A Comeback……and a Muffin

Hello Everyone!

I know it has been a long time since I have last posted.  Life has been busy with kids and school and well….life. I hope to start sharing again regularly!

In light of my sharing new recipes, I have come across a yummy donut muffin I’d like to share with you!

I was browsing Pinterest and came upon this great recipe from Crunchy Creamy Sweet.  They have a fun website with lots of great recipes.

This recipe came together  super fast!  I had all the ingredients in my pantry and I like that it takes cocoa powder and not Bakers Chocolate.  I never have that on hand and I always have cocoa.  Now the trade off is that sometimes cocoa in a baked good causes dryness in your finished product.   The other tip I will give you is take them out of the oven right at the 15 minute mark.  I removed them at 15 minutes and got a nice light, moist product.  I fear even a little longer would have made them very dry.

The texture of these is light and cakey just like a baked cake donut.  The glaze seems loose when you make it but I dipped these then spooned more over top and ended up with very little on the tray.  I glazed them on a cooling rack over a sheet tray.  My husband says they look like rejects from Valentine’s Day with the sprinkles I used but I think they look cute!  So how do you make these little gems?  Here’s the recipe!

Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Donut Muffin

1/2 c vegetable or canola oil

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/3 c packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 c all-purpose flour

2/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c milk

for the glaze:

1/4 c unsalted butter

1/4 c milk

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp corn syrup

2 c powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Grease Muffin tin.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oil and sugars.  Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed.  Add eggs, one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla and mix again.  Add dry ingredients and combine.  Pour into muffin pan, filling each cavity 3/4 full.  Bake 15 to 18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 3 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before glazing.  For the glaze: In a medium saucepan, cook butter, milk, cocoa and corn syrup until it starts to boil.  Remove from heat and sift in powdered sugar.  Whisk until smooth.  Add vanilla and whisk again.  Dip each muffin top into th laze.  Set on a wire rack over baking sheet to catch drips.  Let sit for a few minutes and add sprinkles.  This batter made 14 muffins.

Thai Shrimp Basil Stirfry- From Main Library Class

Yesterday I was at the Main Library and a recipe didn’t make it to the packet!  Here it is!  Thanks to everyone who came out yesterday and I loved seeing you all!

Thai Shrimp and Basil Stir-fry

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons Southeast Asian fish sauce
• 4 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated, peeled, fresh ginger
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red chile flakes
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 medium red onion, cut in 1-inch dice
• 1 medium yellow pepper, seeded, cut in 1-inch dice
• 1 jalapeno chile, thinly sliced into rounds
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• Serving suggestion: Jasmine rice

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, fish sauce, and sugar; set aside. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until pink but still translucent in the middle, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the onion, pepper, and chile to the skillet, and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan along with the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a boil, and stir-fry until the sauce glazes the shrimp, about 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and stir until coated with sauce, about 15 seconds. Remove pan from the heat, stir in the basil, mint, and lime juice. Transfer to a serving dish, serve immediately.

100 Day Challenge: Day 31

Hey Everyone!

I know I haven’t checked in the last 2 weeks.  I have been……blah.  And first things first, I’ll admit……I didn’t work out at all last week.

The week started with a super croupy baby, who I wasn’t comfortable leaving for more than a minute or so since her breathing was so bad.

Then the rest.  As most of you know I have been dealing with wrist problems for awhile now.  I saw the hand specialist (Dr William Lanzinger at Akron General Orthopedics, FABULOUS DOC!!)  about a month ago.  I had carpal tunnel release in June, and had success with it.  I began noticing some aching in the wrist about 3-4 months ago.  Assuming I was getting old and it was arthritis, I just let it go.  In December I fell at Keegan’s school, and it got worse.  The doc recommended a wrist splint for a month, thinking I had a tendonitis of the thumb.  Well, a month went by.  My grip strength was slightly better but the pain wasn’t.  When I went back this time, he did an x-ray and felt around some more.  On the 28th I go for an MRI.  There is potential it is what is called Kienbock Disease, a progressive disease that will cause paralysis of the wrist over time.  What happens is the blood flow to the wrist bones is cut off by a compression caused by an extended radius.  I have a super short ulna which causes the radius to apply pressure to the small bones and they will eventually deteriorate completely if it is Kienbock.  There are numerous surgeries I can have done to fix the problem, and it usually only occurs in one wrist so that is a plus.  Even if it isn’t this, the doctor thinks he will have to do scope surgery to figure out the problem, so either way, more surgery seems to be in the future.

With this fun,  I am not allowed to do any heavy lifting AT ALL.  And for some reason this news got me in a funk.  Workouts went out the window.  But the week is over…..

This morning I got up, and I am down a pound, so that is good!  And I did workout, not extreme, but something!

Weigh-in: 212lbs

Work-out:

I did abs and jumping jacks.  I need to figure out arm workout that don’t involve any weight.

One last thing!  I did have some fun with my hair!!

Tofu, The Other White…..Substance?

Well, the diet thing is going ok.  Yesterday Joe and I were discussing different food options.  We are eating more salad, and veggies but we need more fiber and protein.  The subject of tofu came up…..This was our conversation.

(via text)

Him: Should we try tofu?

Me: No. It’s gross.

End conversation.

So needless to say the tofu thing we haven’t come around to.  Maybe it is because of all the things I know how to cook, tofu isn’t one of them.

I bring the question to you, dear readers, and ask you to teach me something: What do I do with Tofu??  Suggestions are VERY welcome!

 

100 Day Challenge: Day 24

 

Well, week 3 down.  And I didn’t lose anything.

There I said it.  I hate it but I said it.  As for why, here it is: I worked out 3 days last week, and half-heartedly at that.  This past Saturday was Family Fun Night at school.  I coordinate this fun filled evening and I was stressed.  With all the stuff that had to go into getting that ready, then Friday and Saturday were spent at the school all day, I bailed on workouts.  Not an excuse, just a reason.  And it showed on the scale.

Now, I can’t go forward and say my eating habits were perfect.  At Family Fun Night I had 3 Sprites……yes, that is it, 3 cans of Sprite. Not the healthiest dinner.  And I don’t even drink pop!

But the upside.  I feel better.  I feel thinner even if I’m not, and I am back at it this week, barring the breakdown I had today that it wasn’t working.  And here is the thing: I am still 7 pounds lighter than I was a month ago and I couldn’t be happier!

So, how is your 100 Day Challenge going?  Tell me, I want to know!

100 Day Challenge: Day 15 WEIGH IN DAY

Let me start out by saying this has been a LONG week.  I have a confession to make. I didn’t work out 2 days this week.  There, I said it. And you know what?  I don’t feel bad.

Here’s why: I have worked out 13 out of 15 days.  And of that I am proud.  I normally would have brushed it off, said I’ll wait until after my arm is better, whatever excuse I could find.  Now with the 100 Day Challenge, I find myself going to the treadmill just to cross off the number on my poster.

And one last note before I tell you how the week went weight-wise: The two days I didn’t work out, I feel like I still did some physical activity! Thursday I took the boys, their friend Zak and Navi to the library ( a feat when you have a hungry baby and crafts to help with) and Saturday, in the snow I went to Walmart and had to push my cart through 6 inches of snow to the car!

So, on to what you all want to know:  Even with working out less, did I lose anything?

YES!!!! 3 Pounds!!!!!!!

Here is the stats!

WEIGHT: 213 (down 7 pounds)

WORK-OUT: I think I am going to walk on the treadmill tonight, since it will be so cold down there (ours is in the basement) that I won’t be able to for the next few days!  30 minutes or so.

We will see how the next week goes!

How is your 100 Day Challenge going?  Updates??

A Rant….Yelp style…..

 

Ok, so…..I rarely rant on here. Actually I don’t think I have ever ranted on my blog. And this isn’t a rant per se.  More of a humorously annoyed look at on-line reviews.

I have recently gotten into reading Yelp.  I find what people say about restaurants interesting.  In doing so, I have found people have a odd way of reviewing.  For example: Thai food.  Some people will review every Thai food restaurant in their city or in every city they visit.  And in every case they give the restaurant 2 stars (or less).  Now that would make me come to a very clear realization……if you have reviewed 35 Thai food restaurants from here to Moline, and you have only ever given 2 stars, maybe you don’t like Thai food.  Try some Italian places already!

The other one is Red Velvet cupcakes.  Good Lord, the red velvet cupcake gets hammered.  Every review is something different….it’s to dry, it’s to moist, it doesn’t have cream cheese frosting, it does have cream cheese frosting, it has to much frosting to cake, to much cake to frosting, they use chocolate chips, they use MINI chocolate chips, it has natural red coloring, it has fake red coloring, it’s to big, to small, to red…..MAYBE YOU JUST DON’T LIKE RED VELVET CUPCAKES!!!!!!!!!

I also have an issue with people who review recipes.  I look for recipes on a lot of different websites.  When you read a recipe, everyone thinks “Oh I could change this.” I get that.  What I don’t get are the people who write a review like this:  This recipe was horrible.  I substituted whole wheat flour for the white flour, used crushed pineapple instead of raisins, and baked it for 35 minutes instead of 25.  I put it in a graham cracker crust and make bread crumb topping for it.  It was the worst banana bread I have ever had.

Ok, for real???  The only time you should review a recipe is if you make the RECIPE, not some Frankenstein adaptation of it.  If you make changes, share your ideas with your friends, your coworkers, anyone OTHER than the website where you got it.  If you make the actual recipe and it turns out horrible, by all means, review it.  But if you add, subtract, make changes, technically you DIDN’T MAKE THE RECIPE! Which in turn means, don’t review it.

Ok, I think I am done.  Thanks for listening…..and don’t get me started on the term “foodie” or why everyone has to have a “passion” anymore…..I might run out of blog space.

100 Day Challenge: Day 10

Ok, totally boring today!

I have worked out the last two days.  Nothing major but any activity counts.  I walked today on the treadmill.  I miss even remotely warmer weather!!!

For those of you in warmer climates, I am WILDLY jealous!

Weight:

Weigh in on Monday

Workout:

Treadmill for 30 minutes

I promise more excitement tomorrow!

100 Day Challenge: Day 8- WEIGH IN DAY

So, as you can see it has been a good week!

This past week was fun and challenging.  I have done some sort of physical activity every day, even last night when I wasn’t feeling it.  I am eating better, and feel good.  I feel like I can see some changes so in the long haul that is all that matters.

And I have heard from some of you out there!  I have gotten great feedback on this project, and people all over are making their own 100 Day challenge commitment!  I am proud of you!  I know people who are giving up fast food (my hubby included), someone committed to eating fruit every day, cutting carbs and food tracking.  There are also people who committed to stuff not related to food, like journaling or making their beds.  It isn’t about what you do, its that you do it.

So now, on to what we have all been waiting for!

Weight:

216.5 pounds (4 pounds down!)

Workout:

I lied to all of you.  Yesterday I did NOT do P90….I did it Saturday but yesterday I walked.  I got busy all day and by the time 5pm rolled around I wasn’t feeling a massive workout.  So I walked on the treadmill for an hour.  The good news is I did P90 today Sculpt 1 and 2!

Derby Pie……

Pie.  Not something I EVER make.  It’s the crust.  I am always scared of the crust.  That was until my friend Ashley gave me a easy recipe!  It literally mixes together in two seconds in a bowl, and press into the pan.  It is good for quiche and pies, though for pies I would add about 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar to the pie crust.

Now onto the filling.  This is a simple pie.  Chocolate chips, walnuts or pecans and a cooked filling. Pour in crust and bake.

I took this to my in-laws one night for dinner.  They all said it was just “ok”. Then they ate another piece of it……

We also established that my mother in law has 2 favorites when it come to pie. 1) Pumpkin pie, 2) Pie.  Yes, pie.  Let’s say she isn’t real picky.

One other tip! Serve this pie warm.  When it is cool, it isn’t as yummy as warm!  Awesome with ice cream!

Derby Pie

Crust:

1 1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 TBSP cold water

   In a medium bowl, stir the flour, salt and oil until all flour is moistened. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all water is absorbed.   Gather the pastry into a ball. Press in the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch glass pie plate; flute. Unbaked Pie Crust: Fill and bake as directed in the pie recipe. Baked Pie Crust: Heat the oven to 475°F. Prick the bottom and side of the pastry thoroughly with a fork. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely on a cooling rack, about 30 minutes. Fill as directed in the pie recipe.

*I do not prebake for this recipe!

Filling:

1/2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon(optional, I left it out)

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 ready-made piecrust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and butter; mix to combine. Stir in the bourbon, walnuts, chocolate chips, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture into the unbaked piecrust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool before slicing.