The History of the Muffin

There is nothing sweeter then biting into a warm soft muffin in the morning with your favorite cup of Joe or Tea. My favorite Muffin is from MiMis Cafe...its a nice soft gooey honey bran muffin..mind you this is a restaurant muffin, so I have no idea of the calorie intake, either way I treat it as a special treat. While thinking up a healthy way to make these scrumptious, yummy delights, i started to think about the history of Muffins, so before I post an amazing recipe, (about 325 calories) here is the Grand story of the MUFFIN!!! Enjoy!

Muffin n. a small, cup-shaped bread, often sweetened and usually served hot.

The derivation of the word muffin comes from the French word moufflet which is often times applied to bread and means soft.

The two main types of muffins are English muffins and American style muffins. They vary in style as well as flavor and history.

English muffins are a flat yeast raised muffin with nooks and crannies that are cooked on a hot griddle. English muffin history dates all the way back to the 10th and 11th centuries in Wales. Early English muffins were cooked in muffin rings which were hooplike and placed directly on a stove or the bottom of a skillet.

American style muffins on the other hand are more of a quick bread that is made in individual molds. The molds are necessary due to the mixture being a batter rather than dough. These muffins were originally leavened with potash which produces carbon dioxide gas in the batter. When baking powder was developed around 1857 it put an end to the use of potash as well as to the profitable potash exports to the old country.

Muffin recipes first began to appear in print in the mid 18th century and quickly caught on. By the 19th century muffin men walked the streets of England at tea time to sell there muffins. They wore trays of English muffins on there heads and rang there bells to call customers to there wares.

Three states in the United States of America have adopted official muffins. Minnesota has adopted the blueberry muffin as the official state muffin. Massachusetts in 1986 adopted the Corn Muffin as the official state muffin. Then in 1987 New York took on the Apple Muffin as its official muffin of choice.

So as your biting into your next muffin think of the sweet history of the muffin.

These amazing muffins are made with bran cereal, and sweetened with pineapple juice, brown sugar, and honey. One thing about this recipe is that the batter needs to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours. It can be made the night before, and then baked in the morning.

These make about 20 regular muffins, or 12 jumbo muffins."

Ingredients

• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 2 cups golden raisins
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups whole bran cereal

Direction

In a small bowl, combine pineapple juice and raisins. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.

Stir in cereal. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, oil, honey, and eggs; mix well.

Add cereal mixture, and mix well.

Fold in the raisin mixture. Batter will be thin; it will thicken as it chills.

Cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Stir chilled batter.

Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree F (205 degree C) oven, for 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

For a healthier version you can:

Use whole wheat flour instead of regular.

Substitute 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce for the oil.

Cut the honey down to 1/4 cup, and use eggbeaters as previously suggested!

Use All-Bran cereal.

Watch the time on these, these take about 15 minutes to bake.

Now go on now, bake these for your family this lovely Morning :) and why don't you freeze some for a healthy snack for later!

Pomegranate Salsa and Baked Seasoned Chips

This is an amazing Jewel-toned dip, so pretty. I made it this weekend.... just FAB! I love avocados and pomegranates! The chips are fun to make and they are quite tasty. Enjoy !!!

• Crunchy CHIPS!
• 
  
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, each cut into 8 wedges
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 500°.

To prepare chips, combine paprika, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Arrange tortilla wedges in a single layer on 2 baking sheets; coat with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 5 minutes. Turn wedges over; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle paprika mixture evenly over wedges. Bake an additional 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; cool completely.

Serves 4

Salsa YUM!

• • 
    
  • 1 1/3 cups diced peeled avocado (about 2 avocados)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 cups clementine sections (about 6 clementines)
  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds (about 1 medium pomegranate)
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• To prepare salsa, combine avocado and juice in a medium bowl; toss gently to coat. Add clementine sections and remaining ingredients; toss gently to combine. Serve salsa with chips.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

122 (24% from fat)

Fat:

3.3g (sat 0.5g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

2.3g

Carbohydrate:

22.7g

Fiber:

3.3g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

0.7mg

Sodium:

243mg

Calcium:

63mg

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 8 chips and about 1/4 cup salsa)

healthy snack ideas for every girls craving

I think were all nutritionally savvy these days to know when a snack isn't nutritious or good for you. (hello, super size Snickers bar!), I know like me, ya'll want to make the right choice.

It can be daunting at times to pick and choose the right things to snack on, that's not full of calories, fat and sugar. Here is a few great healthy snacks to help you keep your body and mind in shape.

1. Hmmmmm I'm craving Something...

Salty

10 medium black olives or 1.3-oz bag Glenny's Salt & Pepper Soy Crisps Sweet

1 small wholegrain wrap (like Ezekiel 4:9) with 1 Tbsp Nutella spread and 1/2 cup sliced strawberries or a homemade smoothie made with 6 oz skim milk, 1/2 cup frozen mango and 1/2 banana

Savory

1 cup red and yellow bell pepper strips with 1 Tbsp pesto dip or 1/2 cup low-fat onion dip or 1 slice wholewheat toast with 1/4 avocado, drizzled with 1 tsp olive oil and lemon juice


2. WOW Im so tired I need a "Energy Boost"

Salty

10 honeywheat pretzels (like Rold Gold) dipped in 2 tsp peanut butter or
1 cup cherry tomatoes sprinkled with 1 oz feta cheese

6 oz lowfat vanilla yogurt with 2 Tbsp raisin-nut granola (such as Bear Naked) or
3 whole-grain crackers (like Wasa) with 1 Tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese and 2 tsp fruit preserves Savory

1/2 turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with honey-Dijon mustard, lettuce and tomato or 4 melba toast rounds with 1 Tbsp light cream cheese and 1 oz smoked salmon


3. What I'm I really craving? When in Doubt...

Salty

4 cups 94% fat-free popcorn (such as Pop Secret or Newman's Own) or
20 spicy salted pecans Sweet

2 wholewheat fig bars (such as Whole Grain Fig Newtons) or 1/2 cup chocolate sorbet with 1/2 cup fresh berries Savory

1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge with 1/2 cup grapes or 4" pita with 1 oz shredded mozzarella, 3 Tbsp tomato sauce and 3 basil leaves (MY FAV)



Avoid These Snacking Pitfalls

1. Eating all the Carbs in the pantry

A handful of pretzels or low-cal crackers may seem healthy, but if you don't combine it with a little protein and fat (e.g., a small slice of cheese or a dab of peanut butter), you'll be starving soon after. Try this with fruit or vegetables, too: an apple with peanut butter, baby carrots with a little yogurt dip, or an old time favorite of mine, peanut butter and celery with raisins on top

2. Mindless Munching while Facebooking, Twittering or a past time Fav TV

If you're eating while doing any of these hip things, you're definitely not paying attention to what's going in your mouth and are more likely to eat too much, so Stay Alert...dont fall into mindless munching. (even though its so much fun)

3. Not Planning Ahead you silly girl!

It never hurts to have an emergency granola bar in your pretty purse or your over flowing work drawer! If you do, you'll be less apt to pick up something not so healthy or head to that wonderful thing called the vending machine.

Keep to these lil tricks and you'll be set to go....and your health will be heading in the right direction.

Love and Good Eats to all,

Jennifer

Body Wrapping my Bod!

Above Pictures are dated March 12th 2010. I lost 1 1/2 upper abs 2 inchs Abs 1 Inch Lower ABS!!!!!! WHOOT WHOOT

(My hubby just asked if these are the porn pix i was snapping in the bathroom this morning) NEVER!

I am so excited about these body wraps!

HERE IS MY COMMERCIAL FOR THE DAY!

Expect "ultimate" results with this amazing 45-minute body Applicator! The Ultimate Body Applicator is a non-woven cloth wrap that has been infused with a powerful, botanically-based formula to deliver maximum tightening, toning, and firming results when applied to the skin.

It continuously hydrates for firmer, smoother, more youthful-looking skin and reduces the appearance of cellulite and skin slackening. See results in 45 minutes.

COMMERCIAL IS OVER.

Im going to be posting my health plan for the desk few weeks. I really want to change my body for summer. I'll be posting later today!

Am I hungry or do I just need Water?

This morning I woke up with some serious hunger pains, I wanted to run to the kitchen and grab me a yummy left over lemon cupcake, but I stopped fast in my tracks....I heard Dr. Oz asking this question "Why is it so easy to confuse hunger with thirst?" So instead of rushing to eat that cupcake,... sad to say, I reluctantly ..... poured a big glass of lukewarm water (warm water wakes up your digestive system too) ahhhhhh refreshing!

I'm happy to say that I was just thirsty, my belly stopped talking to me and the pretty yellow lemon cupcake remains on its plate.

Here is what Dr. Oz said about these hunger pains.

(quote)

The reason why some people eat is because their satiety centers are begging for attention. But sometimes, those appetite centers want things to quench thirst, not to fill stomachs. Thirst could be caused by hormones in the gut, or it could be a chemical response to eating—food increases the thickness of your blood and your body senses that it needs to dilute it.

A great way to counteract your hormonal reaction to food is to make sure that your response to thirst activation doesn't contain unnecessary, empty calories—like the ones in soft drinks or alcohol. Your thirst center doesn't care whether it's in zero-calorie water or a mega-calorie frap. When you feel hungry, drink a glass or two of water first, to see if that's really what your body wants.

So Chickie's, listen to your appetite center(did you even know you had one?) Grab a glass of something healthy when you have hunger pains or if your Cubical neighbor is asking you to hush your stomach up!! Go for the water cooler, cut up a pretty organic lime or cucumber (like the spas) and enjoy!!!!! (remember go organic in all things, support your local Farmers Market)

Be Healthy, Be Happy.

Jennifer

5 DAY love FAST. Are you in???

Organic Avenue

I discovered Evans and Denise Mari, co-founders of New York City’s fantastic Organic Avenue Organic Avenue a few days ago through another blog... I'm getting ready to do the 5 day program. The program looks pretty amazing and the juices and smoothies (esp. the coconut mylk and the cacao smoothie) I really cant wait to try. The recipes are below for a DIY fast.

LOVE*

Interview with Denise Mari, co-founder of Organic Avenue

How did you get started?

Denise Mari: I started Organic Avenue as a health & wellness lifestyle company in 2002. In the early days, I ran the shop and the LOVE cleanse programs from my convertible living space where I also met with leaders in the cutting edge nutrition and healthy living sector and hosted gourmet raw food dinners. What started as a passion and vision to help heal the environment, people, and animals by creating access to deliciousorganic foods and other lifestyle products, education, and events has grown into a full service 24/7 company as the vision continues to unfold.

How does Organic Avenue work?

Denise Mari: Today we reach people on the web or via our in-bound call center in 3 retail locations in NYC (and more to come, stay tuned!), and at partner locations throughout the city. And we make all of our products fresh daily in our incredible new kitchen in Long Island Citywhere we use state of the art hydraulic juice presses to minimize oxidation during the juicing process and where all production takes place in refrigeration — meaning that the food and juice keeps as much life-giving nutrition as possible all the way from the farm to the table.

We are organic, vegan, raw, and soon to be OU Kosher certified. We are also choosy about our ingredients, we bottle in reusable glass and compostable non-petroleum plastic, maintain cold-chill freshness at every step. Finally, we provide a space for community in our stores and with events and discussions at our new event space, The Space of LOVE* (116 Suffolk Street, NY, NY).

What’s the philosophy behind your detox program?

Denise Mari: Each cleanse reflects our belief that improving health and the planet through diet and lifestyle choices doesn’t have to be hard if it’s convenient, delicious, and combined with the right information and support. I want it to be easy for us all to transform the planet together, one action at a time, so it’s important to lower the perceived barriers of taking good care of yourself as a first step. And that does not have to just mean the occasional detox — clean, beautiful food and vibrant health can be a lifestyle. We support ongoing abundance by offering monthly and annual juice plans with in-store and home delivery options as one way to add beautiful live juice into the everyday, even when not on a specific cleanse program.

What are the benefits of your detox programs?

Denise Mari: At Organic Avenue, we believe that when people make the choice to increase the amount of clean, beautiful, living foods into their diets, that translates into vibrant health and greatly improved well-being for people and the planet. This vibrancy can take the form of weight loss, increased vitality and energy levels, a more youthful appearance and glow, or improvement toward other health and wellness goals. For us, the foundation of a healthy diet is based on the elements of LOVE* (*live.organic.vegan.experience).

One of my favorite cleanse programs is our LOVE*young Cleanse, influenced by noted nutritional advisor, best selling author of The Ph Miracle, and a teacher of mine, Dr. Robert Young. All of the juices, waters, and foods in this program promote high alkalinity, which is one of the most powerful things we can have do to avoid illness and increase energy and our natural youthful radiance!

A day of cleansing to boost alkalinity can look like this:

Detox recipes from Denise Mari, founder of Organic Avenue

First thing in the morning
• Wake up your system with a trio of elixirs in any order — just down the hatch!
  • Combine 8 oz. of pure alkaline water with pHour Salts, a powerful alkaline boost from Dr. Young
  • 1 oz of pure aloe vera juice to improve bowel regularity and increase nutrient absorption
  • 1 oz of chlorophyll, diluted with up to 8 oz. of purified water to oxygenate and boost nearly every major body system

Mid morning
• Mix a scoop of Doc Broc’s Green Powder with 1 liter of pure alkaline water for energy and a raw organic anti-aging boost
• After 20 minutes it’s time for a fresh pressed green juice. My favorite is a simple blend we call YoungLOVE* (see recipe below) that is just juiced cucumber, spinach, and celery. Remember to chew your juices — sip, enjoy and no gulping!

Lunch time
• The basic building blocks of food are carbs, plant based proteins, and fats, so for lunch enjoy healthy sources of each that also support the cleansing process:
  • Lemon Lime Shake (see recipe below) with citrus, coconut, cucumber, and avocado
  • Young Alive Green Shake (see recipe below) — green juice blended with avocado, flax oil, and Himalayan salt
  • And another liter of water with Doc Broc’s to keep the plant-based energy going

Mid-afternoon
• Time for some nutrition with an extra flavor kick — enjoy some raw soup like carrot ginger soup (see recipe below) featuring carrots, ginger, and orange juice.
• And make time for another green juice, on the Love Young cleanse it would be the MellowLOVE* (see recipe below) — cucumber, parsley, celery, romaine lettuce, green apple

Early evening
• Give your body some ruffage to aid its nightly sweep. A simple salad of raw, organic ingredients (see recipe below) is a satisfying and delicious end to the day. Add your favorite raw vegetables or even organic edible flowers for something a little special — because cleansing is not about deprivation, it’s about abundance of health.

Later evening
• Drink only water or herbal tea after 9pm, and allow yourself to go to bed early if possible to give your body extra time for house-keeping. Look forward to waking up knowing you gave your body amazing nutrition, a break from new toxins and the support to clean up old ones.

Be sure to drink plenty of pure alkaline water throughout the day, take time throughout the day to notice your stress level and your breath and make adjustments if possible, get out and get active — even if you only have a few minutes to spare, and start again the next day. Try for 5-7 days, and feel free to rotate some different raw organic vegetables into the recipes to keep it interesting and delicious.

Some people are intimidated by green juice, but there is just nothing else like it to get clean at a cellular level and start the year off right with energy and clarity. If you have a juicer and a good blender you can easily make the essentials of this program for yourself at home Look for ingredients like aloe vera juice, chlorophyll, and alkaline water at your local health foods store or order the At Home Kit. If you are in NYC and prefer the convenience of delivery call 212.334.4593.

Recipes

Notes before you begin: Since organic vegetables vary in size and juice content, servings vary and it is best to juice each vegetable separately and then mix the final recipe by volume. Wash all vegetables thoroughly in purified water to prevent any grit or off-flavors in your juice or shakes, and use a salad spinner to dry leafy greens.

YoungLOVE* Green Juice

• 12 oz celery juice (¾ of whole bunch or ¾ lb celery)
• 12 oz spinach juice (1 whole bunch or just under 1 lb spinach)
• 12 oz cucumber juice (1 large or ¾ lb cucumber)

Makes 2 servings.

MellowLOVE* Green Juice

• 6 oz spinach juice (½ bunch or just under ½ lb spinach)
• 8 oz celery juice (½ bunch or ½ lb of celery)
• 6 oz cucumber juice (½ large or 1/3 lb cucumber)
• 12 oz romaine lettuce juice (1 bunch or 1 lb romaine lettuce)
• ½ oz parsley juice (1/3 bunch or 1 oz fresh parsley)
• Small pinch of Himalayan salt

Makes 2 servings.

Lemon Lime Shake

• 1½ Hass avacado, roughly chopped
• 1 large cucumber, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ c young Thai coconut meat, roughly chopped
• 4 c young Thai coconut water
• ¼ oz Stevia powder
• ½ c lemon juice
• ¼ c lime juice
• Small pinch of Himalayan salt

Combine all ingredients in a high-power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend well until completely smooth. Makes 3 servings.

Young Alive Green Shake

• ½ large cucumber
• 1 oz lime juice
• 6 oz grapefruit juice
• 1 Hass avocado
• ½ lb spinach
• 4 oz raw coconut milk
• 1 tsp Doc Broc’s Green Powder
• 1 tsp Soy Sprout Powder
• 10 drops PuripHy pH Drops
• 4 sprigs of fresh mint
• 14 cubes purified water ice

Combine all ingredients in a high-power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend well until completely smooth. Makes 2 servings.

Carrot Ginger Soup

• ¾ lb carrots (about 2½ carrots), roughly chopped
• 1 c coconut meat, roughly chopped
• 1½ Tbsp shallots, diced
• ½ c coconut water
• ½ c orange juice
• ½ clove of garlic
• 1 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1 Tbsp miso
• Pinch of cumin

Combine all ingredients in a high-power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend well until completely smooth. Makes 2 servings.

Young Love Salad

Salad:

• 2 oz baby arugula
• 2 oz baby spinach
• 3 oz mixed baby greens
• 1 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
• 1 zucchini, cut into thin strips
• 1 c broccoli florets
• 1 c cauliflower florets
• ¼ carrot, cut into thin strips
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing:

• 4 oz extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ oz lemon juice
• 3 oz shallots, diced
• 1 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• Pinch of mustard seed
• Pinch of black pepper
• Pinch of Himalayan salt

Wash all of the baby greens to remove grit and use a salad spinner to dry thoroughly.

If you have a mandolin, it is best used for cutting the vegetables into thin strips. If not, you can use a knife to cut sticks of the carrot, zucchini and squash.

To make the dressing, place all ingredients in a high power blender such as a Vita Mix and blend until smooth.

Toss all the ingredients together with 6 oz. of dressing to coat all the greens. Makes 2 servings.

Im really excited to try these yummy and cleansing smoothies and juices.

Please let me know if your interested in doing the 5 day cleanse with me,

I'll be starting it this coming Monday Jan. 11th 2010.

Be Healthy, Be Happy.

Jennifer