Holiday Gifts of Love Hop!

Tags

blog hop, Muffins, Stolen Bride series

Happy Holidays!!! From today until the 17th, make sure to leave a comment here and at as many of the over 200 participating author blogs for your chance to win one of the three grand prizes! AND by leaving a comment here, you’ll be entered for a chance to win the 1st THREE ebooks in my Stolen Bride series!!! THE HIGHLANDER’S REWARD, THE HIGHLANDER’S CONQUEST and THE HIGHLANDER’S LADY!!

What are the three grand prizes???? See below…

Around the holidays, I absolutely love to bake! Bread, muffins, cookies, you name it, my house smells good everyday in December!

Today, I thought I’d share a muffin recipe that I just made! It was so good… They were gone within a couple hours and I had to make another batch so the kids had something for breakfast the next morning (my kids won’t eat cereal… I’ve tried, but you’d think I was feeding them manure!)

Because I wanted to make sure my kiddies had balanced meal, this muffin is jam-packed with goodness, but tastes like heaven… Even my husband liked them–and he hates healthy things 🙂

So, if you’re looking for something yummy to munch on Christmas morning, or this afternoon, try this recipe!

Eliza’s Banana Chocolate Muffins — Yum!

Ingredients:

1 cup of Chocolate Almond Milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3/4 c. of oatmeal

1 1/4 c. whole-wheat pastry flour

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

1/3 c. grapeseed oil

2 ripe bananas

1/2 c. walnuts

1/2 c. semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips

1/3 c sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tin — either grease or use paper cups. I like the paper cups better.

Put oatmeal in a food processor and grind for a few seconds–until it looks like flour/crushed oats. Stir together pastry flour, oat flour, baking powder, salt, flaxseed. In a measuring cup, stir the vinegar into the milk. In a separate bowl, mash bananas. Add sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, oil, milk, nuts and chocolate chips. Stir in the flour.

Pour mixture into each muffin cup–almost to the top.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes and then nosh!!!

Enjoy 🙂

Check out the other authors participating in the hop!

The latest book in the Stolen Bride Series!! THE HIGHLANDER’S LADY…

A Highlander tamed…

Laird Daniel Murray seeks adventure, battle and freedom for his countrymen. Putting off his duties as laird—with a promise to his clan he’ll return come spring—Daniel sets off with his men to fight alongside William Wallace and the Bruce. But soon he stumbles across an enchanting lady in need. She tantalizes him with an offer he simply can’t refuse and a desire he attempts to dismiss.

A lady’s passion ignited…

Escaping near death at the treacherous hands of a nearby clan, Lady Myra must find the Bruce and relay the news of an enemy within his own camp. Alone in a world full of danger and the future of her clan at stake, she must trust the handsome, charismatic Highland laird who promises to keep her safe on her journey—and sets her heart to pounding.

Together, Daniel and Myra will risk not only their lives, but their hearts while discovering the true meaning of hope and love in a world fraught with unrest.

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Monday’s Healthy Writer Tips!

Happy Monday!

Today’s healthy writer tip is to drink plenty of water. Water is essential for humans to live. Water helps our body to stay hydrated, regulates our body temperatures, helps our body to absorb nutrients, and assists in removing wastes from our bodies. It is recommended you drink around 8 cups of water a day (8oz = 1 cup).

I know for me, if I don’t get enough water–migraines come on quick!

Another helpful benefit of water is that it keeps us from snack too much…hopefully. I have my own “water cup”. It’s pink with a straw, BPA Free and I fill ‘er up and sip all day. But even with that, I admit to forgetting to drink enough water, especially if I’m tired and I’d rather have coffee.  I strive for 8 cups, but on an average day it is probably more like 4-6.

For extra flavor, squeeze a slice of lemon or lime into your cup.

If you go out for drinks with friends, order a glass of water and sip as much water as you do alcohol–this will help with keeping you sober and hopefull if you indulge too much, eliminate a hangover in the morning.

How much water do you drink?

And here is a Monday’s healthy recipe…

Green bean & Tomato Salad (I could literally eat this all day…)

• 2 lbs fresh green beans (slightly steamed–still bright green, slightly crunchy)
• 4 hothouse tomatoes, cubed
• 2 tbsp low-fat mayo (I like the ones made with olive oil)
• 3 green onion stalks
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Sea-salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, chill in fridge for about an hour, stir and serve!

This is a great side salad, or eat it for lunch!

 

 

Tips for Writers on Staying Healthy

Tags

exercise, health tips, healthy writers, recipes

A couple of weekends ago, I participated on a Healthy Writer panel at the Baltimore Book Festival. We had quite an audience of writers looking to stay healthy, and many who offered up tips.

I’ve previously posted my top ten list of ways to stay healthy at Past the Print, if you care to check it out.

For most writers, getting out of our chairs and away from our computers can be really tough. I have to actually PLAN moments away from my desk, or I’ll sit here forever. This morning, I took the baby out and did a walk/job for twenty minutes through our hilly neighborhood. She had fun and I felt good about it when I was done–>I did however question my sanity while doing it.

Every week, here on this blog, I’m going to post a goal/tip for you to try and accomplish physically, and a healthy recipe. Monday is now officially HEALTHY DAY on this blog! Check back each week! They say that you should do something physically active every day. Ideally it would be 60 minutes a day, which you can break up into increments, and can even include housework. Start out slow, and build your way up. Its not always possible to fit in 60 minutes, so shoot for at least 15. Here is my exercise plan for the rest of this week:

• Tuesday – Zumba class (dancing/aerobics)
• Wednesday – jog/walk again
• Thursday – Pilates
• Friday – jog/walk
• Saturday – jog/walk
• Sunday – Zumba

This week’s goal:

Step outside in the fresh air. Do something active for 15 minutes. Try for 3 times this week. What can you do actively outside?

1. Walk
2. Run
3. Skip
4. Weed your garden
5. Mow your lawn
6. Trim your bushes
7. Reorganize your patio furniture
8. Kick the ball with your kids / play tag
9. Play fetch with your dog
10. Wash your car

Now for a healthy recipe, courtesy of my friend Nicole…

Jalapeno Cocktail Squares

 

 

• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (i just use a couple tbsp of the jarred/canned kind)
• 4 cups shredded low-fat or fat-free Cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sprinkle chopped chile peppers in a well greased 9×9 inch square baking dish. Cover with cheese then pour beaten eggs over all. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven, and cool completely. Cut into 1/2×1 inch squares. Stick a toothpick into each square, and place on a large serving plate.

Do you have any tips or a healthy recipe you want to share?