Choose to Create Wellness, Weight Loss Will Follow

When you choose to create wellness in your life, weight loss is a welcome side effect!

Not to mention many other health improving affects: lower blood pressure, decrease or eliminate prescription medications, more energy, better sleep, happier moods, more positive thoughts and better memory, to name but a very few!  I intend to write a more detailed article on wellness vs. weight loss... later!

LEAF LITTER MUFFINS, *Recipe compliments of Jocelyn Steggert, check out the picture, a beautiful platter of muffins, at the bottom!

mix together:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/3 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. nutmeg

4 heaping tsp. cinnamon

also whisk together:

1 egg

4 tbsp. warmed (liquefied) coconut oil (here is where I would use grass fed butter)

1 BIG heaping cup natural applesauce (unsweetened)

splash of vanilla extract

Add the above, moist mix, to dry mix.

Also add:

1/3 cup ground dried cranberries

1 cup frozen blueberries

lots of crushed nuts*

Mix all together and bake 12 muffins @ 350 degrees for about 18-20 minutes.

This is what I do for nuts:

whisk one egg white with a splash of vanilla extract and throw in a little cinnamon.  Stir in raw, unroasted nuts:

1 cup almonds

1 cup pecans

2 cups walnuts

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Then throw in a little (just enough to sweeten a bit).. equal amounts of brown sugar and white sugar, or other sweetening agent. (I would use organic, unrefined sucanat sugar.)

Stir all together and bake at 200 on a sprayed cookie sheet for about an hour.  Stir every 15 minutes.

Store and use as needed in muffin recipe.

These muffins freeze very well.  I would not keep them out at room temperature for more than a day.

Most of all,

ENJOY

*The Leaf Litter Muffin Story:  they are called "Leaf Litter Muffins" because when I first started making a version of them years ago, I had my husband (nature boy... conservation biologist) taste one and he said they tasted like "leaf litter." When I asked what leaf litter was, he said "what you find on the forest floor." Do I need to add that that was the last time he ever ate one?

A mutual face book friend and I have talked about writing a book entitled "Saving Lives, One Muffin at a Time!" The story... years ago I brought these muffins to his house. He went nuts over them and to this day makes them himself. We have an ongoing consultation about the recipe... trying different things, etc. He credits these muffins with turning his health around: lost a ton of weight, his medications slashed, etc. They cut his cravings for unhealthy sweets too!

For the record:  Jocelyn delivered these to me the day of my book signing at the Clarkson Book Store, Summer Fest weekend.  They are absolutely Delicioso!  Tell your hubby that "Leaf Litter" taste divine and I need to know where on this planet the leaf litter taste like this.  This could improve my monthly food bill!

Look at all the yummy blueberries, you can see the fiber-y goodness!