Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Also known as Lactation Muffins.

I know this goes against current recommendations for weight management and health…but I’ve become a bit of a night-eater. This happened shortly after giving birth, when Lucy demanded to eat herself, every two to three hours, regardless of the time. And so I’d leave my bed in the middle of the night to nurse her in the living room, where I watched old episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress” and “Seinfeld.” After a week or two of doing this on a near-empty stomach, I realized that I needed to feed the both of us…and these banana oatmeal muffins were born.

Oats do wonders for nursing moms. Throw in some flaxseed and brewer’s yeast, and you’ll have muffins that rival any lactation cookie on the market. But even if you aren’t nursing a child (which I realize most of you are not), these muffins are packed with nutritional goodness, and they taste delicious too. Nutty, moist, and slightly sweet, these would be the perfect snack to enjoy in the morning or late afternoon.

There isn’t a lick of sugar in this recipe (refined or natural) which means that these would also be a great treat to offer to a toddler or child. I make a batch EVERY single week, and I’ll eat one or two in the middle of the night (because at 8 months postpartum, I’m still nursing Lu at least twice after her bedtime).

It doesn’t matter why you make these muffins or what time you eat them. They’re wholesome and delicious. I have a feeling they might become a weekly practice for some of you too.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins (aka Lactation Muffins)

4 large bananas, very ripe

1/2 cup apple sauce

4 TBSP melted coconut oil or butter

1 egg

2 tbsp ground flaxseed (optional)

2 tbsp brewer’s yeast (optional)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup whole oats

1 diced apple (granny-smith or pink lady)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners or grease well. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth. Stir in apple sauce, melted oil/butter, and lightly beaten egg. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir in oats.

Gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients, being careful to not overmix. Gently fold in diced apple. Divide batter into muffin pan and bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying.

7/52

A portrait of my daughter every week, each week of 2014

Something about Wednesday nights provokes the melancholy in me. I drove home from class with a heavy weight on my chest. Lucy can pull herself up now, which means she’s also prone to tumbles. She’s fallen more times than I can count this past week, and it makes me feel 1) like a bad mother and 2) afraid for what surely lies ahead.

Namely, those moments of overwhelming sorrow that all of us face.

I would do anything to keep her from all the tumbles and ills in this world, and yet I can’t. No parent ever can.

But as I type this tonight, I know that it’s often in the darkest hours that we find the depth of our souls. We discover who we are and more often than not, we realize we’re surrounded by love. So just as Lucy fell today and hit her sweet head on the floor, I swept her up into my arms and held her close until her cries turned to laughter.

And this gives me comfort. That no matter what I face, what she faces, what we all face, we’ll get through it…with love at our side.

Speaking of love, I wanted to share something very special: the breastfeeding project. Here in Colorado, I’m capturing moms nursing their children…and I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better subject, besides this little one, of course. Hop on over to cord to see the second set of photographs we’ve published online.

Poppy Seed Lemon Bars

After several weeks of bitter cold, we’re warming up in Colorado. Today, we walked through our neighborhood and the sun shone bright on our faces. Almost reaching 60 degrees, the temperature felt close to perfection. Especially considering we were in the single digits not too long ago. But isn’t winter like that? There are days or weeks when you think the bitter temperatures will never end, and then they do. The snow melts and the ice thins.

Lately, I’ve taken to the kitchen after the baby sleeps. Tonight I made another loaf of banana bread. Last night, these lemon poppyseed bars. Lu goes to bed early enough to allow Ryan and I to eat a simple dinner together, and then we’re off to our projects: baked goods, short stories, lamps, fox pendents….

I tasted my first lemon bar at the age of thirteen, and I can promise you that Lucy won’t have to wait that long. Lemon bars quickly became one of my favorite desserts, and I still believe nothing tastes better than a tart lemon bar on a spring day.

I hope everyone has a good start to this winter week. In the meantime, I’ll be here, dreaming and plotting for spring.

Poppy Seed Lemon Bars

Crust

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

8 tablespoons butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened

Filling

7 large egg yolks

2 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

Grated lemon zest from about 4 lemons

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)

Pinch salt

4 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with foil. Grease well.

Process flour, confectioners’ sugar, salt, and poppyseeds together in a food processor to combine. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pule until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer using the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together in a medium saucepan. Then whisk in lemon zest, salt, and lemon juice. Add the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Take off heat and stir in cream. Pour filling over warm crust and bake until the filling is shiny and the center jiggles only slightly when shaken (about 10 to 15 minutes).

Allow the squares to cool completely in the pan, about 2 hours. Remove bars, cut, and sprinkle with additional confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

6/52

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014″

(And thanks to the ever lovely Jodi for inspiring us all…)

It’s been one of those weeks that makes me long for pre-parenthood days…when Ryan and I could decide to sleep in until ten and then leisurely lounge in our pajamas while we both read a good book. Until…of course…I see her sweet face and she rubs her mouth against my cheek in an attempt to mimic my kisses. That desire quickly floats away.

Parenthood is both exhausting and exhilarating. If anyone tells you its going to be easy, they’re lying, but if they don’t also tell you it’s going to be glorious, they’re holding back truth.

I’m not sure if she’s going through a growth spurt or fighting off the virus her cousins came down with over the weekend. Whatever the cause, she’s been a handful, and I could use a full-body massage (along with a full nights sleep). But she’s also been showing me how she loves me:

She nuzzles her head into my shoulder when a stranger comes close.

She flaps her legs and waves her arms as soon as I come into the room.

She wants to nurse, not to eat, but to just rest against my body.

She giggles profusely when I kiss her on the mouth.

And so it’s been a hard week, but a good week, and I know that next week is going to be just as challenging and wonderful.

Neutrogena

I spend plenty of time baking around here. And I spend plenty of time taking care of my sweet baby. So you can imagine my delight when NEUTROGENA asked me to talk about their products! I’ve been using NEUTROGENA^® for over ten years now. In fact, I can still remember when my mom bought me a bar of NEUTROGENA^® soap. I must have been eleven or twelve, just on the brink of puberty, and my mom knew the importance of taking care of your skin.

As I grew older, NEUTROGENA^® expanded their line into makeup. The same quality that went into their face soaps could also be found in their mascaras, lip sticks, and creams. I started using NEUTROGENA^® mascara during college, and I’ve been using it ever since.

Ryan and I are staying close to home this Valentine’s Day. With Lucy here, we plan on keeping things sweet and simple. But I will still take the time to do my hair and makeup. Even if it’s just the three of us eating a simple dinner at home…I still love dressing up.

The kind folks at NEUTROGENA^® let me sample two products, which I already love. If you’re in the market for new makeup, I’d recommend these products fully!

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This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS^®2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.