Protein Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Muffins

To stay focused on maintaining lean muscle, my diet can sometimes be kind of boring.  I typically eat the same thing for breakfast for weeks at a time before changing it up.  My typical breakfast would be oatmeal, protein pancakes, or maybe toast and peanut butter and ALWAYS with coffee.

I changed up my bowl of oatmeal (with cinnamon, raisins, and sliced almonds) in favor of an oatmeal muffin.  This is especially good for grabbing on the go on busy mornings.  I found a recipe on Sugar Free Mom that is really good.  You may have seen this image of hers floating around on Pinterest. 

via Sugar Free Mom

After following her recipe, I tweaked it the second time, halving it (which still yielded 12 muffins) and adding protein powder and MILA (chia seeds- which I'll tell you more about this week).  I also made mine with dark chocolate chips and walnuts this time.

The chocolate bits are my favorite.

And I definitely recommend adding the walnuts- they add a great crunch.

Ingredients (Yields 12 muffins)
*Adapted from Sugar Free Mom 

• 1 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 1/2 banana, mashed
• 1 1/2 cups, Old Fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 MILA (chia seeds) *optional
• 1/4 cup chocolate protein powder 
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups milk (I used skim)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

I combined the banana and wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl and the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, stirring both well.  Then I combined the two and using an ice cream scoop, scooped the mix into the muffin pan.  Spray your muffin pan with cooking spray first!

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.  I eat two in the morning for breakfast. 

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The Cottage: Sheabutter Cottage Visit + Haul

I had such a wonderful day at the Sheabutter Cottage, based in Sonning, Reading you would never guess that on a little farm (like a real farm with cows!) sits a little natural hair and skin haven. Akua Wood has a great set up at the cottage I got to meet her helpers and see where everything happens! the cottage is fantastic I think I pee'd a little with excitement! I can not believe that Akua mixes, moulds and whips all the products I found.

The Sheabuter Cottage has a great array of raw and pre blended products, since I've vowed to start doing some DIY product making I picked up a few essential and plan to make some lovely butters for hair and body. I went a bit mad actually and brought A LOT of stuff...but everything looked sooooo good!

[ from left - right ] 

Moringa and neem soap, Monoi Soap, Agave  Deep Conditioner, Organic Rosehip Oil, Vanilla and Orange essential oil, Marula Hair Balm, Bamboo leave in conditioner and Tucuma hair butter (I will review all of these products eventually)

I also got unrefined Coco and Shea butter, Coffee Butter and Rhassuol clay, I also picked up a signed copy of The Science Of Black Hair (I've been meaning to buy this book for 2 years!)

Sheabutter Cottage source much of their raw ingredients like sheabutter, cocoabutter, unrefined coconut oil, African black soap and palm kernel oil directly from farmer co-operatives in Ghana and are of the finest quality.

If you get the chance I would suggest a visit, Sonning is beauty and Akua is very informative 

Sheabutter Cottage

Unit 3, Sonning Farm

Charvil Lane

Sonning Reading

RG4 6TH

United Kingdom

Call to book a visit on

Tel: +44 (0)208 144 4609

Mobile: +44 (0) 7795625240

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Kentucky Derby Cookies

... And down the stretch they come...

My Dad asked me to make some cookies for a Kentucky Derby party this weekend.

I didn't do a great job of taking pictures to give you a tutorial, so I'll just share many pictures of the finished products.(Feel free to ask in the comments if you have questions about how I made something.)

I had a lot of inspiration from other cookie/baking websites. The horses I saw on the site Cookie Cowgirl.

I really love the horses. They turned out so well, and, honestly, they weren't that hard. The hair was probably the hardest/ most putsy part. I am trying to decide who else in my life needs horse cookies.

The hats were what my Dad really liked. I based those on some made by Bakerella. They were a little harder than I'd hoped, and I'm nervous that the flowers won't make it to South Carolina in tact, but I am hopeful.

And the Derby 'silks,' I cut out by hand, using an image from the official Derby site.

Lastly, the horseshoes... now, these I just know won't survive shipping, but I had to try. What's a horse without a shoe?

Click the Links Below to See:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe
Royal Icing Recipe
Royal Icing Consistency Tutorial

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the best new HUE FOR YOU

WANTING TO UPDATE YOUR HAIR COLOUR?

Here's how to choose the best hair hue for you...

If your skin is olive, choose cool shades like cherry red, icy blonde or golden brown. 

If you have pale skin, stick to rich tones like chocolate brown, caramel or beigey blonde. 

If your skin has honey undertones, go for copper, rust, reddish brown, golden browns or honey-blonde shades. 

If you have coppery dark skin, go for auburn, golden-brown or black hues.

Call Mana 02. 8919 0146 to make an appointment

{Pic: Pinterest}

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The D I Y: Maple Syrup & Brown Sugar Scrub

I made my first ever D I Y beauty treatment, a really simple skin scrub, great for lips, face and body using contents of your kitchen cupboard. 

R E C I P E

3 TBS Maple Syrup

3 TBS Brown Sugar

1 TBS Olive Oil

I also added a sprinkle off sesame seeds (mostly for the pretty factor)

Just M I X and it's ready to use 

You can use a baby food jar to store this scrub just be sure to sterilise it

B E N E F I T S

B R O W N  S U G A R

Gently abrasive, so lifts dead skin cells with being harsh on skin, A source of vitamin B which is a great anti oxidant

M A P L E  S Y R U P

Known to boost immune system, also a great anti ageing anti oxidant and aids in repairing skin

O L I V E   O I L

We all know the benefits of olive oil but the great softening effects is just one that makes it great for body scrubs and skin in general  

Baby food jars are great!

It's as good as any scrub I've tried and the measurements are subjective (just ensure you a left with a thick paste) it's sticky but that's half the fun plus its tastes good!

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Food Variety, Calorie Intake, and Weight Gain

Let's kick off this post with a quote from a 2001 review paper (1):

Increased variety in the food supply may contribute to the development and maintenance of obesity.  Thirty-nine studies examining dietary variety, energy intake, and body composition are reviewed. Animal and human studies show that food consumption increases when there is more variety in a meal or diet and that greater dietary variety is associated with increased body weight and fat.

This may seem counterintuitive, since variety in the diet is generally seen as a good thing.  In some ways, it is a good thing, however in this post we'll see that it can have a downside.
Read more »

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My Favorite All Natural Peanut Butter

All my life I was a JIF peanut butter girl.  I bought the low-fat kind and ate it by the jarful.  I love peanut butter on almost everything- apples, celery, PB&J, chocolate, even on my pancakes.

A couple years ago, in an effort to eat less processed food, I switched to all natural peanut butter.  I've tried all kinds of brands and even almond butter and keep coming back to my all-time favorite, Laura Scudders, because it tastes so good.  You do have to stir it some, but oil separation is normal in all-natural peanut butter.  I'm currently loving the nutty one, but they also make it in smooth.  I can find it at my local grocery store.

So good on protein pancakes!  I recently tweaked that recipe- I now add a little milk to the batter too- it makes them less dense.  

Are you eating all-natural peanut butter?  What brand do you like?

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TV Farm 2

TV Farm 2 not only takes you into the world of reality television, but allows you to control it too! Become the hero of a smash hit reality TV show as you learn new skills in the challenging world of farming. Grow plants, sell products and upgrade your farm in this exciting Time Management game.

Game Size 170 MB

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Screenshots:

Have fun and feel free to leave your comments!

Recommended for free users: Use Jdownloader to increase download speed!

More about → TV Farm 2

Redemption Cemetery - Salvation of the Lost Collectors Edition

Escape from a mystical cemetery in Redemption Cemetery: Salvation of the Lost! A late-night subway takes a bizarre turn when you suddenly find yourself in a strange cemetery. An otherworldly entity has summoned you to free the cemetery’s lost souls. And to make sure you finish the job, she’s holding your dog hostage! To earn your freedom, you must help three spirits resolve some unfinished business from the past. Will you succeed, or is this the end of the line? Find out in this thrilling Hidden Object game!

Game Size 844 MB

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OR

OR

Screenshots:

Have fun and feel free to leave your comments!

Recommended for free users: Use Jdownloader to increase download speed!

More about → Redemption Cemetery - Salvation of the Lost Collectors Edition

The Blogversary: 5 Today + Giveaway Winner

Natural Belle is 5 years old today! Thank you all for your continued support! it's been an amazing 5 years and I've been given a lot of great opportunities. Thank you for sticking with me through all the changes and allowing Natural Belle to grow organically.

The winner of the Amie Gift set is........

ITSLOUISE2U

on Instagram

T H A N K   Y O U  F R O M   U S !

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