Exciting news you guys...
Brett and I bought our tickets for Europe yesterday! My parents recently moved to Ireland (yeah, they're pretty awesome) and for Christmas they gifted all of us kids and our spouses trips to Ireland to visit them. Uh, yeah. Don't mind if we do! I've been looking forward to spending quality time with my parents on their new stomping ground for a while, and now that we have our tickets it's becoming more of a reality.
After 4 straight years of traveling overseas, it's been really weird to be stationary for the past 7 or so months. I'm so thankful that New York City is so diverse and full of fun things to do. Did you know that Queens is the most ethnically diverse city in the world?! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to last as long as I have without traveling if we didn't live in Queens. I just need different cultures, cuisines, and people in my life!
Another thing that I'm super excited about is that we're not just going to Ireland, but we'll be hopping over to Europe and Africa after our week with my parents. Since it's so easy to travel between countries in Europe and tickets are so much cheaper from Ireland, we decided to just make the most of our summer and see some more countries. Currently our itinerary is 1 week in Ireland, 1 week in Morocco, and 1 week traveling from Barcelona, through southern France, to Cinque Terre Italy. Eeekkkk!! Seriously, I think I'm still in shock.
Have any of you guys traveled in these areas?! I'd love to know any suggestions you have of things to do or places to see!
Okay, so while my summer plans are pretty exciting, these delicious Butternut Carrot Whole Wheat Vegan Muffins are also pretty exciting! They're so easy to make, contain lots of fiber from whole wheat flour, and have two kinds of vegetables in them. Sweetened with maple syrup alone these muffins won't give you a huge sugar rush and then crash. They're great for an easy and nutritious breakfast or as a quick grab-n-go snack.
I ordered my butternut squash puree from Vitacost and I had to order 3 cans at one time. Basically, you may be seeing this beautiful vegetable in some other recipes soon:)
What's something you're really excited about? Big or small, I'd love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Butternut Carrot Whole Wheat Vegan Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 flax eggs 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup butternut squash puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrot
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F and line 12 muffin tins with silicone muffin liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl prepare your flax eggs by whisking together 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water. Set aside to gel.
- In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients from whole wheat flour to salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients from the two flax eggs to the grated carrot. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Evenly divid the batter among 12 muffin tins and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition
Sydni Jackson says
Your trip sounds so fun!! I love traveling too 🙂
Faith says
Thanks Sydni! We're pretty excited! Do you guys have any upcoming trips?! I always love reading recaps on places you've been. 🙂
Leigha @ The Yooper Girl says
I haven't tried butternut squash puree yet but I'll have to find that at the store! I just went and looked at all of your international travel pages.. SO cool. I'm so jealous of all your travels (and your parents)! I still haven't left the country! How much longer are you going to be living in NYC? I seriously want to visit you before you're gone. Maybe we could find a race to do together this summer!!
Faith says
I bet you could find it at certain grocery stores for sure! I honestly still pinch myself sometimes. I feel so blessed to have been able to traveled as much as I have! We'll be in NYC until July sometime. That would be SO FUN if you came!! We're getting so excited for summer to start so we can run outside again and have been looking into races ourselves. I'm kind of/kind of not injured, but can still run. Either way, you're welcome to come!!!
Tracey says
Check out Earth Cafe if you are in Marrakech in Morocco - GREAT vegetarian restaurant (with tons of vegan options)
Faith says
Tracey thanks!! We're going to Marrakech so I'll definitely try to get to that restaurant!!
Liv @ Healthy Liv says
Wow, most people's parents just move to Florida or something– Ireland is much better! So exciting that you get to go visit them and make a big trip out of it 🙂 I've traveled to Barcelona, France, and Italy before and they were all incredible! So much great food and so many beautiful places to see.
Faith says
Haha so true Liv! Just one more reason why I love my parents:) That's awesome you've been to Barcelona, France and Italy! I've been to Paris and Rome but no other cities in France or Italy so I'm excited to see some new places...and discover some amazing food of course!
Meg Bollenback says
These sound so yummy...I would totally devour a couple for breakfast right now. Your summer plans sound AMAZING. I have not traveled in any of those areas but hope to one day. Would love to see travel recaps after you're back...know that's many months away!
Faith says
Thanks Meg! It's great to hear from you! I know, it's seems so far away, but at the same time, time seems to be going so fast. I bet I'll be writing recaps before I know it!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says
I love squash muffins but haven't tried them with carrots-yum! That travel sounds great. I love Barcelona such a cool place to visit. Thanks for linking up with us for Meatless Monday!
Faith says
Thanks Deborah! That's awesome you've been to Barcelona. We can't wait to explore! Thanks for hosting!
tina muir says
YAY! How exciting Faith! That is gonna be an amazing trip for you! Butternut squash in muffins (well actually in anything), I am in! Thanks for sharing with us, I can never have too much butternut squash! thanks for the recipe, and thanks for joining us for meatless monday 🙂
Faith says
Thanks Tina! We're pretty excited to be traveling again:) Thanks for hosting!