Monday, September 24, 2012

Makeover Monday: Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Muffins

Fall is officially upon us, and I am about to get my bake on.  Images of pumpkin and apple are already dancing through my mind.  But before I get to that, I have to share this peanut butter muffin recipe.  Muffins are a great way to start off a chilly fall morning, or a great treat to end the day while snuggled up in a warm blanket.  Cozy!

Unfortunately, many muffins are just cupcakes in disguise.  I prefer to eat muffin tops that won't give me a muffin top.  These peanut butter muffins provide plenty of nutrition, and plenty of taste.  I don't think I've ever had anything with peanut butter that I didn't love.  I mean, it's peanut butter.  It has to be yummy!  These hearty muffins are no exception.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Makeover Monday: Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Scones

As the numbers on the calendars get higher and higher, the numbers on the thermometer are getting smaller and smaller.  Thank goodness!  And with that, my baking strike is officially over.  It is still pretty warm some afternoons, but the mornings have been nice and cool.  It's the perfect weather for some morning baking!

I've made scones a few times, and have always loved them.  But scones are one of those delicious breakfast foods that can be calorie stealth bombs and end up having as much fat and sugar as a dessert.  Case in point, my sinful white chocolate chip scones with peppermint glaze.  While I am all for the occasional a.m. splurge, I appreciate having some healthier breakfast options in my arsenal as well.  And this past Saturday, I was feeling like a good girl so I whipped up a batch of these whole wheat cinnamon raisin scones.  These are still sweet and satisfying, but I tried something unheard of in a scone recipe to give them a healthy twist.  And it worked!  Go me! 

Monday, September 10, 2012

Makeover Monday: Black Cherry Salad

For those of you who don't know me personally, I recently started a new chapter of my career as the food service director for my old high school and elementary school.  I never dreamed when I was eating school lunches at Beloit High School that I would one day be planning said meals, but I am!  And as someone who loves food, I am totally loving this career move!

One of the best things about my new job is that I get a free lunch every day.  And despite what the kiddos might say, I think our meals are awesome!  Unfortunately, they might be too awesome.  I have found myself perhaps eating a tad too much on occasion.  Okay, practically every day!  So to make up for my overindulgence during the day, I have been cutting back in the evening, especially with dessert.  My only problem is that I have a serious sweet tooth.  

So to satisfy my sweet tooth I turned to this delicious black cherry salad.  I tweaked it slightly to cut out some calories so I could feel even less guilty about my yummy lunches.  It totally hit the spot!  You might have noticed by my lack of posts for a while that I have been a little busy since school has started.  Another bonus of this "dessert" is that it took almost no time to make.  Perfect!