Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Shake

What a girl to do when it’s too hot to be outside, she’s sick of swimming, and she can’t possibly spend one more minute on foodgawker?

Go shopping of course!  Shopping is the perfect way to beat these insanely hot, humid days we’ve been having.  You can get your walk on in the air conditioning, it’s the perfect opportunity to people watch, and you get to buy pretty things!

Yesterday Darren and I were bored and tired of being cooped on indoors.  We went to Dollar Tree and browsed around the whole store.  Then we went our separate ways to buy each other a gift costing (you guessed it) one dollar. I bought Darren freezer pops and he bought me a big clear wine glass that you will see featured in this post!  Going to Dollar Tree and picking out gifts for a dollar was such a fun, inexpensive date.  Also, you get a present at the end of it!

Another way to beat the heat is to start off your day with an oatmeal chocolate chip breakfast shake like I did this morning.  This shake would also make a great snack.  It has a lot of protein which I love in a breakfast because it gives me energy to start my day. This shake is also super delicious.  It tastes like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.  Darren loved it, so I even have proof this recipe is a winner.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Shake

adapted from http://www.dashingdish.com

Ingredients:

1/2 C. Cottage Cheese

10 ice cubes

2 Tbs. Oatmeal (instant or slow cooking, doesn’t matter)

1 Tbs. Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Milk (I used almond, but you can use whatever you prefer)

Sweetener of your choice (I recommend a couple teaspoons of sugar or a couple Spenlda/Truvia packets)

Dash of cinnamon

Method:

Put everything in blender. Blend until ice is fully crushed, and everything is blended.

XOXO,

Jamie

Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake (or as Darren calls it, bcccc)

I have Harry Potter to credit for basically everything good I’ve ever done in my life. For example, my entire valedictorian speech was centered around a Dumbledore quote. I wrote about quidditch in my college entrance essay.  And last but certainly not least, if it weren’t for Harry Potter, I would never had made this delightful Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake.

 

The story starts a week ago, on last Thursday when the final Harry Potter movie premiered at midnight.  Of course I went to the midnight showing!  The next morning though, I also had to drive an hour to my boyfriends and spend the day with him.  It was a pretty action packed day, and I was so tired from the movie!  After shopping and cooking dinner I NEEDED caffeine.  Darren, being the wonderful boyfriend he is, was more than willing to take me to Starbucks.  He knows that bad things happen when I get grumpy. I got my usual skinny iced vanilla latte, Darren got a vanilla bean frap, and we split a piece of their banana chocolate chip coffee cake.

 

The starbucks banana chocolate chip coffee cake had great flavor.  However, neither Darren nor I were crazy about the texture.  I decided it was either stale or overbaked.  Anyways, Darren told me I could make it way better (he always flatters me).  So of course, I had to accept the challenge!

 

This coffee cake turned out incredibly moist.  The banana flavor is a bit more prominent in my version than in the starbucks’.  Darren said he preferred my cake much more though, and I don’t doubt it because he ate half the cake in a day.  I’m not lying.  That boy eats like an army.

Thanks to Harry Potter for making my childhood so completely wonderful, for providing me with endless amounts of inspiration, and for giving me a friend in which I sought solace more times than I can count.

Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

(featured on Inn Cuisine, recipe from the High Pointe Inn and appearing on BedandBreakfast.com)

• 1 & 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 4 large eggs
• 4 medium, ripe bananas
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray either a 9×11″ baking pan or classic Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Beat sugar, sour cream, butter (or margarine), and eggs together in mixing bowl on low speed for 1 minute. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt on medium speed for 1 minute. Beat in bananas and vanilla on low speed for 30 seconds. Stir in chocolate chips (by hand). Spread batter in prepared baking pan and place in center of preheated 375 degree F oven for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until light brown on top and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan (if using a Bundt pan cool slightly, then turn out onto serving platter or cake plate); cut into slices or squares of desired size and thickness. Serve warm or at room temperature.

XOXO,

Jamie

Diet Foods: the good, the bad, and the ugly

I have a problem with foods marketed as “diet foods.”  My main problem is that the majority of these foods simply don’t taste good, and therefore, leave me wanting more.  Honestly, the full fat and full sugar version of anything CAN have a place in your diet, and you can still maintain a healthy lifestyle.  The idea of eating full fat yogurt should not scare you like it used to scare me.  I used to be so obsessive about calories I would get angry at my waiter or waitress because I swore to myself they gave me a regular Coke instead of Diet Coke. Like I’ve said many times before, eating is about listening to what your body desires- what does your body require to feel and run at its fullest potential?

However I will acknowledge, there are lower calorie options that aren’t so terrible as well.  In this post, I’ll being going through what I’ve found to be the good, the bad, and the ugly of “diet” foods.

The Good:  These are foods that I love and really don’t seem so diet-y to me at all.

1.  Skinny drinks from Starbucks- You can order pretty much any drink at Starbucks in a “skinny” version in which they use nonfat milk and sugar free syrup instead of the full fat and sugar stuff.  I honestly can’t tell the difference between my skinny iced vanilla latte and the regular version.  When I was deep into my eating disorder I knew the calorie count of the regular drink and the skinny drink, but I’ve long forgotten that now.  I just know I love my skinny vanilla latte, so I’ll stick with it.

2.  Slow Churned Ice Cream- Edy’s was the first brand to come out with this kind of ice cream, but now pretty much everyone makes a “slow churned” or “double churned” variety of ice cream.  Something to do with this churning process makes the ice cream have about half the fat and calories of regular ice cream.  It tastes the same as regular ice cream, and since I eat ice cream on a daily basis (yes, I’m serious…daily), I figure I might as well get the slow churned stuff.

The Bad:

1. Lean Cuisine Meals- These meals are so measly they should be called snacks.  Some of them do have pretty good flavor though.  If you aren’t into cooking I’d suggest steaming a bunch more veggies and some lean protein to stir in with the lean cuisine meal.  Then you might feel satisfied.

The Ugly:

1. Walden Farms Zero Calorie Peanut Butter- You read that right. Zero Calories people. I found this product when I was well into my recovery.  I laughed out loud when I found it though, thinking about how my former self would have devoured this seemingly “free food”.  Of course I had to buy a jar of it just to find out how it tasted!  It was TERRIBLE.  I would actually describe it as inedible.  How anyone manages to eat that chemical concoction is a mystery to me.  Both my mom and I had a little taste, gagged, and promptly threw the entire jar into the trash can.

2. Fat Free Salad Dressing- I have an issue with fat free salad dressing because it isn’t really dressing at all.  It should be called fat free salad goop I think.  Instead of “dressing” a salad.  It just sits as an unappetizing blob.  The taste isn’t so great either.  Healthy fats, like olive oil in salad dressing, should have a place in your diet.  These fats are great for your hair, nails, and skin!  If you are eating your greens, you owe yourself some delicious salad dressing.  Why waste your time eating something you don’t absolutely love?

I could go on and on with this list, but I’m going to leave it here.  What are “diet” foods you love and hate?

Oh yeah, I made some iced coffee today too!

Iced Coffee

• 1/2 cup chilled coffee
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 Tbs vanilla Torani syrup
• 1 Tbs sugar

Mix all and pour over ice

XOXO,

Jamie

Frozen Hot Chocolate!

I’m going to come right out and say it.  This is probably my favorite drink I’ve ever made.  Frozen hot chocolate was made famous by a restaurant in New York called Seredipity, and it has inspired foodie blogs ever since.  This frozen hot chocolate will not disappoint.  It makes a perfect breakfast as it is nutritious and high in protein.

 

It’s also SUPER chocolatey.  I’ve mentioned my love for sweets at breakfast.  This is totally my kind of breakfast beverage.  I’m craving one to go with my lunch already.

 

I’m going to warn you right now: this drink contains cottage cheese.  Yes, I thought this was a little strange at first too.  But it makes the drink soooo creamy.  This drink is delicious, cottage cheese and all.

 

Frozen Hot Chocolate

adapted from http://www.dashingdish.com

Ingredients:

• 1 Packet of diet or regular hot chocolate (I only had regular on hand, but use whatever you prefer!)
• 1/2 Cup cottage cheese
• 1 Scoop protein powder, option (I omitted this.  I never use protein powder, as I feel I get enough protein in my diet)
• 3-4 Stevia/Splenda packets (I used 3)
• 1 Tbs cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• Ice/Milk(to desired consistency, I use about a whole tray of ice and 1/2 cup of almond milk)
• *Optional: Whip cream to garnish!

Method:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a blender, adding the milk last, using just enough to get things moving! (Add more water slowly if needed.)
2. Blend until smooth. When shake is thick and creamy it’s ready! Pour into a large cup and enjoy!

XOXO,

Jamie

Ice Cream for Breakfast

So here’s the thing people:  I love ice cream.  Like I could pretty much live on ice cream.  I could top anything with ice cream and gobble it right down.  I could defeat any ice cream eating contest out there.  It’s true. I love ice cream more than almost anything.

Except for maybe my family…

and my boyfriend…

I guess…

Anyways, I accidentally bought sugar free rocky road ice cream at the store instead of slow churned rocky road ice cream. The sugar free tastes okay, but I’m an ice cream aficionado, so I’m pretty particular about quality ice cream.  I didn’t know what I would do with all this sugar free ice cream that I didn’t love.  (I don’t like eating foods I don’t love).  So, I decided why not turn it into a breakfast milkshake?  It’s sugar free, has nuts in it, 3 grams of protein per serving…totally healthy enough for breakfast right?

I thought so…

My breakfast milkshake was actually more of the consistency of a breakfast frosty.  It was super good!

Breakfast Frosty

• 1 large banana, frozen
• 1 large scoop sugar free rocky road ice cream (or ice cream of your choice)
• enough almond milk to reach desired consistency (about 1/2-1 cup)
• sugar to taste (optional)

Blend everything in blender and enjoy!

XOXO,

Jamie

Avena Shake

Have you all ever heard of Avena shakes?  It’s a thick morning drink popular in Latin America.  I had the pleasure of making my very first Avena Shake this morning, and it was super yummy!  As an added bonus to the yumminess factor (yes, I just said yumminess) this shake is super healthy too!  It’s high in fiber and boasts the cholesterol reducing properties of both oatmeal and cinnamon.  Now, more about cinnamon.  I love cinnamon, and lucky for me, it does lots of great things for the bod (yes, I just said bod).

10 Health Benefits of Cinnamon

courtesy of http://www.healthdiaries.com

Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.

Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.

In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.

In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.

It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.

Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

Now onto pictures and recipe…

Avena Shake

via http://www.skinnytaste.com

• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup fat free milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 cup ice
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinammon

Cook oats and water in a small pot for about a minute or two, stirring often until it becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and let it cool a few minutes.

In a blender add milk, sugar, cinammon. Add oats and ice. Blend on high until very smooth. Chill in refrigerator or pour in a glass over ice. Enjoy!! Makes 4 cups.

XOXO,

Jamie

Banana Pancakes with PB banana butter

Darren is the most typical college guy ever.  His apartment is always a mess, and he never has any food.  I mean, I know it’s too much to ask for the healthy (and expensive-shoutout to mom for putting up with my expensive dietary staples like almond milk, organic apples, and pounds of butter to support my baking habit) foods I eat on a daily basis.  But, is it really too much to ask for any food at all?  I think not.  I starve at Darren’s apartment.  I have to prepare for a long period of famine before I come over to his apartment.  That’s where my banana pancake breakfast comes in.

I’m seriously obsessed with banana pancakes!  They are so good! Normally I top them with straight up peanut butter.  Today though, I made a fancy two ingredient peanut butter banana butter.  I bet you can’t guess what the two ingredients are.  Now onto photos and recipes…

Banana Pancakes

adapted from chocolatecoveredkatie.com

serves 2

• 2/3 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 3/4 cup milk (I used almond milk, but you can use dairy)
• dash of salt

Mix the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mash the banana and then add the other liquid ingredients. Stir the dry into the wet.  Cook pancakes in pan or on griddle.

PB banana butter

via chocolatecoveredkatie.com

• 1 medium banana
• 2 to 4 tablespoons peanut butter, depending on how pb-y you like it (or almond, cashew, walnut butter, etc.)

Procedure: Whir the two ingredients in your food processor or blender until smooth.  Leftovers can be stored in the fridge.  (If possible, it’s best to let the mixture sit for a few hours before enjoying, as the taste becomes more robust with time.)

XOXO,

Jamie

A TRUE green monster!

As you know if you read my blog, a while back I tried making a green monster.  Green monsters are just fruit smoothies with the addition of spinach.  The spinach turns the smoothie green- hence the name green monster.  My first attempt at a green monster was delicious, but it wasn’t green! I added strawberries to the smoothie, and the pink completely overwhelmed the green.  This time, the only fruits I used were bananas and pineapple.  It was a delicious smoothie and it turned out beautifully green!

I love these smoothies for breakfast.  I always feel so good and energized after drinking it. You can use whatever fruit you have on hand, add about a cup of liquid, and a handful of spinach. You really can’t go wrong with smoothies.  I always add a frozen banana to my smoothies though to make them super creamy.

Jamie’s Green Monster

1 frozen banana

1 cup almond milk

1/4 cup pineapple

1 handful spinach

Add milk, then spinach, then fruit to a blender.  Blend until everything is incorporated.

XOXO,

Jamie

My green monster didn’t turn out green…

Above is a picture of my pink green monster.  I don’t know if you’ve all heard about green monsters, but they are a fruit smoothie with the addition of spinach.  The spinach boosts the nutrition, turns the smoothie green, but you can’t even taste it.  I’ve seen green monsters all over the food blogs lately.  I was a complete skeptic because those green drinks looked kind of repulsive.  However, now I’m a total convert.  My green monster turned out pink with some green flecks.  Maybe I didn’t add enough spinach or maybe I added too many strawberries.  I will be trying some different combinations in the future to get a true green monster. I wasn’t too bummed my smoothie didn’t turn out green though because it was delicious nonetheless and pink is my favorite color!

You can make smoothies or green monsters with any fresh or frozen fruit you have on hand.  Make sure you do add a frozen banana though because it gives the smoothie a super creamy texture.

Jamie’s Pink Green Monster

1 overripe frozen banana, cut into chunks

3 big frozen strawberries

2 chunks of pineapple

~1 cups almond milk

1 large handful spinach

Place everything in a blender, blend, and sip away!

If you want a tried and true green monster, here’s a link to lots of them

http://foodgawker.com/?s=green+monster&cat=0

XOXO,

Jamie

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Muffins!

As I’ve said before, I love breakfast.  Part of my obsession with breakfast is that most breakfast foods are just dessert incognito. A perfect example of this is muffins. I love muffins! I’m not really sure why I’m such a muffin fanatic because I don’t really like cake.  Muffins have more texture, and the tops are perfectly chewy.

The equation looks like this:

muffins>cake

These muffins are chewy and chocolately and dense in the most delicious way possible.

I don’t have a whole lot to say, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

recipe via ingredientsinc.net

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Yield: 1 dozen

Ingredients

13/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons canola oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and chocolate chips into a large bowl.

3. Combine milk, sour cream, oil, egg and vanilla in a separate bowl. Combine the flour mixture and milk mixture, mixing until lumpy. Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top, if desired.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are dark and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

XOXO,

Jamie