Sweet Tater Muffins

So, it's fall. Fall usually means muffins in my kitchen...ok, days that end in "y" usually means muffins. Basically any excuse to get the smell of cinnamon going in the house is good enough for me, and the in-season produce of fall does the job particularly well. Pumpkins and winter squashes have proved to be excellent muffin stuffin', as has apples, carrots, and cranberries.

I've been on a baby-food-making spree for the last week or so, which means picking up extra sweet potatoes at the market. The one thing I've learned about making baby food from scratch is that if you're going to do all that cooking, peeling, and pureeing, you might as well do it in big batches. At $1.50 per pound, this super healthy fall veggie makes a ton of easy baby food with enough left over to try to sneak into Joe's food, too.

The following recipe is adapted from the Barefoot Kitchen Witch. I added rolled oats and flax meal, which I've been buying organic in bulk. I also subbed out the butter for low fat vanilla yogurt and pure maple syrup for some of the brown sugar. The yogurt makes it a surprisingly light and fluffy muffin, considering the relative density of the sweet potato.

The house, of course, smells amazing while these are baking.

1 overripe banana
1 large sweet potato, baked and cooled
1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup thick rolled oats
1/4 cup flax meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch pumpkin pie spice




*Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.

*In a stand mixer, blend together brown sugar, maple syrup, and yogurt.

*Add the eggs one at a time and blend well.

*Blend in the banana and sweet potato.

*Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until everything is just combined.

*Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

I had to wait until Joe went to bed before attempting this recipe, because it only makes 1 dozen muffins and there would be none left for breakfast otherwise. It's almost midnight now, but I'm dying to have one with a big mug of coffee in the morning!

I'm also curious to see if my mom likes these, because she is very anti-sweet potato. Which of course makes me want to find some way to make her like them. I'll let you know how it goes.

Things That Are New

-Owen, the Baby*
-Aidan, the nephew
-A surprising and wonderful relationship with my younger cousins, and the ability to watch them transform from children to young women
-A surprising and wonderful relationship with my aunt, who has showed me where things are and carried my moving boxes
-A job for Bill that has finally placed him on his desired career track
-A job for me that has renewed my confidence in my skills and has proven that flexibility can exist in the workplace
-The shocking cost of child care
-The heartache of searching for child care
-Daily terror of things happening to my children while at daycare
-The gripping worry that I will not be able to buy winter clothes for the kids
-The morning hustle-out-the-door rush and the evening hustle-to-fix-dinner frenzy
-Realizing that it's ok to spend an evening here and there vegged out in front of the TV
-Realizing that it's ok to forget the dishes and take a family walk, happen upon a local playground, and waste the daylight hours watching Joe run around and climb until the sun goes down
-A big basement
-Plenty of bedrooms and living spaces for guests and hosting every family event I can wrangle
-Owning a rental property
-Having renters we've never met
-Many local, organic food options close to home and in every store
-The ability to go to a farmer's market on almost every day of the week
-A fantastic, affordable CSA delivery every week, year-round
-Quality preschool education for Joe
-Joe's relationship with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
-Joe's relationship with his brother
-Joe, the Boy

*By far makes up for everything lost and all difficult things found.

Things That Are Back

-Traffic
-Deadlines
-Less than an hour's drive to my best friends
-My parents and my mother-in-law at arm's length
-The realization that my parents and I do not make good roommates
-The need to set an alarm in the morning
-Boston's love of jumping fences and meeting neighbors
-Quality local news production
-Coworkers
-Work clothes
-A commute
-Seeing my sister's eyes rolling at the things I say
-Dining options
-Cultural diversity
-Foreign languages
-Local government regulations
-The high cost of everything
-The gripping, steady, omnipresent fear of not making ends meet
-Seasons that can be enjoyed outdoors
-Mosquitos
-Trees
-Grass that can be walked on barefoot
-The ability to spend weeknights, not just holidays, with family and old friends
-Monthly rent
-Living in and maintaining a home that is not ours
-Stress eating
-Two year's worth of lost weight
-Sleepless nights
-Breastfeeding, pumping, and dirty diapers
-The redeeming joy that comes from watching our child(ren) learn something new

Things That Are Gone

-Hokie
-The rabbits
-Bill's job in Oklahoma
-My remote job(s)
-My home office
-Black widow spiders
-My vegetable garden
-Expendable income
-Lonliness
-My feeling of isolation from people who have similar social and political leanings
-The need to fly across the country 5-6 times per year
-The shed
-Our once-in-a-lifetime friends and neighbors, who were like candles in the window on a very dark night
-The ability to see for miles in every direction
-My ability to stay home with my children, which was why we moved to Oklahoma in the first place
-My big, brand-new kitchen and acres of counter space
-Our big garage
-The idea that there is a limit to what I can do when pushed
-Our hybrid car
-Any remaining faith in the old truck to safely transport the children anywhere
-The accident-free record for my Matrix
-Owen's first carseat, having performed its most important function
-All of our contingency plans
-Joe, the Baby

Controlling Change

I'm yanking off the bandaid. There have been a million reasons why I haven't posted a single blog in over a year, and I'm sure that I will address them in time, but for now I need to write.

This morning we woke up to the first cool morning of fall and everyone needed a sweater before leaving the house. It's transition time. It's time to prepare for the long winter ahead, while enjoying the opportunities that present themselves today.

So much has changed in my life since my last post, and almost all of it was out of my control. Even though much of the change has been positive, I still feel raw and shaken by how my painstaking plans for myself and my family did not play out. I like to think that we made the most of a very bad situation, and I take great comfort knowing that we are not alone in our struggle.

Maybe because I had so little control over the last nine months of my life, I feel a pull to reclaim things that used to make me happy. This blog and the activities that filled its posts represent stability for me because they meant that I had the time, energy, and will to take on outside interests, try new things, and take time to reflect on them.

I'm tired of waiting to feel like I have control over my life again, so I am taking it back for myself.

This morning, while the baby naps and the school buses creep down the street, I am baking a loaf of bread.

Mutt Monday

What? It's hot.

Might As Well

I just want to start off by letting you all know that I am sacrificing time that I could be folding laundry in order to write this post for you. That's right, be grateful for the lengths I go for you.

Anyways, I thought I might as well post my zucchini bread recipe, because I've already made dozens of dozens of mini muffins and loaves so far this season. And no, I have not actually harvested any zucchini yet--this all came from a nearby friend (thanks again, Debbie!).

I've already declared my love for yogurt in baked goods, and this recipe is another beautiful example. Now, lest anyone try to fool themselves by thinking that zucchini bread is somehow healthy, trust me, it's not. Zukes are not very high up on the nutrient-dense ladder of vegetables, and most quick bread recipes are laden with fat and sugar. Basically cake, really.

BUT, you know me. I've modified this recipe enough to boost the nutrients while keeping a yummy taste, plus the mini-muffin package keeps the portions in check.

Some tips:
-Most normal recipes call for 1 cup of grated zucchini, but if you're using the big, bloated, only-good-for-baking zukes, one squash will yield at least 2-3 cups. My recipe will use one of these bad boys.
-I sub honey for sugar. It's more natural, less processed, and can help your allergies! I do this for most recipes these days and you can do cup for cup, because sugar is technically treated as a liquid in baking.
-Make things easy on yourself and use the same measuring cup for the vegetable oil and honey. Leave a tiny bit of oil in the cup before measuring the honey, and it will all slip out easily without being a sticky, slow mess.
-In this recipe, you can use nonfat, plain yogurt and add a few tsps of vanilla extract OR use vanilla, low-fat yogurt and cut some of the vegetable oil.
-You can throw in "accessories" like walnuts, raisins, chocolate chips, etc. I've done all of these, and I think next time I'll shave in some coconut. Which is totally local to Oklahoma. In my dreams.
-I always use a mix of whole wheat flour and unbleached, all-purpose white flour. It adds a nutty, hint of crunch, fiber, and heart-healthy goodness.

Recipe:

-1 medium zucchini, grated
-1 cup vegetable oil
-1.5 cups honey
-1 cup yogurt (see above hints)
-2 tsps vanilla extract (which I use regardless of the yogurt flavor cuz I love it)

Mix these wet ingredients together, then ADD 4 eggs and blend. Try not to overbeat the eggs so the batter stays light and airy. Next, combine:

-4 cups flour (I use 1.5 cups whole wheat, 2.5 cups white)
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Fold in any additions like nuts or chocolate.

At Christmas, I bought myself the greatest baking investment ever:

Yes, my pride and joy. The 24-mini-muffin pan. Two dozen tasty little beauties all at once. This recipe will yield two panfuls, or FOUR delightful dozens of muffins. I bake them at 350 degrees for around 25-30ish minutes. Honestly, I'm not really sure. I bake by smell and when a cake tester poked in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

These babies freeze REALLY well and we usually keep a ziploc bag full of these handy in the freezer. Joe doesn't wait for them to thaw before he starts devouring.

Okay, neither do I.