6 ways to slim down your muffin top

Wanna cook like this? Let’s do it together in September. Join me for Busy Women Mealtime Makeover. Only 15 spots so get yours now!
The only muffin top that I want in my life is of the baked good variety… and I have been craving them lately!
If I had to name my #1 body part that I would love to change it would be my stomach. For sure my friends. Even before I had my daughter, my tummy was never super flat. It didn’t matter how many damn sit ups I did. These days, I do my best to look at my post-pregnancy stomach as a tradeoff for my amazing baby girl but I would be totally bluffing if I said I wouldn’t like it more tone.
For those of you that don’t know what a muffin-top is, I’ll fill you in.
“A ‘muffin-top’, also known as “Dunlap Syndrome” is a generally pejorative slang term used to describe the phenomenon of overhanging flesh (fat) when it spills over the waistline of pants or skirts in a manner that resembles the top of a muffin spilling over its paper casing.” – Wikipedia 
Can you believe this term is defined on the web? AND gotta love that it has a technical name. Dunlap Syndrome. I just laughed out loud.
No one wants a muffin top. I’ll admit it, I want to look and feel good. More importantly though, I want to minimize this belly fat for my health. 
While putting on weight in general can have negative effects on your health, abdominal weight gain really sucks. Too much belly fat increases the risk of heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, sleep apnea… you name it.
Here are some ideas for slimming down your muffin top… and how I am doing with mine!
1. Avoid muffins. Well, it depends on the muffin. Avoid a Little Debbie packaged blueberry muffin? You better believe it. They are loaded with crap. Make my Carrot Coconut Quinoa Muffins instead? You got it. They taste kinda cornbread-ish. Quinoa is a nutrient dense grain that makes these muffins crazy good for you as well as filling – which will keep cravings in check. Add whole grains to your favorite dishes. Keep reading for the recipe. 
2. “Downward dog” the stress. Could it be that we are carrying around this extra weight in our mid sections because of stress? Absolutely. Adrenal fatigue can show up as body aches, fatigue, nervousness, sleep disturbances and digestive problems. Over the last few weeks, I have been staying up late putting together my Busy Women Mealtime Makeover program. I started to feel run down. My stomach got a little puffier. My digestion wasn’t as good. Excess stress could lead to excess midsection bulge. When the adrenals aren’t happy, your body will start to give you signs that you need to slow down. Yoga has been helping me.
3. Run Forest run! Don’t worry, you don’t have to train for the Boston marathon. Just move your butt. Everyday. You’ll get your heart pumping and energy will begin to burn all sorts of fat. Your muffin top will start to decrease. I started running consistently. It is part of my day now. It has become a routine. You gotta exercise to lose weight. There’s no way around it.
4. Work with weights. Weight work is great at strengthening muscles. I recently started doing some weight lifting. Not only has it helped in giving me the strength to carry my toddler around but I think it’s helping my stomach. Yeah baby!
5. Don’t finish your plate. Or better yet, eat on smaller plates. Eat smaller portions of food during the day. I often find myself eating the right foods but way too much of it! I am always cooking and trying new recipes which leads me to eat too much. Lately I have been eating smaller portions and it seems to be helping.
6. Ditch your high school jeans. Go out and buy yourself pants that fit you. I don’t care what the tag size says. Wear clothing that fits you. You will feel better about yourself and look better appearance wise. I just got rid of 8 pair of jeans in my closet. Yes, 8 pair. Some were from high school. So embarrassing. Not only did they not fit, they were totally out of style. I went out and bought myself a new pair. Totally amazing how a new pair of jeans (that fit!!) make you feel.
So, here’s the recipe!
Carrot Coconut Quinoa Muffins
Making muffins is a piece of cake! Plus, once you get this recipe down, you can easily replace the fruit and veggies with other ideas. Muffins are a great place to get creative as well as hide healthy stuff. 
Dry Ingredients:
2 c. any flour (I used whole wheat)
1/3 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
Wet Ingredients:
3/4 c. shredded organic carrots
1/2 c. unsweetened organic soy milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. agave-honey syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2T oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla
Other ingredients:
1 c. cooked quinoa
1/3 c. toasted chopped walnuts
Directions:
1. Give your kids a snack so you can bake.

2. In one bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
3. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients.

4. Pour the wet on top of the dry and fold them gently together. Minimal mixing is key. Fold in the quinoa and nuts.
5. Scoop batter into well-greased (or paper-lined) muffin tins. Fill them 2/3 to 3/4 full.
6. Bake approximately 28 minutes @ 350 degrees.
7. Put on a fancy tray and impress your friends and family.

Wanna cook like this? Let’s do it together in September. Join me for Busy Women Mealtime Makeover. Only 15 spots so get yours now!