Let Me Try This (Marathon Training) Again.

Well hello there blogosphere! It feels good to be back.

In case you were wondering, I've been absent due to moving, travels and endless meals cooked for me (instead of by me). Nonetheless, I've missed the kitchen and it was just a matter of time until I returned.

Once again, I'm training for a marathon--hoping to complete the training this time sans injury--and trying to eat better in the hopes that I'll achieve my "racing weight" (see Matt's book for reference). For that reason, I've found myself scouring the interwebs in search of healthy, yet yummy, recipes. Keep in mind that I'm back in Mexico (see previous posts about moving away from Boston), so some ingredients listed in the multiple recipes I've pinned are hard to find. For instance, unsweetened applesauce. Don't ask me why, but us Mexicans apparently don't consume unsweetened applesauce--maybe that's why we top the fat countries list? So, for recipes like the one below, I had to make my own applesauce.

Regardless, I'll keep searching for healthy recipes and post experiments from my runner's diet. I hope you enjoy my journey (for the second time) into marathon training nutrition (sort of).

Peanut & Almond Butter Protein Muffins (adapted from Veggie and the Beast)
Makes 12 muffins.
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes + cooling

• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup oats
• ¼ cup flaxseed
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup natural unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• 3 packets Stevia
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup 2% plain Greek yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 375F (180 C); line (or grease) a 12-muffin pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, stir together the applesauce and peanut butter. Mix in the honey, sugar, egg, and vanilla, and then stir in the greek yogurt.
4. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet mix and stir to combine. Divide batter among 12 muffin holes.
5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool completely before storing and store in airtight container. 

Apple apples and more apples

Here's a fact: my family has an apple orchard at home.

I'm serious! But the things is, I'd never actively been apple picking until this weekend. My cousin and I drove up to Honey Pot Hill in Stow--as if I don't do that enough during the week (for those of you wondering, my office is located in Stow)--for a day in the orchards and joked around about how our mom's would react had we called them to ask how to pick a good apple. You'd think having an orchard in the back yard would keep us away from the orchards in NE, but no, there we were, miles away from home, picking McIntosh apples with big smiles on our faces.

Turns out it was a very fun, and as my cousin put it, "fall-appropriate" adventure. And since it provided us with a bunch pounds of juicy apples, who am I to complain!

Here's one of the many goodies that resulted from our apple-picking Saturday. These muffins are easy to make and actually taste delicious; they're relatively healthy (given that they're still muffins) and have the potential to act as breakfast, dessert or snacks. So, grab a cup of tea, coffee or apple cider--if you really want the fall experience--and chow down on one some of these. Enjoy!

Chunky Apple Cinnamon Muffins (adapted from Averie Cooks)
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 35 minutes plus cooling.
Makes 12 small muffins or 6 large ones.

For apples:

• 1 1/2 + 1/4 cups diced small apple (about 2 small apples--I used McIntosh)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For batter:

• 1 large ripe banana
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk at room temperature
• 1/3 coconut oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray non-stick muffin pan with baking spray and dust well with flour; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups diced apples, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Toss to coat and set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, using a fork, mash the banana. Add sugar, milk, coconut oil, vanilla and cinnamon; whisk until well combined. Add all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt and stir until just combined, don't over mix. 
4. Carefully fold in 1 1/2 cup prepared apples and remaining loose flour and cinnamon mix. 
5. Divide batter equally among muffin tin--if making 12 small ones, cavities will be about 2/3 full. Distribute reserved 1/4 cup diced apples among muffins and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, if desired. 
6. Bake muffins for about 18 minutes, or until tops are puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before serving.

Keep That Smile on your Face

I'm still in a good great mood; I still have a big smile on my face; and I'm still amazed at how a five-hour event flipped my mood completely. Although to be fair, those five hours were the culmination of more than three months of rigorous studying--lack of social life and heartburn-creating stress included. So yes, even though I'm entertained by my awesome mood, I'll take it regardless of how it came to be.

Let me warn you though, come October 30th (when scores are supposed to be released), I'll either be in an even better mood (higher-than-expected score) or I'll be in a terrible one (lower-than-expected score). For now, I'll wait, cook--or in this case bake--and blog.

Here's a simple recipe involving homemade quinoa flour. How it came to be? I just decided to experiment with a regular muffin recipe and replace all-purpose flour with blended quinoa. You can buy quinoa flour in specialty stores (maybe even regular supermarkets nowadays), but otherwise just blend quinoa until it turns into flour! Enjoy!

Quinoa Applesauce Muffins (inspired from As Simple as That)
Active time: 10 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes + cooling
Makes 6 muffins.

• 1/4 cup butter at room temperature (or coconut oil, but it definitely gives it a very distinct flavor)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Egg whites from two large eggs
• 4 oz. applesauce
• 3/4 cup quinoa flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries (I'm sure it would be great with blueberries as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. In a small bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Whisk in egg whites, one at a time and mix until well incorporated.
3. Add applesauce, quinoa flour, baking powder and salt to wet ingredients and mix well, making sure to get rid of any clumps. Gently fold in raspberries until combined with the batter. 
4. Divide batter among a 6-muffin pan sprayed with baking oil. Cook muffins for 15-20 minutes or until golden on the sides and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let muffins cool before serving.

Wake up to the smell of muffins

Houston, we have a problem. You know those days--or weeks I should say--when you're all of a sudden not at all inspired to do something that you're usually very passionate about? Almost like those times when you have to write an essay and the harder you try the worse your sentences seem to sound.

Well thats how I've been feeling lately about blogging. It's been so hard for me to come up with ideas for new posts--the pre-food content part, because come on, how hard can it be to come up with delicious food to eat?--that I'd rather make up stupid excuses for not blogging. I've used the classic, "I don't have time," or "there's things that have to be done." Then there's the "nobody is going to ready it on a Friday or Saturday, so why bother?,"or the overused "I'll post tomorrow" lines. But worse of all is that I've used these excuses on myself.

Nobody is on my back pressuring me to write up a post on a daily--or even weekly--basis; no one is sending me annoying emails asking why my work isn't done in time. It's all me and my type A personality--although lately its been fading.

But look at that, I just took my lack of inspiration and turned it into a blog post! So now I can go on to ramble about the yummy bran muffins I made yesterday morning. Very easy, very healthy and quite tasty. Pair one with a bowl of raspberries and a mug of steaming Ristretto coffee--yes I do own a Nespresso machine--and you've go yourself a gourmet breakfast! Enjoy!

Blueberry Bran Muffins (adapted from Spark Recipes)
Makes 12 muffins.
Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 50 minutes + cooling

• 2 cups All Bran cereal
• 1 1/4 cups almond milk
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients and let stand for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile place liners in a regular cupcake pan or spray with non-stick spray.
2. Add egg whites, vanilla, applesauce and blueberries; mix well. Mix in dry ingredients until well incorporated.
3. Distribute batter among prepared cupcake pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool and serve warm.

Carrot Cake for Breakfast

Today I'm a very happy camper. And when I say that I mean VERY happy. I was featured in BostInno's "8 Student Blogs That Are Better Than Yours" today. I don't mean to brag--because let's face it, there are still a ton of blogs that are better than mine--but I'm excited to be noticed. 

When I first started this blog I didn't realize the dedication and passion it takes. But that is also the thing that makes it so enjoyable. Whenever I feel blue or bored, I can step into my kitchen and cook something, photograph it and blog about it. Not only do I get to share my love for food, I also get to eat--a lot! Nevertheless, blogging takes time; and unfortunately, sometimes the effort goes unnoticed. Because of this, I have to admit more than once I have been discouraged; more than once I have questioned my blog. But in the end I don't really care if I'm the only one who reads it (even though I know of some very appreciated fans out there) because if nothing else, it's a journal of sorts. I know that when I look back on this I will be grateful for it. I already am.

Anyways, a few days ago I had carrot cake muffins for breakfast. They were delicious and they hit the spot! Needless to say my sweet tooth was contently satisfied. Plus, I'll take any excuse to eat carrot cake--at any time. 

The recipe is really simple and it can be adapted to make as many servings as you want. I only did one, because I was baking for myself, but double, triple or quadruple it accordingly. Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Muffins (adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)

Active time: 5 minutes. Total time: 20 minutes.

Makes two muffins

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon egg whites
• 2 packets Stevia (or 2 tablespoons sugar)
• 1/3 cup carrots, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces and steamed until very soft.
• 2 tablespoons almond milk (or other milk)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line two cupcake-spots in a regular cupcake tin.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 
3. In a separate medium bowl, mash carrots using a fork until pureed. Add other wet ingredients and stir until incorporated. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. 
4. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool and ice with light cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)

Light Cream Cheese

Active time: 5 minutes. Total time: 5 minutes.

Makes enough for two muffins.

• 1 tablespoon reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1 packet Stevia or Splenda
• 1 teaspoon milk

1. Beat ingredients together until light and fluffy. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

Summer Squash & Walnut Muffins

You know that feeling when all you want is a fresh muffin to go with a steaming cup of coffee for breakfast? That was me this morning.

But after sleeping barely five hours, I wanted food in my belly and I wanted it quick. No time for muffin baking. I had an omelette instead and yes a steamy cup of black coffee.

The craving for muffins did not die though. I found myself unsatisfied, which is why I decided that I was making muffins for lunch. Or at least for dessert.

Another reason to make them was that the summer squash in my fridge was about to go bad. Oh, and the fact that if I baked muffins today, I could have my coffee muffin breakfast tomorrow morning! Its a win win win situation.

So brief recap on my life since last post. Still writing and taking classes. Went to an amazing concert on Thursday: the WFNX Clam Bake. Unfortunately, I had to leave after the Naked and Famous because math class awaited; but I got to see TNAF, Young and the Giant (loving it now) and DOM.

Also, I got another guitar pick for the collection on the back of my Blackberry. And this one was thrown directly at me! Yes, the guitarist--very sexy guy I should mention--looked me in the eye, smiled and tossed me his bright yellow pick!

Anyways, here is the recipe for these yummy muffins. And you can substitute the squash for other fruits or vegetables that you might have lying around.

Squash & Walnut Muffins (adapted from How to Cook Everything)

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into small squares
• 2 egg whites
• 3/4 cup almond milk (can be regular milk or soy milk)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cup grated summer or yellow squash
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients.
2. Add butter to dry mix and mix with your hands. Gently press butter so that small pea-sized pieces remained and butter is well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk and lemon zest. Add liquids to the dry mix and combine just to moisten. Do not stir too much. Fold in squash and walnuts to batter carefully.
4. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of a muffin. Let muffins cool on wire rack.

Applesauce Cornbread Muffins

It has been a while since my last post; or at least it feels like it. Again, last week was hectic, so when the weekend rolled around I was happy to step away from my student life and relax. That and I went to New York City. So for those reasons--and not having internet all weekend long-- no posts were available. Although I had my pictures ready to be uploaded, I couldn't do it until now.

In this post you will see the result of having leftover applesauce in my fridge and two containers of corn meal (my mistake). Anyways, I found a recipe for applesauce cornbread online and decided to adapt it to make corn muffins--some of my favorites. But before that, let me give an update on other issues.

As I mentioned before, I went to NYC for the weekend. Express visit to meet up with my sister and mom who are looking at schools in the area. Arrived Friday night--after spending 3.5 hours doing a lot of homework on the train-- and left on Sunday around 4 pm. Before I go on, let me tell you that I almost missed my train. I don't know why this has happened to me twice already, but its one of the most nerve-wracking situations I've been in. I am one of the most organized and plan-ahead-type of people, yet I have found myself challenging NYC traffic in more than one occasions.

But I made it. I got on the train with exactly seven minutes to spare (after running down one block and all around Penn Station with a trench-coat in one arm, two handbags in the other, a fedora on my head, and a pink suitcase rolling behind me).

So that was not fun! But the rest of the weekend was. Delicious meals with my family, a comfortable hotel, one huge shopping spree, and a night out in the city of bright lights. What more could I ask for in a weekend away from Boston? I am happy to be coming back to my cozy apartment, but I will go back to the Big Apple whenever!

Ok. So here is the recipe for the Applesauce Cornbread Muffins. Do take into consideration that I think a) it has too much baking soda and b) not enough applesauce or sugar. I will post an updated recipe once I get to experiment with it, but for the time being go ahead and alter it yourself.

Applesauce Cornbread Muffins (adapted from food.com)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking soda (maybe try only 1 teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar (up to 1/3 cup?)
• 3/4 cup low-fat milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease or line a muffin pan (12 muffins).
2. In a bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl stir milk eggs and applesauce until combined. Fold wet mixture into dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Pour into muffin cups and bake until golden brown, about 15-17 minutes.