Surprised by Plants and Children and Chocolate Beet Muffins
Two years ago my mom brought me a small transplant of her baptisia plant. When she planted it on the side of my house, a small sprig broke off. Instead of tossing it, she decided to stick it in the ground in this bare section of our yard. “It can’t hurt. Let’s see what it does.” My mom is so confident when it comes to gardening. She doesn’t seem threatened by the overwhelm of keeping plants alive. I suppose it is the gift of practice—you fail, learn, and try again.
As she bent down to squish its feet into the dirt, I shrugged and moved on. At that time I was quite pregnant and had little energy to think much of plant care. I had enough lives to tend to. It was on its own.
But as you can imagine, in two years this little sprig of leaves and stem took root. It weathered record breaking snow and temperatures. Through two emerging springs, it grew, taller, stronger, and more magnificent. Eventually I’m going to need to move it to a new location where it can stretch its arms and legs even wider. Somehow, without any help by me, that broken plant grew into something I never could have imagined. My mama was right.
And while I’m speaking of this growing plant, I’m thinking of this girl too.
When she came along, I felt pretty broken myself. Motherhood was as much a mystery to me as the miracle of plant life. Overtime, I tried. I failed. I tried again. She grew. I did too. And for all the early years I spent agonizing over just the right choice to help her grow, I haven’t given it much attention in the last few years. Maybe I just haven’t had time. Maybe I’m lucky that she is such a natural self learner.
Or maybe I have learned to let her be. Maybe I’m growing a bit more confident in my call to plant things into the ground, let them take root, and like my mom, just see what they do.
I think if best I continue to be surprised by the possibilities of growth and try not think of the day when she will need to move to a new location in order to let her arms and legs grow.
***
There are never too many comparisons for children to plants. Following spring, our children emerge from winter’s hibernation like the first fern tendrils—anxious to stretch their legs but caked in earthy mud. As spring turns to summer, they leave trails across floors, stains on new shoes, and laundry piled miles high. We agonize at first; we are moms after all. But as we send them back outside after dinner, giving thanks for the sun that invites play just a bit longer in this season, the joy in our hearts surprises us. There is a sweetness in the dirt left behind—reminders of freedom, play, and new possibilities. I think of that earthy sweetness when I make these muffins. Beets are often placed in the "dirty" category of vegetables. Their earthiness can be intimidating. But roasted, pureed, and baked into muffins, you will be surprised by their sweet possibilities.
Hey sis…I know you love beets. Now try this…
Surprised by Chocolate Beet Muffins
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
¾ cup old fashioned oats
2 eggs
1 cup full fat plain Greek Yogurt (reduced fat is fine too.)
½ cup roasted beets, approximately 2 small (*see note for roasting beets)
½ cup sugar, or sweetener of your choice (I like maple syrup!)
⅓ cup whole milk, or almond milk
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white whole wheat flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
⅓ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners and coat with non-stick cooking spray (great task for a child!)
2. In a blender or food processor add the following: oats, eggs, yogurt, beets, sugar, milk, oil, and vanilla. Blend, until smooth about 2-3 minutes (another great task for a child!)
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture. Fold until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips (reserve a few for sprinkling on top of the muffins). Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with any remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. If using mini muffin tins, be sure to check earlier. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
* Directions for roasting beets: Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F. Place the 2-3 small beets in a glass or metal baking dish with about 1/2 cup water in the bottom. Cover with aluminum foil and roast until very tender, about 1 hour. Cool, peel, and cut into large chunks in order to measure 1/2 cup of beets. Freeze any remaining beets for another time. Or a yummy salad!