apple yummies

miss S learnt how to use a spoon properly today. She can now feed herself yogurt properly without it going everywhere due to her spinning the spoon around.

We made some delicious muffins this morning. Here's the recipe, I put about 1/4 of the batter into a mini-muffin tray for poss and got about 6 for her, which she loves. They're fairly healthy too and totally scrummy!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

These dark, crazy moist muffins will keep well for several days, and the brown sugar on top, should you not skimp on it like I did, adds a crunchy touch, perfect for those of you who know that the lid is the best part.

Yield: They said 12, I got 18

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour an 18 cup muffin tin and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe taken from here, thanks Smitten Kitchen.

A happily productive Sunday

miss S was up at 5:15am this morning, so after dragging her into bed with me, bidding goodbye to CJ who began work at 6am and trying to convince her to let me sleep for another half hour.. I gave up at 6am and we were both up.

After consuming a bowl of porridge with cinnamon, honey & sultanas miss S helped me hang out the washing, watered my herbs (photos to come!) and do a quick clean up before my Mama came to take us to the organic fruit and vegetable markets.

I threw her onto my back in my 3.5 Vatanai wrap, in a ruck tied under the bum and off we went! I managed to get her up quite high so she was enjoying peering over my shoulder at the hustle of the markets. Was quite busy this morning, we saw 4 other babywearers and only 2 prams which was a nice change.

We grabbed some beautiful lettuce, baby spinach, apples, mandarins, sunflower sprouts, shallots, bananas and green beans and headed home. I really like supporting local farmers, it's another one of those things I do for the "good" of the environment, god knows it needs nurturting in its current state.

Scarlett is such a cack.. she enjoyed a lady finger so much on the way home that when my mama and I were chatting she snuck up to the dining table, grabbed a banana, took a hunk out of it (with the skin on) and then proceeded to keep chewing til I found her and helped her peel it. Bananas = lollies to my little miss, it was so adorable.

Her appetite is truly extraordinary though. For example, this morning alone, all before 10am she had consumed:

• 1 Large bowl of porridge with milk, honey, cinnamon and sultanas
• 1 large piece of wholemeal toast with a smidge of peanut butter
• 2 organic lady finger bananas
• 1 large bowl of organic biodynamic yogurt with stewed peach
• 3 prunes
• 1 handful of wheat rounds

And asked for more. *shock*

Anyway, I followed a recipe by Crazy Mumma for Cheat's Spanikopita (Spinach & Ricotta pie) and I've just taken it out of the oven. Looks really good, I chopped up some of my own basil and parsely *proud* and made the pastry into sort of envelopes. Review to follow! I made her Lemon Cheesecake yesterday which was easy and divine so I am sure I won't be disappointed.

A place to start

So herein begins a whole new blogging journey. I haven't blogged since way before Scarlett was even born, I'm thinking at least 2 years.

Right now..
Happily married going on 2 years
Mama to beautiful daughter Scarlett
One on the way due to be born at home sometime in February '09
Very interested in environmental sustainability
Addicted to baby wearing, cloth nappies, cooking and shopping online (oops!)

Aiming to share my rants, discoveries and overall journey of motherhood and beyond here. So, hello!