comparisons and muffins

Tonight’s guest post comes from Nicole. She brings a great and very important message to all of us about not comparing yourself to others! We are doing a blog swap tonight, so make sure you check out my post over on her site!

Hi guys! My name’s Nicole and I blog at “Of Cookies & Carrots”. I’m a college student, and I like to bake, babble, muse about life, geek out about psychology, and find obscure connections between real life and delicious baked goods. I’m super excited to get a chance to share Chelsey’s spotlight & chat with you about two very important things: comparisons & muffins (they’re somewhat related… Or at least I tried!).

My roommate is tall, thin, and blonde. I am not tall (well, slightly above average, but not willowy), semi-athletic, and brunette. So what? People might ask. Does it matter? Not really. Should it matter? Definitely not. Do I care anyways? Well, I used to. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been out, chatting with some boy or other, and had her appear alongside me only to have the boy subsequently ask me “Who’s that? She’s cute.” Gee, thanks.

For a lot of the beginning of the year, I let this get to me. I became bitter towards my roommate and continually compared myself to her in a negative light. But here’s the thing. How can you say one person is “better” than another? Each of us is comprised of so many different emotions and characteristics and moments that it’s impossible to quantify anyone in such basic terms. And maybe she has the long legs, but maybe I bake better cookies. Ultimately, it’s not about who I am in relation to her, but who I am. Period. Flaws and all.

It took awhile for me to truly internalize this and stop making comparisons, but it was worth it. It shouldn’t be about the comparison; it’s about appreciating what’s actually there and the worth I know I have as a person.

Now about those muffins…

See, this notion of appreciating how things truly are applies to baked goods too. I know Chelsey is gluten-free, and while I am a gluten-a-holic, I’ve tried a few gluten-free goods myself. Do they taste just like the gluten-filled ones? No. Do vegetarian meats taste just like real meat? No. Does any mimicry ever truly copy the original? Not really, but the beauty is in appreciating the good parts of the food/person/situation in and of itself.

Thus, the musing muffins. They’re flaxy. They’re a little grainy. They’re not overly sweet. They don’t taste a thing like those huge, doughy Costco muffins.

But if you aren’t looking for that, you can taste the natural banana-y goodness, appreciate the rich, chewy texture & know that you’re doing your body good.

Banana-Flax “Musing” Muffins

¼ cup ground flaxseed

½ cup hot/boiling water

1 large, overripe banana
½ teaspoon vanilla

½ tablespoon canola oil (optional, improves texture)

¼ cup tapioca flour*

¼ cup potato flour*

¼ cup gluten free oats

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 packets stevia, or to taste

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

*Or ½ cup of any flour of your choosing.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 6-muffin tin (if you use a 12-muffin tin, fill the empty ones halfway with water to avoid warping).

Combine flaxseed and hot water and let sit for 5-10 minute or until thickened. Gather your ingredients while you wait.

In a small bowl, mash banana. Stir in canola oil and vanilla, then gently stir in flax meal. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add wet ingredients, then stir until just mixed. Gently fold in chocolate chips, if desired.

Bake for 15-18 minutes (might even be more, my oven is very persnickety!) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Enjoy with a healthy dose of musing & unconditional self-love.

Question: How have you learned to appreciate things for what they are?

Tagged as: appreciation, gluten free, guest post, muffin, recipe, self comparison, self love