We love having an easy breakfast, something we can grab quickly but is also healthy and nutritious. Muffins are a great food to grab on the run, eat as a snack or combine with something else to make a more filling breakfast.

We often combine a muffin, a custard and some fruit compote for a delicious breakfast. It's quick and easy and it holds us until lunchtime.

We have a chicken salad we love that is seasoned by curry powder, the type you buy in the spice section of the grocery store. I love that chicken salad. Unfortunately, I am one of those who cannot tolerate plants from the nightshade family. Its a huge family of plants that includes tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers (bell, cayenne, paprika, chili, etc.). Peppers seem to season almost everything I love including curry powder. So, I set out to create a curry powder that was as delicious as the one we were buying but didn't have any peppers in it.

This past Christmas our family got together for the holidays. My daughter and her family planned a decadent breakfast for everyone to enjoy. My Mom and I both eat a gluten-free diet so needed a breakfast alternative.

Another one of Tom's favorite foods is custard. I don't eat dairy and we try to limit our sugar intake which makes custard seem out of the question. I did some searching and found a recipe at Whole Foods.

It was a starting point and I did my usual tweaking from there. It turned out really delicious. I have found I can leave out the squash or play with the seasoning and have an equally delicious custard.

Baked Squash Custard

Serves 5-6

I remember watching my Grandmother make bread as a child and the smell and taste of that fresh bread as it came out of the oven. Whenever she made bread, she'd freeze the extras so there was always bread in the house. I remember for a while she had a hacksaw hanging on the wall of the kitchen to slice off pieces of bread if we needed to use some of that frozen home-made goodness.

I am currently taking a Renewal Journey class from Darcey Blue and she shared a pile of recipes with us. One was for Chicken Pot Pie which she also has on her website at Gaia's Gifts.

I arrived at this recipe quite by accident. We have been eating a lot more vegetables this year and I attempt to include as many different types as possible in our meals. We wanted cole slaw for dinner so I started adding. The resulting color was so much fun, I had to share. Please note, all ingredients are approximate. If there's something you really don't like, just leave it out. But, if you leave out the beets, the color fun will not be there. It should still taste delicious though. En

The original inspiration for these muffins came from Hope for Healing. We cut one of the muffins in half and have it with our breakfast each morning.