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Yesterday morning, just before the sun came up, we had a mini storm. It was just a little rain. Just a little thunder and lightening. Just enough to make everything smell fresh for just a little while. I knew it wouldn't last and I knew that it would still be 90+ degrees later on, but I was still tempted to put on a fuzzy sweater.

For now, the forecast remains steady at 90-something degrees for days. As always, though, I am a little sad to see summer go. Not the heat so much as the feeling of freedom and the way that the open agenda urges us to spend more time playing instead of have-to-ing. Fall, though, is cozy and spiced, roasted and stewed, served in a bowl. I am ready to indulge in that (and wear my new, perfectly navy blue, wrappy sweater) too!

This was my first grader's third week of school and packing his lunch has been a little bit of a challenge, though not in the way that I expected. I know there are tons of resources out there to show me how to create virtual habitats with animals made from veggies or little love notes that can be slipped in between containers. My issue is simpler than that. My son has 15 minutes or less to eat his entire lunch before his class is sent out to play. He is more likely to dawdle and daydream than to focus and eat quickly.

Muffins are one of my favorite vehicles for all kinds of nutritious things. I make them low in sugar and add protein to make them extra filling (and to get more calories into a small package for my kids). I also add fruits or even veggies and use whole grain flours in the mix. Here are my favorite muffins for fall with some notes on adding protein to help make them a good choice for lunch boxes and snacks!

1. Kid-tested pumpkin muffins (click through for recipe)  

2. Cranberry tangerine muffins (click through for recipe)

3. Pumpkin cranberry "scuffins" (click through for recipe)

4. Spiced maple muffins (click through for recipe)

Notes on protein: Two of these recipes call for protein powder. You can replace 1/4 cup of flour in the other recipes with protein powder, if you wish. I like Sun Warrior "natural" flavor but you can use your powder of choice. If you prefer not to use protein powders, you can increase the protein content of these muffins by placing the wet ingredients in a blender and adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of raw almonds and blending until smooth before adding to the dry ingredients. If you choose not to use protein powder in the recipes that call for it, replace the powder with flour in the same amount.

Check out the Get Natured recipes page for more muffins!

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I made these muffins last month for a bake sale at my son's school. They are quintessential fall treats- spiced, mapley, apple or pear-filled awesomeness...and they will make your house smell amazing when they are baking! Can you tell that is a big thing for me? Smelling things? Yes, I'm crazy...but, if you like to cook, I bet you are quirky too. xoxo

Spiced Maple Muffins

1 cup of applesauce, or pear or pumpkin puree
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 Flax "egg" (2 tbsp water + 1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds)
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons oil (canola, coconut, etc.- your choice)
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (or a combo)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine applesauce (or other puree), milk, flax "egg", brown sugar, oil, molasses, and maple extract in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and nuts. Add wet ingredients and stir until just combined (don't over-mix). Bake in an oiled muffin pan for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
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I am relieved to say that I finished my second half marathon on Sunday! I was so nervous before the race!

All geared-up and trying not to freak out:


The finisher's tee is so...YELLOW!


Finisher's necklace by Tiffany:




NWM = Nike Women's Marathon. The back of the necklace says "I run to be." with room for engraving so that we can add our own reason for running...

With 20,000 runners, this race is the largest marathon and half marathon in the country. The proceeds help to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This race has raised over $118 million over the past 8 years for the cause and I ran in memory of my father-in-law who passed away from complications related to lymphoma in 2008.

The weather was perfect but the course was even hillier than I remember and it was a hard run!

I completely earned my post-race cupcake and Blue Bottle latte by the bay:



Perfect, perfect weather (with the Bay Bridge in this shot)!

The physical exertion of this kind of event is challenging but, like many others before me, I definitely think that the mental race is the hardest part. I was struggling with stomach issues through the entire race (and a few hours afterwards) and my mind was all over the place.

The race was in San Francisco, which holds a special place marker in time for me. I worked in the city in the late 1990s and my life was quite different back then. My time visiting the city and running the race on Sunday gave me pause and brought about some much-needed reflection on "back in the day". A few of my favorite memories from working in SF:

  • Taking the ferry boat to and from the city. The sound of the fog horn, the smell of the engine, the splashy sound of the water while boarding...I even saw a whale from the boat one morning- what a great way to commute!
  • Flower venders selling spring flowers in little kiosks all over the place. The smell of the flowers (especially the Stargazer lilies) permeated even the stinkiest parts of the city. Amazing.
  • The little bakery across the street from my office building that had warm, freshly baked cinnamon rolls every morning.
  • Driving through the city and over the Golden Gate Bridge (on non-ferry days). Especially on winter nights near Christmas because I love to see the lights and trees in windows.
Though the race is over, my brain is still crunching through some of the meditative part of the experience. That aside, I am ready to get back to other things, like doing more weight training and yoga or just making pancakes on Saturday morning instead of getting up early to run long distances! I have been resting since the race and eating to recharge and refuel.

These "scuffins" (kind of a cross between a scone and a muffin) are disguised as a fall treat, but really they make a hearty and healthy breakfast. Not to mention, no blog would be complete with out a pumpkin recipe (or ten) in the fall, right??

Pumpkin Cranberry "Scuffins"
Makes 6-7 "scuffins"

1 cup ground oats (process 1 cup of rolled oats in a food processor or blender until they resemble a course flour)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup lightly toasted pecans, chopped
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (optional)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tbsp flax meal
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
3 tbsp oil (canola, coconut, etc.- your choice)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (176ºC). In a large bowl, combine the first 12 ingredients (oats through salt). Set aside.
  2. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine without over-mixing. Let it rest for a minute before dropping in large spoonfuls (about 1/2 cup each) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  3. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for a 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.
(This recipe was inspired by and adapted from Dreena Burton's Squirrelly "Scones" in her Vive le Vegan! cookbook (a favorite of mine!)).
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On Saturday I stopped by the farmers' market to pick up one or two things. Because it was late in the morning, I got lucky by getting a deal on some really nice peaches- 5 pounds for $5! The peaches are great but there are so many of them so I have had to come up with ideas on how to use up 5 pounds of peaches that all ripened at once. So, naturally, I made peach muffins!

These muffins are vegan and contain chia and hemp seeds which make them rich in protein, iron, and omega 3s. They are low in sugar so, if you prefer a sweeter muffin, you may want to add another 1/4 cup or so of brown sugar.

Peach Muffins with Chia and Hemp Seeds
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup hemp seeds (or finely chopped walnuts)
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tbsp canola oil (or oil of choice)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 large peach, finely chopped (I leave the peel on for extra fiber)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or oil.
  2. Whisk together chia seeds and warm water in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and hemp seeds. Set aside.
  4. To the chia seed mixture, add milk, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla and combine well. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine- don't overmix. Gently fold in the peaches.
  5. Spoon batter into muffin pan. For mini muffins, bake for about 20 minutes. For larger muffins, check for doneness at 20 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the middle of a muffin (it should come out clean and the muffins should be golden brown).
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Nothing says spring quite like strawberries from a roadside stand. We have managed to find a couple that are open this month and I'm amazed at how quickly we finish off pint after pint of berries!

My kids' preschool had an Easter egg hunt this week and I brought these mini muffins to share. They are the perfect spring treat for kids and adults! Because the wet ingredients are mixed in the blender, feel free to get sneaky by adding nut or seed butter, seeds, protein powder, veggies, etc. 

If you're feeling extra fancy, I think a few white chocolate chips would knock these out of the park (but, as usual, you didn't hear that from me)!

Strawberry Banana Mini Muffins (vegan)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 large extra ripe banana
3/4 cup vanilla soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp canola or other oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chopped strawberries

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F (176º C). Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and baking powder. Set aside.
  3. In a blender, combine banana, milk, flaxseeds, brown sugar, oil, salt, and vanilla. Puree until smooth. Pour into bowl with flour mixture and mix to combine then fold in strawberries. Please don't over-mix!
  4. Fill mini muffin cups level with the top and bake muffins for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown.
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My kids are really good about eating their veggies. They definitely have their favorites but I try to keep offering the ones that they haven't liked in the past and ask only that they take one bite (unless they want more!). Zucchini is a tricky one because it can sometimes be a little bitter. I took full advantage of the spirit of St. Patrick's day and the boys and I made zucchini bread for dessert last night. My kids put their "no green flecks in my food" rule aside in honor of St. Pat and, with the addition of a "secret ingredient" (aka chocolate chips), they enjoyed this green-ish and wholesome treat.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (vegan)
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (whole wheat pastry flour works well)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2/3 cup non-dairy milk
  • 2/3 cup real maple syrup (this is a pretty sweet bread and this could be reduced to 1/3 cup)
  • 1/4 cup oil (canola, coconut, olive - your choice)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups grated zucchini
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds (optional, adds protein, iron, and omega 3s)
  1. Preheat the oven to 375º F (190º C). In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the milk, syrup, oil, lemon juice, vanilla, and zucchini. Add to the dry mixture and stir gently to combine. Fold in the raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts, and hemp seeds.
  3. Pour batter into a loaf pan* lined with parchment paper (or lightly oiled). Bake for 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
*Note: You can also bake this as muffins. Reduce baking time to approximately 20-25 minutes.
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Spring seemed to be on its way last week with warm temperatures, tweeting birds, and sunshine. The trees in my neighborhood even started to show their pink blossoms here and there. I love this time of year and, for some reason, always start craving cherries when I see those blossoms.

Today, though, was blustery and cold. It was dark and raining sideways. I had a little extra time this morning along with a craving for something baked and loaded with cherries. Given my huge love of all things muffiny, these were a natural choice!

Cherry Vanilla Muffins With Pecan Streusel
Makes 9-11 muffins

1 1/2 cups frozen cherries
1⁄3 cup flax meal (ground flaxseeds)
1 cup non-dairy milk
1⁄3 cup sugar
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or more vanilla)

Streusel topping:
1⁄3 cup pecans
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 margarine (preferably Earth Balance)

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
  2. Pulse cherries in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
  3. In a small bowl, add the milk, flax meal, sugar, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Combine well. Add the cherries and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet mixture and combine with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
  5. Pulse the pecans, brown sugar, and margarine in the food processor to make the streusel. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and top the muffins with the streusel. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 26-28 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan before moving to a cooling rack.
You didn't hear this from me, but I think dark chocolate chips would make an excellent addition to these muffins! You're welcome.

For some extra cherry goodness, I'm in love with the Snow Geisha tea from Teavana. It is a loose leaf white tea that smells like cherry lollipops (it has a light cherry flavor when brewed). Awesome.
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You guys know how I feel about muffins, right? I'm just about burned out on all things pumpkin (well, maybe just one pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving...), so I have officially entered my "cranberry orange/tangerine" phase of the year. This seems to happen every November, which is fine with me- the combination is delicious!

I love these muffins and so do my muffin-loving kids. Enjoy!

Cranberry Tangerine Muffins
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
  • Juice from 2-4 tangerines (or oranges)
  • 2 Tbsp tangerine (or orange) zest (preferably organic or tangerines not coated with wax or another coating)
  • 1⁄3 cup flax meal (ground flaxseeds)
  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat)
  • 1/4 cup protein powder (optional, replace with flour if not using)
  • 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
  • 1⁄3 cup sugar
  • 1⁄4 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
  2. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
  3. Pour zest and tangerine juice into a measuring cup for a total of 3⁄4 cup. Pour into a small bowl and add the flax meal, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Combine well.
  4. In a large bowl, combine flours, protein powder (optional), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet mixture and mix with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-23 minutes.
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Every year about this time I have a small panic attack. When I realize that another summer has passed and that fall is just about to kick off, I start obsessing about all of the "summery" things that I still haven't done. Instead of driving myself nuts as usual, I decided to fully embrace the change of the seasons this year. We had a couple of cooler days this week so yesterday was a great day for pumpkin muffins!

These muffins are not super sweet but they are really healthy- they contain lots of iron and protein too! I wasn't sure if they'd pass the "kid test", but...

Success!

Big smiles:


Big bites:

Even though he can talk, he is also using his baby sign for "more" just to make sure that I understand that he needs another muffin ASAP!

Thumbs up:



Number 1!
Kid-Tested Pumpkin Muffins
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, or 1 egg
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (*see note)
3 tablespoons oil (whatever kind you prefer to use)
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup protein powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together the pumpkin, non-dairy milk, chia or flaxseeds (or egg), brown sugar, oil, and molasses and set aside.
  2. Combine the flours, baking powder, protein powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. 
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine (don't over-mix).
  4. Pour batter into a lightly oiled or paper-lined muffin pan. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.
*A note about sugar: These muffins are not super sweet. If you prefer a sweeter tasting muffin, I recommend using 1/2 to 2/3 cup of packed brown sugar.

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You may have already figured out that I have a bit of a love affair with muffins after my gushing over my "Best banana muffins in the history of all banana muffins". I will admit, though, that I'm a muffin snob- it has to be low fat, vegan, lower in sugar, contain a bit of protein, and taste great. This doesn't happen often, people! That being said, though, it happened for me this week with these blackberry orange muffins. These are amazing!

Blackberry Orange Muffins
Makes 9-10 muffins

1 cup flour (preferably whole wheat or spelt)
1 cup ground oats (grind in food processor or VitaMix until they look like course flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup fresh blackberries, halved
1 Tbsp orange zest
2 Tbsp hemp seeds (for protein and extra iron)
1/4 cup unrefined sugar (organic sugar)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp canola oil

  1. Preheat oven to 375〫F (190〫C) degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour and ground oats. Sift in the baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, then stir in remaining dry ingredients and combine well.
  3. In another bowl, combine applesauce, soy milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and oil.
  4. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix gently until just combined (do not overmix). Spoon into a lined or lightly oiled muffin pan and bake for 19-24 minutes (mine took 19), until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Recipe adapted and published with permission from Dreena Burton's "As-You-Like Muffins" from The Everyday Vegan.
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I converted a banana bread recipe into muffins today and they turned out so good that each of my kids ate two of them. That's no big deal for my almost-two-year-old, who will eat almost anything (I've seen him wolf down kale chips and ask for more!). But my four-year-old tends to be quite picky and he loved these muffins. These are free of "chunks" for my kids' sake, but you can add walnuts, raisins, blueberries, or other things if you like.

Best banana muffins in the history of all banana muffins
2 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup applesauce or another banana
1 1/2 tsp rum extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar (note: these are pretty sweet, so adjust to taste)
1/4 cup oil (I used coconut but canola works too)
~1/2 cup non-dairy milk (soy, rice, almond, hemp, etc.)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Dash of fresh grated nutmeg

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Mash the bananas in a small bowl and add applesauce, both extracts, sugar, oil, and milk. Mix well.
  2. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients and gently stir until combined but don't over-mix or your muffins will be tough. Add more milk of the batter is super thick (it should be thick but not cookie-dough thick).
  3. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and fill the muffin cups level with the top. Since this is a converted loaf recipe, I found that it make only 11 muffins. Your mileage may vary. Bake for 20 minutes or until they are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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About me

About Me

My name is Allison. I am a writer, boy mom, and a nature lover in Northern California. Read more here.

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