Green-tings! :)

Well, the battle with the time change lives on! Guess who tossed and turned last night again!? My body is SO sensitive to tiny changes in my sleep schedule. Oye.
Can I just say how much I enjoyed reading your comments in last night’s post on having fun with your health?? I got teary eyed reading some of the comments. I just love reading about how other women have made positive changes in their lives. Perks me right up, sleep or no sleep! :mrgreen:
Today was a gorgeous day outside. I only wished I would have had time to get some exercise outside today, but I was tied to the bakery all day and didn’t have a chance to workout. This week is organized chaos as I tie up loose ends before we leave for vacation. So it was my second rest day in a row…tomorrow I will be raring to go!!!! :)
In other news, the SNOW IS GONE!!!

In honour of St. Patty’s Day tomorrow, I decided to make something fun. Quick and fun and green- My specialty. ;)
My mother in law was born in Ireland (and has 10 brothers!!!) so I wanted to make something festive that she could try while she is here (the in laws are staying at our house while we are away!).
Whenever she tells me stories about growing up in Ireland, breakfast is always a prominent theme. Her dad ran a bed and breakfast and my MIL can whip up a MEAN breakfast I tell you.
In honour of fun breakfast things, the following recipe was born! Mind you, the only thing Irish about it is the colour. ;)
St. Patty’s Day Savory Zucchini Muffins

Adapted from Vegalicious.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups whole grain spelt flour (or your choice of flour)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water) OR 1 egg
- 1 cup zucchini, grated
- 3/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond)
- 1/4 cup canola oil (or oil of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tablespoon wheatgrass powder (optional)
- Nuts to garnish (I used cashew nuts)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all wet ingredients (including grated zucchini) together in a small bowl. In a medium sized bowl mix dry ingredients together. Add wet to dry and mix well. Scoop into greased muffin tin. Cook for 22 minutes for mini muffins (larger muffins will take longer). Makes 21-23 mini muffins or about 11-12 regular muffins.
PS- St Patty’s Day sticks are from Michael’s craft store.
YUM!!!!!!

This was my first time making savory muffins and they were DELICIOUS!
With hummus, of course:

and some Earth Balance…GAH!! So good. Once you pop, you can’t stop!
These are an excellent breakfast muffin or a muffin to pack in your lunch for a healthy snack! The key is to enjoy them with your favourite spread- hummus, avocado, butter, cheese, nut butter would all work wonderfully!
I added in some Amazing Grass wheatgrass powder at the last minute to half of them. I could barely notice it and I couldn’t notice the wheatgrass taste at all when I had something spread on it.
A very sneaky way to get some lovely GREEN in!

The nuts on top were key- they added such a nice crunch and texture!

Do you have Irish in you? Do you do anything fun on St Patty’s Day like drink green beer or make green food?
Have you ever been to Ireland?
I have some Irish in me on my both sides of the family. Eric and I also make green beer on St Patty’s Day too- it’s fun! I have never been to Ireland but Eric has been a handful of times to visit his family. Eric wants to take me in 2010 or 2011! I can’t wait. :)
See you Wednesday afternoon/evening for my next health tip!

When Irish eyes are smiling,
‘Tis like a morn in spring.
With a lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
~Author Unknown
Ha I *am* Irish but I get kind of cringey at all the Blarney that’s floating around on this day of the year, we do get a day off work though so Hurrah for Saint Patrick (though I’m not sure if he’s even an *official* saint and he definitely wasn’t Irish!). Those muffins do look unbelievably good . I would never go for muffins in a shop or anything but savoury muffins sound like a GREAT idea and I’m going to make them after my next grocery shop as I have no zuccinis…or courgettes as we say here. Maybe I could throw in some grated carrot too for extra Irishness ;)
I’m Irish too (I live in Belfast in the north of Ireland), not doing very much to celebrate (as someone else said, it seems bigger in the US than in Ireland itself), but I am also planning a zucchini meal later! The muffins look great, I am on the lookout for savoury beakfast ideas at the moment to try and cut down my sugar consumption (both refined and not so refined). Deisegirl’s idea of adding grated carrot rocks! I really must try these now. Enjoy Ireland when you get there..it does suck a bit for vegan food. There’s two ok veggie restaurants in Dublin and a lovely place in Cork called Cafe Paradiso, but no exclusively vegan places that I know of. Happy St Patrick’s day:)
In response to yesterday’s post, I think this quote says it all.
“Self-acceptance, self-awareness, and fitness are a circle.”
David Patchell-Evan
founder of Goodlife Fitness
Those muffins look great! I love anything green =D
I am very Irish- over 50%. I visited for a family wedding when I was 13, and it is to this day one of the most memorable trips I have been on. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Not very veg-friendly, though- I was a vegetarian and had quite a hard time convincing them fish was considered ‘meat’! LOL
And I love celebrating St. Patty’s day! We didn’t make it to the TO parade this year, so we’re going out to a pub for some food & green beer this year =D
xo
K
I would LOVE to go to Ireland some day :) I tell my man alllll the time..how nice it would be..lush green land…and pubs for miles! haha…
p.s you know the snow is comin back..don’t be fooled! :P
Ireland is amazing!!! I loved my trip there. I have Irish in me as well. You should definitely go the first chance you get. I was wondering if you find it hard taking time off now that you are running your own business? How do you manage it?
I’m an O’Malley by marriage! I love my husband’s big family. We’ve never been to Ireland but hope to go in the next few years.
The muffins look amazing! I’ve been looking for savory breads to pack in my lunch, and these may be just the thing.
I’m just a teensy bit Irish on my mom’s side. A friend bought my daughter a super cute St. Patty’s Day outfit so she’ll be sporting that.
You sold me at HUMMUS- I love hummus and zucchini so I think I’d love these muffins!
I made a plate of Irish colored veggies last night (zucchini, carrot and parnsnips). I am very very Irish and I’ve been to Ireland twice so I get a little into St. Patrick’s Day (in an adult way haha)
I announced last week that I was too old for celebrating St. Paddys Day…but my little sis got her first job last night in the same city as I live so I think actually there will be a green beer or two tonight after all! :)
Happy St. Paddy’s Angela!!!
Those look so good!
I am Irish…started the day off with a big ole extra green- Green Monster! Yummmm
Happy St. Patty’s Day Ange!
Yes! I have been to Ireland (and just spoke about it today on my blog). I’m from Newfoundland where literally half of the population migrated from Britain and Ireland. In fact, my brother is married to a lady from Dublin and I have little Irish nephews! They’re so cute with their accents, especially learning how to speak (they’re 4 and 2), so it’s difficult to understand them sometimes! :)
Happy St Paddys!!
I can not wait to visit Ireland. My dad was Irish and my mom is Spanish so my dad used to call me his “Spicky-Mick” I myself, like McSpick …anyhew, my dad passed away when I was 10 but a couple yrs ago I got a tattoo of a shamrock in his honor. So I’m always ready for St.Paddy’s day ;)
Each year I make corned beef or Rueben’s for the fam. I’m planning to take my son there in 2013- right after he graduates :D
Top o’ the mornin’ to ya! I am 15/16 Irish and 1/16 Danish, but my maiden last name is Danish. Growing up, I was determined to marry a man with an Irish last name, but I fell in love with and married a jewish Katz. Oops! I was a competitive step dancer, so I can still do a jig in a bar :)
I’m over half Irish and literally do nothing on St. Patrick’s Day….maybe we’ll have a little party tonight. hehe
My boss is from Ireland and I haven’t heard him mention it either. Maybe it’s just an American holiday now? I like any excuse to celebrate though but I usually don’t do it in traditional St. Patrick’s Day style with green beer. haha
Those look absolutely fabulous!
What do you use to dye your beer green? We just use food coloring, but I wasn’t sure if there was a vegan or healthy version :-p Not sure adding wheat grass to beer would be so good ;)
I don’t have any Irish in me – or at least if any, a very small amount. Mostly Swedish/Norwegian here!
What a great idea for St. Patty’s day muffins! And a nice way to sneak a bit of veggies in too. :)
Great idea with the GREEN muffins!!! I’d like to try a zucchini loaf in the near future :) I made a GM in the spirit of St. Patty’s Day..well I was gonna obv make it anyways but it felt ever more right today ;)
Have a great day!
xoxox
The zucchini muffins look wonderful!
I am very Irish, yep…but I am yet to make it to Ireland :( I really want to go to Gallway!
Yummy muffins! I’m sure the MIL will be well impressed at her sweet DIL :-)
I’ve been to Ireland once (only Dublin for a long weekend) and thought it was pretty cool, but I’d love to go back and see more of the countryside, and maybe even find the place my only Irish ancestor might have come from. I’m Puerto Rican with an Irish great-great-grandfather who married a Bolivian lady and moved to PR–wonder if the two cancel each other out??. To this day my Irish-Bolivian-Puerto Rican mishmash grandfather insists of having corned beef and all the fixings on St. Patrick’s Day (which he can’t help but acccompany with a glass of rum a la Puerto Rico).