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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins | Peggy Wright
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
It can be tricky to navigate baking for our family. We have to avoid gluten, corn, soy, eggs, peanuts, dairy, and nightshades as we minimize sugars and grains. We lean heavily on coconut, nuts, meat and veggies in our meals - so our recipes aren't for those with nut allergies or vegetarians though we borrow our dairy substitutes from Vegan recipes. 

But I am always experimenting with substitutions that can let us enjoy some of our favourite snacks, desserts and comfort foods while respecting our body's signals and work to heal from leaky gut (intestinal dysbiosis) that is often part of autoimmune disorders.

We cooked up our Halloween pumpkin and put most of it in the freezer - but I left 1 1/3 cups out to enjoy a double batch of pumpkin muffins!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
GF, DF, Egg Free, Paleo

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2  cups Almond Flour
  • 1/4 cup Arrowroot Flour or Millet Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tbsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Cloves
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 3 Flax Eggs (3 tbsp Ground Flax Seeds in 9 tbsp Water - let it sit to soak in the liquids)
  • 1/4 cup smooth nut and seed butter - we use a great blend of Cashew, Almond, Chia Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, and Hazelnut - by Nuts for Nature
  • 2/3 cup Coconut Sugar or Sucanat or Monk Fruit Extract
  • 1/4 cup Dairy Free Milk -Almond or Coconut Milk (use 1 tbsp of canned milk and top up with water)
  • 2/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (or Dark Chocolate without soy lecithin)

HERE ARE THE HOW-TOs:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. For best results, line the muffin tray with paper liners. These are so moist, that the liner helps them remove easily from the tin. 
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together Almond Flour, Arrowroot Flour, Baking Soda, Sea Salt, Cinnamon, Cloves, and Nutmeg until well blended. 
  4. In a medium bowl, cream together Flax Eggs, Nut & Seed Butter, Coconut Sugar, Coconut/ Almond Milk, Pumpkin and Vanilla Extract. I used to tell my boys to "mix until it looks like one thing - you can't see any of the individual ingredients anymore."
  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and blend until just combined. 
  6. Add in the chocolate chips and mix throughout the batter. 
  7. Spoon into the muffin tin evenly. 
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes until risen, set in the center and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 
  9. Let cool before removing from muffin tins.
Wright boys love this version!

Breathe deeply and know that you are nourishing your body without spiking blood sugars and creating inflammation.  I usually keep mine in the fridge because they are so moist. 
Enjoy!




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My Story - Turning Health Challenges Around

 
I was twenty-two years old and felt like 90. 

Every day I would get out of bed not knowing if I could make it to my 4th year classes. 
Some days I would shower and by the time I finished I felt dizzy, sleepy, and my muscles felt like lead. Sometimes I would be so weak that I had to crawl on all fours back to my bedroom to lay down again. I would get 12-14 hours of restless sleep that would leave me feeling like a truck hit me. I ached all over and my head felt like it would burst with the pounding pain. I was really sick - for months... and then years.    

My adult life was just beginning and I'd been handed a life sentence of chronic illness.   

I got married that fall to Lance Wright, my very supportive and understanding husband. He and I talked about taking a year off - no schedule - to allow my body to recover. I was on a downward spiral and had no answers about how to turn it around. My world shrunk - fast.  

But as my outward world shrunk, I was determined to grow my inner world through reading, prayer, and writing. I knew the diagnosis I'd been given wasn't the end of my story. I trusted that I'd find the steps needed to heal.   

One day as I was asking God to heal me, I got a picture in my mind of a drooping flower bound tightly by weeds. A flash of understanding came with it. I felt as if God was saying, "Healing will be a slow process. Trust me and I will lead you to part of the weed to loosen its hold and remove its influence." This became the perfect symbol for my wellness journey - bit by bit finding healing steps and feeling life and strength return.  

Part of my wellness picture was uncovering trauma that had taught my mind and body that I wasn't safe. So the safety of my relationship with Lance was the starting point for the hard work of healing. When I would get discouraged about how little I could accomplish each day, Lance would remind me that my full-time job in this season was to heal. After a digging deep process, digestive cleansing, and dietary changes over eight years, I started to gain ground. 

I am 52 this year and feel better than I did in my twenties. Lance and I have raised three young men together and I spent 17 years as a homeschool Mom. I have become passionate about helping people discern steps to get unstuck to move toward health. It feels redemptive to use the years of research and experimenting to shorten the road for others looking for a path forward. Enjoy perusing my blog or follow @pegwright | Linktree for a way to connect. I'd love to pull up a chair at our table and share with you the small steps that are opening doors of possibility for life-giving change.  Let's Thrive - together! 

For a full version of my exploration and self-discovery, read my book 'Opening to Grace' found on Amazon or fromWestbow Press.



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