Due to the last 5 weeks of being essentially quarantined, I’ve been baking way more than normal. There have been matcha chocolate chip cookies, ginger cookies, blueberry muffins and countless loaves of banana bread. When I bake I stick to a mostly paleo template (grain-free & refined sugar-free) because for many people, especially those of us with a propensity towards autoimmune conditions, grains, dairy and refined sugar can be especially inflammatory. I fall into this category and since removing those things from my diet I’ve noticed a marked difference in how I feel. In all honesty, I rarely miss their absence. There are so many viable substitutes available that I always feel satiated - even with baked goods!

In these days of binge-baking I’ve been experimenting with using things I already have on hand because one does not always have overripe bananas when the baking jones comes on. Morning Glory muffins have been a hippie staple since the seventies and I usually have carrots, apples, raisins, walnuts and coconut laying around so I developed this recipe. I have to say, it turned out even better than I expected! I decided that it was easier to just plunk the batter into one pan instead of distributing it around a muffin tin so I made it into a quick bread. It’s not overly sweet and it has some of my favorite flavors like cinnamon (2 teaspoons!), ginger and nutmeg. Since I’m all about boosting my recipes with superfoods and adaptogens wherever possible, I also added some collagen peptides and one of my favorite adaptogen blends from Ellivated Goods, a local Seattle company that I love.

Collagen is great for skin, hair and nails - and It ‘s flavorless so it can be easily mixed into recipes without changing the taste or texture. I prefer Vital Proteins because it’s sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows and I use it in everything from smoothies and creamy matcha lattes to all manner of baked goods. Adaptogens can be wonderful for helping our hormones come into balance, which roughly translates into potentially lowered stress, increased energy and boosted immunity, among other things. Given the fact that we are currently living through a pandemic, I’d say these things are welcome additions! Ellivated Goods has several different blends, but for this one I used their Glow, Baby Glow. It’s full of “hormone balancing, healthy aging, and skin nurturing properties” which is right up my alley and it’s got even more cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Yum!

xo

Lisa