Donut Muffins

My mom used to make these muffins when I was growing up and they have always been a favorite of mine. They have a very mild flavor and make a great breakfast or snack food (in my opinion).

The recipe calls for sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on the outside of the muffin but I have never done this.

This is the recipe I used. It made 9 good sized muffins. Enjoy with milk :)

Menu Plan, Week of June 27th

Oh my I definitely ate my weight in delightful foods on my cruise last week. So this week is all about recovery and getting back into normal life (and normal pants). ;)

So here is what is on the menu:

Breakfasts:

Homemade donut muffins

Oatmeal

Fruit

Lunches:

Hummus with pita bread and veggies

Dinners:

Chicken with steamed veggies

Summer rolls

Pasta with homemade pesto

Dinner out

Personal Development Goals: May

Well I've been slacking on my goals to keep up with the rest of my life. Sometimes you have to prioritize things just to get through the month.

So how did I do this month?

2011 Personal Development Goals:
- Read at least 3 books per month. Not accomplished. I've been looking for a book to read and keep coming up empty handed. I got some great recommendations this past weekend though so hopefully this will change next month!


- Try 1 new recipe per month. Huge success here.

Spinach Brownies
Delicious! This would make a great side dish or appetizer. I'll definitely be keeping this one around.


- Attempt 6 "Do it yourself" projects. Nothing here.


- Volunteer somewhere at least once per month. Success!!
I actually volunteered twice this month so I am finally getting on track with this goal. I volunteered at 2 car seat events in my county. This is somewhat related to my job but both events were on weekends so they don't count towards my work hours.

Not a bad month!

Spinach Brownies

Holy deliciousness Batman! I realize these don't sound at all delicious. In fact, they sound a little disgusting.

I had a picture of these but I can't find one so you'll have to rely on the recipe picture. If you are looking for a delicious way to use up some spinach, this is the recipe for you! It tastes sort of like an onion/spinach quiche. My guess is that you could vary this pretty significantly to accommodate whatever veggies you have laying around.

Check it out!

Variations on a granola bar

You may remember a past post about homemade granola bars. What you may not know is that I am absolutely obsessed with these. So is my boyfriend. He requests them often and challenges my ability to make different 'flavors.' Here are some variations on my original granola bar recipe...

For all of them, follow the baking instructions in the original recipe.

Minty White Chocolate Granola Bars

1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 - 1.5 cup honey (have to guess based on consistency)
1 teaspoon mint extract
4 cups oatmeal
1 cup rice krispie cereal (or in my case, Krispy Rice!)
Flour, wheat germ, wheat bran, flax meal, etc to equal 1/2 cup.
1 teaspoon baking soda
White chocolate chips

*Note: these turn out softer than the originals but once they are chopped up and in the freezer they are fine.

"Butterfinger" Granola Bars

1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup softened peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups oatmeal
1 cup rice krispie cereal (or in my case, Krispy Rice!)
Flour, wheat germ, wheat bran, flax meal, etc to equal 1/2 cup.
1 teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate and butterscotch chips

These are REALLY good.

I am sure there will be more variations in the future. This recipe seems to handle changes really well.

Menu Plan, Week of 5/30/2011

So I fell off the face of the earth again. Fear not, faithful reader(s), I'm still here. This is what I am eating this week:

Breakfasts:

Homemade granola bars

Homemade banana bread

Fruit

Lunches:

Pita bread, hummus, veggies

Summer rolls

Pasta salad

Dinners:

Summer rolls

Pasta salad

Green salad with chicken

Snacks

Homemade apple sauce

String cheese

2011 Personal Development Goals: April

I'm not even sure I want to post these because I've done so poorly with them this month. But in the interest of full disclosure, here we go:


2011 Personal Development Goals:
- Read at least 3 books per month. Fail. I read most of 1 book.

- Try 1 new recipe per month. Nope. It was enough that I managed to eat this month.

- Attempt 6 "Do it yourself" projects. Half success.
Well I did work on my garden this month which is a do it yourself project but it isn't exactly something complicated so I am not sure if that counts. I'll count this as a half success.

- Volunteer somewhere at least once per month. Fail.
I might need to remove this from my goal list since I have failed repeatedly at it. But better to aim high I guess.

So ya, not a great month but that is life for you! Sometimes you have to focus on other things!