Life is moving at lightning speed these days. I'm not sure if it's the lack of sleep, or that my days are so full, and my life so fulfilled, I don't even notice what day of the week it is anymore. I seem to be moving through the months with such a feeling of presence and gratefulness, feelings that I have longed for years.
Life update. Have I mentioned that our kitchen remodel begins in a couple of weeks? I am trying to prepare for this experience as much as possible, which is sort of similar to preparing for a new baby. Cooking and freezing as many foods as possible. Daily meditative and yoga sessions to reduce stress. I am simultaneously excited but also terrified at the thought of no kitchen for a whole month. Will I wash my dishes in the laundry room sink or scrub them in a bucket outside? Will I rely solely on take-out and convenience foods after we get through the freezer foods, or will I live off of nothing but cereal? Despite the trepidation towards the whole process, I'm pretty happy to get things moving, cause I'm not sure I can spend any more time looking at faucets and sinks. Unlacquered versus lacquered. Fireclay versus cast iron.
In the entertainment department, I just binge-watched Love on Netflix. Have you guys seen it? The first few episodes had me hiding my face in my hands due to sheer awkwardness, but despite that, I became hooked pretty fast.
- I've been putting it off, but I'm finally about to start Friday Night Lights
. I know that there are some die-hard fans out there, and based on recommendations from multiple people, and my love for Connie Britton , I pretty sure it is going to be epic.
- Last weekend I spent a whole 2-days away from Sebastian for the first time. I planned a bachelorette party for one of my friends in the most amazingly swanky mini resort in the mountains with the most incredible view. We ate good food, spent hours in the hot tub, drank probably too much wine, and slept. Oh, the sleep I had.
Last week, after spending a few days weeding through the gardens in the front of the house, you are now able to see the bright green new growth peeking up through the soil, and not a jungle of weeds. And even though I am painting an image of perfectly manicured gardens, I'm not even going to begin to tell you about the gardens in the backyard, and all the dog poop I am in total denial about. Guys, we were walking a fine line between being a respectable family and total trash.
If you follow me on snapchat (heatheralanna), you probably know that I slogged up a mountain a few weeks ago with Sebastian strapped to my front. It was Sebastian's first experience in the mountains, and my first experience hiking up a mountain with a 20-pound baby strapped to my chest. After the hike, I was so hungry that I came close to eating my weight in french fries.
Speaking of Sebastian. He is now rolling over all the time. Back to front, and front to back. It's a nice step in the right direction, cause for a few short weeks when he couldn't roll from front to back, he would wake me up all hours of the night, in a sheer panic that he was stuck. He is laughing all the time, so much so, that I'll often hear him laughing manically to himself in the crib. What is he laughing at?????
He is now 6 months old, and I've started him on solid foods. This new stage of the game is totally my jam. I've been introducing a whole variety of fruits and vegetables, some he likes, some he hates. One thing is for certain, that boy loves his avocados. Cue proud mama fist bump.
A few weeks ago I bought a few pounds of bananas, cause for some reason I thought Sebastian was going to like them a little more than he actually does. I am now left with a freezer full of ripe bananas, so much so, that when I open the door, bananas literally come flying at me. What a better way to get through a freezer full of bananas than to make banana related baked goods. I actually made a pretty good dent in the banana supply, trialing this recipe a few times last week. I wanted to get it perfect - the right amount of banana flavor, moist but not too soggy, chocolate without being over-powering. I was going for a bit of a sour note with this recipe, which is why I opted for the rye flour, dutch cocoa, and buttermilk. After a few trial and errors, the recipe came out just perfect. I froze most of them, replacing the space in the freezer that was taken up by bananas. It was the only way that I wasn't going to eat them all at once.
DARK CHOCOLATE BANANA RYE MUFFINS
makes 12 muffins
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 20 - 22 minutes
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark rye flour
1/2 cup dutch cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cups.
In a large bowl combine the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl combine the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, canola oil, buttermilk, and bananas with a wire whisk.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine until just moistened. Stir in the chocolate chunks. Reserve a few chunks to sprinkle on top of the muffins before baking.
Place the muffins into the oven and bake for 20 - 22 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. You don't want to overbake the muffins. They should be a little soft when you touch the top, but not mushy. Let cool.
Can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.
