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Pumpkin-Ginger-Chocolate Muffins....or Oh, The Hypocrisy!

SUBTITLE: I HAVE NEW TECHNOLOGY.  SEE THE BOTTOM OF THIS ENTRY!

Remember this post?  In which I complain about eating too much and feeling crummy?  In which I resolve to keep foods simple and close to the source?

Yeah.  That lasted three days.  Less than that, actually.  But that's neither here nor there.

I'm a hypocritical idealist.  Sue me.  I see the world in a certain, simple way...and figure that it's a matter of a practical course of action that will get me there.  But reality has its own ways and means as well.

Aaah well, there's always tomorrow to get on board with the right kind of eating.  Whatever that means, really.

So.  The husband took down the Christmas tree today and my kids began to clear out the holiday detritus.  And what's good for the (Ryan) goslings is good for the goose.  My kitchen pantries are in need of the same.

Hence, these muffins I made today.


With the holidays come holiday baking and cooking.  With all that come extra ingredients...chocolate chips, nuts and other sundry odds and ends.

When Kirby planned the meal for today, and put regular ol' Pumpkin Muffins on the menu...I saw a golden opportunity.  As luck/fate/my own damned inefficiency would have it, I had no ground ginger in the pantry.  But...I did have a three-inch leftover knob of fresh ginger left over from the beef pho I'd made the night before.  Ha!

And, I also had a half-bag of mini chocolate chips.  Double ha!

I also have various nuts in my freezer and I was two seconds away from adding a handful when I remembered that my husband "prefers not to have nuts added to baked goods".  So I left them out (this time...I found out later, to my chagrin, that he would have been fine had I added some pecans - jerk).

I used the last bag of pumpkin purée in the freezer (seems like just yesterday...or September...when I was baking all those pumpkin pieces for processing).  It also occurs to me as I type this RIGHT NOW that any kind of puréed vegetable might work here.  Squash, definitely.  Carrot, maybe.  Rutabaga?  Hmmm.  And the extras?  You are only limited by what pantry items you need to get rid of...except for pinto beans or similar.  That, I'm afraid, I cannot condone.  Shredded coconut?  Wheat germ?  Flax seed?  Raisins?  Canned pineapple, drained?  Get crazy!

I know I was all on my high horse a couple of days ago about eating right and eating simple...and I know, I know.  You're right.  Baked sweets does not constitute eating right.

Fine.  I eat my words.  And my muffin.

NEW FEATURE: Printable Recipe Here

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