Fall & Glazed Donut Muffins

I always feel like fall doesn't last long enough, so as soon as we had one rainy cold day, I decided fall had begun. This year I'm diving right in, so I can enjoy every last drop of the fall season! 

The beginnings of fall:

*Starbucks low-fat hot chocolate while grocery shopping.

*Brown leather wedges, and pumpkin cardigans.

*Clinique's plum lipstick/lip gloss

*Cinnamon and nutmeg glazed donut muffins

I love everything about fall: the taste, the fashion, and the crisp fall scents. But I think the taste of fall is definitely my favorite ;)

These donut muffins are perfect for the mood I'm in. They don't scream fall, but there's a little hint of it in there. They're spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and are the perfect morning treat.

Glazed Donut Muffins

What you need:

• 1 cup organic all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 low fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup low fat milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze: 

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

What you're gonna do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together thoroughly, being careful to not over stir. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Transfer muffins to wire rack and cool muffins for 10-15 minutes before glazing.

To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth. When muffins have cooled, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden before serving. 

Here's what I'm thinkin':

• Makes 12 muffins
• Serving size- 1 muffin
• 144 calories per serving

Which do you love more: fall fashion, crisp fall scents, or the taste of fall?

Salads, and a correction

I realized that when I was marking my calendar for the 17DD, I accidentally put 7 days for some of the cycles, instead of 10. I also decided to do the first cycle for 10 days, just like the rest of the cycles, instead of just 7 days (I know, I'm all over the place!). It just made sense to make it all 10. After making the corrections, I will be done with the 17DD March 25! That feels like it's just around the corner!

Monday's are going to be my weigh in days. So next Monday I will see where I'm at with the scale (I would have weighed in this morning, but I made the decision to do Monday weigh-ins this evening:)

***

I've still managed to eat out almost everyday, while being on the 17DD. I just always get a salad, and be sure to ask them to leave out foods that I'm not allowed. Here's some salads I've had over the past few days:

Greek salad from Jim-n-NicksChicken Cesar salad from Spicy PickleBuild your own salad from Qudoba. This one kinda looks gross, but I put lots of veggies in it, and it was delish!Chicken and fruit salad from chick-fil-a
Keep in mind that there are a lot of salads, that are high in fat and sugars. Most of the salads I see on menus don't go along with the 17 DD. I usually have to custom order mine. If you're doing the 17 DD,
follow these 3 steps when ordering a salad:
1. Choose a light dressing, and always ask for it on the side.
2. Make sure you only have ingredients in your salad that go along with the guidelines of whichever cycle you're on.
3. Even though it's a salad, and it's filled with healthy greens, stop eating when you're just about full, to avoid over stuffing yourself. Too much of a good thing, is a bad thing :)

I found this neat link on Pinterest that gives a big list of healthy salad dressings. I can't wait to try some of these on some of my salads! Here's the link!
PS. Do you ever want to give a gift to someone who's on a diet, and have no idea what to give? "Chocolates? NO." "Homemade cookies? NO." "Cupcakes? NO." "I give up!" A nice big jar of healthy homemade salad dressing is a great idea!!

Do you have a favorite restaurant salad?

17 day diet- cycle 1, day 14: Weigh in, and meals

I can't believe it's day 14! Time has flown by this week. Sorry for not keeping my promise to blog everyday while I'm on the 17 day diet. With Christmas just around the corner, life has been a wee bit hectic. We had our, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause" date night party this week: I had the girls put on red lipstick, and kiss the Santa. The husbands had to figure out which was their wife's kiss mark ;) It was lots of fun, and I didn't have a single dessert. Yeah, I know, I rock. We got our Christmas cards/pictures ready:And lots of shopping, wrapping, and decorating in between.

I had a good week on the diet, but it wasn't perfect like last week pretty much was. I've let a couple things slip, like having soup with corn in it, or a salad with beans... but over all, I'd say I did pretty darn good.

Today's weight:I lost 2.9 pounds this week. That puts me at a 9.9 pound loss in 2 weeks.

I've been getting a lot of emails asking what exactly I'm eating. I gave a list of the foods you're allowed to eat in THIS post.

On top of that, here's just a few pictures of my meals:

My two favorite things to eat for breakfast on this diet are low-fat cottage cheese with peaches, and eggs with onions and hot sauce:
For lunch I either have a salad (which I usually go somewhere to get), or left overs form dinner:
You're not allowed to have beans, or corn in the first cycle, so be sure your salad only contains items from the list.

Dinners are where I have to get creative. The two recipes I turn to the most are lettuce wrap turkey tacos, and Mexican chicken skillet (minus the corn and beans, and 1 1/2 jars of salsa instead of 1):For snacks I either have fruit (but not past 3pm), or veggies.
I'll try to take more pictures of my meals to show you.

Only 3 days left, and then onto the 2nd cycle!

Falling in-love with fall: A recipe + a 21 day challenge update.

This weekend, fall took my breath away.
The leaves on our street have all turned gold and red. For me, heaven was: sitting on the porch, in the perfect weather, and soaking in the beauty of fall.

But then I realized cookies would make that moment even more perfect.
So, I made these:
Oatmeal Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies:

What you need:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 6 tbsp canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet organic chocolate chips
  

What you're gonna do:

• Preheat oven to 350°; line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with organic cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice and cinnamon.
  
• In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed.
• Add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture, followed by the pumpkin and vanilla extract.
• Working by hand, stir in the dry mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the pecans, and chocolate chips.
• Drop 1 tablespoon of the dough at a time onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies become light brown at the edges.
• Cool on baking sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Makes 32 cookies, 1 tbsp each.

They're the perfect fall cookie. Hearty, crunchy, chewy, chocolaty and of course, pumpkiny.*Note: I made these cookies on a night that I was having some girls from church over, so that they would eat the majority of them ;) I only had two of these delicious cookies.

***

21 Day Challenge Update:
I was supposed to start my 21 day challenge last week. But, I ended up being sick all week. At first I was going to keep going with the challenge, even though I was sick. My eating was great (It helped that my apatite was completely gone;), but then I remembered that working out everyday was apart of the challenge. I definitely had not been doing that while I was sick. So, I decided to start it after I had gotten better.

My first official day of the 21 day challenge was last Wednesday the 12th.So far I have 5 little hearts!
What's your little piece of fall heaven?

Fall is in the air- :DH Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Donuts

I'm starting to feel the crispness of fall in the air. The leaves haven't begun to change, but I know it's just around the corner. And I'm all excited about it.

Today I wanted to put out the welcome matt, for fall to arrive.

There's no better way to do that, then to fill your house with the aroma of pumpkin. So, I baked these,
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Donuts.Using this donut mold I bought at Micheal's. With a 40% off coupon. Double score.
Fried donuts are so last year.

What you need:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup, plus 2tbs packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbs melted smart balance spread
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or whole-wheat flour)
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbs dark chocolate chips, plus more to top donuts with
  
• 1/4 cup powder sugar for dusting.
• Cooking spray

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Spray donut molds with cooking spray.
  
• Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
• Mix together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
  
• stir in chocolate chips.
• Pour batter into a pipping bag, or a large ziplock bag, and cut off the tip of the bag. Squeeze mixture into molds.
  
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool on a cooling rack, and lightly dust with powdered sugar.

I was too lazy to tally up the calories. I blame the weather ;) But hey, they're baked, not fried, so you really can't go wrong. You can also make mini donuts, which was what I intended to do, but I could only find the full sized donut mold.

See you soon, Fall. We're going to have so much fun this year.

Have you started to feel fall where you live?
Are you all excited about it?! ;)

Today...

Today I was craving a steak. Which is hilarious, because I hate steak. I'm a chicken and turkey kinda girl. So, when I told my husband about today's craving, he looked at me weird, grabbed his keys, and took me to go get steak. It was good. Really good. I'm not sure how bad steak is for a diet? But it's not like it was smothered in cheese and butter, so it can't be too bad. Plus I didn't order soda. And...It doubled as my lunch and dinner, so that helps :)

Today I resisted the urge to buy a tub of chocolate frosting at the store. I used to buy one of these, and eat it plain, by the spoon full. I had a brief flash of me doing just that, as my eye spotted it in the store. But, I continued walking. Well, after I took a picture of course :)

Today I had a blast making peach jam with a friend. Peaches are on sale at Sprouts this week for 49 cents a pound! I bought 40 peaches for 4 dollars and something cents. How awesome is that? I used THIS recipe. It calls for 4 1/2 cups of sugar, but I only used 2 cups. I haven't tried it yet, but my friend had already made a batch using 2 cups of sugar, and she said it tasted great. I can't wait to try it on a piece of toast in the morning!
And I will end this fabulous day, by watching Seinfeld with my hubby. Where I will probably say out loud, "Don't listen to Kramer!"...or George for that matter :)

What's your favorite kind of jam?

Have you ever made jam before?

Perfect evenings

This is my idea of a perfect evening at home:

First, the hubs and I go on a long walk with the doggies, at sunset.

When we get home, we make dinner together.
Twice baked broccoli potatoes:(I got the recipe from the food network, HERE. I lightened it up by using low-fat sour cream and cheese, and used less butter.)

After dinner, we watch my favorite sitcom together, The Nanny.
Reason #1,900,043 why I love my husband so much- because he walks with me, cooks with me, and watches my favorite show with me every night. I'm one lucky girl.

What's your idea of a perfect evening?

Dessert for breakfast

Oats+Coconut+Pomegranate= Pure deliciousness.4 cups Old Fashioned Oats
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup canola oil
1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
6 ounce pkg dried pomegranate

Mix all of the ingredients except Pomegranate and spread on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees, for about 30 to 40 minutes, checking and stirring every 10 minutes or so. Cool completely. Add Pomegranate. Store in an airtight container.It goes perfectly with vanilla yogurt.It's like candy. For breakfast. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot.

To die for chocolate chip cookies

I've had a serious craving for chocolate chip cookies.
I mean, aren't chocolate chip cookies, the best cookie on earth?

So, I decided to satisfy my craving, in a Deliciously Healthy way, by making these:

What you need:

• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter- divided
  
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon low-fat milk
  
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips- divided
  

What you do:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl, and set aside.
   
2. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown (1 to 3 minutes). Pour butter into a bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, milk and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until smooth. Add egg and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in 6 tablespoons of chocolate chips.
   
4. Divide dough into 16 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies.
   
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time for 8-11 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack.

Here's what I'm thinkin':
Makes 16 cookies
Serving size: 1 cookie
Calories per serving: 120 calories

They were perfect.

Seriously.

What's your favorite cookie?

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 12: Candy Cane Kisses Sugar Cookies

This holiday season, we can give ourselves the gift of being healthy, and reaching our weight loss goals, while still enjoying our holiday baking! We can have our Christmas cookies, AND look good for Santa ;) For the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, I will make healthy cookies, during each of the 12 days of Christmas!On the 12th day of Christmas cookies, your true love made for you, Candy Cane Kisses Sugar Cookies.
Have you tried these candy cane kisses? They're so good. Especially on top of a sugar cookie :)

These cookies remind me of good old St. Nick. I think they would be perfect to make with children on Christmas eve, to leave out for Santa Clause!114 Calories. I used this sugar cookie recipe. After the cookies were done baking, I let them cool for a couple minutes, and then stuck a candy cane kiss on top. Very simple, and very adorable.

On the 12th day of Christmas cookies, your true love made for you, Candy Cane Sugar Cookies, White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Chewy Coconut Macaroons One Nutty Date Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chewies Almond Cherry Bites Pecan Pie Bars Raspberry-Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies Gingerbread Cookies Cocoa-Nutmeg Snickerdoodles Almond Meringue Kisses and Swirled Mint Cookies.
My favorite cookies, of the 12, were the gingerbread cookies, Pecan pie bars, and the double peanut butter chocolate cookies.
Did you have a favorite?

I've had so much fun, doing the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. I learned that baking makes me happy. If ever I was having a stressful day, baking would just melt it away. As soon as I got in the kitchen, I'd have a big smile on my face, while I sang along to Christmas music.

Thank you to everyone who read along with me, who commented, and who tried a recipe or two. I hope you had as much as I did!

XOXO