Pumpkin and Spice

I've been trying to eat healthier and lose some of my "pastry fat". However, I've also been pretty stressed out the past few months. And, since I tend to be a stress eater, I've really not lost any weight (though I haven't gained any either, which tells me that if I could lay off the comfort foods, I might actually be dropping weight...)

"They" (scientists, nutritionists, moms everywhere...) say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially if you're trying to lose weight. It helps jump-start your metabolism for the day, and studies have shown that people who eat breakfast eat fewer calories throughout the day than those that don't. Most mornings, Kyle and I have been making healthy smoothies (that recipe will be another post), but every now and then we need a little change.
Muffins are a breakfast classic, but there is usually so much sugar and fat in them, that they are basically just a cupcake without icing. I want something with some redeeming nutritional value, which is where my bran muffins come into play. They're packed with fiber and protein, so they're nice and filling. All the fat in them is the healthy unsaturated kinds- from the flax, bran and nuts. They're lightly sweet, with lovely bursts of tangy dried fruits. I used apricots, golden raisins, cranberries and cherries, but you could use any combo of your favorite dried fruits. When you bite into them, the little bits of fruit made me think of little gems, which is why I named these Jewel Box Bran Muffins. Pair them with a cup of coffee or a latte made with skim milk, and you have a filling, healthy breakfast that comes in at under 300 calories (that's including the latte!- providing you get a "tall" with skim, and stick to splenda or stevia for sweetening it.)

Bake and freeze them, and you can grab one, nuke it for about 30 seconds, and run out the door with a healthy, fast alternative to a breakfast sandwich at a fast food place or that calorie-bomb muffin you were eyeballin' at Starbucks.

Lately, I've been doing a bit of baking-for-cash, with cinnamon buns being a re-occuring theme. I don't eat many cinnamon buns, partially because that is waaaaaay too much sugar for me as a breakfast food (I'm more of a salty foods for breakfast kind of girl- I prefer sweets as, say, an afternoon snack) and partially because I am really picky about how I like them. I want them to be soft- like just barely baked soft. I want a thick slop of gooey icing on top- preferably not cream cheese icing, though I'll take it in a pinch. I do not want nuts or raisins in my cinnamon bun. (Nuts are acceptable to me in sticky buns, though.) And, while most people consider them a sort of gold standard in the cinnamon roll world, I'm kind of ambivalent towards Cinnabon's cinnamon rolls- I mean, they actually meet all my above criteria, but I always feel like I need a nap after eating one. Or, maybe I shouldn't eat the whole freaking thing. Maybe if they came in a smaller size...

Anyway, I digress. What I'm getting at is- I have made a lot of cinnamon buns in the last month. They have been really good. I'm going to get fat if I keep this up.

While I occasionally enjoy an omelet when eating out at breakfast places (eggs benedict or biscuits and gravy are really my breakfast weaknesses), I'll admit, I kinda have a bias against them. I'm not sure if its because I've had my share of disappointing omelets (*ahem* more on that in a bit...), or because I hate making them, or because I tend to think of them as bachelor food... Did I lose you on those last two? Allow me to elaborate.

I'll do the last one first- When we were dating (and probably before we were dating, I just didn't know about it then) Kyle's "bachelor food" of choice was the omelete. A little unusual, as the stereotypical single-guy foods of choice are frozen dinners, pizza and beer, but if you think about it, an omelete is an ideal meal for one. It's cheap, fast to make, easy to vary by adding different fillings, and it's easy to make a single serving.

Bananas are one of my favorite fruits, especially at breakfast time. As just about anyone who has seen me prior to about 8am can attest, early mornings are not really my "peak hours". I like to keep breakfasts as easy as possible- grinding my own beans for my coffee is about as complicated as my breakfast gets. Usually, I just do a bowl of cereal (Grape Nuts are one of my favorites) with soymilk, coffee and a piece of fruit. Bananas are perfect for breakfast because they're easy to peel (unlike oranges- I'm not that patient in the morning) and easy to eat (unlike, say, apples... I'm like the slowest apple-eater ever.)

Of course, everyone has their own idea of when bananas are at the perfect ripeness. Kyle likes his pretty green, whereas I prefer my with brown speckles. Usually this works out well, because I buy a bunch of green bananas. Kyle eats the bananas when they're green, and as they turn brown, I eat what's left. Sometimes, though, Kyle leaves me with too many bananas to eat before they go mushy and black. I hate to throw them away, so sometimes I freeze them for smoothies, but, of course, the classic standby for squashy bananas is banana bread.

It seems as the season goes on, my internet becomes less and less reliable. This morning I typed up a big, long blog post, and then my internet connection died, and I lost the whole post. After that, I was so frustrated, I had to take a nap.

Now, I've had a nap, been to the gym, eaten dinner and some ice cream, so I'm ready to tackle this again.