Buckwheat & Coconut Muffins

Count 'em down, folks! We're seven weeks away from the most body-punishing event of the year: Christmas. I'm already hyped up on Halloween candy and pumpkin pie. Now comes the downward spiral of unwinding..or unraveling with cinnamon rolls, chocolates, christmas cookies, eggnog and liquor.  By January 2nd, I'll feel like I've been hit by a sugar truck.

This muffin recipe is low in sugar and a candida diet favorite. Candida is a yeast that grows naturally in the intestine. Excess consumption of sugars and yeast can apparently spark its' overgrowth, which some natural medical practitioners link to a myriad of symptoms, from bladder and yeast infections to acne and fatigue. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, there isn't much scientific evidence to support this ailment which could either mean not much research has been done and/or the research wasn't conclusive. Whether candida overgrowth is a real condition or not, consuming less sugar and processed foods in one's diet is supported by both the science-based and alternative medicine fields and I'm heeding their advice.

I've been eating these with Greek yoghurt in the morning. Ruedi added sliced banana and dried cherries to his serving today. Also remember to buy the unsweetened versions of the ingredients below.  I know the coconut was available sweetened, as was the almond milk. If you want a little more sweetness to the muffin, I would double up on the stevia instead.  I vow to feel a little better this Christmas. Lord knows there will still be plenty of opportunities to overdo it. 

From: http://www.thecandidadiet.com

Makes about 15 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups buckwheat groats
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• 2 T chia seeds
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 1/4 cup of almond butter
• 1.5 t stevia
• 1 T alcohol free vanilla

Method

Preheat oven to  375 F.  Oil or butter a 12 cup muffin pan and set aside.  Soak the buckwheat groats in water will a pinch of salt for 6-7 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Mix all dry ingredients except the stevia in a bowl. Mix all wet ingredients and the stevia in a bowl and whisk until frothy. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and spoon a third of a cup of the mix into each cup of the muffin pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until muffins are brown around the edge and firm to the touch.

Honey-Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Parfait

My smoothies, while delightful, look like dirty snow blended with compost, thanks to less-than-perfect blending technology. I have a decent blender, but it doesn't pulverize my ingredients like our nation's most coveted blender, the Vitamix Pro Series 300 (one day....one day).  I end up with bits of green and seeds floating in a purple-grey fog. I drink these little numbers at the office almost daily, but get odd looks and a number of questions from passers by. I also get all sorts of stuff in my teeth.

This weekend, as I was perusing through my favorite recipe resource, Tastespotting, I found a delightful looking snack that became a contender as an alternative to my compost smoothy. I put these into jars so they were portable and had one today following my cardio-intensive, morning email review. Two words: Deeee-lish.  Wait..just one: Yum.

From: http://www.2teaspoons.com

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced
• 2 T honey
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups plain, Greek yoghurt
• handful of oats and/or chopped nuts to top

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss the strawberries in honey and balsamic vinegar and pour onto a baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and allow the strawberries to cool completely. Layer bowls or jars with a few dollops of yoghurt, then the strawberries and repeat with both ingredients. Top each serving with chopped nuts, oats or a combination of your choosing.

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

I've had such a long summer break, I've almost forgotten how to write. What a summer it has been! Fun, sun and a LOT of eating. Having just returned from booze and treat-infused vacation, I felt the desire to look into some fit-inspired recipes. This is what you'll see over the next few weeks. These are items that are lower in carbs, higher in protein and natural with respect to ingredients. That last item isn't new. Synthetic doesn't usually appeal to me. 

Anywho, I have two friends who have made these muffins and enjoyed them. This is key because you won't catch me eating something I don't enjoy. The second piece of good news is the recipe took me 15 minutes to assemble and pop into the oven. I actually baked on a weeknight. Obscene! If the idea of savoury and/or meat-filled muffins don't appeal, I'll keep trying. 

Adapted From: http://www.bodybuilding.com

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground chicken or turkey
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup cooking oats
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t dried thyme
• 2 t ground mustard
• 1 t pepper
• 1 t chipotle pepper powder
• 1 t salt
• 2 cloves garlic minced or 2 T garlic powder
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced

Method

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-piece muffin pan with a non-stick spray or coat ever-so-lightly with butter smudged on a piece of wax paper.  Mix all ingredients into one bowl and blend with your hands. Roll the mixture into balls and place them into the muffin tin. Bake for 40 minutes.

This Week's Snack Stash

With the exception of my father's peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches, our house was a nut free one while I was growing up. Both my sister and mother suffered from severe nut allergies, and avoided all contact and consumption of them. I didn't miss them. Seeds and other substitutes were used in dishes that called for nuts and my mother's love of great food made for great meals. As I learned to cook, my assimilation with the nut world grew gradually. Nuts were a cheaper protein and incredibly versatile. Today I throw them into virtually any type of dish. I can't help but wonder though, what would make a useful substitute when I am cooking with nuts. In the back of my head, I'm always attempting to adjust the recipe in the event I end up serving the dish to someone with allergies.


The next time I make these no-bake energy bites, I'll be using tahini instead of peanut butter. I can bet that the combination of honey with the crushed sesame seeds will make a terrific combination. I'll also be able to share these with my nut-sensitive hiking buddies, which I'm sure they'll get a kick out of. 

No-Bake Energy Bites

Adapted from: http://gimmesomeoven.com

Makes about 16 balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I'm using the kind without sugar, so if you're thinking of using sweetened stuff...don't)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of wheat germ or ground flax
• 2 T honey
• 1 t vanilla

Method

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Throw the mixture into the fridge for at least a half hour, giving the mixture time to bind. Once chilled, form the mixture into balls the size of your choosing and refrigerate until ready to eat. These snacks should keep for a week.