Quality of Life Chocolate Muffins

What a crazy couple of weeks.  I am so behind on my blog and I have had so many topics to write about that I did not write down so I forgot.  I have something today and if life slows down a bit, I may be able to jot down another topic this weekend.  My kiddos have strep so hopefully they sleep in.  I semi-caught up on my reading (I really never catch up) so I think I can manage a quick writing session because after all, this is an enjoyable activity for me and that is what I would like to write about—Quality of life.  

What is the definition of the quality of life?  I am sure we all have a unique definition, but I think that it encompasses that our body, mind, and spirit are in a balance that enables us to seek our aspirations and, well, just be happy.  Is this a right?  Are we entitled to have a great quality of life?  I think so. However, it is a group process, not just an individual and I guarantee that others will not ensure that your quality of life is up to par.  With that said, I also believe that the playing grounds are not fairly distributed and that although we should make the best of what we have available, we should also strive to achieve a more level playing ground.  It is not a hand-out as some people would like to believe.  

There is not a fair distribution of services, economic opportunities, air quality, exercise options, food security…The list goes on and on.  Is there someone to blame? Maybe, but why waste time investigating the perpetrator, when instead determining the reason or cause is much more productive, because that is what you can change.  When it comes to diseases related to lifestyle, I know that there are determinants that keep us from feeling better.  There are also responsible groups that contribute to these diseases.  But as hopeless as it may sound, you along with others can combat these determinants.  You can’t do it alone and others cannot do it for you.  

I don’t know about you, but I really think we are here to heal each other.  Who doesn’t enjoy friendship and intimacy?  I truly believe that breaking bread together is a way to accomplish many of our goals and enhancing our quality of life.  As a collective, we can do so much together.  If we made our lives more of a collaborative event, loneliness would not last as long, physical illnesses would not affect us so negatively, and lifestyles would be healthier.  Today, I think I am going to eat our last chocolate muffins with my kids and not feel one bit guilty about it.  (Well maybe the fact that I put zucchini in them does help).

Challenge:  Make something together or something that tastes good and enjoy it with a friend. Try this recipe for size.  If you feel like there is some aspiration that you cannot achieve, take a bite, talk it over and seize the day.

Zucchini Chocolate Muffins

1 cup of brown rice flour

½ cup tapioca starch

½ cup sorghum flour

1 cup of cocoa powder

1 cup of sugar

¼ cup of flax meal

1-2 cups of chocolate chips

1 cup of vanilla yogurt

2/3 cup of canola oil

4 eggs

1 tbls baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups of zucchini

2 tsp xanthan or guar gum

½ - 1 cup of buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl except chocolate chips.  Mix wet ingredients except buttermilk and vanilla in a separate bowl or large measuring cup.  Combine both wet and dry ingredients together.  Add buttermilk to make a batter consistency.  Add vanilla and chocolate chips.  Spoon batter into muffin pan cups.  Bake in oven for 25-35 minutes. As soon as you smell that rich chocolaty scent, take out of oven and cool on rack for 5 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan and cool or eat with milk.  Mmm. Warm muffins and cold milk. This recipe makes enough for 2 dozen muffins and you can half it easily. 

Thinkin About Labor Day

As much as  dreaded starting another semester of grad school, not because of the work involved mind you, but the time management and strict schedule that I have to cede to so that I can get everything done in one day.   It is burdensome sometimes and I get burned out pretty darn fast.  I actually skipped running this evening to cook, blog, and play with my baby, while listening to the birds.  I can’t help but say that I am pretty excited to get my research started up again.  I do things like that on Friday nights. I sometimes have that glass of wine or a nice cold beer too.   Although simple, I am blessed that I am able to do them.  I have a body that lets me accomplish the tasks and enjoyable activities because I have health.  Health is definitely one of those elements that we take for granted and don’t even blink an eye at it until it’s gone or missing temporarily due to the stupid hangover or whatever little bug is floating around.  There might be someday when we do not have the physical capacity to just blow these minor discomforts off. 

And this week, I learned that although we have systems in place to treat any maladies we may have, but not necessarily because of care, but as my instructor says…”It’s a business.”  Unfortunately, prevention strategies are not part of this business although this strategy does not save money and so many policy makers and business people invested in medical treatment and technology are much more interested in making money.  We each walk around with dollar signs on our foreheads. After reading some of the articles I read this week, I really believe that there is money to be made on poor health, which in turn makes the rest of us financially poor. It really is sick and the only cure is to prevent it from happening. No matter how small, anything will work.  According to Stephen Woolf, prevention spending provides much more value with possible net savings, meaning  that prevention strategies give you more health per dollar spent as opposed to just testing and treatment.  A balance of these health strategies would provide us a value that we can swallow.  More  more health insurance companies are jumping on board to give their customers this option, but it can be better and I will remember this the next time I am shopping for health insurance.

So I hope this labor day,  you relaxed ate some salads with all those steaks and thought about how hard you work and how your good health helps you pay more and more to a system that sees you as a dollar sign or two.

Reference:  Woolf, Stephen.  2010. A Closer Look at the Economic Argument for Disease Prevention.  Journal of the American Medical Association. 301 (5). http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/301/5/536.

Your challenge this week….Take a seasonal veggie like cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, or eggplants or peppers and make it into a salad.  It can be your disease prevention salad.

Recipe

Pod Bean Salad

2 pounds of pod beans like green beans

1 can cannellini, kidney, or garbanzo beans (rinsed)

¼ - ½ cup of good olive oil

½ chopped red onion

Juice from 1 or 2 lemons

Zest from half a lemon

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp dill weed

1 tbl chopped mint or fresh oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes

1 handful of crumbled feta cheese

Method:

Blanch beans in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes.  They should be bright and still slightly crisp.  Place beans in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.  Mix dressing everything except beans, tomatoes, and feta in a bowl.  Add beans, tomatoes and feta and mix gently. Place in fridge until ready to serve.