Before moving to Boston, my head was filled with romantic ideas that I'd wake up every Saturday, get dressed in a cute peacoat, scarf, skinny jeans, and boots, and walk to a nearby local coffee shop where there was only other, well-dressed or hipster-looking college students and the coffees were served in mugs. After three years I can safely say there is nothing magical about studying on a Saturday morning, unless you count actually being awake and doing something productive Saturday morning magical (I do).
I have, however, found a coffee shop that fits my "perfect" coffee shop completely: espresso royal. The coffee is delicious, the people working there have a hipster vibe to them, the music is usually indie rock, and they serve you coffee in mugs. When I do get my butt out of bed to study, I almost always go to Espresso and order one of their honey cinnamon soy lattes -- pure bliss in a cup! I also make sure to pack breakfast; my favorite: oats in a jar.
Inspired by MANY food bloggers out there, here's my version of oats in a jar:
What you need:
1/2 cup uncooked oats (right now I'm all about the Scottish oats)
1 cup water
Cinnamon
Splash vanilla extract
1/2 banana sliced
Nearly empty jar of peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's unsalted creamy)
What to do:
Prepare oats based on how you like them and what kind you're using
Place cooked oats in jar. Then add the cinnamon, vanilla extract, and banana slices. Stir vigerously, or do what I do and screw on the lid then shake the jar.
Close jar, pack, and head out the door. The heat from the oatmeal will warm up the bananas, giving them an almost caramelized taste.
I got lazy. There's no other excuse for the lack of posts. Well, lazy and busy. After surviving finals, I flew back home to Denver where I lived up the Colorado experience: 2 Avalanche games, a Bronco's game, numerous trips to Boulder, a pretty drive but very short stay in Estes Park, and attempted skiing (unfortunately I slipped on ice and fell hard on my right knee the day before, so my knee wasn't too happy when I went to make turns in my skis).
Excuse time over. Now on to something much more delicious: muffins.
Last semester one of my guy friends talked me and my roommate into coming over to his apartment and making him muffins for breakfast. There were some requirements though: blueberries and no "healthy stuff". The muffins turned out DELICIOUS! I made them again when I was home and everyone there loved them as well. While not the healthiest muffin, these are perfect for a little morning indulgence:
No "Healthy Stuff" Blueberry Muffins
What You Need:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Blueberries (I used frozen)
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
Squeeze lemon juice
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup skim milk
1-2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
What to do:
Set oven to 375
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt
In small bowl, toss blueberries with 1 Tablespoon of the flour mixture -- this is an awesome trick I learned that keeps the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins
In another bowl, beat butter, sugar, and lemon juice with a fork until fluffy
Add eggs and vanilla
Gradually add the flour mixture then the milk. DO NOT OVERBEAT!
Fold in blueberries with a rubber spatula
Bake in oven for 23-27min (I know very random times)
As delicious as those muffins are, and surprisingly filling, I wanted to try making a healthier muffin that I could pack along with a smoothie for my long day of classes. While definitely not as sweet as the other muffins, these taste like baked oatmeal with bananas. I followed the recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook, except that instead of 1/2 c of yogurt I used 1/2 cup of almond milk.
I saw this music video on the music blog Communion a couple weeks ago. So cool!
Drizzle of honey makes them perfect for a sunny fall day
I'm apologizing in advance. I know my SMG professor would knock off major points for starting a discussion with an apology, but I felt the need to do it. I am going to be talking about another pumpkin recipe. I know. I promise I do eat more than just pumpkin, which you'll see the other 11 months of the year, but bare with me one more week, that's all I'm asking.
Aren't these so festive?! My roommate made them for a bakesale -- I was the designated sprinkler. I didn't get to try them, but they completely sold out so I'm guessing they were good.
Before going any further, I have to mention my weekend. I went with two friends and saw Boy & Bear at the Great Scott. This venue is awesome! So small and intimate, it felt like I was seeing a group of friends performing rather than going to a "show." Although we got there a bit late, the songs we were there for were incredible. The lead singer's voice had such warmth and depth, that when combined with folk instruments like a banjo and acoustic guitar, I couldn't help but feel goofy with happiness and comfort. Please download some of their stuff!
Okay, on to the food! My Monday was beyond insane. No classes, yet I left the apartment at 8:45am and didn't get home until 8:45pm -- exactly 12 hours later (okay I had a 30min break where I came home to make lunch, so not a true 12 hours). Although my feet killed and all I wanted was my Victoria's Secret Boyfriend sweatpants, I was in a stupidly good mood all day. Everything just seemed so wonderful. I was that annoying person walking around with my iPod, smiling and tapping my hand to the beat of the music.
During the 30 minutes between the gym and physical therapy, I was able to come home and make a quick lunch (more like lunch part 1, with part 2 three hours later). Because it was 11:30, I wasn't in the mood for "real" food, but I had already had my puffins and peanut butter breakfast earlier in the morning. Sifting through the fridge I realized I still had a container with canned pumpkin in it. Knowing I wanted something pumpkin-tasting but not entirely sure what that something was, I checked up on my usual blogs, one of which being Chocolate Covered Katie. Katie specializes in healthier desserts. How could you not love a blog that promotes both chocolate any time of the day and sneaking in vitamins, minerals, and protein? After reading her post, I clicked on her Recipe Page mainly out of habit. Well, I like to think the food gods guided my clicking because in front of me was a picture of her Banana Pancakes for One. As much as I love my oatmeal and cereal, I adore pancakes. And pancakes for early lunch? Perfection. I altered her recipe by subbing in pumpkin for the banana, but I'm excited to try the banana ones soon!
Besides now having a single-serving pancake recipe that fills me up in my mental recipe list, I also gained the most wonderful knowledge: honey and pumpkin are meant for each other. Seriously. Have some pumpkin bread? Put honey on it.
P.S. The recipe itself if vegan, just swap agave for the honey and you're all set!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour (I used all purpose, but I'm planing on trying oat flour, I'll let you know how it goes)
1/2 tsp baking powder
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond milk (or any milk you prefer)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Mix the dry ingredients together. I like to do this in a large measuring bowl to save on dishes.
In a separate bowl, combine the three liquid ingredients. Once combined, add in the dry mix to the liquid mixture. Stir to get rid of any flour lumps that may remain.
Heat a skillet and make your pancakes!
Make your day better and make these pancakes! And don't forget to finish them off with a drizzle of honey!
I also made mini pumpkin loaves, but for some reason the middles exploded ALL over my oven
