Forecast May Call For Baking

 

He told me he loved me.

Who knew making the little boy grilled cheese with some bacon on cinnamon raisin Ezekiel Bread was the key to his heart?

Now don’t get your panties in a bunch about me suddenly having bacon in the house.

It just so happens that I had an Applegate coupon to use and decided there was nothing wrong with keeping their Turkey Bacon in the freezer for the occasional breakfast treat for the boy. And just maybe, if I want to admit it, I break out the bacon so that he thinks I am cool.

In case you are looking for the key to my heart by the way, I am pretty simple; that key can be found in a slice of chocolate cake. Or a jar of Mighty Maple peanut butter.

The key to my house yesterday morning could be located somewhere inside one of the many pockets I had on me after bundling up to run in the 23 degree early morning air.

Clearly the thermometer is challenging me, but I am ready. As long as there is little to no wind, I will bundle on up to avoid that treadmill as often as possible.

As I ran, I laughed to myself from beneath my scarf watching all of my neighbors warming up their cars to leave for work.

Actually, I didn’t see my neighbors. What I witnessed was a series of empty cars being automatically started because no one was brave enough to come outside and sit in a cold car.

And there I was, running.

If you don’t run outdoors in winter, perhaps you think I am crazy but I swear to you, wearing all of these layers truly keeps you warm.

I was not the slightest bit cold, if anything, I may even have experienced feeling a tad hot.

So. Weekend time. Another opportunity for snow, ice, sleet and/or rain.

The weather isn’t supposed to get all icky on us until later on tomorrow morning which means my long run shouldn’t be affected.

I am sure the grocery stores will be packed today so the smart cookie that I am went to Trader Joe’s yesterday.

The best part was scoring a super large bag of the Organic Carrots of Many Colors. I am convinced this bag is much bigger than the last.

I get excited for things like this. Don’t you?

While I am hopeful that the weather mess doesn’t keep me stuck indoors, in the outside chance it does, I have been busy pinning a bunch of new recipes to try out.

What I love about  my pins on Pinterest is that most of them come from bloggers I follow, meaning we can trust that the recipes will come out as amazing as they look.

Like these soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies  and these Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies – I may have to make one or both of these over the weekend, snowed in or not.

And wait, I totally forgot to tell you that the little boy and I made Magic Cookie Bars last weekend because he needed to bake up a treat to bring with him somewhere.

Sometimes known as 7-Layer bars, my version came from reviewing a bunch of Magic Cookie Bars recipes over at the blog, Love From The Oven.

If you are wondering why you see a jar of Skippy in place of my favorite Peanut Butter & Co. Peanut Butters, it is because I keep the giant jar of Skippy Natural on hand for baking.

Only if you have the key to my heart do I share my Crunch Time or Mighty Maple. And even then you are pushing your luck.

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Is it supposed to snow by you this weekend?

Have you tried out any new recipes worth sharing?

 

 

 

 

What I Ate Wednesday -Everything Is Better With Mighty Maple Peanut Butter

 

During my workout yesterday morning, right after I published my Three Tip Tuesday post, I decided that running related tips really should include an asterisk followed by the following:

***Tips may not apply to every run; each run and/or workout will vary. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY***

While I was taking it slow during my first mile on the treadmill, I just knew it was not going to be a running day. At the half mile mark, I decided to just stick it out for one mile and then switch on over to the elliptical machine – knowing in the back of mind there was that slim chance that when I reached the mile mark, I would be more than ready to continue.

Well friends, I stopped the belt at .60 – it just wasn’t worth pushing to the mile. I know the difference between needing to warm up and needing a cross training day. Sometimes it is just not worth pushing yourself when your body is very clearly in protest.

We all walk that fine line of pushing ourselves to better ourselves and pushing ourselves straight into an overtraining/injury situation.

We really need to discuss the signs and symptoms of overtraining but since today is Wednesday, we need to discuss food. I promise to address overtraining in the coming days. See what I mean when I say there is always something to talk about?

I thought it would be fun to share with you what WE have been eating, as in, what I have been eating as well as what the little boy eats. Sometimes we eat the same things, sometimes we don’t and sometimes we eat different things that use some of the same ingredients.

BREAKFAST:

I am still on the two-ingredient pancake kick for breakfast.

With each morning that passes, I am getting closer and closer to perfecting the complete flip.

What’s on top of my pancake you wonder?

Just call my breakfast the peanut butter and jelly pancake. I was never much of a jelly person but I bought Trader Joe’s Cranberry Apple Butter last week just because it seemed like the seasonal thing to do.

Combined with Might Maple and you have yourself some serious goodness on a pancake. Or on a sandwich. Or waffles. In oatmeal.

Or just dip your spoon in the peanut butter and then the jelly and eat it straight up. Come now, admit you do this. Or just admit you now want to and will before the week is over.

Have you made the two-ingredient pancake yet? You should. Even the little boy likes it.

Although yesterday he got all simple on me and asked for plain eggs.

I made him eggs with a side of KIND granola mixed with raisins. That little dab that looks like jelly on his plate is definitely jelly. He wanted to try the Cranberry Apple Butter. I don’t blame him, it’s quite tasty.

He is totally in love with the KIND Cinnamon Oat Clusters granola. Since his school is nut-free, I am unable to send him a real trail mix for snack so I often pack him this granola with dried fruit in a container.

His snack bag ALWAYS contains a bag of the Lite Kettle Corn from Trader Joe’s. He loves it and I love it for being a filling snack that is also low in calories.

Don’t tell Granny Smith but I have been cheating on her with Pink Lady and Honey Crisp at snack time.

LUNCH

My love affair with my oatmeal and greek yogurt parfait is still going strong. You bet there is Mighty Maple peanut butter mixed in.

Topped with my favorite KIND granola variety- Vanilla Blueberry Clusters.

Most days of the week, my son buys lunch at school. School lunch is NOT what you are I remember it to be. In fact, I went on a tour of the school cafeterias throughout the district yesterday as part of my role as the Nutrition Representative for his school.

Did your school have a fresh salad bar when you were growing up? I know mine didn’t. More on the school lunch tour in a later post.

Yesterday however, I did pack him lunch.

When I pack his lunch, I always include water, a natural applesauce or fruit cup, a mixed variety of Trader Joe’s snack chips and a sandwich.

The little boy doesn’t know white bread exists. Applegate Turkey on Sesame Ezekiel Bread with hummus and pickles.

I always buy Applegate turkey, roast beef and cheese for his sandwiches since it is made without the icky stuff. And because I can print coupons from their website.

DINNER:

Look what I got my hands on this week:

From the outside it appears as if it is a purple sweet potato but this one was actually a Japanese Sweet Potato.

It tasted sweet like a sweet potato but seemed a bit more starchy. When I roasted the wedges in the oven, it crisped up quick and did not have a mushy texture as a traditional sweet potato can still have even after roasting. I loved it. Hiding behind the potato rounds are my favorite mix of roasted vegetables, chick peas and avocado.

During the week, my son’s dinner is often broken up into mini meals before and after his activities. Last night when we arrived home he wanted chicken nuggets. And apple sauce.

I either purchase Bell and Evan’s Chicken Nuggets or the Applegate nuggets as pictured above. Both brands are antibiotic/hormone free with an extremely short list of ingredients.

I absolutely prefer to cook him dinner but as we all know, there are so many nights during the week that are packed with activities that sometimes it is OK to be SEMI-HOMEMADE.

I always keep chicken nuggets, Amy’s Organic Shepard’s Pie, Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers and Fish Sticks on hand at all times for quick, easy and healthy meals in a pinch.

DESSERT:

We so don’t mess around at dessert time.

Do I need to tell you that topping your homemade chocolate donut with Mighty Maple peanut butter is genius?

Trust us, it works. It more than works.

Call me strange but all day I look forward to ending my night with my warmed Double Chocolate Chunk Quest Bar topped with a mix of pumpkin, Crunch Time and Mighty Maple.

If you haven’t had a Quest bar, or if you haven’t warmed your Quest bars, please go and do so. ASAP. And then top it off with peanut butter.

You won’t be finding me strange any longer. And if you still do, well, to each their own dessert.

Time for me to whip up a pancake. Go check out the other bloggers taking part in WIAW!

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Do you have a favorite peanut butter? Is it Mighty Maple?

What do you keep on hand for those nights when you need a quick dinner ready in minutes?

Do you walk the fine line between pushing yourself and overtraining?

 

 

Blog Redesign And Printing Coupons

Somehow it is Monday and I haven’t a clue where the weekend went.

Besides remembering I had my most favorite salsa with those plantain type chips Saturday night, the rest of the weekend is a blur. As is my blog at the moment.

If you haven’t noticed, the blog is under some restructuring this week so please bear with me as we install all of the changes and then work out the kinks that come with making the changes. Like, why are there suddenly double images appearing in my posts?

Have I ever mentioned that I hate technology?

Speaking of hating technology, what would you have done if the following message popped up on your computer screen:

PRINTER NEEDS AN INTERVENTION!

No, I am not joking around.

There was no paper jam and nothing I could see on the surface being wrong. The last thing I felt like doing was rounding up a technological support group to stage an intervention for my PRINTER.

I laughed about this for a while, as in a few months. I couldn’t determine the issue and really didn’t have time to counsel a printer so I went without printing anything from home for way too long.

I can get by without printing documents but I did miss printing my coupons. I clip what I can each week from the Sunday circulars but they never really include a majority of the brands that I buy on a regular basis.

Last week I decided to check on the emotional status of my printer and suddenly he was feeling well enough to print for me. Notice I decided my printer must be male simply because it had been silent, unavailable and suddenly back to normal with no explanation.

While it can be time-consuming and annoying to have to sit and search for internet coupons, you only need to do so every few weeks since the sites usually refresh their coupons at the start of each month.

And, since you have me, I will save you some time and tell you which sites to go to for the best money-saving deals.

COUPONS SITES TO CHECK OUT FOR NOVEMBER:

Mambo Sprouts is an awesome website which offers great savings for healthy, natural and organic brands. I recently printed coupons for  KidFresh, Way Better Snacks, Barbara’s Bakery Cereal and  Van’s Waffles.

Applegate is awesome not only for their organic, hormone and antibiotic free products but because I can always count on printing out a bunch of their coupons each month. I usually hit a limit but after a few weeks, it lets you print again.

I always buy their turkey breast, roast beef and cheese for the little boy as well as their chicken nuggets.

Best part? These coupons double so you are saving $1.50 off each item (as long as your grocery store doubles coupons).

All of those extra dollars you end up saving can be used towards your winter running apparel and accessories.

It is 32 degrees here this morning so I am starting to brace myself for a chilly morning run.

Have a great Monday!

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I NEED TO KNOW:

Are you tech savvy?

Do you print or clip your coupons on a regular basis? And, once you clip, do you actually use them or forget them at home?

Did you run the NYCM yesterday?