Pumpkin Oat Bran Muffins

I had been looking to make muffins for a couple of days, but Alec had his own plans and never let me. Yesterday he took an awesome nap, so I was able to finally get them made.

 I could not find a recipe for exactly what I was envisioning, so I threw together some ingredients and I ended up with these warm, healthy(ish), and delicious muffins. They are delicious right out of the oven, or even warmed up the next day. Just thought I'd share the recipe in case anyone else wanted to give it a whirl. These muffins are dairy free, soy free, and oil free (can make gluten free if you substitute whole wheat flour with coconut flour) - just a heads up!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin or spray with cooking spray (I used liners because I was trying to avoid oils and dairy). 

1-1/2 cups of oat bran 

1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Combine these ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. 

2 egg whites

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup of rice milk

2 tablespoons of unsweetened apple sauce

Whisk these ingredients in a small bowl. Once well mixed, stir into the dry ingredients. Once all ingredients were well combined, I added about 1/2 cup of organic dried currants. 

Fill muffin tins, and bake at 20(ish) minutes. 

This exact recipe made 12 regular sized muffins.

5 Things

Each time I venture out of the house with Alec I am reminded of some things that I absolutely adore now that I am a mom. All of these things I did not even realize existed until I had a baby. I tip my hat to the creator of these things as you have made my life a gazillion times easier; and I'm sure you've made the lives of other mama's easier as well.

1. Handicap doors with the push button! I know these are doors that are specially placed for those with disabilities. I am not trying to abuse them, but when I am lugging my stroller, carseat, and fifty pound diaper bag into a store, I really, really, REALLY appreciate these silver plates that magically open the doors as if God himself were doing it. 

2. Drive-thru coffee shops. Ok, so I live in a city where these *barely* exist (at least that I know of), but a drive-thru Starbucks opened dangerously close to my apartment. Pair that drive-thru with the Gold card, and it's a recipe for financial disaster. Now, if only they would add rice milk as an option…

3. Parking validation. Each Wednesday my babe and I race to music class and just make in on time before Miss Kim closes the door. The awesome venue we take this class at has two parking options (remember we live in a city, parking lots just do not happen). You can either leave your car with the valet people for free a big tip and let them do donuts with your new SUV, or you can park in a not so crowded parking garage for FREE!!! We have to get there a little early as this involves several floors to potentially drive up, elevators, and a (sometimes sweaty) trek down the block. But after music class the ladies at the front desk give us a chaser ticket and parking is free. FREE! I save $14 every single week- did you read that, hubby?!

Alec watching Miss Kim at music class at Bubbles Academy. He loves this class, and those maracas - we'll talk later about my intense germaphobic fear of his love of these maracas. 

4. Baby friendly places. When I say baby friendly, I mean places like a park, or again, my favorite place right now, Bubbles Academy, where we take our beloved music class. I don't care if somewhere has a changing table or high chairs (yet), but as long as there is a place tucked away where no one cares if I nurse my son, I am a happy camper. He's eaten in the car {a lot}, but it's nice to be somewhere where no one cares if you nurse your baby, because, well the baby has gotta eat (and he doesn't care where we are)!

5. The BabyShusher. Yes, the BabyShusher. It does exactly what you're thinking. It says 'shhh. shhhhhh.' Call me lazy, call me crazy. I call the people who made this ingenious. I have to admit, hubby and I saw this when I was pregnant at Right Start and laughed at it. We can say 'shhh' we don't need to buy a device to do it for us. Fast forward 6 months and we made our first road trip to Michigan where baby started crying and we took turns 'shhh-ing' over our shoulders (for hours). When we got back to Chicago, I made an emergency run to Right Start and paid the thirty some odd dollars for this device. I only use it in the carseat, but when we need it, it works. You can go get yours here and then thank me later.