happy monday.

Well I did it. I survived my first week of work!

There is so much to adjust to, from learning every detail of the job, to getting used to the new schedule, to remembering everyone's names, oh and of course there is that awkward newbie feeling.

But it all makes me so much more grateful for the weekend!

I have to admit I spent most of it in the city drinking margaritas...it was sort of a Mexican fiesta kind of weekend.

[ I don't even want to count how many I consumed ]

[ grand central ] 

[ nutella ice cream with a shot of espresso @ the Cafeteria..amazing! ]

 [ fun with friends ]

[ sunday baking ]

As for my Sunday baking, I had some ripe bananas on hand so I decided to bake mini banana muffins. Bethenny Frankel's banana bread recipe is the only one that I have ever made. It is a healthy version and is so good that I never had a reason to make any other; even my skeptical brother loves it. This time I added peanut butter, just because :) 

If you are looking for a low-fat peanut butter then I recommend Better'n Peanut Butter. It does not have the same consistency as real peanut butter, its sort of syrupy. When I bought it at Trader Joes I was doubtful, but I ate it on toast and apples and didn't touch real peanut butter for a solid month (that's pretty big). 

Mini Banana Peanut Butter Muffins adapted from Bethenny Frankel
(Makes about 24 minis)

1 tbs butter, softened

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large)
1 cup raw sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mash banana and butter.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients and stir well.

Pour batter into a well greased mini muffin pan.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Have a great week :)

granola cereal

happy spring!

The weather has been beautiful and I am so blessed to be able to enjoy it.

Even things that could make a bad day haven't really affected me. Like spilling tomato sauce all over the floor, scraping my knee, slipping down the stairs, and getting burned twice all in one day. Yes, I am a trooper.

Anyways, I am getting back into the swing of things and starting to bake again.

Which brings me to granola, I love love love granola. 

It is something that I refuse to buy in stores because it is the best homemade and there are too many reasons not too..it's so easy, it's all natural, and that smell fresh out of the oven. Enough said.

The arrival of this beautiful weather has brought me some much needed motivation to eat better, it's what I like to call operation bikini bod. Being granola is something that I tend to eat in large amounts (I can't help it), I tried making it more calorie friendly this time.

To do this I looked at the ingredients and played with the ratios a bit. I decided to make the main ingredient puffed wheat rather then oats. Oats are delicious and very good for you but have a whopping 150 calories for only a half a cup. (And this is across many brands, I know this as I have searched for a lower calorie oat. Please let me know if you have discovered one.) However puffed wheat will only cost you 60 calories a cup!

And so here you have it. It's rather delicious if I may say, it reminds me more of a cereal with the wheat in it.
Granola cereal is what I am going with.

Granola Cereal

2 cups puffed wheat

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup sweetened coconut

1 cup nuts 

(whole or chopped, whatever kind you like)

1/3 cup real maple syrup

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

Spread out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, shake up with a spoon, bake for 15 minutes more

Eat it with milk, yogurt and fruit, sprinkle on an apple with peanut butter, 

even munch on it straight from the bowl.

Enjoy!