A Salute to Nutella

So yesterday was World Nutella Day. And what a day it was! Baking with Nutella was a must. On Wednesday, I spent far too much time browsing online to locate the perfect recipe.

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I settled on Nutella-Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Muffins. Goodness gracious. I followed the instructions almost exactly, using half whole wheat and half white flour. I was especially excited to get tips on how to make muffins with nice tall domed tops. (Thick batter, full muffin tin cups, and the first 5 minutes of baking time at 425 degrees.)

Well, maybe excited is not quite the right word...interested, I was interested. The excitement hit around the time the oven timer went off...

They turned out quite nicely if I do say so myself. And the cinnamon and sugar coating on the top really takes these guys to the next level.

The amount of Nutella in each muffin is perfect. Honestly, though of course I love the stuff (as any sane person does), I don't go nuts with it. I notice when as I try to keep processed/sugary foods out of my diet that products like Nutella start to seem extra sweet. In a *yipes my teeth hurt* kind of way. So a little goes a long way! If you're looking to enjoy the good stuff, this is a nice simple recipe to try. And there's wheat flour in there, so it's almost a breakfast food, right? Right?

Reading Blogs & Eating Oatmeal. At Times Simultaneously.

I'm trying to eat healthy.

This isn't necessarily a New Year's resolution. I just want to be mindful of what I'm putting in my mouth. (For more on me and nutrition, click here)

So I've been chowing down on fruits and vegetables. I've been drinking lots of water. I've been avoiding processed foods and sugars.

I've also been experimenting in the kitchen.

Some new blogs have been extremely helpful to me during this time. It's very cool to read about women like me who are working to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

My current favorites are:

Carrots 'N Cake

Kath Eats Real Food 

The Great Fitness Experiment

Lots of recipes, pictures, workout tips, and advice. Unlike some of the wacky food or exercise writers out there, these three ladies are down-to-earth.

I've been inspired to try new things at the gym and eat new foods (flaxseed, anyone?) because of these blogs.

I've been making some really rockin' awesome food recently, so I thought I'd share just one recipe today so this blog post isn't a million paragraphs. I do like short paragraphs, in case you haven't noticed.

This muffin recipe is one I found on the blog Chocolate-Covered Katie. She has some, um, interesting recipes on there. She's into making healthy versions of desserts. Some are pretty out there. However, her chocolate chip cookie dough dip with chickpeas isn't bad. I actually like it, but it does not taste like cookie dough. I know my cookie dough.

So here's the muffin recipe! I modified it a bit, so check out Katie's original recipe if you want.

In a big bowl, stir together:
2 1/2 cups mashed banana (extra soft and ripe for best flavor)
2 2/3 cups water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract

I know it looks gross. It's wet banana mush!

Now stir in:
5 cups rolled oats
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Now throw in whatever you think would taste good with oatmeal! Dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, etc. For my batch, I used raisins, shredded coconut, walnuts, ground flax, and wheat germ.

Now pour the oatmeal into muffin tins (with liners if you want, or just spray the tins) and bake at 380 degrees for about 20 minutes.This makes a lot, so Katie recommends freezing them. I stuck some in my freezer and have been snacking on the rest all week.

Warning: if you don't like cooked oatmeal, don't make these muffins! Basically they're like mini bowls of oatmeal in muffin form. I happen to be in love with oatmeal, so these were perfect.

Let me know if you try them and what you think! Have a great weekend.

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Just So You Know

So I'm having internet troubles. Hopefully they will be resolved shortly, but here's a mini blog post since I wasn't able to write one Friday and probably won't be able to tomorrow.

A few of my favorite things this past week:

• Wearing flip flops for the first time this year!
• Turning the heat off and opening the windows.
• Making chocolate chip cookies with Oreos inside (for the recipe, click here).
• Painting my nails with Hunger Games nail polish.
• Reading amazing reviews of The Hunger Games movie, which I will be watching at midnight this coming Thursday!
• Taking an ice cream walk.
• Getting great deals on groceries like fresh fruits and vegetables. Because I'm an excellent shopper.
• Listening to sessions online at work from the Public Library Association's Virtual Conference about social media and iPads.
• Catching up with my best friends.

Despite not having internet much this week, I managed to have a good time. Have I perhaps learned something? Anyway, who wants to stay inside when there's so much to do in such beautiful weather!

Happy Sunday. :)

Go Ahead. Be a Cookie Monster.

Usually, I'm a planner. But some things you just have to go for when you feel like it. No second guessing. Just do it.

For me, that means spontaneously baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

What a great stress reliever! Measuring ingredients, mixing dough, plopping spoonfuls of chocolatey goodness onto the baking sheets...then enjoying the end product!

Want to make some of my world-famous chocolate chip cookies? I'm going to share the recipe that has been passed down by my family for generations. Either that, or copied off the back of a chocolate chip bag. Can't really recall...

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Also, pour yourself a glass of milk in preparation.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat 1/2 cup margarine, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup sugar.
Make sure the margarine is nice and soft. If I don't plan far enough ahead and set the margarine out on the counter, I just zap it in the microwave. Don't let it melt!

3. Beat in two eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Now, this is the step everyone used to be worried about. Eggs! Bad! Raw! Ignore that silliness. Taste away!

4. Beat in 2 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
I don't put in all that salt anymore, ever since my one friend claimed to be able to taste the salt in cookies. Thanks to her, I can now taste it. So I usually just throw in a pinch.

5. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.
If you like more, add more! But I prefer less, myself. The gaps with no chips are just as important as the chocolatey bits.

6. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Don't forget to keep tasting. You want to make sure they're still good.

7. Bake 6-7 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Make sure you take them out in time! Watch closely...

8. After each batch comes out of the oven, put them on cooling racks.
This helps them stop baking! Don't let them cool and stick right on the cookie sheets.

You're done! Hooray! Share these cookies with your friends, and they will compliment you on your sweet baking skillz.

Enjoy!