New Things and Muffins

Number one: Instagram.

Am I the last one to join?  I installed the Andriod app on Monday, and it's just as addicting as Interest (Here I am!).  Whenever there's a dull moment in any of my classes....I think it's time to get updated on Instagram.

Also: chocolate and ginger.  I didn't realize until March 13 how well these flavors go together.  There might have been some cookies made yesterday to take advantage of the flavor pair- stay tuned. :)

Third: whole wheat pastry flour.  Which is where these muffins come in!  I love muffins but they get a bad rap for being one of those foods that sound healthy but are actually really bad for you.  But I'm happy to say that these muffins do not deserve that negativity.  They are moist, flavorful, and just all around delicious.

I made several changes from the original recipe, and I'm absolutely thrilled with how they turned out!  Instead of using half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour, I used all whole wheat pastry flour, and I substituted wheat bran for oat bran.  I also used all raisins and no walnuts and added extra coconut.  If you're in the market for a quick and healthy breakfast, this is the one for you.  Throw on some peanut butter for protein and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins


makes 16 muffins
adapted from Breakfast in Bed by Carol Frieburg

1 egg
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup raisins (or walnuts or a combo)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or half WW and half AP)
1/2 cup wheat bran (or oat bran)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar.  Beat in bananas, raisins, oil, vanilla extract, molasses, and coconut.  In a separate bowl, combine flours, wheat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Using a spatula, gently fold in banana mixture just until blended.  Fill greased muffin tins about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and muffins test done with a toothpick.  Turn onto a cooling rack to cool.

Have a great Thursday!

Love,
Rosie

Orange Yogurt Muffins and a Tennis Match

Yesterday was  my first tennis match after being injured!  It was tough and I lost, but it felt so good to be really competing and working hard.  I'm still in the process of getting back in shape, but it'll be so worth it when I do. :)

Tuesday night was our unofficial team dinner, and we went to Tampico like always.  I had the chicken mole enchilada and it was so. good.  I can't get enough of the Mexican rice and refried beans, and mole is chocolate.  Which means it has to be good.

But I had to fuel up before practice, and I splurged on a piece of zucchini bread at a local coffee shop.  It was thick and dense and moist,  everything an afternoon treat should be.  Yum!

We have overnight guests this week, and since I was dying to get back in the kitchen I decided to make some easy breakfast foods.  I chose a recipe from a new cookbook, Breakfast in Bed.  It's a compilation of recipes from bed-and-breakfasts on the West Coast, and all the recipes sound absolutely fabulous.  I really wanted to use some of the plain Greek yogurt we had in the fridge, and these muffins sounded like the perfect way to do that.

Orange Yogurt Muffins


adapted slightly from Breakfast in Bed (recipe from Top O' Triangle Mountain, Victoria, BC)
makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp fresh grated orange rind
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine ingredients through baking soda.  In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and egg.  Add orange rind, juice, and yogurt.  Mix in dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Fill well-greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake until muffins test done, about 14 minutes.

I've been eating mine with strawberry rhubarb jam, apricot preserves, and almond butter.  And they are a great way to start the day!

I needed food before tennis again today, and went to the coffee shop, Silver Cup, again.  I don't usually get flavored coffee drinks because they are way too sweet for me, but I was tempted by the caramelized banana latte.  Sadly, I didn't have time to linger over a coffee, so I had the chocolate biscotti dipped in white chocolate.  It definitely helped me power through those approach shots!  :)

I hope your week is going well! We're almost to the weekend.  Have a great Friday!

Love,
Rosie

Whole Wheat and Millet Banana Bread

I don't have a lot to say about this bread.  Except that the past week of my life was about a hundred percent better for having made it.  And that you should make it today.  :)

Whole Wheat and Millet Banana Bread


from Joy the Baker

makes 2 loaves

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raw millet, rinsed

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Spray two 8x4 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, oil, sugars, and eggs.  Beat until thoroughly incorporated.  Whisk in the vanilla, buttermilk, and mashed bananas.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Stir in millet.  Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Carefully pour the wet ingredients into the well.  Use a spatula to fold the batter together.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.  Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Wheat Honey Muffins and Avocado Bean Wraps

The goal for today was to find something to make with some of the rest of the canned pumpkin I opened for the pumpkin banana bread.  I wanted to do something for breakfast, and settled on Pumpkin Wheat Honey Muffins.  These make a great breakfast- healthy, filling, and absolutely delicious.  I love that the walnuts and raisins add more texture and go so well with the flavor of the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Wheat Honey Muffins 

from allrecipes

The original said this makes 12 muffins, but I got 14.

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin.  Place the raisins in a bowl and cover with hot water.  Let stand for a few minutes- this will plump the raisins.

In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Make a well in the center and put in eggs, pumpkin, oil, and honey.  Drain raisins and stir in along with walnuts. Spoon into muffin cups.

Bake 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

They really aren't that full of raisins- I forgot to stir them in and sprinkled a few on top of each muffin before they baked.  Haha.

Until this afternoon there was an avocado sitting on our counter, getting riper by the day.  Our go-to way to use avocados is guacamole on a Friday or Saturday night.  My dad grills burgers almost every weekend, and we usually make the guacamole on burger night.  But there was no way this one could last until next weekend, and so I decided to find a new and exciting way to put it to use :)

After looking at a lot of recipes online, I decided to make Avocado Bean Wraps, adapting it for what we had on hand.  The wraps were quick and tasty, and pretty healthy too!

Avocado Bean Wraps


adapted from Woman's Day

1 ripe avocado, mashed
dash olive oil
cumin
chopped carrots
chopped bell pepper
1 can black beans
chopped cilantro
flour tortillas

Cook carrots and bell pepper in olive oil and cumin for a minute or two.  Just long enough to soften the carrots a tad and pick up the cumin flavor.  Mix with drained black beans and cilantro.  Stir in avocado.  Spread on flour tortillas, wrap up, and enjoy!

I used two long carrots and one bell pepper and we got 3 wraps, using 8-inch tortillas.

There's no must-obey ratio for these ingredients.  You could also throw in lettuce, tomato, etc.  We topped with salsa and sour cream.

I promise it looks better in real life... :)