Healthy Twists

Hellooo! How is everyone’s week going so far? Mine’s going…ok, I guess. Work is busy which is always nice, and I worked on a freelance project last night that was looming over my head so it was nice to get things done.

Side note 1: check out my new blog header! I’ll link to the artists website when she has it up and running. Thanks, Shelby (and Lydia).

My application for grad school is due on Friday and ok, I’m kind of freaking out about it. You know, the whole “am I making the right decision” “am I really ready to handle all this extra work” “how am I going to keep up with my exercise (and sleep),” “will I forget what my boyfriend/friends/dog look like” kinds of questions. I’m trying to push those thoughts out of my head and remember all the reasons I want this and why this is the best time for to do it,  but it’s still kinda scary.

Side note 2: The grad school thing, combined with some processed food choices that’s making me feel “puffy,” has led to lots of “fat talk” in my brain this week and I don’t know how to stop it. It’s the kind of stuff I wrote about here and although I wish I could have the healthy relationship with body image that so many others seem to have, I literally don’t know how to go about changing those thoughts that are as normal to me as breathing. Ok…I’m done. Thanks for listening.)

So, three girls at work are expecting babies within the same month or so (I’m staying away from the drinking water, just in case). And since we’ll take any reason for a potluck, we had a joint baby shower to celebrate and embarrasses the male coworkers who showed up for the food.

For the party I decided I’d take the blondie recipe I made awhile ago and try to make it a smidge healthier. And go me, they came out as tasty as I was hoping they would! It didn’t have quite that caramel-buttery flavor of the regular recipe, but they had a nice flavor (and a teeny bit of nutrition) with the sweetness of the brown sugar and chocolate balanced by the hearty pumpkin.

The only problem was that when they were done baking, it was still really gooey in the middle. I think maybe it was the moisture of the pumpkin? I know we all love our undercooked baked goods, but the middle pieces were definitely not worthy to serve to other people so I kept them all for myself. 

See what I mean? But for a “not-so-butter-laden” treat, they were excellent. I want to experiment further with “healthified” baked goods. I’ve come to terms with my sweet tooth, so I have to find a way to make desserts I can eat (in moderation!) sans guilt (see side note #2).

Side note 3: I did warn the guests of honor that I was 99% sure the eggs were cooked all the way through, but not 100%. I am caring that way.

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Blondies

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Big pinch salt
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.5 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 to 2 cups chocolate chips (I used most of a 12 oz bag, might have been too much)

Directions:

1. Butter (or spray) a 9×13 pan
2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar and pumpkin until smooth.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
4. Add salt, then stir in flours. Mix in chocolate chips
5. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 25-30 minutes. It might be too soft in the middle, but you don’t want the edges to overcook.
6. I recommend letting them cool completely before cutting.

See, totally edible. I cut them into mini pieces, because it’s all about the “dessert sampler” at a potluck, as everyone knows.

Side note 4: What do you think of the “sit around and watch the guest of honor open gifts” thing at showers? I am not a fan. How many times can you ooh and ahh over a bib set (baby shower) or serving spoons (at a bridal shower). If it were me, I wouldn’t want to make my guests stare at my loot.

Side note 5: I bought a new toy today that will hopefully help with my blogging! If you follow me on Twitter you know what I’m talking about, but I’ll keep it under wraps here until it shows up at my door. I’m excited!

And with that, I’m OUT!  I am really trying to get more (read: adequate) sleep, even if that means I can’t work out in the morning—and since I prefer AM workouts, it’s incentive to get my butt into bed!.

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