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.

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.

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.

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).

• 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.

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.