Decrease Your Stress and Enjoy a Muffin
Let’s start with the muffin. Last week I wrote about the health benefits of eating wild blueberries.
Saturday morning, I decided that I had to have a blueberry muffin. (It often happens that when I write about food, I think about it so much that it sends me to the kitchen.)
I set out on a mission to make one that was gluten-free, dairy-free and amazingly delicious. 
These are yummy. Here is the link to the recipe on my website in case you have similar muffin dietary criteria.
Of course, you could make your favorite conventional muffin recipe and add wild blueberries in place of cultivated blueberries. You’ll love them.
Oh, and I tried a few wild blueberries on my baked sweet potato. Interesting combination of flavors. Worth a try if you’re a sweet potato fan. I enjoyed the muffins more.
Decrease Your Stress
If life feels a bit out of control lately, perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate your day-to-day activities and regroup.
At first glance, or thought, you may believe that nothing can be eliminated or changed in order to feel more peace and calm.
That peace and calm, oh by the way, will lead to improved hormone control, better sleep, less weight gain and a happier, more focused you. You may even discover extra time to do something you thought you didn’t have time to do—like exercise or make a meal.
Keep these points in mind as you review your days.
- Delete one or more activities from your day. Start with one thing you do that, upon scrutiny, is a waste of your precious time. Maybe you could spend less time on social media or watching the news. Or is there something you think must get done daily that isn’t that critical?
- Delegate a task. Could another member of the household take over a chore or two? If you’re being a perfectionist about this, weigh the pros and cons concerning the task. Revisit why decreasing your stress level is important. If you live alone, maybe you could unload some outdoor chores to a young neighbor looking for work. Or, are you over-extending yourself on committees or boards?
- Do less when it’s acceptable. We strive to live in excellence, yet not everything demands top-grade quality. Some examples: You may not really need to vacuum your carpet daily if you don’t have a pet. It’s fine to pick up a rotisserie chicken on hectic days instead of cooking one from scratch. Using frozen vegetables instead of fresh means less chopping, and they’re often more nutritious. Shortcuts count as doing less.
If you’d like a Planning and Time Use Worksheet to help you, shoot me an email and I’ll send it to you. 
In the meantime, you may like to find some space in your day to make some muffins.
Much love,
Health Coach Carol
“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?” — Henry David Thoreau