Mini confession time! Last Thursday morning, I planned to go for a run and do Focus T25. I had a busy day, but I had scheduled it into my calendar and was going to fit it in (this is a helpful tip – I always schedule in my workouts and treat them as any other appointment, so I’m sure to get them done!). Then, I had an afternoon meeting added, so I realized that during my hour in the morning, I could either go for a run or make and photograph the recipe that was supposed to be featured in my Foodie Friday post. 
I make harder decisions than that all the time, but for some reason, the decision was overwhelming, and I was tired … so instead, I took a nap. I know!! This is very unlike me … I live and breathe by my calendar and relentlessly schedule every minute. I rarely ever just “let things slide,” but I’m working on letting go a bit more, and the moment when I knew I was going to let one thing drop … I figured I’d go ahead and let two things drop instead :). It was kind of fun, and no one died because I skipped a workout. I think you all survived with a recipe-less post on Friday, too. 
The whole point of me telling you this (rambling) story is to encourage you to forgive yourself. This world is a hard enough place to live in as it is … our lives are high-stress, we have high expectations for ourselves and others, and we’re all trying to accomplish a lot. So on those occasions when you listen to your body and give yourself a break from your workout, or eat a piece of cake to celebrate a friend’s birthday, or forget to include vegetables with lunch … just move on. 
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I encourage you to forgive yourself actively. While it may feel funny to speak out loud to yourself, it’s worth a shot. And if you don’t do that, just take a moment to pause and say (in your head), “It’s OK. This is no big deal and I’m doing the best I can, which is pretty darn great. I’m moving on to bigger and better things. I forgive myself and will not let myself stress about this anymore.” 
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Anyway, I knew I had to get in a recipe to celebrate the very last week (ever!) of Heather’s Meatless Mondays from A to Z link-up. This week’s ingredient was zest, and the possibilities were endless. However, I had a (very) brown plantain just waiting to be made into a baked good, and had just ordered matcha powder for the first time after reading so much about the health benefits of matcha. So, here you have the result … healthy and delicious Lemon Matcha Muffins!
These muffins are grain-free, gluten-free, far more nutritious than your average muffin, have a rich, custard-like texture, and make a great afternoon snack. Enjoy!
Lemon Matcha Muffins
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So tell me in the comments … When is the last time you forgave yourself? What can you forgive yourself for today? Have you ever tried matcha? How about baking with plantains?
I’m a fan of lemon pastries – lemon muffins, lemon cakes and cupcakes. And I just add matcha on my diet! I’ve read its health benefits so I finally gave it a try. Maybe I can try this recipe too! Sounds yummy!! Thanks for this!
Not easy to forgive but yeah I try to forgive daily…
BTW, love your recipe of Lemon Matcha Muffins… Great post!
You don’t know how many times I have decided that things are just too overwhelming, and decide to go to bed. It’s amazing how much sleep can help! You are absolutely right, though, sometimes we HAVE to give ourselves a break. Chances are, the world won’t end just because we don’t do exactly what is on our schedules. I’ve found that learning how to be flexible is hard, but it’s so important.
Thank you for your support, Amy! And for telling me my site was wonky this morning :). Hope we both continue to improve in being flexible!
I am working harder at forgiving myself, mostly when it comes to my weekends and workouts. I am getting better at it, but I am far from perfect. Your muffins look great, I have never tried matcha, can you get it at a local grocery store or do you need to order it? I don’t think I’ve even seen it at our Trader Joe’s or grocery store.
Good for you, Sara! Most people are far from perfect, but every step in the right direction counts :). I couldn’t find matcha at any of my local grocery stores, even Trader Joe’s. I ended up ordering it from Amazon. It was quite pricy so I ordered just a small packet to try it out.
Urgh, I feel like I am always too hard on myself in too many things, it’s causing me stress thinking about it. I need to learn to forgive myself but having been a people pleaser for ages, it’s so much harder to put into practice.
I’m keen to try Matcha after seeing it everywhere!
You’re so right that it’s harder to put into practice than to say. But just saying it reminds us to keep striving!
This girl needs to try those ASAP. Sounds absolutely delicious
I hope you like them, Audrey!
you are a genius! i love this combo, so “detox” friendly too!
You make my day – thanks!! It was my first time using matcha and I liked it!
I love that we were on the same wavelength with the matcha, even though i didn’t end up making my idea. I love matcha!! I have been getting an extra scoop added to my iced green tea at Starbucks recently, just a little extra punch. 🙂
Ooh, I didn’t even know Starbucks had matcha! I’ll have to check it out – I have a meeting there today!
I have gotten better and better through the years about forgiving myself. I have always projected outwardly as very easy-going, to the point of getting job feedback of not displaying enough urgency giving the impression of not caring (yet there was no complaint about the outcomes) … but for years I carried the stress and worry inside of me. It was very healthy to let that go – now I communicate the concerns and let go of the stress … well, most of the time.
I also do NOT over schedule myself, and try to leave some free time, and never worry if I just want to sit down and have a glass of wine and relax …
Thank you for calling me out on being over scheduled!! I am trying to take a lesson from you!
I definitely am too hard on myself. Need to do better with managing expectations… sigh.
Love these muffins! We just got a ton of match at Blend. I wonder if I could add even more than a tsp?
I know you are too hard on yourself!! Yes – you could definitely do more than a tsp of matcha. I could barely even taste it in my version, but I was nervous about adding too much since I had never cooked with it before!
I just posted about trying matcha (with a giveaway!). This recipe looks like another great way to use it!
I need to get better about letting things go. Like you, I tend to stick to my schedule and rarely give myself a break. Sometimes its nice to just skip something as long as you don’t allow yourself to feel guilty about it!
I entered your giveaway!! Thanks for hosting :).
Well I can’t remember the last time I showered (I think it was Saturday?) and I’ve been way too antisocial lately but I’ve decided to just let it go and post-ebook launch I’ll regain my hygiene and friends LOL. Also workouts are nowhere to be found right now…sometimes you gotta prioritize, whether that be working or napping or working out. You just can’t do it!
On another note you combined two of my favourite flavour combos EVER. I looooove lemon and green tea anything. And a plantain too! Girl you are killin it in the kitchen!
I agree that it’s about prioritizing sometimes! Many people say “you CAN have it all, but not all at once.” Congrats on the launch!
I am so much more forgiving of myself now than ever before. It’s crazy to think how I used to think.
YAY! Good for you, Jill!
I could probably work on the forgiving myself thing more. Thanks for the reminder!
I think most people could, Deborah!
This was my first time on your blog and I found this post to be a great read, I look forward to keeping up on your posts.
Thanks, Shaun! Glad you stopped by!