I was recently reading The Magnolia Journal and they had an interview with the author of 100 Days of Real Food, Lisa Leake. She decided that for 100 days, she would help her family cut out processed foods and eat whole foods instead. The beginning of her book outlines how and why they chose to do this. It was so interesting to me, and I realized there was a lot I could learn from her journey. (They sell this cookbook on Amazon and I highly recommend it!)

I grew up baking with white flour and white sugar, butter and shortening; nothing organic in sight. The memories of baking with my grandmother and my mother will always be so beautiful in my mind, I wouldn’t change them for anything. BUT, I have learned a lot since those beginning years of cooking, and now that I am providing food for my family, I want to implement some of those new ideas (mainly cooking/baking with organic, whole foods.)

I like the idea of knowing that the time I spend on making something at home, making something “homemade” isn’t wasted by using ingredients that are not the best for me and my family. 

I like to know that the butter I’m using are from cows that are not treated with hormones and antibiotics. 

I like the idea of flour coming from whole wheat, all the parts of the wheat, so that there is more nutrition. I also want that wheat to be grown without pesticides. 

I like that there will be no unknown “natural” ingredients, because those “natural” ingredients are not regulated and anyone can put that on a label, whether it be natural or not. 

I like to know that the eggs I am using are from chickens that were fed organic food. What goes into an animal’s body, comes out of an animal’s body. 

These are relatively new ideas for me, but I’ve realized that the more I read and look into where my food is coming from, the more I feel a responsibility to feed my family wisely. Does that mean I have completely cut out fast food, pizza and donuts?? No. I am human, just like the rest of us. I have come to realize though, that making wise food choices doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” approach; it can be one small step at a time. 

One of the easy steps I have found is finding recipes that only use whole food ingredients. (And when you find a good one, you save it to your phone, your computer, your recipe cards and your blog so you never lose it!!)

Here is one of those recipes. I found it in the 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook and no, I am not being paid to write this. I seriously love this book. I made it on a whim thinking that Ford might like them. Turns out HE LOVES THEM and has started to throw tantrums when the muffins are gone, which is a whole new parenting lesson for me to learn! Yippee! 

Ford is not the only one whole likes them though; my husband, mom and the dog agree they are delicious! The first batch did not last long and I have already made a second batch and it hasn’t even been 4 days. They are easy to make, not super sweet and they really complement coffee or tea (mom win!!) 

If you decide to make them, please let me know what you think!!

 

Whole Grain Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole-spelt or whole-wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with liners and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
3. make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and drop in the eggs, honey and melted butter. Mix together until smooth, but don’t overmix. Fold in pumpkin puree just until combined.
4. divide the batter among 12 muffin cups (each cup should be about three-quarters full). Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Store at room temperature or freeze for a rainy day.