The Smallest Things

I woke up this morning, opened the shade, and saw a dozen warblers bumping each other around to get to the seeds in our feeder. Next, my coffee was ready for me. And I had made fresh gluten free lemon muffins for breakfast. Nothing could feel better. Sometimes those smallest things just make me smile. The sum of those makes a great morning. The sum of great mornings starts a great week. The decisions we make to be up or down, to take care of ourselves every day are important.

One of the things I've done for myself is to quit gluten (no more awful itchy skin) and sugar (no more high blood sugar, high cholesterol), and walk (no more high blood pressure.) After seeing so many loved ones suffering from chronic, uncontrollable conditions it seemed unconscionable  not to make these small, individual decisions, every day, to take care of myself. Result - me minus 60 or 70 pounds depending on what day it is. Me, happy and healthy. Me eating sugar free, gluten free muffins and watching my birds.

Several friends have asked me to talk about my weight loss, so although weight is a subject I rarely am/was comfortable with, I'll do it occasionally here. Let's start with those gluten free muffins - which I try to keep to eating one a day - watching carb intake.

Lemon Blueberry Gluten Free Sugar Free Muffins

Preheat oven to 400F.  Note, I live at 4500 feet so this is a high altitude recipe. You may need to adjust a bit - especially on the baking powder if you live at sea level.

2 cups gluten free flour mix

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon xanthum gum

a bit of salt

about 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar twin - you can leave this out if you're a purist.

Mix in separate bowl: 1/4 cup oil, 2 eggs, juice of one lemon, about 3/4 cup milk

Add wet ingredients to dry alternating with about 2/3 cup greek yogurt (be sure there's no modified food starch in the yogurt you use, and no sugar or corn syrup) Mix with a fork until you have a thick batter but one that will drop easily from your spoon. Add about a cup of blue berries. Fill 12 greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.

Tip - I make this basic muffin substituting unsweetened applesauce for yogurt, adding about a teaspoon of vanilla and without the lemon juice or sugar twin for nice, sweet sugar free blueberry muffins.

Cool these babies down and enjoy.