I love muffins. And so does my 1 year old daughter. Well, she will happily eat anything bread-like, so muffins are a great way of giving her some healthy nutrients while keeping her happy. I have been playing around with lots of different muffin recipes lately and am excited to share my results.
I rarely go to the grocery store specifically for ingredients for something I want to make, so I usually just tweak and make do with what I do have on hand.
This was my inspiration recipe that I tweaked tonight.

3.  Combine flour, salt, sugar, spices, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl.

4. Add mashed banana, egg and oil to the rolled oat mixture and mix well.
5. Now add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix together well. Add in nuts / chocolate chips.
6. Fill greased or lined muffin cups 2/3 of the way. Bake for approximately 16-20 minutes.

I was ready for a doubled recipe of 24 muffins, but had extra batter, so this really yielded 30 muffins.

They turned out great! These freeze well and make an easy and quick on-the-go breakfast- just microwave for 30 seconds or less. 

I decided to eat the healthy-ish chocolate chip muffin tonight after I put my baby to bed and hubby was working late. I decided to add to the "healthy" factor by making some homemade (EASY) hot chocolate! Inspired by this, but here was my twist:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cocoa
1 dash salt
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Marshmallow
IT WAS DELISH!

Stay tuned for more healthy muffin twists...tasty spinach muffins coming soon!

I can still so vividly remember the very first day I wore my daughter in a wrap in public. She was 2 months old. I had been using wraps and slings around the house, but the first time I wore her in public was just different. There was something so liberating about it. And something kind of intimidating too, because I did not see one other mom doing it. I was a new mom so everything about that baby-filled world was so new to me. I saw lots of strollers and moms shopping and pushing the stroller back and forth to keep their baby happy or asleep. But they were not looking at or connecting with their babies. So, I got over that intimidation fast. My heart fills with joy that I discovered babywearing when I did. It has allowed me nearly one year (ack! my sweet tiny baby is almost one!) of extra snuggles, peace, and comfort with my daughter.

Babies instinctively want to be held. Infants who are worn in a carrier, wrap, or sling feel safer and therefore cry less because they are at peace. They spent 9 months inside your womb. The world can be loud and scary and overwhelming. A wrap can take them back to that happy, cozy place and make them feel safest.

The hands-free aspect is probably the most obvious benefit of babywearing. How often as new moms do we need to do something that absolutely does require TWO hands? (even though we learn quickly how to do A LOT with just one hand!) By wearing your baby, you have a little more freedom without the stress of having to put down a baby who might be fussy, teething, gassy, reflux-y, and the list goes on.

Speaking of reflux, babywearing is amazing for that- keeping baby upright longer will help them digest and keep that milk from coming back up and causing pain and crying. If you are breastfeeding, babywearing can allow you to nurse on the go, while doing chores, or while looking after other children. You don’t have to feel glued to the couch and your baby still gets what they need. Win!

I truly believe that babywearing contributes amazingly to social and cognitive development. My daughter is so interested in the world around her, and that is because she has gotten to experience the world by being on our level. She sees what we see and hears what we hear.  We have been able to go to the beach, hilly zoos, aquarium stadiums and other places where a stroller would have been a pain in the neck or impossible. 

My husband loves wearing our daughter when we do family activities. Sometimes it is hard for dads to feel a part of the excitement and bonding, especially right in the beginning. Giving a dad time to wear baby can allow them to bond in a very special way.

Some of you may have heard of “flat-head syndrome” (plagiocephaly) which can be caused from extended time in a car seat and sleeping on their backs (which is recommended anyway to reduce the risk of SIDS). So, instead of spending even more time with their head resting in a bassinet or stroller or laying on a blanket, when you babywear, you give their head time away from those flat surfaces. Additionally, it allows their neck muscles to strengthen and works out similar core muscles that “tummy time” works on.

And babywearing is simply FUN! Keeping your baby close and cuddly and kissable and wearing them in different fashionable wraps is fun! And who doesn’t like that!?