Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Lemon Raspberry Mini Muffins

This Sunday morning I had the pleasure of baking my Allergy Friendly Monday Muffins at my mother’s house.

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Lemon Raspberry Mini Muffins

My mother and I love the flavour combination of lemons and raspberries…combined with whole-wheat and oatmeal in a mini muffin…yes please!

While out grocery shopping for our evening meal on Saturday…my mother spied a mini muffin tin…the inspiration for the mini muffin version.

Mini muffins make the perfect mini snack…especially for my mother who watches her carbohydrate intake due to her being a Type 1 Diabetic.

This recipe was adapted from the March 2000 edition of Canadian Living Magazine.

Adaptions for this recipe include:

1)  Replace 1 1/4 cups of buttermilk with 1 1/4 cups Natur-a Rice Beverage or Natur-a Soy Beverage mixed with 1 tbsp. white vinegar…let rest while you measure the ingredients.
2)  Replace the 2 eggs with 1 tbsp. flaxmeal mixed with 3 tbsp. water…let rest over night in the refrigerator (or in the refrigerator as you measure the rest of the ingredients), increase baking soda to 1 1/2 tsp (add to dry ingredients) and add 2 tbsp. of water to the wet ingredients.
3)  I replaced the all-purpose flour to whole-wheat flour to increase the fibre.
4)  I sprinkled the tops with large flake oats and topped each with a fresh raspberry.

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Lemon Raspberry Mini Muffins

Dry Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup packed Demerara Sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup quick oats
1 tbsp. lemon zest

Wet Ingredients

1 1/4 cups Natur-a Rice Beverage or Natur-a Soy Beverage mixed with 1 tbsp. of white vinegar…let rest
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tbsp. flaxmeal mixed with 3 tbsp. of water (refrigerate overnight or until it thickens)
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp pure vanilla
3/4 cup frozen raspberries

Topping

24 fresh raspberries plus more for any regular muffins
whole oats

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients…excluding frozen raspberries.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to just combine…gently stir in the frozen raspberries.
Spoon batter into mini muffin tin…sprinkle with whole oats and top with a fresh raspberry.

Tip: I was able to bake 24 mini muffins and 5 regular sized muffins. (bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes)

Bake at 375 F for 10-15 minutes.
Let cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes before turning out on cooling rack.

Enjoy!

P.S. On my drive home from my visit to my mom…I stopped in to see Carla @ My 1/2 Dozen Daily. I thought her daughter’s would enjoy a basket of my freshly baked Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Lemon Raspberry Mini Muffins.

P.P.S. Carla @ My 1/2 Dozen Daily’s posted a draw (click here for the story) to support the Brain Tumour  Foundation of Canada in support of Joanna @ That Thing I Made‘s friend, Jen, who has a brain tumour.  

The winner of the draw wanted Jen to have the beautiful tote bag that Carla made, along with a book, so I have brought it home to give to Joanna to pass on to Jen.

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free 3 Grain Orange Blueberry Muffins

I just love waking up on a Sunday morning to freshly baked muffins…not to mention, so does my husband.

Big, bold crunchy tops adorn these beauties…Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free 3 Grain Orange Blueberry Muffins. 

Just the ticket for this past Sunday’s sunny yet brisk morning.

Prepping all the ingredients the night before makes swift work the next morning.

The blend of cornmeal, oats, whole-wheat and flax-meal lends to a more textural muffin…while the flavour combination of orange/blueberry brighten up this healthy combination of grains.

Fresh from the oven, moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside…Andy couldn’t resist a second.

I discovered this recipe back in the July 2004 issue of Chatelaine magazine…I have loved it ever since. Click here for the original recipe.

Just a few adaptions were necessary to make this recipe allergen-free for our family.

Adaptions:

1)  1 3/4 cups of Natur-a Rice Beverage or Natur-a Soy Beverage mixed with 2 tbsp. of white vinegar for the buttermilk.
2)  an additional 1/2 tsp baking soda (added to the dry ingredients), 2 tbsp. of water (added to the wet ingredients) and 1 tbsp. of flax meal mixed with 3 tbsp. of water left overnight in the refrigerator (added to the wet ingredients) to replace the 2 eggs.
3) I up the cinnamon to 2 tsp

As you must have noticed…I just love homemade muffins full of fruit and fibre…who knew there could be so many recipes?

Lucky for me…and you…the list goes on and on for delicious muffins to adapt. Perhaps I should start…Allergy Friendly Muffin Monday!

Enjoy!

What is your favourite type of muffin?  Do you adapt it to meet you or your family’s allergies?

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Hot Cross Buns

                                                                     ” Hot cross buns, Hot cross buns,
                                                                            One a penny, two a penny,
                                                                                     Hot cross buns.”

Hot cross buns are traditionally enjoyed on Good Friday…therefore, I will be up early today with my breadmaker in order to have Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Hot Cross Buns fresh from the oven for my boys’ breakfast…perhaps brunch.

Unable to purchase these delicious treats from a grocery store or bakery due to my boys’ combined food allergies…dairy, egg, sesame, peanut/tree nuts, lamb, beef, shellfish, fish, mustard and raspberry…I set out to adapt a recipe.

I chose the Hot Cross Bun recipe from my from my well-used original Black & Decker All-In-One Deluxe Breadmaker Recipe Guide Book.

This recipe was easily adapted, easy to make, easy to bake…and tasted great!

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Hot Cross Buns

1 1/3 cups Natur-a Rice Beverage or Natur-a Soy Beverage
1/4 cup cinnamon applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/14 tsp kosher salt
3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp yeast

Add in at the beep:  3/4 cup raisins

Glaze:  2 tbsp sugar and water dissolved. (I just heated in the microwave)
Icing:     1/2 cup icing sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp pure vanilla and 2 tsp water…or until a desired consistency for piping a cross on top of the buns is reached.

Measure all the ingredients in to the bread machine in order…minus the raisins.
Select the Dough/Pasta Setting and press start.
Add the raisin at the ‘Add ingredient’ beep.
When the dough is complete…remove dough to a lightly floured surface…knead dough a few times. See tip below.
Divide and shape dough in to 18 round pieces…I made 11.
Place 2 inches apart on a parchment, silicone or greased baking sheet.
Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
Spritz with canola oil, cut a 1/4  inch deep cross on top of each bun and bake at 350 F for 15-18 minutes. (I rotated my two baking sheets with 11 buns every 10 minutes for a total of 30 minutes)
Remove to cooling sheets and brush glaze over top of the buns.
Cool on cooling sheets…pipe icing over top of the cut cross.

Enjoy!

Tip:  As Matthew is not so fond of raisins and Michael wanted to have raisins…I did not add the raisins at the ‘Add ingredient’ beep. Instead, I divided the dough in half and kneaded in about 1/2 cup raisins into half of the dough.

How will you be celebrating Easter Weekend? Have a ‘Hoppy Easter’! 

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Carrot Raisin Muffins

A touch of orange rind gives Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Carrot Raisin Muffins a ‘little burst of sunshine’!

Full of fibre…whole-wheat flour, oats and flax meal…these muffins are full of flavour…while still staying lovely and moist.

This recipe was copied down by me a long time ago…unfortunately, I forgot to write the source…unable to give them credit for this yummy muffin recipe that I was able to adapt.

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Carrot Raisin Muffins

1 1/4 cups Natur-a Rice Beverage or Natur-a Soy Beverage mixed with 1 1/4 tbsp white vinegar (let sit while you measure rest of the ingredients)
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup packed demerrera sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 flax egg (1 tbsp flaxmeal mixed with 3 tbsp water…best to leave overnight or in the fridge while you measure rest of the ingredients)
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp grated orange rind (I used the rind from one orange)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Tip: Prepare your flax egg and rice beverage with white vinegar mixture so as they have time to sit.

Measure the flour, raisins, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Pour the rice beverage and vinegar mixture over the quick oats and let sit for 5 minutes.
Grate the orange rind and carrots.
Add the carrots, orange rind, demerrera sugar, oil, flax egg and 2 tbsp of water to the quick oat mixture…blend well.
Add wet ingredients to dry and blend well…mixture will be very thick.
Fill 12 paper lined muffin tins…sprinkle top with whole oats.
Bake muffins at 400 F for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing from muffin tin to continue to cool on cooling racks.

Enjoy!

Lovely warm with a drizzle of local honey! Yummy!

Tip:  Muffins freeze beautifully…just need a quick pop in the microwave to re-heat.

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Wholewheat Carrot Raisin Muffins

Happy Spring!

With spring officially here…is ‘Mother Nature’ aware?..I thought I would start the weekend off with some freshly baked allergy friendly muffins for the lovely ladies in my last knitting class at the Kniterary. Our last knitting session for our baby sweater…or so I thought.

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Wholewheat Carrot Raisin Muffins

This fibre-rich muffin made with whole-wheat flour, wheat germ and a flax egg was incredibly moist…not to mention…delish!

Clipped from an old Canadian Living Magazine…I adapted the recipe to be made without dairy and eggs…replacing the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour. Click here for the original recipe.

Adaptions:

Substitute 1 cup of all-purpose flour for 1 cup whole-wheat flour (increasing the total of whole-wheat flour to 1 1/2 cups)
Substitute Natur-a Rice Beverage or Natur-a Soy Beverage for milk.
Substitute 1 tbsp of flax meal mixed with 3 tbsp of water, refrigerated over night for the egg.
Substitute canola oil for the melted butter.

The knitted baby sweater has taken our class more than the 3 scheduled classes…our group met last week for an extra class… will be meeting again for an extra class this week too.

Despite the challenges that we have faced with the baby sweater…we all admit we are addicted. All of us that can…are signing up for the next knitting project…socks!

Each of the lovely ladies in my knitting class are at various stages of the sweater…I just have the I-cord (trim), sewing in the loose bits of yarn, knitting something special as the ‘button’ and the ‘blocking’ of the baby sweater left to do.

Total of 4 sweaters…mine is the violet and cream on the far right.

The knitting instructors and the lovely ladies in my knitting class were pleasantly surprised that such an adapted recipe tasted so yummy!

Enjoy!

P.S. One batch of muffins yielded only 9 muffins so I needed to quickly whip up another batch…couldn’t leave the house smelling of delicious muffins without leaving any for Andy to try!

Dairy, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Raisin Irish Soda Bread

St. Patrick’s Day is this weekend…what better excuse to bake an allergy friendly version of Raisin Irish Soda Bread.

Dairy, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Raisin Irish Soda Bread

Next time, I will have to remember to drizzle the orange juice icing when the bread has cooled completely…it might not have drizzled right off the loaf!

I followed the directions from my Canadian Living Cooks Step by Step cookbook. It is a variation of their Irish Soda Bread. Click here for the original recipe and follow the directions for the variation…Honey Apricot Irish Soda Bread.

My adaptions: 

Substitute Natur-a Soy Beverage or Natur-a Rice Beverage mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp of white vinegar for the buttermilk.
I also used all raisins instead of using apricots.

The boys came in after a game of road hockey…sliced while still warm…the boys tried a slice of Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Raisin Irish Soda Bread.

Moist, dense, chewy…yummy!

Quick and easy to make and bake…just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!

Enjoy!

P.S.  Guess what? Our family ‘stepped out of the box last night’…enjoyed a night out at a restaurant! Post coming for Monday!

Have you ‘stepped out of your box’ lately?

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Chocolate Chunk Wholewheat Banana Bread

Much to my boys’ chagrin…I am always re-creating recipes to be somewhat healthier. I especially hear an uproar when I start adding healthy stuff like…wholewheat flour, flaxmeal and oatmeal.

I hear things like…”Why did you have to change it?…I liked it the other way.” or “Can’t you just make it the way it was?”

Such was the case this weekend…

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Chocolate Chunk Wholewheat Banana Bread

Matthew practically recoiled when he saw me adding flaxmeal to the dry ingredient bowl and Michael was all over me when he looked at the bread cooling in the loaf pan…”What are all the seeds?”

I found a kindred spirit in Lauren Coles of St. Catharines, Ontario…she re-invented her mother’s classic banana bread with honey, applesauce and a healthier oil. I discovered her recipe in the July 2011 Clean Eating Magazine. Click here for the original recipe.

The only adaptions for this recipe were replacing the 2 egg whites with a flax egg (1 tbsp of flaxmeal mixed with 3 tbsp of water, stir and leave overnight in the refrigerator) and the flaxseed oil…I used canola oil. For the chopped dark chocolate I chopped up Enjoy Life Mega Chocolate Chunks.

The loaf took much longer than the 25 minute baking time in the original recipe…I let it cook for at least an hour…checking at 5 minute intervals after the initial 25 minutes.

Okay…so I think it was the chocolate chunks that convinced Matthew to give the Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Chocolate Chunk Wholewheat Banana Bread a try…”Mmmmm, good. But I liked the other Banana Bread better.”

When I ask him if he would like another piece the answer was a smile…and a “Yes!”

I pondered whether or not I should have cooked the Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Chocolate Chunk Wholewheat Banana Bread another 5 minutes or so…it was very moist… almost like it was still a bit undercooked.

However, Andy practically ‘breathed in a slice’…dismissed the notion and snuck back for a second piece!

When I sliced a piece the next day…the texture of the bread was perfect. Perhaps it just needed time to  rest…I just couldn’t wait to try it while it was still lovely and warm!

Michael…well, he showed no interest in trying this particular adaption…however he did request me to add raisins rather than chocolate to the Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Banana Bread that was a hit last week. (recipe Matthew was referencing)

Now who is adapting recipes to be healthier! Click here for the post and recipe.

Do you like to not only adapt a recipe to be free of your allergens but also create a healthier option? What is the reaction of friends or family?

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Banana Bread

When a magazine describes a recipe as, ‘extraordinarily simple’, ‘tasty’, ‘family heirloom’, ‘The recipe has been handed down for generations’…my interest in the recipe is piqued!

Such was the case when I discovered the recipe for ‘Old-Fashioned Banana Bread’ in the March 2008 issue of Food And Wine Magazine. Click here for the original recipe.

The recipe did look simple…the only adaptions would be replacing the buttered/floured loaf pan with canola oil/flour and the 2 eggs…easily replaced with a bit more banana and an added 1/2 tsp of baking soda and 2 tbsp of water…I was sold!

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Banana Bread

It tasted just as they described…‘tasty banana bread (with a moist center and crispy crust).’

Oh, my gosh…I wish I had a camera to have captured the look on Michael’s face when he took his first bite of the end slice of a piece of the Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Banana Bread. His ‘mubbly grumbly’ face lit up like a Christmas Tree!

“Good?”, I enquired. “Mmmmmmmmmmmmm…”, he expressed with a Cheshire-like grin on his face. Bingo…we have a winner!

A hit in our household…over half the loaf was gobbled up between Matthew, Michael, Andy and I…before dinner!

Now, if you are like me, you have bananas set aside in threes ripening, ready to be baked into something delish.

This is how perfectly ripened bananas look for baking.

Not a pretty site…however, these three bananas made all the difference in the Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Banana Bread. Do not underestimate the importance of ripe bananas in your baking…they sweeten as they age.

The recipe called for 2 very large ripe bananas…these three amounted to an approximate amount of a  ‘mounded cup’ of bananas, thus giving me a little extra to accommodate for a second egg in the recipe. Hope that made sense.

I can easily see how this recipe became an heirloom…‘a recipe handed down for generations’.

I am quite certain it has passed the ‘quality control test’ in our house to be passed down in our family.

Enjoy!

P.S. Have you adapted any ‘heirloom recipes’ for your family to enjoy?

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

As promised…early Saturday morning, I baked a batch of allergy friendly muffins for the lovely ladies in my knitting class. (One of my knitting teachers has a banana and soy allergy)

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Wrapped up in the tea towel…they were still a bit warm when I arrived…they loved them!

The Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins I had planned to bake would have been just a bit too messy for knitting…raisins were the perfect compliment for a cinnamon oatmeal muffin.

I prepared all the dry ingredients, the ‘flax egg’, placed all the paper liners in the muffin tray and had my measuring cups and spoons all at the ready for baking the muffins first thing in the morning. I  sprinkled some whole oats over the top with a few extra raisins before popping them in the oven…love when they get all toasty and brown. 

Click here for my adapted recipe post…just replace the blueberries for raisins. Delish!

Tip:  I realized at lunch-time, while perusing the refrigerator, I had forgotten to add the ‘flax egg’ to my batch of Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins yesterday morning…these have now become my favourite go-to morning muffin!

Not to worry…it went un-noticed until the discovery. Although, I did wonder why they seemed to be missing their nice and crispy ‘puffy’ muffin tops…my favourite part of the muffin! 

This past Saturday, the lovely ladies and I gathered once again, to start our third and final lesson of the beginner knitting series at The Kniterary…a baby sweater.

At the end of the lesson, I felt a bit overwhelmed with this project. However, I know if I take my time…that would be, taking one step at a time, taking deep breathes then counting to ten and then adding one (my knitting neighbour’s husband’s advice)…I know I will slowly but surely knit my way to accomplishing an adorable baby sweater.

There were four of us in Saturday’s class…three of us have been together since the start…knitting a scarf in our first session and then a hat in the second…our fourth knitter joined us in the second session.

I am still ‘plugging along’ on my scarf/cowl…with my knitted hat complete, I wear it everyday! I was happy to discover one of the knitters brought her completed knitted scarf and hat combo.

Not sure if you can see the little flower embellishment I stitched on to the front of my hat…my knitting signature. (it’s on the ribbing where the hat meets the tea towel)

With next week’s lesson cancelled due to the March Break…I have an extra week to work on my project and…to create a final allergy friendly muffin/treat for all the lovely ladies at my knitting class!

Despite the times of feeling frustrated trying to remember all the different techniques with knitting…I am enjoying the therapeutic nature of the knitting process.

I am so happy to have been introduced to knitting as an outlet to relieve some of my stress while, at the same time, encouraging my creative side to ‘step out of the box’ into a new medium.

What types of hobbies and/or extra-curricular activities do you participate in to help relieve some of your everyday stress with food allergies, eczema and/or health concerns? What benefits have you noticed? Please share in the comments so we may all learn new ways to cope.

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

This past Saturday was my last session for my second course in knitting at the Kniterary…a hat.

As with my last knitting session in my first course…a scarf/cowl…I wanted to bring some fresh, allergy friendly muffins to the lovely ladies of knitting. (my first knitting teacher has some food allergies…click here for that post)

I pre-measured all my ingredients the night before to be ready first thing in the morning.

Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

Alas, this was not to be.

Friday night I had a knitting catastrophe that left me having a knitting meltdown…very unknittery of me.

Here is my story:

As I was away last weekend enjoying my Family Day Weekend with my family, I missed the second session for my hat at the Kniterary. Monday the store was closed so I popped in on Tuesday, where one of the lovely knitting teachers brought me up to speed.

The task for the last session was to have knitted the main pattern…10 repeated rounds of 5 pearl and 4 knits.

Tuesday evening had me at my son’s hockey game and Wednesday evening at the Kniterary for a lesson on cable stitch…I was, therefore, left with the daunting task of a knitting marathon come Thursday night…4 straight hours of knitting left me only half way through.

By Friday I was panicking…late Friday afternoon my wool ran out…with a new ball of wool attached (thanks to my lovely knitting neighbour) I frantically continued on with my task until catastrophe hit.

I looked down at my knitting only to find that it was unravelling!!!

I felt dumbstruck and defeated. Too late to call my knitting neighbour…I put the hat to the side and had an early night.

Up early the next morning, I just didn’t feel that I would be celebrating a finished hat at knitting…so I did not bake the muffins.

I did, however, catch my knitting neighbour out walking her dog. All was, apparantly, not lost with my knitting. One of the lovely knitting teachers would be able to sort me out…so off I ventured to my knitting class.

My worry that everyone would be finishing up their hats and I would be lagging behind were unfounded. In fact, most of the class were of the notion that 10 rounds were too many…it made for a more floppy hat on top. I decided I would only keep 5 1/2 rounds of my kniting as compared to kniting the 10 in the pattern. This would leave me with a more fitted hat…more to my liking.

As I sat and listened to the other women talk of their knitting woes…I felt more at ease. I slowed down my pace…felt the calming effects of knitting take over. But it was not just the knitting in and of itself…it was being surounded by my fellow knitters…giving me a sense of calm.

 I managed to finish my hat in class!

The pattern is called ‘Wurm’…I think, in this shorter version, it looks more like a honey pot!

Ironically, I took up knitting as a way to calm my stressful nature.

This experience has taught me a few lessons: I have learned…one cannot rush knitting…knitting patterns can be adapted…a continued mistake is considered, in the knitting world, ’a design feature’ and…a group of women knitting is the best therapy!

I think I am ready to tackle this Saturday’s project…a baby sweater.

Oh…and I will be bringing a batch of Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins.

For a belated celebration and a thank you to all the lovely ladies at the Kniterary.

As all the ingredients were already prepped…Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins made for a delicious start to the day on Sunday!

Just baked…these muffins are like eating a warm bowl of oatmeal with blueberries…so yummy! Defiinitely a new favourite!

I adapted the recipe from my Bon Appetit November 2010 issue. Click here for the original recipe.

Adaptions:

I substituted  1 cup of Natur-a Rice Beverage mixed with 1 tbsp of white vinegar for the buttermilk.
I substituted 1 tbsp of ground flaxmeal mixed with 3 tbsp of water and refrigerated over night for the large egg.
I omitted the chopped pecans

Tip 1:  I used all the batter for 12 regular muffins…baking time was around 30 minutes. 
Tip 2:  I sprinkled each of the muffins with large oats and blueberries before popping them in the oven…makes for a pretty presentation.

Do hobbies help you to de-stress or do they just add to the stresses of everyday life?