Tangent Sunday and My Favorite allergy-free Muffin recipe!

- It's been beautiful all weekend so a piggy back ride was mandatory after church!

-Woke up with super tight left quad... So this is now my BFF. Come on body, get it together.

Gavin is a pro at rolling out his quads.

- Jake and I have a huge date night next Satuday... A Greek Gala! It's a formal affair so I will be getting all dolled up.  The first time I've done this since probably our wedding day.  I decided to rent a dress from this site so I am super excited to see how it looks in person. Quite the risk taker since it arrives the night before! Hopefully it fits!

Has anyone ever used a dress rental site?  Thanks Michelle for the idea :)  It's still a pretty pricy option, but after looking into buying a dress I'll probably never wear again, it seemed like a great idea! After I wear/return the dress I'll let you know what I think! 

- This morning I made Gavin and my favorite paleo, grain-free, dairy-free, nut-free, no sugar added banana muffins (Gavin's muffins don't have the chocolate chips, just mine. Chocolate chips don't count as sugar, right?).  These seriously make me forget a world exists with grains, dairy, and added sugar! YUM.

Brittany's Allergy Free Banana Muffins
(Adapted from Paleo Kitchen's Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread)

Ingredients:
4 bananas, mashed with a fork (the more ripe, the better)
4 eggs
1/2 cup sunflower butter (room temperature or it won't mix well)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 generous cup Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips (optional, but why would you not?!)

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cups.
- In a stand mixer combine bananas, eggs, sunflower butter, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Add in the coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Blend into the wet mixture, scraping down the sides with a spatula. Distribute the batter evenly into the lined muffin tins, filling each about two-thirds of the way full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. These are very moist so store leftovers in the refrigerator. I hope you enjoy!

OH I ALMOST FORGOT.  These turn green.  Do NOT be alarmed.  The naturally occurring chlorogenic acid that is found in all plant leaves and stems is also present in the seeds of the sunflower seeds. Chlorogenic acid is an antioxidant and is one of the reasons that sunflower butter is good for you (as well as being a great source of vegetable protein, potassium, vitamin E, and other vitamins and minerals).  When chlorogenic acid meets alkaline baking conditions (i.e., if you add baking soda), it turns a dark green (see photo, below).   This completely harmless effect happens after the muffins completely cool down (and increases with additional hours.) This is a great muffin recipe to make with kids when they are learning about plants…or for St. Patrick’s Day!