We love it when good for you meets delicious, don’t you?  These easy to make muffins are full of good for you ingredients!  Flax seeds contain high levels of lignans and Omega-3 fatty acids which benefit the heart and possess numerous anti-cancer properties, Soy milk is high in protein (here’s what we think of cow’s milk,) and Pears are full of fiber, vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E, folic acid and niacin.  Not convinced yet?  They also take a total of 30 minutes to make, and you can share ‘em with your baby and your dog.

Photo: Jan Smith

PEAR FLAX SEED MUFFINS: Get your muffin on, sassypants!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup Flour
• 1 Cup Oats (No Oats around? No worries.  Replace them with an extra cup Flour)
• 1 Pear pealed, cored and diced very small OR pureed in blender
• 1/2 cup Flax Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Nutmeg
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 Cup Vanilla Soy Milk (Oat Milk and Rice Milk OK!)
• 1/4 Veg. Oil OR 1/3 cup vegan margarine
• 1/2 Cup Sugar or Agave
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• OPTIONAL: 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar to sprinkle on top before baking to add sheen and texture
  
• OPTIONAL: If you want to get all crazy culinary; feel free to add 1/3 cup chopped nuts, raisins, coconut, or chocolate chips.  They all work in this recipe.  We put a pecan on the tops of each of ours and it added a bit ‘o panache.
  

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your kitchen oven to 375F. Line 10 muffin cups with paper cups or grease muffin tin. Mix all of the dry ingredients (except the brown sugar) together until well mixed.  Mix all wet ingredients together separately.  Then add the wet mixture to dry.  Mix very well.  Spoon into muffin cups approximately 2/3 to the top. Sprinkle brown sugar over all the tops of all muffins, or you can use Agave for this final step, but drizzle instead of sprinkle. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick or fork comes clean. Keep checking your oven to be sure the muffins are not burning. Remove the muffins from the oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. These muffins keep perfectly in the freezer for later use if you have too many. Just keep them in a ziplock bag or other sealed container.  Or do what we do; give ‘em away.  After getting the “These are delicious!” compliment, say “Yep, and VEGAN too.”

Want to do something good with your hand-me-downs?  Dump the shmatas you are too old for and last season’s ruffle skirts so an at-risk teen  can have clothes for school and play.  Reach into your hearts (and closets)  for a teen in need and make like a mensch.   It’s hard enough being a teenager, forget about worrying if you have enough clothing for school.  Atlanta readers, check out this weeks event below thrown by our homegirls at cute boutique (where nothing is over $100!)  Fab’rik.   Readers in all other States, check out the list below.  We promise, it’ll feel better than a facial.

• www.dressforsuccess.org works nationally to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire for women to go on job interviews.
• www.donatemydress.org encourages girls to donate their prom and special occasion dresses to others who need them. This national network bring together local dress drive organizations across the u.s. to help you find one in your area so that “once you’ve had your dream night, you can give another girl hers!”
• www.operationfairydust.org operates within the Metro NY area to provide NYC high school girls in need, with formal prom dresses.
• www.glassslipperproject.org welcomes donations of formal dresses, shoes, evening bags, jewelry and unused make-up in the Illinois area.

Betcha didn’t know you can get cold hard cash for your old car from the Government.  Just over a month ago, President Obama signed into law the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), aka “Cash for Clunkers.” Between now and November 1, $1 billion in federal funding is available to help sell new vehicles. That means you can get a $3,500 to $4,500 credit toward replacing your old gas guzzler with a newer, more-efficient model.  It goes without saying that a green glamazon would never be caught dead owning a big, obnoxious car.

You can get with this, or you can get with that...

If you’re tempted by the program, don’t forget that your potential fuel savings are as important as the credit from CARS. How much might you save? Use this Cash for Clunkers calculator to get the answer in gallons of gas, carbon emissions, and cash. Switching from a Hummer to a Prius last year, for example, would have saved 683 gallons of gas, six tons of CO2, and $1,680 annually for someone driving 12,000 miles a year.

Got a clunker? Sierra Club is collecting photos of them in the Cash For Clunkers group on Climate Crossroads.  Upload one.  Still sold on your bigass truck? Check out this absolutely hilarious list; Top 10 Ways to be a Gas Guzzler.

Driving a bicycle or taking public transport?  Give yourself a big ‘ole greenie pat on your perfectly toned, sexy back!

Via Sierra Club.

Carb-phobics, heads up!  We got this recipe DIRECTLY from our Personal Trainer/ Nutritionist Kendra Coppey, who trains some very famous and beautiful bods.  If she can eat this and stay super fit, so can we goshdarnit!  All of the ingredients below are available at Whole Foods or your local health food store.

This vegan pie is from Cruzer Pizza in Los Felix, CA.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package Whole Foods multi-grain Pizza Dough (you can find in the refrigerated section in small plastic bags)
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 10 button Mushrooms, chopped
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 head of Broccoli, chopped
• 2 Field Roast ’sausage’ links, chopped
• 2 cups Marinara Sauce
• 1 package Sunergia Soy Feta, Tomato Garlic flavor

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Pull dough to stretch it and get it flat on your pizza pan. You might need to add a little flour to your surface if it is too sticky. Brush dough with 2 tbsp olive oil. Cook the dough for 15-20 minutes until slightly crusty and brown.
• While the dough is cooking, add 1 tbsp olive oil to a skillet. Saute the onion and garlic until onion becomes clear. Add mushrooms, bell pepper and broccoli. Cover, cook 8-10 minutes. Add sausage and cook 3-5 more minutes, just until sausage browns.
• Remove pizza dough from the oven, spread marinara sauce on the bottom, sprinkle veggies and crumble soy feta on the top.
• Cook for 15 - 20 minutes, just until all toppings are hot and slightly brown. Enjoy!!!

Want more help? Check out this video tutorial to making your own vegan pizza (including the crust) below;

Kendra Coppey is the Founder of Barefoot Tiger, an in-home personal training, yoga, nutrition and massage therapy company in New York and New Jersey. She is a certified yoga teacher, personal trainer and nutrition coach.