Not ready to say goodbye.

On my run this morning, I noticed that the trees are beginning to turn a beautiful golden color and the sidewalk is dabbled with crisp, fallen leaves.  I have a fond affection for fall but I am not ready to say goodbye to summer just yet.  Pintrest is plastered with autumn recipes...everything pumpkin and apple related.  Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait to make a trip to the apple orchard next weekend and start wearing my thick scarves but its just so hard to wish away the warm sunshine.  Before I start baking spiced muffins, pumpkin scones and squash soup, I just had to bake one more batch of a summery type muffin: whole wheat banana muffins.  This is actually the third fourth batch that has been baked around here over the course of the past month and after these are devoured, it will be time to say goodbye and move on to autumn.

Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (www.wishfulchef.com)

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (use pastry flour if available)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (I substituted canola oil in one batch and it worked just fine!)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I use at least 60% cacao)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground flax seeds. In a smaller bowl, mix the egg, coconut oil, yogurt and vanilla, then stir in mashed banana. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and transfer to wire racks.

Pineapple Coconut Yogurt Cake

For the past few weeks, I have been dying to bake something using Greek Yogurt.  Maybe it's because I follow Chobani Greek Yogurt on Pintrest and every recipe they post looks intriguing.  I eat Greek yogurt almost every single day, however, I hadn't tried the pineapple flavor prior to this cake.  Fresh pineapple is indeed my favorite fruit...I'm not sure what on earth took me sooooo long to try it. 

I made this cake on Sunday evening and enjoyed it with a friend and T after our 34 mile bike ride.  It was the perfect way to end the weekend.  Serve the cake with extra yogurt on top...and you won't be disappointed.  I made a few substitutions to make this cake healthier; see my notes in parentheses.

PINEAPPLE COCONUT YOGURT CAKE (original recipe from www.heathersdish.com, adaptions made)

• 1 cup Chobani 2% pineapple Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup agave nectar)
• 3 whole eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup unbleached pastry flour)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla.  Gently fold in the flour, baking soda and salt.  Pour into a greased 8-inch round pan.  Sprinkle the top with shredded coconut.  Bake at 350 for 45-50***minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool completely before devouring.  Serve with extra yogurt on top.

****As you can see in the pictures, I used a 9 inch tart pan instead of an 8 inch round pan (simply because I love the delicate edges that form when using a tart pan) and reduced the baking time to 30 minutes.  The cake was fully done baking at 29 minutes...I cannot imagine it taking the entire 45-50 minutes as suggested in the original recipe. Watch the cake closely after 25 minutes!

Thursday Morning Muffins.

I just looked at the date of my last post and almost fell out of my chair.  APRIL 29TH? And now it is the middle of JUNE? What has happened?  I guess when I look back, quite a bit has happened.  Let me tell you.
I finished up my master's degree. No, I'm not done with school yet, nor am I am school psychologist, I have two more years of school left...but I'm making progress.
I started working as a barista at a local coffee shop; I am enjoying learning about the art of making coffee and sometimes wonder why I don't work as a barista full time. Don't worry Mom, I'm not quitting school.
I watched T run a PR in the Madison Half Marathon (1:14:39) and couldn't have been more excited for him.
I canoed down the black river and survived an encounter with a water snake.
I completed one of my summer courses, one more to go.
I competed in my first triathlon of the season last weekend and was thrilled to race with some good friends.
So, here we are,in the middle of June.  I guess it is time for a post.

This morning started off with a 4.5 mile run in the sunshine and my legs actually felt great, which was surprising, as I have been struggling to get into a good running rhythm lately.  After my run,  C came over and we made muffins.  You all know how I feel about muffins- if you don't, read THIS POST and you will soon know how picky I am about my muffins.  Thank goodness C is a true friend and wasn't upset with the recipe I picked.  I was thrilled that it contained whole grains, flax, fruit, veggies, was low fat and low sugar, however, of course I had to make some changes to make this recipe even better. Oh, I must not forget the BEST PART of these muffins.   I was able to use some of the homemade whole wheat flour that a dear friend Rae made and gave me as a gift.  I have the best friends ever.

Homemade whole wheat flour from Rae

We whipped these up while catching up over a warm cup of coffee.  Let's just say I am really enjoying this week off in between my summer classes....and look forward to having the remainder of my summers off as a school psychologist.


Healthy Apple Cinnamon Wheat Bran Muffins (adapted from kneadtocook.com)

3/4 c unbleached, all purpose flour
3/4 c of whole wheat flour
3/4 c of flaxseed meal
3/4 c of wheat bran
3/4 c of brown sugar
2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2.5 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c of almond milk (you can use low or non fat milk as well)
2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 c of Non Fat apple cinnamon flavored Chobani  Greek Yogurt
2  c of shredded carrots
1 shredded apple
1/2 c of chopped walnuts 

Crumble Topping:
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP oats
1/2 TBSP cold butter
Mix together using a pastry cutter or a fork to get a crumbly mixture

Preheat oven to 350.  Line your muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the flours, wheat bran, flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices and brown sugar.   Then add eggs, milk, vanilla and Chobani.   Add the carrots, apples and walnuts, stirring just until combine.   Scoop the mixture into your muffin pans, 3/4 of the way filled and top with crumble mixture. Bake for 20-22 minutes for regular sized muffins.  Insert toothpick and if it comes out clean, they’re done.  If not, bake for an additional 2-3 minutes and repeat the toothpick test.  Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then serve.  

Healthy Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes there isn't much to say about a recipe other than oh my goodness, please try this. That is the case with these healthy version of twice baked potatoes, which are make using sweet potatoes (so you get your daily intake of beta carotene, vitamin C, and potassium), chick peas (added protein), and spinach (so you get your iron and fiber!).  Sometimes Most of the time twice baked potato recipes frighten me, due to the overwhelming amount of butter, sour cream, cream cheese, more butter and more cheese they contain.  I usually stay far, far away from them....but not these guys.  Just looking at the pictures is making my mouth water.  I think I will make these again this week. 


P.s. If you are like me, you are wondering what wine to drink with these...they pair well Naked Grape chardonnay :) 

Healthy Sweet Potato Skins (http://pinchofyum.com)

Ingredients

2 medium or large sweet potatoes

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 shallot, minced

1 bag fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup light sour cream

2 ounces light cream cheese

1 cup chickpeas

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bake sweet potatoes at 350 for 45-60 minutes, or until fork tender.

2. Cut sweet potatoes in half and let cool for 5-10 minutes. While sweet potatoes are cooling, saute the shallots with the

butter over medium heat until translucent. Add fresh spinach and heat for 2-3 minutes, until spinach has cooked down.

Set aside.

3. Scrape the sweet potato out of the peel, leaving a thin layer inside with the peel so that it can stand up on its own.

4. Mash the sweet potato with the cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in chickpeas, spinach, and salt and pepper.

5. Coat potato skins with a drizzle of oil and bake for about 5 minutes to get a crispier outside. Remove from oven and fill each skin with the sweet potato mixture and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake again for 10-15 minutes, or

until cheese is melted and filling is heated through.

Banana Almond Smoothie

The recipe I am about to share with you will change your life. Okay, that might be a bit extreme, but I am pretty sure my life has significantly improved since I discovered (and have since perfected) this smoothie.  Last fall, I attemped a raw diet  and stumbled upon a banana almond smoothie during the process. This smoothie called for almond butter and my Mother helped me make homemade almond butter solely to use in this smoothie.  It was OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Fast forward from last fall to two weeks ago.

My training is beginning to increase (my first outdoor triathlon of the season is in eight weeks!) and am deperately trying to increase my protein intake.  A simple way I have gone about this is to make smoothies with protein powder.   To be honest, I am still not entirely sure how I feel about protein powder- I have heard both good and bad things about it....but what I do know is that I DO NOT use the standard serving size, which is TWO scoops or 56 grams of protein. I only use one scoop (23 grams of protein).  I plan to continue my research on protein powder, but while I do that, I need to share this recipe with you.  I ended up modifying the original banana almond smoothie and replaced the almond butter with vanilla protein powder.  I like almond butter, however, my graduate school budget doesn't support purchasing a jar of it for $12 and making it isn't exactly budget friendly either when almonds are $7.99 per pound.  After trying many different ingredients in this smoothie, I have perfected it.  The best part?  No measuring is involved.  As you can see in the pictures, I drink my smoothies out of a mug, with a straw.  I don't know why, but I love drinking everything, including water, out of old coffee mugs.  Everything tastes better this way, I swear.

I splurged on almond extract from the local coOp,
it was definitely worth the money.

Banana-Almond-Flax Smoothie
Ingredients
1 frozen banana - I cut up a bunch of frozen bananas at the beginning of the week and place them in a container in my freezer.  The broken up banana is easier for my blender from 1972 to to handle)
1 Spoonful whole flax seed
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
A splash of almond extract
Almond Milk- I use the unsweetened vanilla flavor, only 40 calories in 8 oz.
A small handful of oats- if I had to guess, I would estimate 3 tablespoons

Blend all ingredients in blended until smooth. Pour into a coffee mug, find a straw and enjoy!

HEAVEN IN A MUG.

Homework? I think I'll bake a cake instead.

Sunday was a fantastic day.  It began with my first bike ride of the season, a 24 mile ride with a group of 8 people from the Triathlon Club.  It was a bit chilly cruising along at 20 MPH in the 52 degree weather and I will definitely be investing in a long sleeve cycling jersey this week.  Despite the chilly temperature, it was SO nice to get outside and ride-I reached my tipping point this week in cycling class and just cannot ride inside anymore this season.  After my ride, I spent the day doing homework at my favorite coffee shop.  I returned home and really just did not want to do more homework. The sun was shinning, buds were forming in the trees outside my window and I felt like celebrating.  What did I do? I baked a wholesome carrot cake and wrote a blog post. This cake is in loaf form-perfect for small households like mine. Baking this cake was definitely one of the best choices I have made lately.

  

Spelt Flour Carrot Cake (www.anjasfood4thought.com)
3/4 cup whole wheat or whole spelt floour
1/4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup butter, roughly chopped
1/3 cup palm sugar (substitute: 1/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons molasses)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup coarse grated carrots
1/3 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup cream cheese
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions:
Preheat oven to 175C/375F. Line medium-sized loaf pan with parchment paper.In a medium bowl, cover oats with boiling water. Place the butter on top of the oat water mixture so it will melt. Let stand for about 10 minutes to soak.In another bowl, combine flour salt and baking powder. Set aside. Whisk the eggs lightly, then add the palm sugar and beat until mixture is fluffy. Add the egg mixture to the oat mixture and stir until combined. Now combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold in grated carrots and chopped almonds. Transfer batter to prepared loaf tin. Bake for 40 minutes or until bakje tester comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then take out. Let cool completetely on wire racks. Just before serving, combine cream cheese and maple syrup until smooth. Apply frosting evenly on top of the cake. 
NOTE: As I was mixing up this cake batter, I came to the realization that it was missing something.  I quickly realized that carrot cakes normally have spices in them and this recipe did not. I quickly sampled the batter and knew I wanted to add spices, as I love spices.  I added a few teaspoons of cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and allspice, along with a teaspoon of vanilla. 

When I woke up last Monday, there was a strange fog hanging over the ground. I think it was due to the combination of left over patches of snow on the ground, the 65 degree weather and the humidity.  I might be wrong, who knows. As soon as I looked outside, I threw on my rubber garden boots, grabbed my camera and went to take spontaneous photographs.

  I may or may not have been in my pajamas...sometimes photographic moments only last a short while and require your immediate attention, even if you are still in your pj's. 

Brinner!

Wellllll, it's spring break.  Which means I get to drink coffee with my Mother every morning, hang out with my dog, go for long runs in the 70 degree weather, cook in my favorite kitchen and eat meals with my family.  It doesn't take much to make me happy.  On Wednesday, I told my mom I had a new pancake recipe I wanted to try.  Every once and a while, we like to have breakfast for dinner (or as some call it, BRINNER) and Wednesday happened to be one of those evenings.  I found this recipe for sweet potato pancakes and was instantly intrigued.  I'm not talking about potato pancakes, like the kind you smother in ketchup. I'm talking about the kind you usually top with syrup and eat with a side of bacon.  I think my family was somewhat skeptical as I mixed up this orange pancake batter with Ghirardelli chocolate chips in it.

Truth is, I was a bit skeptical myself until we ate the ENTIRE batch of these pancakes immediately after they came off the griddle.  I don't think they lasted more than ten minutes.  There was just something about them...I can't really pinpoint what, that made them truly delicious.  During brinner, we all tried to figure out what made these griddle cakes so wonderful.   We think it may have been the texture, but we are still uncertain.  Looks like you will just have to make them to understand what I am talking about.

As far as pancakes go, these were relatively healthy. The original recipe calls for half whole wheat and half regular flour, I used gluten free flour.  There was no added oil or butter in the batter and only 2 table spoons of brown sugar (only 1 if you make a single batch, I doubled the recipe).  I can't forget about the semi-sweet chocolate chips that added a boost of antioxidants.  Of course, we topped these with pure maple syrup made by one of my mother's friends. Which reminds me-it is officially maple syrup season and I am dying to learn more about the process.  I hope to spend some time at a maple syrup shack this spring and will let you know all about it if I get the chance.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Pancakes (www.eatliverun.com)
Ingredients:
1/2 large sweet potato, baked then mashed with a fork
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup (heaping) dark chocolate chips
butter to grease skillet
maple syrup for serving

**To make these pancakes gluten free, substitute 1 cup of Pamela's Baking Mix for the flour and do not add baking powder, as there are leavening agents in Pamela's. 

Directions: Grease a large skillet with butter and head over medium high heat. Combine all ingredients, mixing JUST UNTIL COMBINED and drop by quarter cups onto hot skillet. Cook for about two minutes each side then serve with warm maple syrup.

Post Race Breakfast.

On Saturday I participated in the UWL indoor triathlon.  I told myself I wasn't going to sign up for it this year, as I haven't trained quite as much as past years now that I'm in grad school.  A good friend and training buddy, J, talked me into it.  As always, I left the race feeling eager for warm weather and SUMMER TRIATHLON SEASON! Bring on the sunshine, long bike rides and exhausting runs.  I took first place in my age group and won the overall women's division, click here to check out the full results page.  J also won his age group and the men's overall division.  I guess our late night pool training sessions in between night class and paper writing paid off.

After arriving home from the tri, I knew I had to get right to work with studying for midterms and writing papers....but not before I fueled up with a post race meal.   I wasn't in the mood for my regular oatmeal, you all know that I eat oatmeal every.single.day.of.the.week.  I am a creature of habit like that.  I usually add cinnamon, dried apricots, dried cranberries, ground flax seed, slivered almonds and real maple syrup.  It is the highlight of my morning.  Anyways, to switch it up, I decided to make steel cut oats (BIG switch up, eh?).  I made these for the first time two weeks ago and oh my goodness, I have been missing out on a little slice of heaven for the past 23 years of my life.  Prior to last week, I didn't know what steel cut oats were.  I had seen them before in tins in the grocery store but didn't know how they looked different from regular oats. I took a few pictures so you don't have to wonder, like I did.

Uncooked steel cut oats

Anyways, I stepped outside of my box and tried a different kind of oats, which I started calling weekend oats- because they take about 40 minutes to cook.  And, if your week day morning are anything like mine, I certainly do not have time between my workout and getting to class to slave over the stove for 40 minutes.  Okay, its not slaving, but it does take time.  This recipe makes about 4 servings, so you can make them on a weekend and enjoy them throughout your week.  The local CoOp sells steel cut oats in the bulk section, which is where I purchased mine.  Most grocery stores sell them pre-packaged right next to rolled and quick oats.  You can top them with anything that fits your fancy- I chose to use orange zest, fresh blackberries and slivered almonds.  Steel cut oats are delectable, they really do taste different than standard oatmeal.  Don't ask me how or why, because I don't know.  Pleaseeeeeeee, just try them.

Trader Joe's Almond Milk= my favorite

Cranberry Orange Steel Cut Oats Recipe- www.cookieandkate.com
Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook


Ingredients

3 cups water
1 cup almond milk (or other milk: cow’s milk, coconut milk, etc.)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or coconut oil)
1 cup steel-cut oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of one orange and juice of one orange

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, bring the water and milk to a simmer over medium heat. In the meantime, melt the butter (or coconut oil) in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Toast the oats, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, around 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
2. Stir the oats into the simmering water/milk mixture. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, until the mixture is very thick.
3. Stir in the salt. Continue to simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. The oatmeal should be very creamy at this point. Stir in the orange zest and juice, and let the oatmeal stand for 5 minutes before serving.
4. Portion into bowls and top with a fruit sauce, toasted nuts, a splash of milk, greek yogurt or really whatever you desire! 

Vegan Fudge.

A weekend with T wouldn't be complete unless some type of dessert was included, so we tried out a new recipe for fudge which was both vegan and raw.  I'm trying not to use overly processed baking ingredients like corn syrup and marshmallow fluff, which makes it difficult to make things such as fudge.  This recipe was just what I was looking for.  To be honest,  I wasn't a fan of this fudge the day we made it, but it has become much better with more time (freezing time, that is. read the recipe and you will understand).  This is NOT a typical recipe for fudge and I should have known better to expect it to be the same consistency of my mother's homemade fudge.  If you make this expecting it to taste like the decadent fudge you get up north at the candy shop in Eagle River (Wausau friends-you know exactly what I'm talking about!), you will be disappointed.   Once I was able to get past the fact that it was different (and much healthier), I actually started to like it.  Maybe a little bit too much, as I ate it after my brick (cycle-run) workout last Sunday.  Whoops. The recipe is from a fantastic blog, www.cookieandkate.com...check it out if you have time!

Easy, No Cook Fudge Recipe (www.cookieandkate.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut butter*
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 2 small ripe bananas, cut into one-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder** or regular cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch sea salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, roughly five minutes or so.
2. Use a spatula to pour the mixture into a flat, sealable container.
3. Place the container in the freezer. The fudge needs to be super cold in order to retain its shape, so I find that it’s best to store the fudge in the freezer. If you store it in the fridge, it will have a semi-solid mousse-like texture.
4. *To make your own coconut butter, pulse 8 ounces of shredded, unsweetened coconut in a food processor until smooth, which will take 8 to 12 minutes. Please note that 8 ounces of coconut will yield 1 cup of coconut butter, which is twice what you need for the recipe. I recommend 8 ounces because I have not had any luck making smaller batches in my food processor; too many flakes stick to the side. Perhaps a very smaller food processor could do the job. If you make 8 ounces’ worth, you can save 1/2 cup of coconut butter for later (it’s great on quick breads, muffins and more), or you can double the batch and toss twice the remaining ingredients into the food processor after making the coconut butter. Just pour the mixture into a bigger container and refrigerate/freeze as directed.