Whole Wheat Pecan-Currant Muffins

I cannot get enough of the fact that it is finally Christmas break! All I can say is thank goodness.

So far just being home has made me feel rejuvenated. It helps that Christmas is only 5, count it, FIVE, days away.

Ah, glorious. All of it.

Well, as promised, non-stop baking has commenced! First on my list was Pecan-Currant Muffins and they were SO good and chock full of ingredients with some awesome health benefits! We will get to that later, but first, I'm going to admit that sometimes you just need some old fashioned baking. Butter and sugar galore.

Luckily that's what I got to do with my amazing friend while we tackled Dark Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Bark (yes. Heaven is real.) and some delish Lemon Poppyseed Scones. As if the holidays weren't great enough...times like these with friends make them so much better.

Yes, that is chocolate.
Ah, sweet bliss.

*savoring*

*still savoring*

Okay, moving on...to Pecan-Currant Muffins! So these were the coolest muffins ever, not only because they tasted great, BUT also because they are essentially fat free, no sugar added and whole wheat. And, they kind of actually looked like bakery muffins. Tall and warm and fluffy. Mmm.

Whole Wheat Pecan-Currant Muffins

• 3 cups  whole wheat flour 
• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup date paste
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp vanilla (or plain) greek yogurt
• 1 mashed ripe banana
• 1/4 cup baking stevia
• 2 large egg whites
• 3 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/2-1 cup zante currants (soaked in warm water for ~30 mins.)
• sprinkle of salt

Pre-heat oven to 425.

Mix together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, stevia, baking powder and soda, and salt. Stir until well mixed.

Blend milk, date paste, yogurt, egg whites and mashed banana. Whisk until thoroughly combined.

Carefully fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture, folding JUST enough to moisten the dry mixture. 

Fold in the currants.

Okay, so this mixture is going to be VERY thick. This is good. 

Spoon into greased muffin cups, and fill to the very top. You can even build it up a bit, this is what makes them super tall and amazing. 

Pop them into the oven for 5 minutes, after which, turn down the oven to 375 and bake until golden brown. (15-17 minutes)

Top with leftover date paste and pecans.

Enjoy warm for best results! 

*note: these have a bit of a banana bread flavor, which I actually enjoyed. Some may not, therefore, you can sub 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce for the mashed banana.

*adapted from here.

Merry Christmas Bloggies!

change.

So, in case you were wondering by the title...no, this isn't a food post. Those will come, I PROMISE. It's almost break, which means lots of  non-stop cooking/baking/amazeballs stuff like that.

If you are just dying for some recipes, check out these that I have been drooling over. My kitchen and I definitely have a date in t-minus 3 days.

Even so, I still think it's worth putting out there though. So here goes.

Change.
There's a reason a lot of people aren't, including myself, aren't comfortable with it. It's hard, it's icky, and it means we have to work. We have to work to find a whole new comfort zone, and personally I don't really need anything more to work on, goodness knows I'm busy enough.

But guess what... change happens. All of the freaking time. If we really want to get technical, it happens every moment of every day, if we only slow down long enough to notice it all, which we don't, because we are terrified about how it will affect us.

Well, for me anyways.

This whole idea is really brought about by my realization that I'm in that stage. You know what stage I'm talking about right? The one that books and movies are based on. "The best years" and all that jazz. It's supposed to be the time where we find ourselves, let ourselves become who we are. We don't have those influences that we once did. Nobody has known us since kindergarden anymore (for the most part). Nobody remembers that one time you fell down the stairs, didn't know how to fix your hair or dated that one guy for like three months, no one even knows. At all.

Well honestly, I've really been struggling with this idea, because I don't want to work. I mean, it was hard enough to put myself out there with the people who at least kind of knew me. And now, I'm in a place where I truly have ALL of the power when it comes to what people think of me. But now, I'm getting to the point where that's kind of stinkin' cool. Why? It means that "independence" that everyone said I was getting as I was getting older in my teens, is real. Like, how divine dark chocolate tastes, real.

But more than just that, I'm realizing that it's okay to feel different when you go home, when you see old friends, because you are different, you're changing and becoming who God wants you to be, who he created you to be, you are growing up.

What a gift for me to stumble upon this lil' nugget of awesomeness.
It's like an early Christmas present, along with non-stop Christmas tunes, mugs upon mugs of hot chocolate, and just the general ideal-ness of this amazing season.

Enjoy it, squeeze every last drop of darn Christmas cheer out of this season, because next year will be drastically different. And that's pretty beautiful, don't you think?