Blackberry Muffins

Lately, I've been pretty busy at work while struggling with some health issues. I think I'm turning the corner because I have a lot more energy than I even had this Monday. I have been doing a lot of baking for my nephew, but a lot of it hasn't made it onto the blog - yet.

Last weekend, Owen (my nephew), my brother, and my mom all came over for a big dinner. I had graham crackers, muffins, and ginger cookies on hand, and we had a big feast. It was a lot of fun and Owen was a happy little camper, walking around with a treat in his hand the whole evening with Annie closely following him and making a grab for his treats whenever there was a window (we need to work on that). Owen loves to run up and down our long hallway with Uncle Lance pretending to be part of a train and yelling "CHOOO CHOOO!" Last night they all came over again and as they were pulling up to the house he said, "Choo choo!!"

Owen - an aspiring train engine and construction worker

Last night Mom watched Annie while Owen, my brother, and a friend hung out and watched a movie. It was date night for Lance and I and we went to Cafe Flora and had a very nice meal. I was very bummed out to find that their sweet potato fries are made in the same fryer as gluten ingredients. I did snag a couple of fries from Lance but primarily stuck to my seasonal vegetables and large house salad with Sencha Tea.

The sweet potato fries are delicious - was so sad
to find out they aren't in a gluten free fryer

Before we left, I made cookies to have on hand. I was shooting for snickerdoodles but didn't want all the sugar in the batter and subbed out for date syrup and a little agave. The result was a moist cookie that tasted like churros. By the time we got home, only a couple cookies out of the dozen and a half I made were left. I sent the rest of them home with my mom without getting a good picture, which is a great excuse to make them again. I was going to throw out the recipe because it wasn't what I was aiming for, but everyone was raving about them. Sometimes expectations skew my perception of the end result.

Blackberry Muffins - Breakfast of Champions (and Pookie!)

Breakfast muffins are nice to have on hand. Usually my breakfast consists of protein and supplement powders in a shake, but Lance prefers muffins, pancakes, and other items with more carbohydrates. I'm not a fan of the one diet fits all approach. Lance does better with a lot of gluten free grains and fruits while I do better with vegetables, more fat, and smaller meals throughout the day. Having a well balanced breakfast helps me get through the day without blood sugar ups and downs. It helps me wake up a little more and that means my job suffers less from mistakes.

We call Owen "Pookie" and my mom likes having muffins on hand for mornings that Owen stays at their house or to pack in his school lunches.


Blackberry Muffins
makes 1 dozen
1 cup Vanilla Hemp Milk
1 large Banana
1/2 Vanilla Bean, scraped
3 Tb melted Coconut Oil
3 oz Agave (about 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
3/4 cup Teff Flour
1/3 cup Arrowroot Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 T Chia, ground
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Lemon, juiced and zested
1 heaping cup Blackberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the brown rice, teff, arrowroot, salt, baking soda, and chia in a bowl with a wire whisk. Put the vanilla hemp milk, banana, coconut oil, agave, and vanilla bean in a high speed blender and blend until frothy and smooth. Combine the dry ingredients and the ingredients from the blender. Add the apple cider vinegar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and whisk thoroughly. Gently fold in the blackberries and fill the muffin tin nearly to the top.

The brown rice flour will make things taste a little "gluten free." My family didn't seem to notice, but I got a faint hint. I didn't sub out the flour because the combination of hemp, brown rice, and teff lend to a high protein content.

Brown Rice Flour doesn't stop "Pookie" from enjoying muffins!