Baking Banana Muffins

One of the ways I self-care is getting into the kitchen and baking or cooking. I often buy a big bunch of bananas, anticipating that I will not eat them all. If I have three bananas at the end of the week, I let them get nice and ripe, so I can make one of my favorite recipes from Ambitious Kitchen. What she calls "Skinny Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins." And let me tell you, these muffins are so tasty. I just ate one, fresh from the oven, for my dessert after dinner!

On Monday's I spend at least six hours on Zoom for a weekly meeting. Six hours in person is hard but six hours on a screen is exhausting. After I finished this week's meeting, I came out to the living room and collapsed on the couch. I realized I needed to read something for pleasure, printed in ink on actual paper and then take a nap. So, that is exactly what I did. Learning to do self-care takes a lot of intentionality on my part and requires me to have mental conversations with myself about what I need. Today, I chose to forgo my run to continue to sleep and when I woke up I chose to use my hands rather than my feet.

I really began focusing in on baking while I was in St. Andrews. I turned to baking copious amounts of cookies and brownies in an effort to cope with the amount of stress I was under. Fortunately, I had a lot of flatmates and people in my apartment building that I could persuade to eat the cookies so I didn't have to eat them all by myself. Baking still provides me with a fun, creative, and calming outlet. In the past few years, I have tried to find recipes that are a little "healthier" (sweetened with honey or maple syrup instead of granulated sugar) yet, taste delicious. I have done this so I can indulge in the self-care that is baking, satisfy my sweet tooth, and share with others (an important act of hospitality for me).

Look at these beauties! They taste as yummy as they look!

Using my hands to measure, mix, scoop, and taste heals me in some way. It brings peace and joy and I always am left feeling a little closer to God. Last week, I had to write a theology of pastoral care paper for my Clinical Pastoral Care internship. I had to grapple with what is at the heart of my pastoral care and I realized the word hospitality is what my care stems from. The image I crafted was one of a Bed and Breakfast owner; someone who welcomes travelers, strangers into their home, welcomes them in, feeds them (with loads of homemade baked goods), and tries to get to know them. I want to welcome people in and create a space where they feel comfortable. One way I care for those I love is by baking homemade goodies, cooking and sharing a meal with others. Baking is one of my gifts and I am always thankful when I am able to spend a few hours in the kitchen creating things that satisfy a sweet tooth, allow me to share with others, and bring me closer to God and to who God has created me to be.

Sometimes self-care is simply making time to do the things that bring us joy. In the midst of a hectic schedule, looming deadlines, I am thankful I chose to use my hands to create something from scratch that just made me happy, both my belly and my soul.

We are in strange and stressful times my friends, I am curious what it is that you could do to bring a little bit more joy into your days? I hope that in the coming week you might be able to find some time to do that.

Below, I have included the link to the recipe on Ambitious Kitchen's website! You can mash the bananas with a fork and mix together everything by hand, use a blender, or a mixer. I have been using my mixer lately and it has been super easy!

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/30-minute-skinny-banana-chocolate-chip-muffins/

This is the recipe I use from Ambitious Kitchen's Website!

Grace, Peace, Blessings, and Love,

Margaret