Tasty Tuesday: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year y'all!I hope that everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve. I spent mine doing exactly what I wanted: chilling on the couch with my sweetie. I made a fun cheese plate and some champagne jello shots and we watched an old movie. It was perfect. We toasted, kissed at midnight and we were in bed by one!

I'm not really big on New Year's Resolutions, but I have been trying out a new system for establishing habits and I hope it continues to be successful this year.  I am full of hope and optimism about 2013 for our family.  It's a far cry from how I felt last New Year but I really am happy and I can't wait to see what the year brings.

For those of you hoping to start the year cooking more or eating healthy, here is a delicious recipe I made up for gluten free banana avocado muffins.  They are very moist and rich, but full of healthy things like banana (obviously), avocado, flax, and pecans.  Phillip and I are eating a couple of them for breakfast every day right now. 

Gluten Free Banana Avocado Muffins
Makes 36 mini muffins


Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I use Better Batter, but any blend with xantham gum will do.  If you don't have a blend, I recommend 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup tapioca starch, and 1/4 cup potato starch, plus 1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum)
• 1 cup flax seed meal
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 ripe avocado, mashed
• 2/3 cup honey
• 3 tbl cooking oil (any but olive!)
• 1 tbl vanilla
• 1 egg

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 and grease two mini muffin pans
• Whisk flour, flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat mashed bananas, avocado, hoeny, oil, vanilla, and egg until combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three additions, mixing until combined.
• Stir in nuts
• Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 to 3/4 full and bake about 15-17 minutes until top springs back when lightly touched.



Mrs. K = Sore

I fully realize that it's February now, and as a result, maybe I'm just a teeny bit behind on my New Year's Resolution.  That being said, I feel like it's never too late for self-improvement.  I'm almost ashamed to tell y'all about my resolution because it's such a cliche!  Nevertheless, I will put it out here in hopes that it will help me stick to it.

So here it is; I've lost all the baby weight and then some (cheers!!!), but I have worked out probably about 20 times since the peanut was born (boo!!!).  He's almost 10 months old people.  Do the math - that's about twice a month.  seriously. pathetic.

I am busy.  I work, go to law school, have a baby, a husband, a dog... but really, what mom's not busy these days?  It really no excuse to not make the time for something this important.  I really need to get back on the working out bandwagon for so many reasons:

1. It will make me feel better.  I know this.  I've worked out regularly in the past and I always had so much more energy.  And yet, always "being exhausted" is probably my number one reason for not exercising.   

2. Like I said, I've lost the baby weight, but I have not lost the baby jiggle.  Bathing suit season (at least here in Houston) is really just around the corner and I frankly think my stomach could use some work.

3. I want to be a good example for my son.  I realize I'm young and it sounds silly to say this, but when I was a kid we just moved more than kids do these days!  We spent whole days outside playing and exploring.  Sure we watched TV, but days went by during the Summer when we never even turned it on.  I want him to realize that being active is fun.

So, on that vein, I jumped back on the working out this weekend and I may have overdone the abs just a little bit because I am in pain!  You never realize how much you use your abs until they are unbelievably sore, wow.  Hopefully, I'll be feeling better tomorrow and I can keep it up!  I think if I'm able to meet my initial goal of working out at least three times per week, I will reward myself with a new outfit from the adorable Lululemon.  I figure, if I'm going to be working out and I don't have time to change I need to have some cute/presentable work out clothes to run around in.  Here are a few of my favorite items:

Wish me luck!