A Good Substitute

So it is Lent, that season of the church year that commemorates Jesus's 40 days being tempted in the wilderness.  Its purpose is to prepare you for the joy and rebirth of Easter.  It lasts from Ash Wednesday until Easter and was traditionally a period of fasting for members of the church.  Today many people "give up" some "luxury" for Lent, and what people choose to give up varies widely from chocolate, to alcohol, to meat, or take on an additional observance like reading the Bible, attending prayer groups or Bible studies, or any number of other things.

I usually try to give up something for Lent that makes me a better in some way, whether that is eating better or behaving better.  I have given up sweets, soda, and, back in the day when I was working full time and had quite a potty mouth, cursing.  I will say that giving up cursing was by far the hardest thing I have ever given up for Lent.  Now that I have children and am no longer in the working world I don't use language like that so it wouldn't be a sacrifice for me now, but it definitely was back then.

This year I have given up desserts or sweets.  I typically do not have a huge sweet tooth like other members of my family but I love ice cream.    I will admit that since having children I think my love of ice cream has only increased.  At the end of a very long stressful day with four children a bowl of ice cream makes it all seem so much better.  And of course the second it becomes Lent and I officially give up sweets, I only want that ice cream even more.

Husband gave up chocolate this year.  Not all sweets, just chocolate.  I told him I thought that might be cheating but he and my mom say it is realistic.  You give up something that will be hard but not impossible to accomplish.  Since husband has a huge sweet tooth and really loves chocolate I guess it isn't cheating.  Husband also says I am just jealous that he can still have ice cream and dessert just as long as it isn't chocolate.  Maybe he is right, but I definitely won't tell him that.

Anyway, my interpretation of desserts/sweets is pretty broad.  It includes all regular desserts (ice cream, cake, pie, brownies, cookies, you get the drift) as well as any candy, whip cream, and donuts.  This year that meant no candy for Valentine's Day, no whip cream on my Starbucks latte, and no Sunday morning donuts.  Muffins and things like banana or pumpkin breads are excluded from my definition of sweets.  I consider those breakfast breads rather than dessert.  They are a pretty good substitute when you are needing something to fill that sweet craving.

In keeping with my "muffins are breakfast breads not dessert" statement, I have made muffins for breakfast twice since Lent started.  The first time I made the yummy apple muffins I blogged about previously.  This week I came across a recipe in a Southern Living from last April for Strawberry-Lemonade muffins and since I love strawberries I thought I would give them a try.  They were a hit at our house.

Don't they look yummy!

All that strawberry goodness inside.

Here is the recipe (taken from Southern Living magazine April 2012)

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp. Lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine four and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

2.  Stir together sour cream and next 4 ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Gently fold strawberries into batter.  Spoon batter into lightly greased 12-cup muffin pans, filling three-fourths full.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar over batter.

3.  Bake at 400 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on a wire rack 1 minutes, remove from pans to wire rack, and cool 10 minutes.

Enjoy!