Carrot Muffins

Once known as "Refugee Muffins" (long story short, the word "refuse" does not belong in the title for anything edible), this is the recipe for muffins that I came up with when my MIL and I started juicing.

When we were making our "orange" juice, we just hated to see all of that carrot pulp go to waste.  Therefore, I created a healthy (read- the healthiest ever) recipe for yummy, gluten-free, and nearly fat-free, carrot muffins. 

Healthiest Ever Carrot Muffins

1 Cup Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour*

1/2 Cup Flax Meal

1/2 Cup Gluten Free Rolled Oats

1/2 Cup Unsweetened, Reduced-Fat Shredded Coconut**

2 Tbs Cinnamon

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 Cups Walnut pieces

1/2 C. Brown Sugar OR Brown Rice Syrup

1/2 C. Unsweetened Applesauce

1 Medium Banana, mashed

2 Cups Carrot Pulp OR Grated Carrot

1 Small Can Crushed Pineapple

2 Eggs OR 4 Egg Whites (1/2 Cup)

I Tbs Vanilla Extract

2 Tbs Canola Oil

*This is the best gluten-free flour on the market, in my opinion.  It is pricey, and you can find it at Williams-Sonoma. Otherwise, use any gluten-free flour you like.

** The most important aspect of this ingredient is that it is unsweetened.  Whole Foods carries the unsweetened, reduced-fat shredded coconut, but I realize it may be impossible to find in a regular grocery store.  Just go with any unsweetened shredded coconut in that case.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, without over stirring. Add oil or flour as needed to get a thick batter consistency.

Spoon batter equally into 12 well oiled muffin tins.  Bake for at least 25 minutes.  It is difficult to test for done-ness with these muffins, so make sure to bake them for the full time if not longer. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack.

These little guys are so packed full of goodness that they are practically a meal! Great for a quick breakfast!

Lazy Magnolia

Alrighty, y'all... last throwback post, I promise.  At least for awhile. Or until tomorrow when I get a stray hair and decide to post about Salem Academy or something. You never know what I might get into!

Anyhow, when my husband and I were in Biloxi, Mississippi, a couple months ago, we randomly (again, you never know!) ended up driving 30 minutes away to Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company one Friday afternoon to take a tour.

We'd seen their beer at a couple of restaurants in the area, so we made our way to Kiln (known as "the Kill" to locals, apparently) to check it out.

We each got a pint glass as part of the tour. They are both filled with "Southern Pecan", which is their signature brew.

When we pulled up to the brewery, we were slightly skeptical of a few things:

1) They shared/split a warehouse with the Coast Guard?

2) The parking lot was not paved, and it was very muddy due to recent rains.

3) We did not see another living soul.

However, we had come this far, so we made our way through the mud, through the production area of the open-air brewery, and into the office to check in for the tour (we gathered these directions from a rain-streaked handwritten poster at the 'entrance).  I am very glad that we persevered. Neither of us had ever been on a brewery tour before, and our tour guide, Ginger, was as sweet as honey from start to finish.

We sampled and asked questions and walked around for about an hour before leaving the down home brewery, which was breaking ground on a massive expansion the following week.  I wholeheartedly recommend stopping by the brewery if you're ever in the vicinity, and keep a lookout for their beers that are distributed throughout the southeast!

Universal Studios

This past weekend, my in-laws went to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. Hearing about how lovely their trip was made me think way back to this past January (2013) when my husband and I made the same trip to celebrate his birthday.

So here are a few throwback tidbits from our couple of days at the parks.

I would highly recommend staying at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort (in these pictures, we are having drinks at one of the restaurants on the resort property).  Not only is it convenient and beautiful, but guests staying there also receive express passes to skip the longest lines in the parks! 

I would also suggest eating dinner at Emeril's at Universal's Citywalk. Like Commander's Palace, the meal at Emeril's is in my top 5 best list.  The food I expected to fabulous, but the ambiance was superb, with a view of the Universal studio fireworks out the window behind my husband. 

Sidenote: looking at these pictures is making me nostalgic for something other than vacation- my long hair! Remember when I chopped it off in Texas? Who let me do that? Alright, my fault... enough vanity for now.

It was a beautiful January day in Florida (can you tell?), so we really enjoyed walking around in between rides. Our favorite in Universal Studios was the Despicable Me ride.

 In Islands of Adventure, the Harry Potter section of the park was, surprisingly, our hands down favorite.

 Although my husband (and the small children sitting next to us on the ride) sure got a kick out of my death screams on Dr. Doom's Fearfall! I might have a minor fear of heights... or elevators... or both. Just maybe :)

Lunch at Mythos was a nice departure from the hustle of the park.  Reservations are a must at this restaurant that is a prior winner of the title "Best Theme Park Restaurant in the World."

Don't we look like we're having a good time?! I think I'll start planning our next vacation, now...

Commander's Palace

On our brief Friday trip over to New Orleans, we made special lunch reservations at Commander's Palace at the recommendation of his attending. Oh Commander's Palace... easily in my list of top 5 restaurants ever visited!

The thing that made Commander's a refreshing fine-dining experience was that we went for lunch, not dinner.

This was completely key for several reasons:
1) Less pretentious dress code (Jackets are required for men at dinner)
2) 25¢ martinis
3) More reasonable menu prices

I'm tasting the creole bread pudding soufflé... what a treat!

Happy guy all finished with his crawfish grilled cheese and roasted corn and tomato bisque.

Everything was truly perfection. The meal, the drinks, the service, and the atmosphere were all superb.  Everyone in the packed restaurant seemed to be imbibing the 25¢ martinis (there was a limit of 3, thank goodness) and celebrating something or another.  It was a really fun energy for a fine dining establishment.  I guess I should have expected nothing less from NOLA!

The French Quarter

When my husband was assigned to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi, for the month of April, he had every other Friday off. He was excited for an extra day of studying (woo hoo! right?), but I convinced him on one of those Fridays to go to New Orleans with me.  It's only an hour or so away from Biloxi, and I drove so he could study on the way there/back.  Have I mentioned lately that I am REALLY good at the whole medical-student's-wife thing ;)?

My first priority in NOLA was to go to Cafe Du Monde.  I don't care that it is always jam packed and touristy.  I could eat their beignets and drink their cafe au lait every day.  We grabbed ours to-go and sat overlooking the canal as we had the healthiest, most nutritious breakfast in the world.

Part of the joy of beignets is the powdered sugar that ends up everywhere- pants, shirts and hair included.

After getting loaded up on carbs and caffeine, we walked around the French Quarter shops. My favorite find was Santa's Quarters because I have an unhealthy obsession with rather expensive Christmas ornaments. Michael preferred the open air French Market where he purchased an actual alligator head. Yikes! His only reassurance to his freaked-out wife? "The eyes aren't real, they're black marbles." What a relief. 

These pictures were taken in Jackson Square Park which overlooks the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral. All of this is in stark contrast to the activities a few streets over on Bourbon. We walked through (briskly because of the smell) for the heck of it, but found to need to linger in a bar at 10 am to drink Hurricanes and Daiquiris.  We were saving our day drinking for lunch at Commander's Palace!

We also caught the St. Charles Streetcar to take us to lunch, and I don't think there is a better or more picturesque way to travel into the Garden District!

Our day in NOLA was absolutely lovely... everything from the weather (70's and sunny) to the food was perfection.  Except for the silver dollar sized blisters I got on the BOTTOM of my feet from all the walking. Worth it!

The Shed

We went to a BBQ place called The Shed when we were down in Biloxi, Mississippi, about a month and a half ago.  We knew we were in for a treat when we saw this parked right outside.

For a little perspective, I'm about as tall as one of those tires.

The entire restaurant, which is surprisingly sprawling and next to a large creek that connects to the Back Bay of Biloxi, is constructed out of scraps: spare windows, sheet metal, plywood, and random doors are attached together precariously.  The 'floor' inside and out is gravel, and, of course, there are no temperature controls aside from a few fans scattered across the 'ceiling' in places.  The seating is wooden picnic benches, and the napkins come in the form of a roll of paper towels on each table.  I'm terribly sorry I did't take a picture of this scene, but I think the BBQ that I consumed took all of my attention.

The first time we went (yes, we went more than once during our four week stint in Biloxi), we tasted a little bit of everything: brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and sausage.  The chicken was the hands down favorite, with the BBQ smoked sausage coming in second. The mac salad and sweet potato fries were also things I would go back for... just not in the summer. I think I would cook right along with the BBQ if I sat in that un-air conditioned building in July!

Weddings

We went down to Jacksonville, Florida on Memorial Day weekend to attend the wedding of my husband's high school friend, Ken. This is the only picture we took of the beautiful couple, and unfortunately the bride, Casey, is slightly blurry.  Y'all wouldn't believe how stunning she looked in person!

Speaking of which, I must share a little anecdote that I find particularly hilarious. Leading up to our big wedding (which was only about 85 people, but big in comparison to our little wedding at the courthouse that was just  the two of us), I would ask Michael what he thought my dress would look like/what he wanted my dress to look like. I know that I was playing with fire, but he had watched enough "Say Yes to the Dress" with me to know what I liked. The only thing he described that was contrary to my Claire by Priscilla of Boston dress was the fabric.  He said, "You know, like that kinda shiny, soft, smooth fabric?". I said, "Uh huh, mine isn't like that." Game ruined.

On our big day, he loved my dress, of course, and I completely forgot about our conversation on gown fabrics until we were at Ken and Casey's wedding reception this past weekend. After chatting with the blissfully happy bride, Michael turns to me and says, "I really like her dress... it's that shiny soft looking fabric."  I immediately knew that he was clarifying his preference stated a year ago... he finally had a sample in front of him to show me what he thought my wedding dress should look like! I burst out laughing, saying,"Can't change it now!" and "Do you want a re-do?", and giggled about this for the rest of the night. He felt bad and backtracked and apologized, but I wasn't mad anyhow.  It was a really pretty dress! So Casey, if you ever had doubts about that dress, Mike (and me too!) gives it a big vote of approval :)

Many women might be upset or offended if this were a comment from their husband, but I just thought it was adorable.  Like for some speck in time, he forgot that we were already married, and I had already walked down the aisle wearing silk organza, not satin. I figure, he can prefer another dress all he wants, as long as he still prefers me to be the girl in it :)

My dress... oh the amount of Special K I ate to fit into that 00! 

At least I have the results documented in thousands of photos thanks to LHM Photography!

We had so much fun at Ken and Casey's wedding, and it made us sentimental for our big day almost a year ago. I'll post some throw back stories as we get closer to our first anniversary on June 30th!