START THE NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT WITH HEALTHY BREAKFAST MUFFINS!

New Years resolutions can be difficult. Difficult to form, difficult to sustain, difficult to share. I also find them funny- funny in that shouldn't I resolve to be a better person every single day? Yes, of course. But it's easier to get lost in the day-to-day hustle than to maintain a mindful intention to improve ourselves and act on that intention. I'm generally not a procrastinator, but I think it's easy to postpone acknowledging our weaknesses and taking action to improve the way we treat ourselves and other people. We like to stay comfortable. We don't exactly welcome change. So maybe we do need a day of the year that reminds us to do so. The new year comes quickly, but maybe the way to welcome change is to ease into it, to welcome it slowly and sustainably? A lot of people set health-related resolutions come New Years, whether it be to exercise more or to eat less or to gain muscle or to lose weight. But it's very easy to slip up on unrealistic resolutions, so it's important to set specific, achievable goals. I know I have a lot to work on in 2016, so I'm trying to set small, specific goals that build on each other.

If you happen to be making a resolution this year that relates to diet, this recipe is here to try to help you out. This recipe/my two cents related to diet-related resolutions focuses on sustained wholesomeness rather than ephemeral dieting. Our mom always says, "everything in moderation," and I think she's right. Your body will tell you what it needs. And it needs a little bit of everything! So taking one component, whether it be fats or sugars or meats or anything else for that matter, away abruptly is going to throw your body out of balance. So rather than abruptly and completely removing something from your diet, try to scale down first. First try to eat the item you are trying to remove from your diet in smaller portions, then eat it less often, then only eat it to the point where you still feel healthy when eating it. We all know how we feel after eating an unhealthy meal. Try to wean yourself down until you can completely avoid that feeling! Then you know you are truly eating it in moderation and you are in a healthy place.

That being said, this recipe tries to help you do that. Breakfast is a very important meal that people often skip thinking it will help them lose weight. But, in fact, breakfast is critical for gearing up your metabolism for the day and helps you avoid overeating later in the day. So, rather than skip breakfast, try to eat a quick, healthy one- like these oatmeal muffins! To be honest, these are more on the baked oatmeal side of the spectrum than the muffin side. But that's good because they are still flavorful and fun to eat like muffins, they are just really healthy for you! And you can make a batch on Sunday and have them for the rest of the week! There is no flour, no added sugar and lots of protein! And they really do still taste good, I'm not lying:) So start your small diet changes with these guys and see how your body feels!

healthy oatmeal breakfast muffins

2 cups oatmeal, processed to flour

1/4 cup almonds, processed with the oats

1 T flaxseeds

1 T chia seeds

2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

3/4 cup chopped pitted dates

2 eggs

1 cup yogurt

1/4 t cinnamon

1/4 cup craisins

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into muffin tins and bake at 350 for 20 minutes! That's all there is!! Enjoy!