Caroline Dines

Mmmmm…..does anything beat the smell of freshly baked muffins? More on that later This morning I ate the left over oats that I cooked yesterday (with the remaining half of the cooked apple). They were even better this morning.

I think I am fully on board with the oats for breakfast. As I write this I am not at all hungry (12:00 Noon). I think the toppings I used this morning helped bulk it up but these oats are so dense on their own you really can’t go wrong. I was feeling straight up peanut butter this morning so I cracked open a jar of TJ’s creamy and drizzled about a tablespoon over one side.

On the other side I added some of the homemade Apple Butter from my Mom. Check out the texture on those oats. Unbeatable!

After I breakfast I made my way to what I hoped to be my last physical therapy appointment. After a quick strength assessment I was “discharged” from treatment and to celebrate I took a run along Jamaica Pond. I am so glad to be feeling better with my hip/piriformis. I really think that the P.T. worked and I am going to be really diligent about icing, stretching and using a foam roller (need to pick one up!) after running. On my run I started planning out the rest of my day and thought that since it is cold and I have the time, I should bake! I bring you my second attempt at an Almond Flour muffin. I am happy to say this one went a lot better The two key differences: Almond meal instead of Blanched Almond flour (use blanched for cakes, cookies etc.) and less wet ingredients (I omitted eggs completely because I didn’t have any!)

Here’s my “recipe” which I laid out on our Ikea message board to keep track and help me calculate the nutrition facts.

The batter mixed up well, not too wet like last time. I really attribute this to no eggs and using the “bulkier” flour. The only thing is they didn’t rise all that much. Here they are before the oven…

…and after.

I don’t mind that they are little, I am just happy that they aren’t as moist as last time. They have a really good muffin texture: crumbly. They’re also not sweet at all. With only 3 tablespoons of agave nectar and a scant half cup of dried cranberries, these little guys are sure to keep your blood sugar at a normal level.

Here is the break down nutritionally speaking:

Calories: 200

Fat: 12 g.

Fiber: 2.4 g.

Protein: 4.4 g.

Sugar: 8.8 g.

Feel free to comment if you have any questions about the recipe. I am happy to share Happy Friday!

I am trying my hardest to be better about my posting but my computer has been acting up (not much memory left after all the pics I have been uploading) and I think I need to replace it or do something to fix it fast. Having to wait until I get into work to post isn’t ideal.  Breakfast was eaten quickly because I was running late. What better to eat on the run then toast with barney butter and apple butter. Yum.

My first stop of the day was the Farm. Today was Volunteer Appreciation day and I was so glad that I was able to make it, even if it was for a short time. It was nice to have a bit of closure and celebrate a great growing season with my fellow volunteers. They had apple cider, apple pie, and sour cream coffee cake for us to enjoy. I had a small glass of apple cider (served in a mason jar. love this.) and a small piece of coffee cake.

It was a gorgeous day for this small outdoor gathering. The table here displays the yummy eats as well as the honey, raspberry jam, and hot sauce (all made by the Farm Managers using Farm ingredients). Each of the volunteers were able to choose one of the jars to go home with. I chose the hot sauce because I was intrigued listening to Farmer Matt talk about the process he went through to make it. He said that for days after wards his hands still burned, that’s how hot this stuff is!

After the Farm I rushed to the bus stop. I caught one bus and one train and then walked the 10 or so blocks to the Corner shop. My shift went great despite being frazzled at the beginning. I was impressed with the new packaging we have for our chocolate chip cookies (one of the biggest sellers).

While I didn’t have any of the cookies I did have two samples of the soup. I feel it is my duty to try them for two reasons: to make sure they are hot enough, and to give customers an honest opinion on the taste. The first was the Curried Pumpkin. Hands down this is one of the best soups I have had in awhile. I have to recreate this somehow.

The other soup on offer was the Minestrone which had chunks of turkey sausage and tons of white kidney beans in it. Yum. Hearty and rich but still brothy which I liked. Sadly my camera ate the picture. I also had a big cup of tea. They have the best tea here, MEM tea. I tried this variety today and added a splash of soy milk.

I also ate an apple (that I picked up at the Farm earlier) while I worked and I hate to say it but I gave in to a few samples.

Today was the passion cupcake which has the most heavenly frosting and is topped with coconut. It doesn’t look all that pretty in this picture since it was the last piece on the sample tray, but boy did it taste good!

After my shift I rushed home as quickly as possible to be sure I had time for a nice long run. I ate a slice of cheese and a piece of turkey bologna wrapped up before I set out (sorry no picture). The weather was perfect and I was totally “feeling it”. I ran for about 5 miles, mostly along the Charles River. I came home to ice and stretch my piriformis muscle I am determined to beat this injury and have a big run planned for Sunday with Meg so I need to step it up a notch! Tonight is our third “Recipe Night” at the house and we were lucky enough to have a family staying here all the way from Iceland who offered to cook a traditional Kjötsúpa (Icelandic Lamb Soup). While the recipe is fairly simple (lamb, carrots, potatoes, onion etc) the secret ingredient as with most foreign dishes is the spice mixture which she brought with her from Iceland. I was able to score a tupperware container for my freezer so I will be eating it again but I wish that I had access to the special herb mix that she used so I could recreate it on my own.

The dessert was unlike anything I have had before. The mother called it a cheesecake but this was not like a typical “american” style cheesecake which is so rich and dense you can hardly get through one bite. This was light, airy and refreshing. She made the crust using digestive biscuits (whole wheat she told me) and layered it with cream cheese that had been whipped with the smallest amount of confectioner’s sugar. Then it was topped with milk chocolate that had been mixed with sour cream. This sour cream in particular.

Finally fresh strawberries and blueberries were sprinkled over the entire “cake” and then a dollop of homemade whipped cream (just heavy whipping cream and a splash of special Icelandic vanilla). I had told myself that I wasn’t going to over do it in the dessert department tonight and even though I had a good portion of this I feel perfectly content right now and don’t have that awful sugar high that I usually have after birthday cake or cookies. I am going to get the recipe for this for sure.