Blueberry Muffins

Hey ya’ll!

I’m all settled in at Oberlin. I’m interviewing for jobs (wish me luck!), and classes start Tuesday. I’ve been enjoying my free time here before classes start, but I’m pretty ready to get into a routine. There’s a lot of uncertainty in terms of the job situation and what my class schedule is going to be like. I’ve definitely talked about how uncertainty makes me anxious. It used to be pretty crippling, but now it’s just kind of an annoyance.

Today, in the midst of all this uncertainty, I found myself baking muffins. Baking is therapeutic in a multitude of ways. It’s physical. You can work through your anger by mixing, stirring, and measuring. It’s calculated and fail-proof; as long as you follow the directions of a trusted recipe, a handful of simple ingredients become something complex and amazing. It’s sensual in the smell of baking bread, the beauty of a frosted cake, the taste of a stolen spoonful of batter. Everything about baking makes me feel relaxed and at peace with myself.

Blueberry Muffins. They’re Charlie’s favorite, so I made them for him as kind of a welcome back to the United States and welcome back to Oberlin and welcome back into my life gift. He’s been in Peru for the last month, so I haven’t really had any contact with him aside from a couple emails.

This is a basic blueberry muffin recipe. It’s super easy and sure to please.

Blueberry Muffins

recipe courtesy of vegetarian.about.com

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.Spray bottoms of 2 1/2-inch muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.Beat egg until foamy in a small mixing bowl. Beat in oil and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Stir in blueberries. Make a well in the center and pour in liquid ingredients. Mix together with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened; no more than 25 to 30 strokes. Batter will be lumpy.Using an ice-cream scoop, fill the cups in the muffin pan. This will measure your batter equally for each muffin. Fill each muffin cup slightly more than half full. (Try to scoop only once for each cup; muffins will be lighter.)Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and muffins test done with a toothpick. Loosen with spatula and turn out. Best served warm.

Servings: 12

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Well my darlings, I’m spending the rest of my evening with a lovely lady by the name of Carrie Bradshaw. I just purchased the first season of Sex and the City, and I’m totally hooked.

XOXO,

Jamie

Half-Marathon Recap!

A while ago, I wrote on my blog about running a half-marathon. Well, last Sunday I did it! I finished a half-marathon!

So now, I’m going to recap the race.

Registration started at 6:00 am, and the race started at 7:00 am. The race was about an hour drive from my house, so I woke up at 4:30 the morning of the race. My alarm clock went off at 4:30 am, and I just lay in bed for five minutes thinking about how desperately I wanted to blow the whole thing off.

I was so nervous to run the race. A half-marathon is 13.1 miles. The longest distance I’ve ever ran is 8 miles…And that was over 2 months ago. I wasn’t even sure I could finish the half-marathon.

Truthfully, I meant to properly train for the race. A combination of things happened, though. First, I moved to a really hilly Boston suburb for my summer internship. Coming from super flat Ohio, it was excruciating to run those hills. I hated it. Second, but probably more important, is the fact that I started getting really rigid about my training schedule. I got anxious when life happened and I had to miss a training run. This was a HUGE red flag for me, letting me know I had to lighten up on my training before things got too out of hand. So I did just that. For the entire summer, I didn’t run at all. I went on walks and rode my bike when I felt like it, but I abandoned my training schedule because it became too “disordered.”

So, anyways, I was really reticent to go to this race because I thought I might fail. But then I remembered the one thing worse than failure: never trying. So I stumbled out of bed and got ready for the race.

On my way to the race, I discovered one of the roads I needed was closed. To top it off, there was no detour route marked. I fumbled my way around a town I hardly know and somehow ended up back on track. I had a seriously bad feeling that this detour was going to set the tone for the day.

I got to the race, and in the 20 minutes before the race started, I went to the bathroom twice. Yep, I was that nervous. Oh, and to top it off, the bathroom looked like this:

Distance runners are seriously one of the most disgusting groups of people in the world. I’ll spare you the gory details of my first experience with runner’s trots. Not. Pretty.

Anyways, so the race starts. I’m super excited and running all fast. For the first 3 miles I stayed with the front pack. Then the people who are actually fast broke off front and the people who are actually slow (me, ahem) fell behind. For about the first 4 miles, I wanted to throw up. I kept feeling my breakfast rising in the back of my throat. It was really annoying because my standard pre-run breakfast of plain oatmeal has never upset my stomach. It must have been the added nerves from the race that made me queasy.

After mile 4 I finally felt ready to run. I no longer wanted to barf and my lungs and legs felt great. I kept a steady pace until about mile 9 when my knees and ankles started KILLING me. I slowed way down and fell way back.

But, I kept going. When I hit mile 11, I picked up the pace again because I just wanted to get my knees out of misery as soon as possible. I crossed the finish line. I didn’t finish last. It was the most amazing feeling in the world.

Everyone should try something in their life that they think they really can’t do. Because when you do accomplish that thing, you’re on top of the world.

XOXO,

Jamie

Pasta Slim and MorningStar Farms Tomato and Basil Pizza Burgers

This is what I made for dinner tonight:

A very appetizing dinner, no?

Yeah, I didn’t think so either. It looks like what I imagine Frankenstein’s intestines look like.

Green and bloody. Although I’m not really sure if Frankenstein has blood…

Anyways!

I made Spinach Fettuccine Pasta Slim topped with marinara, a crumbled MorningStar Tomato and Basil Burger, and Parmesan.

Pasta Slim is a low carb alternative to traditional pasta. It’s a Japanese noodle made from tofu, traditionally called tofu shirataki. When these noodles first hit the market there were only a couple different brands, but now there are many brands and varieties of shirataki noodles.

This was my first experience with shirataki noodles. I was excited to try Pasta Slim specifically because they claim their noodles don’t have to be rinsed like other shirataki noodles. (Typically shirataki noodles come in a fishy smelling liquid. They must be rinsed and excess moisture must be pressed out of the noodles before cooking.) However, right when I opened the bag, I knew I would have to prep the noodles. The fishy smell was d.i.s.g.u.s.t.i.n.g.

I rinsed the noodles for about a minute under hot water. Then I pressed out the moisture with paper towels. I was still a little afraid of ending up with fishy tasting noodles, so I sauteed the noodles in a hot, dry pan to evaporate any moisture the paper towels didn’t get. Then I sprinkled the noodles with salt, oregano, and garlic powder. By then, my noodles were smelling quite good, so I set them aside to prep my sauce.

I’ve eaten this burger plain, and it’s quite good. I like that they have 10g of protein, but I don’t like the super long ingredient list. Frozen veggie burgers definitely aren’t the cleanest, least processed food, but they’re quick and easy.

I cooked the burger as directed by the package instructions. They can be microwaved, so that wasn’t too hard. Then I chopped the burger into little pieces and put it in a pot with a jar of pasta sauce. I added the noodles to the same pot, letting everything warm up. Then I dumped it all out onto a plate and topped it with Parmesan cheese.
So what did I think?

This meal was okay.

I kind of had an issue with the texture of the noodles. They were chewy as you might imagine a noodle made out of tofu would be. I kind of got used to the texture as I ate more of the noodles. By my last bite I was much more okay with the chewiness. The noodles tasted fine though, which was really my biggest concern going into the meal.

I really, really loved the addition of the veggie burger to the pasta sauce. It was such a quick, easy, and really delicious way to add some protein to the meal.

I was actually pretty full and satisfied from this meal, although I don’t know if I would ever make it again. I would definitely add this particular veggie burger to pasta sauce, but I’d use it to top whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash. The tofu noodles just weren’t my thing. I’m glad I finally tried them though!

Have you tried tofu shirataki?

Do you have a favorite frozen veggie burger or veggie burger recipe?

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten recently?

XOXO,

Jamie

 

Microwave Apple+PB2+WIAW

Hello and happy Wednesday! As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting this lovely event. This week is dragging by thanks to the fact that I’m writing secondary application essays like a mad-woman. It’s all good though. I’m my best me when I’m busy.

I meant to chronicle my entire day’s worth of eats either yesterday or today, but silly me always forgets to take pictures of my food. So, instead, I’m just going to share a couple things I remembered to take pictures of.

What you see above is 1 apple sliced, topped generously with cinnamon and stevia, and microwaved for 2.5 minutes. After dinner yesterday I was still a little bit hungry, and I was craving something sweet. This just came to my mind, and I’m glad it did! It tasted like apple pie filling. After 2.5 minutes in the microwave, the apple slices are soft and HOT. Let them cool off for a couple minutes before digging in.

This may look like a regular bowl of oatmeal, but oh no, it most certainly is not! This is oatmeal with the addition of…

PB2! I just received my PB2 order from Amazon a couple days ago, and I am in love. I ordered both the original and the chocolate varieties, and they are both fantastic. So far I’ve had them mixed with water as per the package instructions, stirred into yogurt, and stirred into oatmeal. I love the added protein to my oatmeal. Plus the fact that it tastes like I’m eating a big bowl of warm peanut butter is pretty great too. I can’t wait to go home and be reunited with my blender- I’m gonna make some awesome PB2 smoothies!

Moving onto the theme for July’s WIAW: Fitness

As per usual, I’ve been going on lots of walks. I’ve also been doing some yoga.

So far I am loving it. I think it will really help me build some strength, and it’s really relaxing too.

Have you ever tried PB2? If so, what’s your favorite way to eat it!?

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten this week?

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!

XOXO,

Jamie

Monday Musings

It’s Monday. My brain is officially fried. I need socialization.

And those are the three reasons this post is going to be my random musings about anything and everything.

(photo from pinterest.com)

How cool would this street sign be!? It pretty much exemplifies my mood right now. Very few people have witnessed me in my delirious/I need to get out of the house/don’t let a doctor see me or they might institutionalize me mood that I am currently experiencing. My sisters have had the pleasure of seeing it on numerous occasions. I know they secretly love it when I run around the house singing, baking, dancing, and acting (all at the same time, no less).

But right now I’m not home. I don’t have my sisters to drive up the wall with my antics. And that’s where you all come in!

(photo from pinterest.com)

This is the cutest thing I’ve seen in days! I want to snuggle with that puppy so badly! Cutie patootie face!

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! So true! Look at that little pengy (short for penguin)! His little feetsies are so cute cuddled under all his feathers.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Okay, in an attempt to not make this the most pointless (albeit cutest!) thing I’ve ever published, I’m going to have a little discussion about a quote with a little more meaning.

(photo from pinterest.com)

Goals. We all have them. They are great in that they give our lives direction and purpose. However, they can also leave us feeling unaccomplished and unfulfilled.

Goals can be very long-term. Because of this, it’s important to acknowledge all the small steps you take towards achieving your goal. Even when experiencing set-backs it’s important to recognize the progress you have made.  In other words, don’t get discouraged  by a goal that is huge and time-consuming. All you can do is work to make progress every day, and if you do that, you should be proud.

For me, and probably the majority of society, it’s easy to get too wrapped up in our goals. We focus so much on the future that we forget to live in the present. We essentially postpone our lives and our happiness until we achieve our said goal. But happiness doesn’t come with accomplishment. Happiness is not a destination or an event or something that can be achieved at a discrete point in time. Happiness is more like a process in the same way that living is a process. How many times do we think to ourselves:

I’ll be happy- once this assignment is turned in

- once I graduate from college

-once I lose five pounds

-once I have a boyfriend

The list goes on and on. But none of those things will ever actually make you happy. Once you achieve something, you’ll turn to the next goal and postpone your happiness yet again. The cycle won’t ever stop until you decide that your own happiness is internal. It is an acceptance of yourself having very little to do with external achievements (especially those as superficial as losing five pounds).

So I guess this whole little discussion is my way of saying that I might not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday. And even though I’m still a work in progress (as we all are), I’m still going to live my life as fully and with as much happiness as I can.

XOXO,

Jamie

Simple Things Sunday

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our daily lives we forget to appreciate what it is in our lives that we truly love and enjoy. So today, I’m stealing this survey idea from Tina who stole it from Janetha, and taking a moment to be thankful for the simple pleasures in life- from A to Z.

A- Animals. I love my pets. I love the fun I have with them, their unconditional love, and the relaxing, comforting feeling I get when I snuggle with them. Also, animals in the wild are pretty fascinating.

B- Books. A good book can completely remove me from my life to the point where I totally forget about time or anything that might be bothering me.

C- Charlie. I had to do it. I haven’t known him very long, but he’s already a great friend!

D- Dads. I remember being in the fourth grade and losing the election for class representative. I came home and cried on my dad’s shoulder while he hugged me. Then in the seventh grade, after I got a B in choir class (for talking too much! I’m still bitter about that…), I came home and cried on my dad’s shoulder. There’s something really powerfully comforting about a dad’s hug.

Senior homecoming. Aww daddy—seriously about to cry reminiscing over this picture right now.

E- Elcherts. I’m so thankful for the wonderful, amazing, supportive, HUGE family I was lucky enough to be born into.

A bunch of us at my aunt’s girls-only Valentine’s day party last year.

F- Fridays. I never forget to TGIF.

G-Giggles. One of my favorite things in life is when I’m completely alone, I think of something totally ridiculous, and laugh hysterically to myself. I’m not sure if this is totally normal, but I love to laugh by myself for no reason.

H-Help. Sometimes it’s hard for me to ask for help because I want to handle everything by myself. However, sometimes we all need a little help, and I’m grateful for anyone who’s ever been there for me.

I- Ice Cream. This one speaks for itself.

J-Jest. It doesn’t matter how old I get. I’ll always love to play.

K- Kitty! I love my Kitty! Bentley is the bestest kitty ever. He is perfectly happy with his less than slim body, and demands food whenever he is hungry. We should all live like Bentley.

Bangs are so not a good look for me.

L-Lotion. What did people do before lotion? In the winter I put lotion on my hands at like 10 times a day.

M- Mom. Bet you didn’t see that one coming

N- Navels. Okay so maybe this is a little weird, but I kind of really like navels. Like, I think they’re cute. And I have a navel piercing. 

O- Oatmeal. Probably my favorite food of all time.

P- Ponytails. I really don’t know how I would survive if I couldn’t pull my hair back out of my face every day. Seriously. I always do my best thinking when my hair is pulled back from my face. When I’m doing homework, you’ll always find me with my hair pulled back.

Q- Quotes. I love reading quotes whenever I get in a funky mood. They give me something positive to think about.

R- Reality Television. I know this is just the slightest bit shallow, but I love my Real Housewives and Dance Moms.

S-Sisters. They’re my bestest friends in the whole wide world.

Harry Potter!

T-Tea. I drink a cup of tea almost every day. Usually a cup of Chamomile at night when I’m relaxing before I go to bed.

U- Cute Underwear. Having on cute underwear gives me a boost of confidence. It’s like my little secret. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way!

V- Vacations. Super excited for my trip to Boyne Mountain in August!

Me and the Sisters at Cocoa Beach. Gosh..This was back in 2007 I think!?

W- Warm Laundry and Walks. There is something I find extremely comforting about warm laundry. Whenever I take my laundry out of the dryer and it’s still nice and warm I cuddle with it for a while before folding it. Don’t diss it till you try it! I LOVE going on walks. It’s one of the most relaxing, enjoyable things to me.

X- Xtra Large Comfy Sweatshirts.  Okay so I have this huge, wonderful Michigan sweatshirt that I wear like every day. I come home from work, and immediately change into comfy clothes (usually including my Michigan sweatshirt). I bought it at Goodwill and I just love it. Some things can’t be explained in words.

Yep that’s the one. This is me eating breakfast at Charlie’s house.

Y- Yuletide. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I feel like everyone is in an extra happy mood around the holidays, and I just love that feeling.

Z- ZZZZZs. I am very grumpy when I don’t get 8-9 hours of sleep. So I really make sleep a priority, and I’m thankful I’m able to do that for myself.

Do you feel extra confident when you’re wearing cute underwear?

What’s something simple that you’re thankful for?

XOXO,

Jamie

 

Baked Wonton Ravioli

Today I had the pleasure of cooking dinner for the family I’m staying with this summer. I had a bunch of wonton wrappers left over from my blueberry tartlets, and I wanted to use them up. I came across a recipe on the Nasoya website for spinach ravioli that sounded really great, so I gave it a go!

What I love about this ravioli is the high protein content which comes from the addition of tofu to the filling. Making each of the raviolis seems like a long, time-consuming process, but it’s really not! It probably took me about a half hour to make the filling and assemble the raviolis. Then they simply go in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, during which time you can do the dishes and prepare a salad.

The wonton wrappers give the ravioli a nice crunch that you don’t get from normal pasta. The tofu filling makes for a great meatless meal that’s still high in protein. And to those of you who are wary about tofu, you can’t even taste it! The filling really just tastes like ricotta and pecorino romano cheese.

I really enjoyed this meal, and I would definitely make it again. Emily’s family complimented me quite a bit on it, so I think they truly enjoyed it as well. In fact, Emily said, “This is really hitting the spot.” I love when people enjoy the food I’ve made!

Baked Wonton Ravioli

recipe from Nasoya.com

Ingredients:
1 pkg Nasoya Won Ton or Round Wraps
1 pkg Nasoya Firm Tofu
10 oz fresh spinach (I actually used 10 oz frozen spinach that I thawed in the microwave)
15 oz ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation Method: Cook spinach with 2 tbsp of water in the microwave or on the stovetop for 5 minutes or until just wilted. Let cool and drain excess water. Place tofu in food processor and pulse until it is pureed. Add the ricotta cheese, pulse until combined, then add spinach and grated cheese and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or spray sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Take a wrap and place approximately 2 tbsp of mixture in the center if each wrap. Do not place filling near the edge. Use a pastry brush dipped in water and brush edges of wrap. Place a second wrap on top, then crimp edges together tightly with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Brush ravioli lightly with olive oil.

Bake in 375° F oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve ravioli with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Have you ever used wonton wrappers? If so, for what?

XOXO,

Jamie

Blueberry Tartlets

Every heart beats true for the red, white, and blue(berries)! Happy 4th of July everyone!

I made these blueberry tartlets for the 4th of July cook-out Emily’s family is hosting today.

They.Are.Divine.

They are a light(er) dessert, but they still taste totally decadent. I sampled the filling as I was baking these, and I couldn’t believe how good such a simple recipe tasted. Oh yes, these are simple to make, but they look very impressive. I was going to top them with a combination of strawberries and blueberries to be festive for the holiday, but strawberries were $3.99 a pint. Poor college student over here. Blueberries were buy one get one free. Bargain shopper! As my dad would say, “only buy things that are on sale!”

So cute! These tartlets are great for parties because they are small, handheld desserts. I find that handheld desserts go over a lot better at parties than whole pies/cakes/tarts that you have to slice.

Blueberry Tarlets

adapted from a combination of recipes from Eating Well and Hungry Girl

Ingredients:

15 wonton wrappers (can be found in most grocery stores near the tofu)

8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese

1/4 cup plain, non-fat yogurt

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 cups fresh blueberries

butter spray

non-stick spray

To prepare the crusts:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray, and set aside.

On a clean dry surface, set out 4 wonton wrappers. Spray each one with 2 sprays of butter, and use your fingers to spread butter evenly over each wonton; gently flip wontons and repeat. Carefully transfer wontons to muffin tin, placing each wonton in a muffin cup and pressing it in to form the cup shape. Repeat entire process with the rest of the wontons, and place tray in the oven.

Bake wonton cups in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they are firm and brown. Once cups are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a plate. Allow cups to cool completely.

To prepare the filling:

While the crusts are baking and cooling:  Beat cream cheese,  yogurt, and 1/4 cup maple syrup in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. When the crust is cool, spoon the filling into the wontons, being careful not to break up them. Arrange blueberries on the filling, pressing lightly so they set in. Chill for at least 1 hour to firm up.

I’m so excited to see how these go over at the party!

What are you excited to eat today!? I’m looking forward to having a hamburger! I’ve been craving one for a couple days now. And, of course, I’m excited to eat a tartlet

XOXO,

Jamie

WIAW (it’s back!)

Well actually What I ate Wednesday never went anywhere. I just took a little hiatus from participating. But I’m back!

 

As always, head on over to Peas and Crayons to check out the other WIAW bloggers.

Eats:

Breakfast

The usual. Oats with almond milk, stevia, and my amazing TJ’s coffee bean, chocolate, and sugar grinded on top.

Lunch

Chipotle chicken wrap and a side of blueberries and yogurt topped with cinnamon. Yes, there also appears to be a Vanilla Coke Zero with my lunch as well.  We all have our vices.

Snack

Carrots and hummus eaten while collecting data at Boston Medical Center.

Dinner

This is the darkest, most terrible picture ever! It was a Chipotle Chicken Salad (half eaten before I remembered to take a picture) from a restaurant in Lexington called Nourish. Emily’s mom took me and her out to dinner there because her dad was performing at their open mic night.  He’s a great musician! Check out his website! I thoroughly enjoyed all the performances at the open mic.

However, I have to admit, the food was just okay. I tried to order the Falafel Salad Hummus Plate only to find out that their falafel maker is broken. (Who knew there was a special machine devoted to making falafel!?!?) At that point I was already disappointed because I really had my heart set on falafel…seriously, I love it and order it every time I’m at a restaurant that has it. Anyways, the Chipotle Chicken Salad was okay. It was overdressed, kind of small, and kind of bland. Despite the lackluster eats, I still had a really amazing evening.

Fitness

I’ve been super into going on walks lately. I’ve really cut down on my running. In fact, I’ve stopped training for the half-marathon I was planning to run. That decision deserves it’s own post though, so more on that later.

Anyways. Walks are super peaceful and relaxing, and best of all, I really, truly enjoy this form of exercise.

A picture from one of my recent walks. How could you not enjoy that!?!?!

Have you been able to find a form of exercise that you really truly enjoy?

XOXO,

Jamie

My heart belongs to Joe-Trader Joe’s.

I’ve fallen hard for Trader Joe’s. When I go into the store I want to try literally every single one of their products because they all look so fabulous.

Funny story. Trader Joe’s is about a mile away from the house I’m living at for the summer, so I decided it’d be nice to walk there. I didn’t need anything in particular, but it sounded fun. I had a great phone conversation with my sister Taylor on the way to TJ’s and had a good time perusing the store. On the way back home though, it was dark, and scary, and I got completely lost…in a town I am completely unfamiliar with.

I called Emily (thankfully she picked up!!) and her, along with a little help from google maps, saved me. I wasn’t far from home at all

Here’s what I got:

Yes. You read that correctly. “Sugar, Chocolate, and Coffee Bean Grinder.”

SWOON.

I’ve been grinding this on top of everything!

My apple slices look a little like they’re covered in ground pepper, but nope! That’s sugar, coffee beans, and chocolate. Yum. Along with that, my lunch today was a tomato basil turkey wrap.

Snack today was plain yogurt mixed with stevia, the contents of my beloved grinder, bloobs, and TJ’s high fiber fruit medley cereal.

Sugar, coffee beans, and chocolate grinded on top of my morning oats.

I’m pretty obsessed.

What else can I use my grinder on!?!?!?!?

XOXO,

Jamie