Health-altering Muffin and a Giveaway

Happy New Year!  I have taken a little break from blogging but I missed you guys.  I want to start out by giving you a recipe that has really worked for me.  It is a muffin recipe that lowers cholesterol.  Mine went down 20 points just by having one of these for breakfast most mornings!  I am not a doctor so I can't make any promises but ask your doctor if it is ok to give this a try if you are battling high cholesterol.  I wanted to avoid medicine if possible.  I found this recipe in a magazine and made a few changes based on the research I had done.  This makes a dozen muffins and I freeze them and take them out day to day as I need them.  Combine in one bowl: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup old-fashioned oats, 1/3 cup sliced almonds, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and salt.  In another bowl beat: 2 eggs, 1 cup light vanilla soy milk, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup melted Benecol margarine.  Add to dry mixture and fold in 1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries.  Mix together and divide among 12 paper-lined cupcake cups.  Sprinkle with some oats and almonds.  Bake 17 minutes at 400 degrees.    I couldn't find the sticks of Benecol where I live so I melt 1/2 cup of the tub kind.  It works well.  The oats, blueberries, soy milk and Benecol are all great weapons in the fight against cholesterol.  Let me know if you try them and how they work for you.

  You aren't going to believe this, but this picture was taken today of one of my gardens.  Yes, everything is sleeping as it should be in January, but do you notice what is missing?  I live close to the Canadian border and I can't believe we have no snow.  We had a green Christmas which was devastating to me.  I lived in Florida for a while when I was a teenager and I hated Christmas without snow.  Also, if you remember, I am huge fan of snow days at the school I work at.  Well-I am waiting!  Many people around me are actually thrilled with the weather, but not me.  I look out my kitchen window and it looks like Easter is right around the corner.  We are still leaving our windows open a crack at night.  I keep thinking we will get hit hard when it does come.  I will keep you posted but in the mean time, I have decorated all over my house as I do every January with my huge snowman collection.  I usually leave them up until Easter decorations go up.  I have some snowmen I want to make.  It helps with the let-down that comes after Christmas decorations are packed away. 

 Last, but definitely not least, I have a giveaway for you.  I was so excited that I hit 100 followers.  When I started this blog, I had no idea I would meet so many great people.  I have enjoyed it so much.  So, I made one of those bags I have enjoyed making so much to give to one of you.  I also made a snowman pin(can you see him with his earmuffs on?) and I found this adorable sock monkey kit in a clearance bin at a local craft store.  I love his bee costume!  In order to win these three things, just be a follower and leave a comment saying so.  I will keep this giveaway open until next Sunday night. 

I hope you all have a great week.  I have made a resolution to try to answer more of your comments to my blog because I want you to know I appreciate each and every one!  Take care.   Nancy