I’m still fairly new to this whole parenting thing, but a good bit of it seems to be about embracing wholeheartedly the differences in how you might do things and how you were raised or others might think you *need* to do things.

While there have been moments that I have stopped cold in my tracks realizing that I had just said something verbatim that I had heard my parents say a thousand times.  More often than not, I find myself sailing ahead in uncharted waters following a different star than my parents may have chosen.

Growing up, I came from a home that bought cupcakes for school parties and on occasion would make an out-of-the-box treat, ala Betty Crocker, at home.  Peanut butter spread in the crevice of a piece of celery was a gourmet treat.  It may be perplexing to see the wide swinging of the generational parental pendulum when I choose to make the majority of our food from scratch and include ingredients du jour like chia seeds.  The important thing I am realizing is that doing it differently doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with the original or 2.0 version of parenting.   It’s just, well, different. And this is the Mama I am meant to be.

This recipe is all about embracing the differences.  No, Betty Crocker never put chia seeds in a muffin (yet…) but I loved my Betty Crocker childhood and hope my little chickadee will love her lemon zest and thyme infused version.

Lemon + Thyme + Chia Seed Mini Muffin

2 cups Almond Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh Thyme
Zest of one organic Lemon
2 Organic Eggs
2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons of sweetener of choice – (I used organic maple syrup)
1 mushy Organic Banana

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine almond flour, baking soda, salt, chia seeds, thyme, and lemon zest.   Combine in separate bowl banana, lemon juice and sweetener.  Add eggs and mix smooth.  Add wet mixture to dry ingredients.  Bake in muffin pan for 20 – 25 minutes.