lemon blueberry mini muffins

when your husband gives you lemons....make lemon blueberry muffins.
First I made this recipe into a loaf but after its popularity with a friend, he requested more for his two young boys and I of course had to make them a little more fun for them right :)

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

*Note that for muffins the cook time will be less. depending on the size of muffin you choose, it should take roughly 20 minutes give or take, but check them around that time by one down the middle with a toothpick.*

Lemon Blueberry Bread Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) (23 x 13 x 8 cm).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 1/4 cup (50 grams) of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. This bread is best served on the day it is made.

Makes 1 loaf.

Last Nights Dinner

Whole Foods Vegan Friendly Menu to my rescue.
For an easy evening of no cooking and being home alone,
veggie roll, fire roasted eggplant and a golden draak. mm.

Green Smoothie Perfection

Eat you greens!!
Kale is my superhero.
The idea of drinking a vegetable used to really freak and gross me out. Now I cannot get enough. Try this:
3 to 4 leaves of kale
1 or 2 handfulls of spinach
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup of frozen or fresh blueberries
1 kiwi
about 10 cashew nuts
about 1 cup of water
vanilla stevia to taste
optional: omega or flax oil
blend, Enjoy!!

purple potatoes

last nights dinner
purple potatoe salad con shallot tarragon dressing and a side of tempeh. mmm mm mmmm

nuts for coconuts

need an extra boost of electrolytes..why settle for sports drinks drowned in sugar..thankfully we have coconuts! did you know that coconuts are not only high in electrolytes but are also high in essentials like

vitamin a- good for hair and nail growth, helps vision in dim lighting, bone/tooth growth, reproduction
vitamin b- increases energy, maintains healthy nervous system, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides (derived from fats eaten in foods or made in the body from other energy sources like carbohydrates.), assists growth in the body, aids in carbohydrate, fat, and protein synthesis (process of cells building protein), aids in emotional health like depression,
riboflavin (aka b2)-energy metabolism, and for the metabolism of fats, ketone bodies (produced as by-products when fatty acids are broken down for energy in the liver and kidney.), carbohydrates, and proteins.
niacin (aka b3)-in a nutshell it helps to reduce cholesterol
vitamin c-also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin which is essential for normal functioning of the body. protects against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling.

what else are coconuts good for?

eat the meat- coconut meat that is-
healthy fat!- saturated yes, but they are not all bad and this one is a fat that can cause fat loss with the proper diet. when the body receives enough good healthy fats; coconut oil, avocado, omega 3 etc. and does not get loads of processed, hydrogenated bad fat then, it discards fats from the body because it is in a secure state and knows it has what it needs.
cooking-coconut oil is very heat stable so it makes an excellent cooking and frying oil.it has a smoke point of about 360°F (180°C).

oh..did i mention how delicious they are! yes there is that too.
drink it-stick a straw right in
oil-cook veggies with it, spread it on toast with a dash of cinnomon in replacement of butter, put it in a smoothie, use it as a skin moisturizer
coco meat- scrape it out with a spoon and enjoy, make ice cream, yogurt, milk, smoothies
-roughly two healthy tablespoons a day-

try this to cool off:
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/04/coconut-water-ice-cubes-best-smoothie.html

enjoy.