Granola

Take a look at what I had cooking in my oven today =]

MMMMmmmm

I love granola. I love it on ice cream, yogurt, in cereal, on its own, covered in chocolate, on top of cupcakes...ok I went to far, but you get the idea.

Granola is a super easy snack to make on your own. You can throw WHATEVER you want. Mix it, bake it in the oven, and TA DA!

So my granola consisted of:

oatmeal
pumpkin seeds
sesame seeds

coconut

chia seeds

sunflower seeds

almonds

mini chocolate chips

craisins

golden raisins

cinnamon

nutmeg

salt

i think thats it..

Then I mixed it with a little bit of coconut oil, 100% Maple syrup, and vanilla flavored agave nectar

Baked it at 400 degrees

Turned it a couple of times,

and after 15 minutes it was done!

And I ate it...

All of it...

Just Kidding. I saved SOME ;)

Actually I poured some in a bowl full of almond milk and went to town...a couple of times...

I know..

PIG

You late! For a Very Important Date!

It has been a while since I posted about cupcakes...

In my mind, too long.

Oh how i love you cupcakes...

and hate you at the same time.

Say Wha??

Ok so let me be real for a second here. I LOVE cupcakes...I LOVE to bake them and decorate them...

But due to a certain quality i lack in my life...self control... I tend to over eat and taste and sample while I bake.

It would be fine here and there but, well it's not JUST that. It is too hard to say NO!

So, am I going to give up baking for the sake of my booty? NEVER!!

I'm just going to tape my mouth shut while I bake =]

kidding

Anyways...

Ok so I was really excited when a family member asked me to bake for a 16 birthday party. YEA! I love parties! The theme was the Tim Burton movie Alice and Wonderland. Fun huh?

So I decided to do:

-Mushrooms

-Crazy Pretty Flowers

-And the Rabbits Clock

I had lots of other fun ideas but I have to remember not to get ahead of myself. Oh the things I could do with two extra arms.

Bun in the Oven

So the time finally arrived...

It had been a long 9 months, and I am happy to say that my little baby girl is currently snuggled in my arms.

Hopefully this is a GOOD enough excuse as to why I have been M.I.A. on the blogger lately.

Forgive me? =]

Ok so I'm sure you want to hear the story right?...

if not, well then "THE HECK WITH YOU!"...jk

Ok so here I am a few days before my precious angel arrived. I look happy...but deep inside, I WANTED the baby OUT! =]

Ok so funny story. A couple days before I went into labor, I was walking around the mall with my husband, when we went into Barney's New York and there was a worker who kept staring at us. He had an extremely thick accent, and he looked at me and said, "your having a girl." And I said, "why yes I am!" And then he said, "I predict you will have her on thursday." All i could think of was...creeeepy..

Ok so fast forward to Wednesday and I went to the beach and walked for a hour plus (I was really determined.) Then I came home and walked on the treadmill. (did i mention i really wanted to have that baby) My due date was friday so I was hoping it would happen soon. Ok so wednesday after I had walked like a million miles, I noticed I was bleeding. It was minor so i figured it was nothing. But I must admit, I had never been so excited to be bleeding...(sorry gross)...but I knew that meant labor was near.

Ok so on Thursday my grandpa came down with my cousin to keep me company. I had been quite bored waiting around for my baby girl, and I had scrubbed the kitchen floor so much it was close to wearing off! I didn't feel so great that day, in fact I felt weird. For one I had to go to the bathroom every 5-10 minutes because there was just so much pressure. Then I started to get really crampy, and it was super uncomfortable. I started thinking, hmmm it can't be...But then they got stronger, and they got closer and closer together. So I started timing these pains, and they were exactly 4 minutes apart. All the sudden I wanted it to stop. I decided right then that I wasn't ready to give birth. Obviously too late. SO I called the hubby and he RUSHED home (he was super excited), he threw me in the car, no joke, and we were off. I told him, "you know dear, I am not going to give birth in the car. We have time." What I was really thinking is, "if you don't slow down over these darn speed bumps and turns I am going to scream!"

As soon as we got to the hospital I was dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced. They made me walk for a half hour while they got my room ready, which by the way was my FAVORITE part of labor....NOT! As soon as that torture was over we got in our room and the nurse asked if I needed anything, and guess what I said? EPIDURAL! I am kinda a baby when it comes to pain.

Here I am, lovely as ever. Waiting for the epidural....patiently...

After the epidural, I felt great! Unfortunately I couldn't even move my feet, but HECK, I didn't care! I didn't want to feel a thing! But just my luck, I was soo numb, that they had to turn off the epidural JUST so i could push. I was very upset...very mad..and I let the nurses, doctors, hubby, family, and patients on the same floor know it!

After 19 hours of labor, and 1 1/2 hours of pushing...

The greatest blessing in my life.

I am still iffy on whether I want to go private on the blogger or not. I have TONS of cute photos, and stories, but I don't like posting stuff about my child when anyone can look at my profile. But I also LOVE to share stories about my baking adventures. I don't really know what to do. But if you read my blog, and want to continue to follow it, leave me your email in a comment JUST in case I decide to go private.

I'll be back shortly, I have a baking adventure this weekend. CUPCAKES!! WOO HOO!

p.s. Did i forget to mention the creepy guy from Barney's was right?

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Not many words to describe these cookies...

dark...chocolate..peanut butter...cookies

It's like all my favorite words into one

I originally got this recipe from the Fitnessista. Her version is vegan. DON'T go anywhere yet. Just because I said the "V" word lol

They really ARE delicious. Although I changed her version a little. So mine turned out to be NOT vegan. So for those of you hiding behind the couch you can come out now.

To start out I got my inspiration from this lovely creation.

Thats right...DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER =]

Ummm...heaven in a jar!

(Turns out there is some MILK in this product, so it's not Vegan)

Just in case you need a better look inside...

Have I convinced you YET that these cookies MIGHT be delicious?!?

Ok ok, lets just start from the beginning.

Combine the dry

Beat the wet ingredients in kitchen aid, but only for a few seconds so you can mix it together.

After you mix the wet, then add the dry. Once all mixed (Don't over mix) stir in dark chocolate chips...convinced yet??

Then scoop on cookie sheet and bake at 350

And when they come out they look like this...

And the inside looks like this =]

So if you still aren't convinced, well....thats NOT OKAY! =]

Just remember they have wonderful better for you ingredients, and its a wonderful way to indulge without feeling the guilt. Although that doesn't necessarily mean you have to eat the whole batch =] like me!

Ok so here is MY version of the recipe, but if you want to check out The Fitnessista version, feel free! I am sure hers is amazing too!

Click here for HERS.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Dry Ingredients:

2 Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

2 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Baking soda

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup Dark chocolate peanut butter, or regular peanut butter...your choice

1 1/2 ts.p. vanilla

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 TB. Molasses

3/4 Cup pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Combine wet in one bowl, dry in another

2. Mix together, but careful not to overmix

3. Stir in chocolate chips

4. Scoop on baking pan with parchment paper, and bake at 350 for 11 minutes, then let rest 1 minute on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

*Side note*

I posted this recipe also for a few of my gluten free dairy free friends. This would work great for those of you with those certain diet restrictions, you just have to switch the flour to a Gluten free flour. If you cannot have peanuts, there are different types of spreads I know you can try, with an assortment of flavors. You can add cocoa powder, and less flour to make it more chocolatey if the spread your using isn't that good.

Hope you enjoy!

Smores Cake

Last time the hubbster and I were visiting my family, it was my lil bro's birthday. Guess what his favorite dessert is?? Smores! I know...such a dork!

Anyways, my mom wasn't just going to make smores for dessert, she got more creative, and made a smores cake.

Check it out. Super cute!

I love the tiny smores on top. They make me smile =]

Just thought I would share that with you.

Oh, and no baby...

Cake FAIL to Cake SUCCESS

Being a couple days away...hopefully...from being a new mom, I have alot of time on my hands, since I am playing the waiting game. And what better way to spend my time then doing something I LOVE..BAKE!

Except today was NOT my day for baking. Have you ever had to do THIS...

Thats right, I threw away a whole batch of red velvet cupcakes. I was SO disappointed! I had been SO excited because I had never made a red velvet cake, and wanted to try something new. Well it totally blew, tasted like pure OIL, and I couldn't even peel off the wrappers. SO with my hormones in some what of a rage, I grabbed them and threw them in the trash! Yes...I and I may have shed a tear...

Ok so after I sat on the couch and finished telling myself I was a failure...(I admit, I was being a big BABY...) I got up and decided I was better than that, and it really wasn't the end of the world. SO, I tried again. But I switched styles. Instead I tried out a recipe that I had been dying to try out.

So I followed the recipe to the EXACT, and then I baked it in the oven, and when it was done, I pulled it out. I let it cool, then went to take it out of the pans...and well...

THIS is what happened...

Yep, it fell apart. By this point, well...you don't want to know what was going through my head, or coming out of my mouth for that matter =]...But let's just say I was NOT happy.

Well then I got to thinking, there HAS to be something to do with extra cake crumbs. I know I could have made a triffle, or even Cake Balls, but I had been there, done that, and didn't have all the right ingredients. And then I came up with this...

Cake in a Jar

1. Start with a jar, and scoop cake into the bottom.

2. Then add frosting on top.

3. Then repeat until you reach the top.

4. Close jar, tie with bow, make it look cute, and give it away as a gift =]

I was pretty proud of myself! I didn't think I could pull anything off at this point, but it ended up being a great success!

Cookies TO GO

Have you heard of Hungry-Girl?!?

If not you MUST check them out. They have tons of tips and tricks to cut back on your favorite foods, and make them a little healthier, A-LOT less in calories, and still delicious!

OK, so this morning I was eating some cereal, Fiber One if you must know =], and I noticed a recipe on the back from Hungry-Girl for these Grab N Go Breakfast cookies. They sounded really interesting, and I decided to give it a whirl.

Of coarse I added a few tweaks here and there, but they are pretty yummy! They are perfect for a snack after a work out, something to take on a hike, or a "Grab N Go" breakfast when your headed out the door in a hurry.

Tell me what you think? I am assuming you can try different types of flavors/varieties so get creative!

Grab N Go Breakfast Cookies

Recipe adapted from Hungry-Girl

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Fiber One Brand Cereal

1/2 Cup Old fashioned oats

1/4 cup + 2 TB Whole wheat flour

1/4 cup Splenda (I used organic vegan cane sugar)

2 TB. Brown sugar (I skipped this, but they definitely would have been a little sweeter with it)

1/2 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon (I added an extra 1/8th tsp nutmeg)

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar free vanilla powdered creamer (skipped this)

1/3 cup pureed peaches (found in baby food isle)

1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin (I used 1 banana)

1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (I used 1 egg)

1 TB. Golden raisins & 1 TB Craisins

* I also added 1 TB coconut, about 3 TB agave nectar, and I may have added 1-2 TB mini chocolate chips =], as well as 1 TB vanilla, flax seed, and wheat germ.*

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. In a food processor, grind up fiber one cereal until bread crumb consistency. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl. Then add oats, flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. * If you want to add the nutmeg, do that here.

3. In another medium bowl, dissolve powdered creamer in 2 TB hot water. Then add peaches, pumpkin (or your choice of pureed fruit), egg substitute (or regular egg), and mix thoroughly. *If your going to add vanilla do it here*Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.

4. Stir in raisins and craisins, and any other ingredients you prefer.

5. Scoop cookies onto prepared greased baking sheet. Flaten top of cookies just a little with a spoon.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

7. Grab N Go