Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (vegan)

Before I got married, I always had this idea in my head about going running with my husband. We would get all cute in our coordinating (but not matching) gear and go down the street. Everyone would look at us and think in their heads: wow, what a healthy power couple!

Yeah, well, reality looks a little different than our imaginations sometimes. The first time we ever went for a run together, I was consistently about 3 blocks behind at all times. I blame it on my short[(er)-than-his] legs. For the last few months, however, we've been running at the same pace and it's been great (especially when deer come out of nowhere and I know I'm not alone....)! I hope the neighbours think we're a healthy power couple. Never mind. 

Also great? The things that happen in our kitchen when I get serious cravings on a productive day. Like Mexican food for a solid week, and fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Or freezer meals that will last a month!

Then there are those times I see brown bananas on the counter and get really excited...

The thing about bananas in our house: they don't last long enough to turn brown. You see, there's a banana-eating machine in our home roaming wild. My husband. It seems as if no matter how many bunches I purchase, they are all gone before those beautiful brown spots even get a chance to develop. So when I see a brown banana? Well, I pounce, and delicious things tend to happen.

When I was growing up, it seemed that the family we carpooled with always had these little chocolate chip banana muffins. This always baffled me because I never associated chocolate with breakfast. At the same time, it intrigued me, and after trying one, I knew that life would never be the same. 

I knew some kind of banana chocolate mix would happen when I saw those brown babies on my counter. I think I have some sort of chocolate theme when it comes to muffins! I have no idea how, but they turned out on the first try - I even gave the bulk of them away!

Without further ado (it's not like you're reading any of this anyway), here is the recipe!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

What you need:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat white flour

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed

• 1 flax egg (1 TBSP ground flax mixed with 3 TBSP hot water)

• 1 tsp pure almond or vanilla essence

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted

• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I use non-sweetened almond milk)

• 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
   

What to do:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease muffin tin (I use olive oil).
2) Prepare flax egg by combining the flax and hot water and leave to sit for five minutes.
3) Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.
4) In a separate bowl, mix mashed bananas, pure almond essence, vegan butter, non-dairy milk and prepped flax egg.
5) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
6) Stir in chocolate chips.
7) Distribute the batter evenly into the muffin tin (I'm still working on the even part...)
8) Bake for 25 minutes, until the muffins pass the toothpick test.
9) Remove from oven and cool on rack.

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Modern Hexagon Afghan

I had an unexpected 8 weeks off of work, and while I had a ton of projects to work on during that time, I decided to pick up one more. The weather was getting chilly and it seemed like a good time to pick up my crochet hooks again. 

I didn't really know what to work on, so I started browsing Pinterest for some ideas. I saw a beautiful hexagon baby blanket from Make and Do Crew and decided to run with it. 

The original had space on the sides, but I decided to crochet some half hexagons to fill them in to create a more finished (okay, rectangular) feeling.

I was really happy with the outcome and Astra loves it too, so naturally, it was part of her first Christmas photo shoot!

I think the hardest part (besides sewing all of the hexagons together) was choosing the colours! I wouldn't be able to tell you how many times I changed the colour scheme. In the end, I am satisfied with what I chose (dark teal, light grey, dark grey, dusty pink, white, and cream) - it fits right into our living room. 

If I ever get bored enough, I might consider making another one! That sewing hexagon together thing is no joke! The outcome was pretty darn satisfying though. 

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What You Can Do with $7.99/month That Doesn't Involve Netflix

I wrote about some things to do instead of streaming television shows a while ago with the angle of time and our minds being precious. What I didn't talk about was the other thing streaming sites like the popular Netflix takes from us: our money. As Christians, we are called to be stewards of our money, resources and time, and in fact, none of those things truly belong to us. They were entrusted to us to use for God's work.

Here are some things you can do with $7.99 that doesn't involve Netflix (though I heard prices for that have been going up, so $7.99 might not even be enough for that!)!

Take a friend out on a cafe date

Get some tea and talk about the wonderful things God has been doing in your lives. 

Rent a bicycle and explore parts of the city you have not before

See your city through new eyes, and meet and talk to people you may not have ever thought to. Using your legs is free though! :) 

Go to the dollar store and put together a package to mail to a friend

Even the smallest of surprises in the mail can bring joy and encouragement to a friend.

Buy some stamps and send out some cards

Bless others by letting them know you are thinking about and praying for them!

Buy a meal for someone in need

And pray for and with that person.

Join a gym

I actually know someone who used Netflix money for a very basic gym membership instead! Turns out those exist!

Put it into your savings account

You'll have a pretty good amount by the end of the year to use for a good cause or pay off a chunk of debt.
 

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What creative things would you do for $7.99 that doesn't involve streaming?

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Poor Man's Lentil Soup

It was one of those months where we needed to get creative with what was in our pantry. It happens a few times a year where what we have needs to stretch out as long as possible - not necessarily always because we're short on cash, but especially when we have a new goal (like a trip or a larger purchase) that we want to aim toward. There are also times where we feel it a good idea to "clean out" our pantry by making sure we eat what we have to avoid spoil.

Usually, we purpose to not spend a penny during these times, relying on canned and frozen vegetables to accompany our other staples, but this time around, we splurged and were able to score some inexpensive, and fresh produce at the farmer's market!

I love soup and have never associated it with not having money, so it's always a welcome dish to me. However, it is also one of those things my husband does not anticipate to fill him long enough, so I always purpose to make it hearty. I, however, enjoy more brothy soups, so this was a great in-between. The lentils fill us, but the broth is so yummy, and perfect for some bread to soak up. 

The fresh kale makes it even more enjoyable - I love the texture and colour that this soup has; the bright oranges and greens! 

This soup is not only extremely inexpensive to make - it is also flexible (use beans or potaoes or whatever you have in the pantry/fridge instead of lentils) and amazingly easy to make. 

Poor Man's Lentil Soup

What you need:

• 1 TBSP olive oil

• 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 stalk celery roughly chopped

• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

• 3 TBSP homemade vegan chicken-style seasoning

• 2 tsp salt

• sea salt to taste

• 1/2 cup dried lentils

• 4 cups water

• 4 cups vegetable broth (try this homemade version!)

• 1/2 bunch of kale, roughly chopped

• Your favourite vegan sausage (optional)

What to do:

1. Cook carrot, celery and onion with 2 tsp salt in olive oil in a heavy stock pot or dutch oven

2. Add vegetable stock, water, garlic, seasoning and lentils

3. Simmer for about 25 minutes, until the lentils are cooked

4. Add kale and allow to turn a deep green and wilt a bit before stirring into the soup.

5. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve hot!

(good in the fridge for 4 days)

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What are some of your go-to meals when cleaning out your pantry? 

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My Word for 2018

If you happen to follow along on Instagram, then you likely remember me posting my word for 2018. I wasn’t planning on sharing it on the blog, but the more I thought about it, the better an idea it seems. Now, blogging is pretty vulnerable. You are basically putting your thoughts, opinions, and ways of life out there for anyone and everyone to read and the world is a scary place! But this also relates to my word this year. Ready? 

Liberation.  

“lib·er·a·tion

1) the act of setting someone free from imprisonment, slavery, or oppression; release.

2) freedom from limits on thought or behavior.”

I know it is sort of a strange word, but do hear me out.

I'm the person who always lets self-consciousness and perfectionism hold me back from doing things. Thing is, I'm also the person who learns well and quickly from mistakes.  So, this year, I'm not holding back. I'll write the horrible blog posts. I'll take the mediocre photos. I'll speak my terrible German. I'll take chances at work. I'll put myself out there. I'll say no. I'll say yes. But I will do it all free from my own selfish inhibitions. I'm tired of not doing things because "it won't be good enough."

Now this is not to say that I will do everything and anything. I still will be intentional in everything I do (and actually, I plan on taking on fewer responsibilities so I can focus on doing them well). But this year, I will be intentional about choosing to do things that will develop my character for good.

2018 is my year. I can feel it. 

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Do you have a word for 2018?

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