Two Fit Moms

Tag: back to school

  • Back-to-School Blueberry Corn Muffins (gluten-free!)

    Back-to-School Blueberry Corn Muffins (gluten-free!)

    Struggling to get the kids up, dressed, fed and out the door?  You are not alone! Breakfast is always the one part of my family’s routine that suffers. If your house is like mine, you are probably searching for quick and easy ways to get your kids to eat a healthy breakfast. I know it’s a challenge, especially if your kids are picky eaters.  So, I thought a healthy breakfast muffin would be the best and most welcomed fuel for their busy school day! Muffins are also transportable, so if you and your family have no time to sit down and eat, you can take them on the road.
    blueberrycorn
    In addition to making a healthy muffin, I thought a gluten-free one would be an added bonus. I happen to love corn muffins, and corn meal is gluten free, so it works perfectly. In order to boost the health factor (and to ensure it is gluten-free), I replaced white flour with oatmeal.  Oatmeal has lots of health benefits.  In addition to being high in fiber, oatmeal helps lower cholesterol. However, not everyone loves the texture that rolled oats bring to baked goods. So, I threw my oats into the food processor and turned them into a flour. You will never know there’s oatmeal in these muffins, but you will reap the incredible health benefits! My muffins are also studded with blueberries which happen to be high in fiber, potassium, vitamin C — and also help lower cholesterol. I think they are the perfect addition. However, if you are not high on blueberries, try adding peaches or another berry of your choice!

    If I were you, I would make a batch of muffins on Sunday, and save them for the week. They will last a few days if stored in an air-tight container. But, you might want to make two batches, these muffins are yummy!

    Back-to-School Blueberry Corn Muffins
    Yields 12 muffins

    1 cup of rolled oats (broken down into a flour in the food processor)
    1 cup of corn meal
    1/4 cup of grade B maple syrup
    1/4 cup of milk
    1/4 cup of safflower oil
    1 egg
    1 banana (mashed)
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cup of fresh blueberries

    Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

    Line a muffin tin with paper liners. You will only need a 12-cup tin for this recipe.

    Put your oats in a food processor and pulse until it forms a flour-like consistency.

    In a large bowl, add the wet ingredients (maple syrup, milk, oil, egg) and mix. Add the mashed banana and the oatmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until combined. Add the blueberries last, and mix gently so they don’t break up.

    Spoon the mixture evenly amongst the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

  • September: A Time for New Beginnings

    September: A Time for New Beginnings

    September marks the end of the summer and generally brings with it a flurry of activity. Whether you are preparing your kids for the first day of school or preparing yourself to dive back into work, it’s a busy time of year. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, remember that September can also be invigorating. The new season brings new beginnings.??????????

    Personally, my mental calendar resets in September.  Once I finish mourning the end of summer, I get back into the swing of things, ready to move forward and start fresh.  I look at this time of year as an opportunity to recommit to my goals — those that fell by the wayside throughout the course of the year.  So, here are a few suggestions to give September your all and to successfully move through the rest of 2014.

    1. Accept where you are in the process. You may be well on your way to achieving the goals you set at the beginning of the year, or you may not have made any progress at all.  Wherever you are in your goal process, accept it and move forward.  Don’t beat yourself up.  This month offers the opportunity to start new! Believe in yourself. Remember, it’s never too late.

    2. Re-set your goals. Use this month as an opportunity to re-affirm your goals — or, possibly, adjust them.  Over the course of the year, your goals may very well have changed.  Take a look at where you are in your life NOW to help determine what you can achieve by the end of the year.

    2. Start small. Maybe you decided to change your diet as part of your resolutions for 2014. Maybe you decided to start exercising.  Maybe you decided to change your career. Maybe none of these things happened.  If that’s the case, now is the time to get back on track and try to make a change.  Start small.  Rather than completely overhauling your diet, eliminate one unhealthy item. Rather than jumping into a daily exercise regimen, start out by exercising once a week. Rather than quitting your job, start researching new career paths. Small steps will make the path to success more manageable.

    3. Make a daily “to do” list. Make a daily “to do” list to help organize your goals and the steps you can take, daily, to work towards them.  Wake up each morning prepared to cross something off of your list.

    4. Surround yourself with positive people. We all need a positive support system — people who build you up and encourage you to move forward.  Positive energy is productive, negative energy is not.  Eliminate the negative. Surround yourself with people who genuinely believe in you and support you.  Friends and family that cheer you on are not just important, they are essential.

    5. Track your progress. Whether you keep an old-fashioned, hand-written journal or track your success and progress on social media, being able to look back at what you’ve accomplished is exhilarating. In fact, it will motivate you to continue on a path to success, whatever that may be.

    6. Take pride in your success. Remember, you are ultimately in charge of motivating yourself. So take pride in even the smallest victory. Share your success and be proud.

    7. Inspire others. What better gift can we give others than inspiration? Living and succeeding by example is motivating, so share your journey with others.  Your success may very well inspire someone else to achieve their goals, or to at least set themselves on a path towards achieving their goals.