Happy Monday! I hope you all had a most marvelous weekend. I took it easy, for the most part, trying to ensure I’m not celebrating Coldiversary 2 later this week. I’m beginning to think that might be a welcome possibility.

Since I was stuck indoors, I decided to get caught up on some freezer cooking. I now have enough chicken entrees in my freezer for the next three weeks. Cluck, cluck, cluck. While my slow cooker was doing its thing, I played around with making mini-apple pies:

Not the best photo ever, but you get the idea. (I really do need to keep my regular camera in the kitchen.)

Inspiration for this recipe came from Simply Learning & Living. She made her own homemade crust. I cheated. Here’s how:

100-Calorie Mini-Apple Pie (Cammy Version)
Crust:

• 4 wonton wrappers (I only have about 100 or so left to use)

Filling:

• 1 apple, peeled and diced into bite size pieces
• 1 tsp cinnamon-sugar

Topping:

• 2 tsp butter (I skimped with 1 tsp. and learned my lesson.)
• 2 tbsp oats
• 1 tsp brown sugar (I skimped with a 1/2-tsp. and it seemed okay.

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Prep apples and toss with cinnamon-sugar. Set aside.
3. Mix oats, butter, and brown sugar to a crumbly consistency.
4. Place each wonton wrapper in a muffin tin cup, pressing to the bottom and up the sides.
5. Fill each cup with chopped apples, then top with a spoonful of oat crumblies.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until top is golden brown.

Verdict: Almost heavenly. If I hadn’t skimped on the butter, the crumb topping might have created more of a streusel-like topping and that would have been heavenly. Also, this might be one of those times when quick oats would be a better choice. Or I could, you know, drag out the food processor and pulse the steel-cut oats a few times. Or, duh, try it with the oat bran I have on hand. Ack! So many options, so little room in my waistband.

As for the 100-calorie part of the pie, that’s a generous estimate. It works out to about 325-350 calories for all four cups, which equals about 75 calories each! But I like to round up on these indulgences–it leaves a little wiggle room in case I want to add a topping. Like this, for example:

Chobani Apple Cinnamon Yogurt, for that a la mode experience. I can tell you from experience that Fage Plain doesn’t add a lot to the experience. Vanilla might have been good, though. Or honey. Ooh! Or I could add a few of those Kraft Caramel Bits I have in my freezer!

Damn, I’m gonna need new pants.

Another indulgence from my weekend:

I never got around to buying candy corn for Halloween, so when I was restocking my Kleenex supply at Walgreen’s and saw these small-ish bags for $0.14 each, I plopped a couple of bags in my basket. (I also scored a small can of baking powder for $0.24!) Never fear, I put the candy in a mason jar (one of those with a 2-part lid) and stored them out of sight in the pantry. Candy corn is one of those treats that satisfies me after 2-3 pieces, but we don’t need to leave it out for idle hands to find.

A non-food item I didn’t indulge in over the weekend:

The suit on the right is the one that caught my eye. As much as I have longed for a skin-tight, see-through body suit, I resisted the urge to stop at this store. The temptation would have been too much. Maybe after the candy corn is gone and I’m over my apple pie fury. Or maybe never.

Well, I’ve rambled on enough. I was going to share my newest pet peeve with you, but you don’t want to read about how recipes that purport to be 2-ingredient whatever and then have a box of cake mix (which contains about 47 ingredients) as one of the two ticks me off. Mightily. (Not that I wouldn’t try it, mind you. I just want them to call it ‘Easy Whatever with Cake Mix’.) But I won’t rant about that today.

Wishing you all a very happy Monday and all the days ahead!

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It was about this time a week ago when I felt the first little tingle-itch in the back of my throat that signaled the beginnings of my cold, which makes today my 1-week Coldiversary. I am not happy about this. Besides missing my normal workouts (I’ve managed a few outdoor walks, but that’s it), I’ve been close to the upper limit on my calorie range more days than not. Not great for my post-holiday splurge recovery, and it leaves me feeling uncomfortable. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m doing okay and that it will all level out if I continue to do okay.

The good news is that I’ve been eating good-for-me foods about 95% of the time, and I even tried a couple of new recipes. Instead of sharing my cold, I thought I’d share the recipes.

Oatmeal “Cookies”

You need cookies when you have a cold. (It’s a Rule.) I remembered seeing a recipe on Blogilates for a healthy version of oatmeal cookies and decided to give it a whirl–adapting it to my tastes, whims, and pantry inventory. Here’s what I ended up with:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg white
some cinnamon
a splash of vanilla
2 packets Stevia in the Raw

I mixed it all together, dabbed out 4 cookies on some parchment paper, and baked at 350° for 17 minutes.

Verdict: Tasty, but not quite sweet enough for “cookie” status. They basically taste like baked oatmeal, which isn’t bad, but I would probably like them better as a cookie if they were sweetened with the dates called for in the original recipe, or maybe a splash of honey. But I didn’t have any dates and my honey requires decrystallization before its next use, so I used the Stevia packets I had on hand. Too late, I thought that the addition of some of the dried cranberries in plain view on my pantry shelf would have been nice as well. Next time….

Cake for Breakfast

Photo: foodsofapril.com via Pinterest

Other than finding out my numbers were chosen in last night’s lottery drawing, I can’t think of a better way to start the day than with a slab of cake. It’s even better when the cake is actually beneficial. And even more better (??) when said cake has slightly over 100 calories before adornment(s).

There are bunches of protein cake, cookie, and muffin recipes across the internets. I chose to use the one from Foods of April just because it popped up on Pinterest the other night when I was trying to figure out a breakfast-to-go option for the following morning. It has just a few ingredients and bakes in the microwave. Three minutes, start to finish. Perfect for 6 a.m. meal prep!

Ingredients:
15 grams protein powder (This is one scoop of my GNC soy protein isolate; your powder & scoop-size may vary.)
1 tbsp 100% cocoa powder (I use dark chocolate–swoon)
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 packets stevia (or sweetener of choice–it does need it if you’re using unsweetened protein powder. Trust me.)
1 tbsp pure pumpkin or applesauce
1 egg white (or pasteurized equivalent)
dash of cinnamon (my add-on, not in the original recipe)

Stir it all together in a microwaveable mug or small bowl and zap it for 60-70 seconds, depending on your microwave. Then carefully, because it’s H-O-T!, loosen the edges with a knife or spoon and plop it out on your plate or, um, your paper towel. *blushes* Now you’re ready to top it with whatever strikes your fancy, or do as I do and just eat it plain.

Verdict: I’ve eaten cake for breakfast three times in the past week, which should tell you something. This cake (or muffin, if you prefer) and a small banana keep me full for hours. I’m curious to see if that holds up when I get back to regular strength training.

And I think that’s it for new recipes for this week. Besides cake and cookies, I’ve been eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies. If I had to have a cold, I’m glad to have it when the oranges are in season!

I hope your week is going splendidly. I’ll be catching up with my reader tomorrow, as well as making another produce run.

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