that the Vancouver Marathon was having its 50th anniversary, I could not miss it! I probably run 1-2 times a week, but I never seriously took the time to train for one. When I twisted my co-worker’s arm into signing up for the run with me, he promptly sent over a spreadsheet with a run schedule. Ooh, structure, I have never had a system before.
Monday: Rest Day Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday: 5-10 km Runs Days Friday: Rest Day Saturday: Long Run 10-15 km Runs Sunday: Cross-training day (Bike, yoga, weight training, etc.)
This training schedule was adapted from this popular running site.
This schedule was so important to me; I followed about 80% of it. Sometimes work or social events got in the way, and I skipped some of the runs. But the consistency of completing the running made me feel like a superhero. Committing to the runs even when I didn’t feel like it made me realize I could push myself. That, coupled with the runner’s high, seemed to flow into my day-to-day life. Whether it was cold, windy, or if I was sore or tired, I was still pushing myself to get the miles in. I feel like that training reflects how actual life flows; you’re not going to be the best version of yourself daily, but if you keep showing up, that consistent discipline adds up and makes you physically and mentally stronger.
Running Q&A
While I was training, I was asked these questions:
Do you train with anyone?
Immediately I thought I didn’t want to run with anyone, and I didn’t want to hold anyone back; I needed to run at my own pace. There’s no point; I have my headphones, and we won’t be able to talk to each other anyways. However, the curious part of me thought, why not try it and see? So, I asked my co-worker, Michael, to join me for our weekend-long runs. Training with someone was incredible; it always seems easier to suffer from someone than alone! His pace always started faster but ended slower, while I did the opposite, picking up speed near the end of the run, squeezing the last bit of energy left. So, our running dynamic probably balanced and pushed us to be better runners. Also, Michael introduced me to the famous guided run coach from the Nike Run Club, coach Bennett. The free app allows you to choose your running time or distance and have someone chime into “coach” or pump you up during your run. I found this helpful as the encouragement from this virtual coach helped push me to run longer or distract me from running pains.
Training in Edmonton
Are you on a special diet?
No, I ate more carbs (I love baking pastries) during training and drank more water, but I never tracked what I ate. Now that I’m training for yet another run and trying to assess nutrition a bit more. Whether or not fasted runs or eating certain foods before help. I find that running has leveled out my hormones, and I’m not as hungry when I’m consistently running. It’s weird; the lazier I am, the more I feel like eating, maybe because I associate snaking with watching tv, and that habit has been replaced by running! Does anyone sit down to watch a movie or show without eating a snack, or is it just me?
How do you stay motivated?
Honestly, I prefer to take the path of least resistance; I think most of us are. But if someone were going to hand me a pill and say swallow this and that I will be marathon ready in 8 weeks, I wouldn’t want to take it. The most grueling part for me is always just putting on my shoes and going outside. My overactive brain says several things like I’m too tired, busy, sore, hungry, full, etc., to run; however, the reality is that my body is the one doing the work. Your brain doesn’t do the heavy lifting, and nine times out of ten, the days my mind told me I would probably have a bad run because of some narrative that kept me spiraling and procrastinating the runs till the last minute usually turned out to be the best ones. After this pattern repeated itself repeatedly, I just started going out with less trying to analyze whether I should. So shut up, brain. Do your quads burn? Is your breath panting? I didn’t think so. Running is a roller coaster ride; there are up and downs, and the ride will feel different every time you embark on it. I’m addicted to the runner’s high, but my brain often forgets this when getting started. Here is the playlist I made when I was training.
Vancouver Running Playlist
Pre-Marathon
Michael and I arrived three days before the run and didn’t do any more training and chose to eat and bike our way around the city instead. We stayed at the Sutton Place Hotel. It’s a few blocks from the train and a great central location for exploring the city. Also, running the BMO Vancouver Marathon in the spring is the perfect time to see the cherry blossoms blooming all over the city.
Vancouver Food
Here are the restaurants we went to, and I highly recommend them!
Delayed an hour due to a mysterious package on the course, we stood cold and anxious at Elizabeth Park to get started. But once we did, what a race. The weather was cool and mild, slightly overcast with no wind, the ideal temperature for a long-distance run. The city horizon and a calm harbor came into view. We charged across the bridge with several other yellow coral runners (hoping to make it in 2:20 min). Supporters ran bells, cameras clicked, and posters of Ryan Gosling (who else would you want in your cheering squad) brought a smile to my face as I was finally in it. All the training added to that moment. While cruising through China town, a man meagerly pulled his dog through the course while smoking his joint. While the scent wafted through the air in front of me, it caused me to burst out laughing; British Columbia is known for its solid and good weed. The course blended oceanside air, lush greenery, and urban building. Other sights I remember were seniors who had met for their morning coffee and pastries at what looked like a local bakery; others stood in line for what must have been a trending breakfast spot, all while we runners clapped our feet on the pavement past them. In the race’s final leg, I felt entirely warmed up to the run; the crowd’s perfect weather, scenery, and energy made me want to pick up my pace. Soon I could see the 2:20 pace bunny and knew I would beat my un-trained Sea wheeze run. As I began to charge ahead, I knew the work I had done allowed me to be running as a better version of myself. I ended up coming in a 2:08, twelve minutes faster than my previous race!
Vancouver BMO 1/2 MarathonVancouver Marathon Finish LineVancouver BMO 21.5 RunVancouver BMO Run
Final Thoughts
If you’ve never trained for a race, I highly recommend it, regardless of distance or experience. The best part is the journey, the good runs, and even the horrible ones you are most proud of enduring. One time I ran through 40 km wind gusts, and I still laugh when I remember that moment. The most crucial part is that you are moving towards a goal that encourages you to be present while training to get there; enjoy the ride! Vancouver is a beautiful city, and the BMO marathon is such an incredible event; I’m so glad I passed the finish line and recommend this race to anyone looking to run an epic marathon. Vancouver is a beautiful city that is easily walkable and runnable!
For those planning your post-pandemic vacation, also being described as the revenge vacation, I have a simple hack that will make it easier for you to narrow it down. If you’re anything like me, the multitude of social media images and blog posts has scrambled my brain and made my ability to decide on only one travel destination a challenging feat.
When it comes to vacation planning, I needed to create something to stop me from getting overwhelmed, so I constructed a spreadsheet that lined up my values and interests, which was the fastest way for me to put a bullseye on where to buy my next ticket. Some of you may have different values or factors to consider (ie, children, distance, and duration) that you may add to your count.
For myself, the following elements to consider are essential:
How much to spend on a vacation is a personal choice, lifestyle factors like home ownership, debt, or children can deter you from staying at t Ritz and flying first class, but even on a lower budget, traveling can be affordable. Knowing I will always want to plan another vacation when I get home, I tend to spend less on accommodations and splurge on activities.
What do you want to do when you get to your destination? For me, swimming is number one on a summer vacation list. Getting into a refreshing body of water feels amazing, and bonus points if I can rent a nearby paddleboard.
Sometimes I want to escape with no make-up, do strenuous physical activity, and hang out with a book at my hotel. However, when I’m on a long flight, I want to transpose myself into a much more unique world than I’m currently in. Less time at the hotel, more time out and about. Seeing and being seen, I want to hear other languages, see people dressed in fabulous clothing, and taste delicious food.
Lately, my trips have consisted of me packing sandwiches, beef jerky, and baked goods. When traveling abroad, I love hunting down must-try restaurants. I like to experience the variety of new flavors a country offers and adopt a “see food” diet; I eat anything I see that looks good. Then, back home, I can go back to more short staples. Cities with food I wouldn’t typically see in restaurants in Edmonton, Canada, must be explored!
When I travel, I want to have as stress-free a trip as possible; this means the place I’m visiting has a robust transportation system. Renting a car in an unknown city is far from ideal—driving on the left-hand side of the road, or a stand, and traffic, no thanks. If I can take a train, uber, bus, or use the “heel, toe” express to get around, it makes the destination much more favorable.
Put all these factors together, and this is what my sheet looks like:
I used this spreadsheet to help me narrow my decision down to Spain. As a solo traveler, it seems like an accessible country to navigate for a shorter time frame. I can’t wait to see how much fun traveling in Spain will be! I hope you can use this as a template when you are scratching your head for your next getaway.
The juxtaposition of the view is remarkable. First, you may feel the melancholy, fires destroyed approximately 30,000 hectares of land in 2017, but now there is an influx of fresh greenery popping throughout; hope sprouts post-tragedy.
The small town is charming with souvenir shops and restaurants that only span two blocks of the street and a beautiful lake on the other to enjoy pre or post-meal stroll. For me, walkable destinations on vacation are favorable. One, I’m lazy, and two, I want to drink a beer and not worry about the stress of driving, traffic, parking, etc. From the center of Waterton, you can walk to beaches, restaurants, hikes, or rent bicycles to cruise around with.
Bear’s Hump Hike
Crypt Lake Hike
Our first hike was to the famous Crypt lake. This trail is only accessible by boat, and can often be fully booked, so plan ahead. It’s a long hike that requires a lot of water and sunscreen as we attempted it in the middle of summer. Crypt is the Greek word for “secret” as the hike reaches its end, the secret is revealed beyond a tunnel and steep hill. This last part terrified my mother, so this “secret” lake remains as such for me. Oh well, perhaps just an incentive to return and do it again? Book the shuttle here:
Bertha Lake is an excellent medium-intensity 8 km hike; you walk from town to the base near the campground.
Bertha Lake
Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon
Paddleboard or kayak: I brought an inflatable paddle board that was the perfect break from sweaty days of hiking. A lot of people out on kayaks too. (You can easily rent these in town if you don’t have your own). The water was on the cooler side but still suitable for a quick swim.
Bike- rent or BYOB 😊
Eats
Pearls is my favorite breakfast food; this café had terrific coffee and delicious food. Pearls
After two canceled trips to Mexico, I racked my brain for places to recharge that would be adventurous and relaxing for a family vacation with my parents. However, horror stories of stranded travelers and increased costs prompted me to consider a local trip instead. Having driven to Vancouver Island from Edmonton, I knew the distance and rise in gas prices couldn’t compete with Flair’s $100 flight to the island.
While Victoria, British Columbia’s capital city, is most often sought out with direct flights or ferries and shuttles. However, I decided to take advantage of the lesser-known Comox, which offered a cheaper & less busy flight and a rental car; book one in advance; the checkout counter had a sign that said they were sold out! I spent a few days exploring Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Nanoose Bay, Coombs, Ucluelet, and Tofino. It sounds like many destinations, but these are quieter, smaller towns with most people found content on a beach with a picnic.
Qualicum Beach
Qualicum Beach
We chose the longer ocean route to get to our hotel and stopped to have lunch on the beach. My mother packed us an entire lunch of sandwiches and fruit, which I swore we would have to throw away at security, but we were able to keep to our luck! This town has a Saturday market to check out if you fly on this day, but we were eager to check in to our resort and enjoy a drink in the sun.
Qualicum Beach
Parksville
Rathtrevor Provincial Park
We stopped at a grocery store to pick up more snacks, smoked salmon, cheeses, and fruit. We then headed to Rathtrevor Provincial Park, a lovely park with a nice beach full of kites and picnic tables. We came here once for a walk and then the following day for a 5km run through the park before heading for lunch.
Rathtrevor Beach
Nanoose Bay
View from the Pacific Shores Resort
We stayed at the Pacific Shores Resort, which was great. It has an indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna, which we enjoyed each night. My dad and I also borrowed ping pong paddles and played a few games to give my mother a break from us for an hour! There were the most beautiful sunsets in the evenings, and with outdoor propane firepits, it was a charming way to end the evening. Several families brought smore kits and roasted marshmallows with their kids. We snacked on the meat, cheese, and beer we bought in Parksville.
Sunset at the Pacific Shore ResortNotch Hill Loop
Activities:
Rathover Park- 5km loop to run or walk
Nanoose Loop – 2.9Km loop that we choose to run, nice gravel trail.
Notch Hill Loop Trail- 5 km loop with a view of the bay and a swing!
Coombs
Coombs
A quick stop, most people come to see the goats that walk on the roof of the building; however, there is much more to discover at this stop. This pit stop was the liveliest place we found on our trip. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at an Italian restaurant, Cuckoo. I bought some fresh doughnuts from Billy G’s doughnut shop and more snacks from the market, which was quite ample. There, were picked up heart-shaped truffle cheese, the tastiest sausages, and an apple galette. I would also recommend the cheese bread and pies if we had time and more real estate in our stomachs!
Cuckoo Restaurant Coombs
Ucluelet
Wild Pacific Trail
We stayed at the Blackrock Resort. It is a picturesque place on the ocean, with an outdoor hot tub, and is steps away from the West Pacific trail. There is also a beach where some people had made fires and cozily eaten near- something to plan for the next time we go! We opted for a room with a kitchenette to cook breakfast in (eating out every day isn’t ideal for us); the room had high ceilings, a nice balcony to sit out and listen to the ocean on, and a large soaker tub. It is also dog friendly if you planning to bring a furry family member.
Wild Pacific Trail
Tofino
Long Beach
We went to Tofino to do a bear tour via boat. Unfortunately, the covered boat was not available, so we ended up with these bright red spacesuit-looking overalls in an open boat. We have several bears in Alberta, so the sightings weren’t too eventful. But my mother wearing the red get-up was priceless. If I went again, I would do a seaplane tour, as it would be cool to see the beaches from that unique vantage point. We stopped at Shelter for lunch, which had a lovely, heated patio with a fireplace and a great view.
Tofino Eats
The catch of the day, cooked over an open fire at the Zedd hotel was our best meal of the trip!
At the Zedd Hotel & Shelter
Activities:
Atelo– recommended by our guide for seaplane tours
Chesterman Beach-Nice beach for walking and watching surfers
Wild Pacific Trail
Chasing Waterfalls
Qualicum Falls
Road Trip Pit Stops
To break up our drive, we visited Cathedral Grove and Qualicum Falls, and they were the perfect easy hiking spots! Hope you enjoyed this post and are inspired to take your own trip to the majestic Vancouver Island!
When Instagram began, its purpose was to maintain contact with existing friends through sharing small images thumbnails. It’s 2022, and Instagram has expanded into one of the most powerful branding tools for businesses and content creators. Due to the nature of the internet, when I started researching how to use the powerful app as a marketing tool, I was very distracted (so many exciting profiles!) and overwhelmed (how do I use this thing?). I had a personal account that I used to have fun with and post about my day-to-day life, but the account was taken down after a cryptocurrency scam (long story and good learning lesson). Fortunately, I had two versions that featured photography that I would do as a side hustle, and I decided to apply some newfound knowledge as I began to learn about branding through the app. By sharing details about learning social media, I discovered that many of them had the same interest in it as I did. These business owners knew how powerful a marketing tool it was but were also quite apprehensive about using it for themselves. I’m going to use this blog as a tool to help myself as I continue to learn about social media marketing. I also want to help others break down these apps into tiny bite-sized pieces that anyone can implement to help them gain a larger audience for their businesses.
So here is step one of creating your brand. Have a professional-looking headshot or logo for your profile picture. Depending on your budget, you can hire a photographer or graphic artist to make these for you. But do not rush this process. Journal and think about how you want your brand to look before investing a great deal of money. If you don’t have the finances right away, using a cellphone and having a clean, colored background is an easy way to look professional. Canva and Kapwing are great websites to help you with this! And if you are still scratching your head feel free to email me, and I can help you with this process!
Ski Marmot Basin, the parking lots are staggered up the mountain so if you want to bring a cooler and come back to your car for snacks or wardrobe changes it’s convenient. Or take a shuttle from the hotel so you can enjoy some spicy Cesar’s with your lunch!
Ski Marmot Basin
2. Stay at the Whistler’s Inn, is located in the center of town and has two rooftop hot tubs.
Stay in Whistler’s Inn
3. Visit Jasper Park Lodge for Sunday buffet brunch. I’ve stayed here a few times; it’s quite the treat, but also quite the expense. If you can afford it, treat yourself! If not, pop in to enjoy their amenities, go to the spa and enjoy the outdoor heated pool, rent skates and do some loops, or enjoy a Sunday breakfast brunch. The hotel has a rustic charm and it worth visiting just to walk the grounds with a hot chocolate and enjoy a cocktail in the lounge.
4. Visit Pyramid Lake for pictures where a tight group of trees sits on a remote island circled by mountains. We went early and were lucky to get the private little island to ourselves. Strike a pose and re-create it in each season!
Pyramid Lake
You can also pick up cross country ski’s, skates or snowshoes at Pyramid Lake Resort.
5. Participate in a hike on the Maligne Canyon, make sure you purchase foot covers for the walk. You are walking on sheets of ice, pick some up at the store in town, they are worth the money. Or, if you are feeling extra adventurous, try ice climbing. I’ve visited the canyon three times now and never miss it; each visit is unique with the amount of snow or colors exposed to the frozen water. It’s an easy trek that will take about an hour, depending on how many pictures you stop to take…
Maligne Canyon
6. Spot the locals! Jasper is known for elk, bighorn sheep and moose roaming close to the roads.
Local Jasper Residents
7. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Candy Bear’s Lair . There’s a great candy shop for your sweet tooth’s with fresh fudge and chocolate bear paws.
8. Dance party? If you still have the energy to shake it at night, go to the 4peaks Night Club.
9. Enjoy a great beer at the Jasper Brewing Company, and I like the Blackeye Blueberry Vanilla Ale.
10. Um, I like photos, of any kind, go if only for the photo opportunities!
Valentine’s day is for love, and I love chocolate! Since I have a pretty big sweet tooth I decided to make my own cake and share with those I love. Mostly my Dad, he gets a lot of love this V-day since I’m still a single lady. Making something from scratch makes me appreciate and savor dessert more. This cake turned out fabulously was work the work!
1 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla almondmilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 cups packed blanched fine almond flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use a high quality version)
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
For the paleo chocolate frosting:
1 (14 ounce) can coconut cream
1 ½ cups dairy free chocolate chips
Pinch of salt
I used two baking pans, and yes the parchment paper is a must, easy to arrange the cake after and risk ripping it. To enhance it, I used pecans and raspberries, but you can change the fruit or add valentine’s inspired candies if you wish.
Making your frosting: Add the coconut cream, chocolate chips and a pinch of salt to a small pot and place over low heat. Whisk until melted. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to harden for 6 hours or until hard. Overnight is best!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of three 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Spray parchment paper and side of pan with nonstick cooking spray. YOU SHOULD USE PARCHMENT PAPER or the cake is likely to stick. Please do not forget.
In a large bowl, mix together the melted and cooled coconut oil, coconut sugar, eggs, vanilla and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Add almond milk and beat once more until mixture is well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk the almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking soda and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Mixture will be on the thicker side.
Divide batter evenly between pans and spread out with a spatula to smooth the tops. Bake for 20-30 minutes until a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached; rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer to the fridge to finish cooling completely. Allow cake to cool in the fridge for at least an hour before removing from the pan and frosting. The cake should be room temperature when you frost it. This is very important. Cake can be made a day ahead if you’d like!
Finish making your frosting: Scoop the hardened chocolate coconut cream frosting mixture into a large bowl. Use a hand mixer or a KitchenAid mixer to beat frosting until peaks form and it looks nice, fluffy and creamy. Use immediately!
Layer cake, using about 1/3 -½ cup frosting between each layer, then frost the top and sides with remaining frosting. Serves 12-16! Should be transferred to the fridge.
Healthy eating for me means color! I went on a trip to the grocery store with my dad this weekend to grab a few ingredients. I like having a few staple items in the fridge at all times for quick, healthy meals. My father turns to me to ask “what do we need?”. My reply, get anything green! What’s your favorite color to cook with?
Here is an image of the weekends cooking. I loosely used a stuffed peppers whole foods recipe I found from the Jar of Lemons Website.
Ingredients
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 onion
mushrooms
1 cup spinach
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 green peppers
handful of Pumpkin Seeds
handful Mozzarella
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook the ground turkey.
While the ground turkey is cooking, cut the peppers in halves and clean out the middle of each one.
Set one pepper aside and finely chop.
When the turkey is almost finished cooking, add in the spinach and finely chopped pepper or any veggies on hand.
Add in the ground pepper, cayenne, paprika, chili powder, garlic, and cumin.
Stuff each pepper half with the turkey mixture and top with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes (or until peppers are nearly soft).
Serve hot and enjoy!
I used green peppers and added pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts and a dash of cinnamon to the mix. I only used half of the meat, the rest I will toss into a pasta later in the week. I also chopped up more veggies to use in weekend morning omelettes.
This is one of those recipes you can make your own. Use chickpeas, chicken, ground turkey or beef, saute some veggies, stuff and cook!
Stuffed Green Peppers
These tumeric blueberry muffins turned out soft and not too sweet. I like to take time and arrange my foods to practice some photography skills. I copied the recipe from the Green Kitchen food blog.
Healthy Tumeric Blueberry Muffins
Turmeric & Blueberry Breakfast Muffins with a Granola Topping Makes 12 large or 15 smaller
Dry ingredients 100 g / 1 cup walnuts
85 g /1 cup rolled oats, use gluten free if intolerant
90 g / 2/3 cup buckwheat flour + 2 tbsp arrowroot (or potato starch)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp turmeric (use a little less if you are not used to the flavor)
1 tsp freshly ground cardamom
½ tsp sea salt a pinch black pepper
Wet ingredients 160 ml / 2/3 cup buttermilk or plant yogurt
80 ml / 1/3 cup olive oil or butter
2 ripe bananas, mashed
5 fresh dates, mashed
3 large eggs (or 3 tbsp chia seeds mixed with 9 tbsp water)
Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease the pan with oil or butter. Add walnuts and rolled oats to a food processor or blender (or mortle) and mix quickly into a coarse flour. Transfer to a large mixing bowl together with the rest of the dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, oil, bananas and dates to the food processor or blender and mix until smooth, then transfer to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and beat them for about a minute before adding them as well. Use a spatula to carefully fold everything until combined. Divide the batter into the muffin tins, drop a bunch of blueberries on top of each muffin and gently push them down a bit. Mix together the granola crumble in a small bowl and add it on top of the muffins. Bake for about 18-20 minutes. Best enjoyed still warm from the oven.
I’d love to know, what’s your favorite healthy muffin recipe?
This year my family and I escaped the cold and commercialism of Christmas and fled to Playa Del Carmen for 2017. My mother was thrilled to avoid spending hours waiting in line-ups and traffic for Christmas presents, ingredients for indulgent meals and unpacking boxes of Christmas decorations.
Playa Del Carmen
We stayed at a beautiful Airbnb just a few blocks walking to the beach and right behind the Mexican version of Walmart, Mega, which my father adored since his favorite tequila was a third of the price there! My favorite restaurant was Nativo; you can get a liter smoothie for under $2.00, I got one stuffed with celery, parsley, and fresh orange juice. Also, a great place to eat local food for cheap.
Tours:
One day was spent on a tour we booked through our Airbnb to take a catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres.
Isla Mujeres
We planned another small daytrip, for $10, we took a taxi to go to the day club, Grande Coral Beach. The beach was clean and beautiful, and you get a change of scenery from the busy, crowded beach near 5th ave.
Grande Coral Beach Club
A bit of a further trek, but well worth it, we took the ADO bus to Tulum, this was a neat jungle-like an oasis. If you are the adventurous type, book a kitesurfing lesson. We stayed for drinks and breakfast at La Zebra, a posh boutique hotel on the beach. It costs $25/per person for food or beverages to park here for the day, but well worth it, as to stay in this boutique hotel is $700/night! There was a mixologist from New York making the drinks.
Tulum
Getting from -30 C to +30 C was the best present this year. You just can’t get a bow-tie around the sun! Anyone else have any interesting destination for the holidays? I need help planning next years escape!
UNANCHORED EVE 