Quinoa Muffins

Spring Break means I have time to explore the wonderful world of cooking and baking. Ever since I began running, I have been searching high and low for a recipe that would give me my protein for after workouts. Recently, I found a recipe for Whole Wheat- Honey Quinoa Muffins. I felt the recipe was lacking in some areas, so I added a few of my favorite healthy ingredients. The muffins turned out great. I recommend them for anyone needing a new way to get their source of protein. They would be a hearty addition to a nice breakfast too.

Quinoa Muffins

Preheat oven 350F

Makes 12 muffins

1c Quinoa

2c Flour

1 1/2tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Salt

1/2tsp Baking Soda

1/2c Dried Cranberries

4Tbsp Ground Flaxseed

1/3c Chopped Walnuts

1/2c Lowfat Milk

2/3c Honey

1/4c Light Olive Oil

1 Egg

1tsp Vanilla Extract

In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and two cups of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover; and let cook for 15-20 mins, until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Let cool.

(This was the first time I'd cooked with quinoa. Note to self: one cup of uncooked quinoa makes about 3 cups after cooked.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cranberries, walnuts, flax seed, and the cooked quinoa.

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, honey, oil, egg, and vanilla.

Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir until combined (do not over mix).

Divide the batter into muffin cups.

Bake 20-30 minutes. I used a convection oven, and baked the muffins on 350F for 20 mins.

These muffins freeze really well.

Enjoy!

For those of you who like to know the Nutrition Facts....

Quinoa: 1 cup 170g. 626cal, 93cal from fat. Daily Value: Total fat 10g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 9mg, Total Carbohydrate 109g, Dietary Fiber 12g, Protein 24g.

Quinoa Muffin (if I did the calculations right, which I doubt) : 1 muffin 87g. 233cal, 84cal from fat. Daily Value: Total fat 10g, Cholesterol 18mg, Sodium 261mg, Total Carbohydrate 33g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 6g.

We Love Our Missionaries #2

The Elders were at our house again this past week for dinner. After teaching a discussion to a friend of ours, the missionaries vanished. Then we found them in the kitchen. No they weren't eating our food. They were doing the dishes. How awesome is that.

Winter Formal

I think my favorite part of Winter Formal was the dinner. Kelly (girl) Burton hosted my group of friends for dinner.

For a combined mutual activity, we went over to Cornell Estates to chill with the old folk.

I woke up one morning with the image of eating breakfast as a small child in my head. I'm not sure if I dremt about it that night or if the smell of my own breakfast being made downstairs simply awakened it. The image wasnt quite clear, but by the end of that day, I managed to pull my "Four Year Old Lizzy" files out from the deepest corner of my mind. I remembered eating oatmeal with mini eggs inside that turned into Dinasaurs.

Over the course of several months, I willingly offered to go with my mom to buy the groceries. I would search the store shelves, determined to find my dinasure oatmeal. (I went on many grocery trips this past year.)

Have you ever heard the saying "You find what you're looking for when you stop looking for it"? Well, that's exactly what happened to me. I was picking up some milk form Albertson's and right as I turned around my eye caught a long lost friend. My Dino Eggs Oatmeal!!!

I baught a box for myself. ;)

Dearest Friend,

You know what Oregon? I think we have a little love-hate-relationship thing goin' on here. We both know, I love walking out of PDX airport (coming home from smoggy Utah) and getting that first whiff of fresh-Oregon-air. I love your many hiking trails, always packed with pure nature. And of course, I love your extreme stereotypes; tree-huggers, dread-head lovers, Birkenstock-obsessors, etc... But you see, Oregon, there is one thing that causes me to glare at you in cold-bitterness. Year after year, do you provide me with snowy Christmases? I think not. I watch the weather channel and find myself wishing, for one moment, that I could live in Utah. The Christmas songs that sing of snowy nights and hotcoccoa, only mock me as I sit cocoa-less and snowman-less. I'm afraid to say this, but the truth is, your lack of snowfall on Christmas mornings is tearing us apart.

I do have to give you some props for your performance this November. Even if you dropped a lousy 1/16th of an inch, it was still fun to laugh at the many Oregonians who hunkered down, locked their doors, and planned for disaster. School was even cancelled!

Here's the thing, Oregon, my new Nephew is coming here for his first Christmas (from Utah), and I'd like him to see snow. You know I love taking out my camera out and snapping a few shots, so I'd also like it if I had a beautiful, white Christmas as a backdrop to some family photos. If you could manage to paint your landscape white this Christmas, I'd really appreciate it.

-Sincerely,

Most Legit Oregonian Ever to Live, Lizzy

Nevember's snow day:

We Love Our Missionaries!!!