Spelt Muffins and Sponsor Love

Lately this healthy muffin recipe has really been hitting the spot with both Mr A and I, they are packed with carrots, apple, whole-grains and low in added sugar. We used nearly all organic ingredients although you can substitute various things to accommodate what is in your kitchen cupboard. I get the little man involved in the baking as much as possible although of course grating the carrot and apple is left to me, but as soon as these come out of the oven and cool down they disappear. So if your looking for a yummy healthy alternative give these a go

                                   100g Wholegrain Spelt flour                 1 medium apple, pealed, cored and grated 

                                   75g Plain Wholegrain flour                   2 free-range eggs

                                   1 tsp baking powder                              40g fairtrade soft brown sugar

                                   1/2 tsp ground cinnamon                       2 tbs Argave Syrup    

                                   1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda                    65g Vegetable Oil   

                                   135g coarsely grated carrot                   Dash of soy milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180C or gas mark 4 and prepare your muffin cases

2. Sift the first 5 ingredients into a bowl, stir and set aside

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, oil and eggs until fluffy, then stir in the apple and carrot.

4. Add the wet & dry ingredients together in one bowl, stir together until you get a smooth constancy, if you need to add a splash of soy or milk to get the right texture than do so.

5. Pour the muffin mixture into the muffin cases and bake for around 15mins or until the tops of the muffins spring back when you touch them.

6. Leave to cool

SPONSOR LOVE

We also wanted to introduce you to one of our wonderful blog sponsors - Jaclyn from the lovely lifestyle blog - Curious Jac and her beautiful jewellery Etsy shop Jac&Elsie. She is such a cool and creative girl and we are really excited to have her on our sidebar this month.

First of all introductions, tells us about yourself.  My name is Jaclyn, I live in Indiana, and the last year and a half has been all about change for me. In that time, I got engaged, moved in with my now husband, changed jobs (and careers- from features reporter at a daily newspaper to assistant director of marketing for a community college) and got hitched. Whew!

Can you tell me about your jewellery business and what makes it so unique?  Jac & Elsie LLC is a space for handmade, upcycled and vintage jewelry. I specialize in adult friendship sets, because you're never too old to tell your bestie that you love her. The shop is full of one-of-a-kind treats and is something that brings a lot of joy to my life.

Set of three friendship necklaces £18

What inspires you to be creative?  Hmmm ... I'm not quite sure how to answer this! Creativity is in my DNA. I'm a big-time reader, which I think helped inspire my love of writing. I write poetry and have just started on a fiction piece, which is kind of exciting. After writing for newspapers for eight years, it was a big change to move into fiction. Art museums have always been something of a muse to me in terms of poetry, and there's nothing like flipping through an issue of Harper's Bazaar or the fall fashion issue of Vogue to get some jewelry design ideas flowing.

Any pearls of wisdom for people thinking about starting their own creative business?  DON'T GET DISCOURAGED when you don't sell out of your items in the first week. Owning a business is about so much more than creating something. It requires photography, writing product descriptions and getting the word out there. Blogs like Side Street Style are a great way to get your products to people's eyeballs. It's shocking to say, but I'd creating my product is easily less than half of the work that goes into Jac & Elsie LLC. I feel lucky that I happen to enjoy the rest of the business, too.

Spoon, Fork, Knife friendship necklace set by J&E £16.50

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?  San Diego. I've been there twice, and it's simply the most beautiful city I've ever seen in real life. But I'd only want to stay for a few years so I can end up near family, who is all in the Midwest. So after San Diego, I'd have to say Cincinnati. It's where I grew up, and it will always be home.


I heard you are a big reader, what are you reading at the moment and what is your all time favourite book?  I'm currently working on Stephen King's "Doctor Sleep," which is easily one of his best. My all-time favorite book is another King story, "It." He writes characters better than any other author I've read before, and at its heart, "It" is not a scary story but one of friendship.