The Muffin Woman

The last couple of weeks, I have been on a quest to find a yummy healthy muffin recipe. I tried a blueberry muffin recipe last week and I did not like muffins at all, they were dry and dense, almost like a scone but not very good. That was a bummer since I used fresh yummy blueberries. So my quest continued for a new recipe.

Last night, I tried a banana muffin recipe and I am quite happy with the muffins, they are very tasty and better yet, I am able to use bananas that are overly ripe and will end up getting thrown out, so I am not wasting any food.



Whiz-Bang Banana Muffins
From: http://www.bellybytes.com/recipe/muffins/muffin01.html

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup quick-cooking oatmeal
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray or shortening
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large ripe banana, cut up (I used 2 medium ones)
I also added ¼ cup of chopped pecans since I happened to have them

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. Lightly coat muffin pan with cooking spray or grease with shortening.

In a blender container combine milk, egg, and oil. Cover and blend smooth. With blender running, add banana and blend into mixture. Pour into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fill muffin pans 2/3 full.

Bake in the 400 degree oven about 20 minutes (I baked for 15 minutes) or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 10 to 12

(Nutritional facts per serving from the website: Calories: 132 , Total fat: 4g , Saturated fat: 1g , Cholesterol: 22mg , Sodium: 162mg , Carbohydrate: 22g , Fiber: 1g)

I think they turned out very yummy! I think next time I try ½ all-purpose flour and ½ wheat flour, applesauce instead of oil, and maybe a little vanilla extract to make it even better for you. I will also bake at 375 degrees instead. I think 400 was too high and so luckily I checked after 15 minutes rather than letting it go to 20 minutes as the instructions suggested.

My husband made me do it

I had McDonalds for dinner. I don't even really like McDs, if given the choice I totally prefer In 'N' Out. But I called my sick husband before I left work to see if he wanted anything. He wanted two cheeseburgers, fries, and an orange drink. So I got one for me too. I used the $10 I found at the end of the rainbow yesterday for our McDs dinner. Well, at least my poor husband has an appetite despite feeling awful with the flu. Poor thing, he says his skin even hurts.

The fries were definitely good. But since I have been training to be a Tri-Fit Diva, this definitely did not fit in with my training and diet plans. On the other hand, I did get up early this morning and went to the gym. I bench pressed 55 lbs., 3 sets of 10. I am working my way up to 70 lbs., but without a spotter we'll see how much I can actually do comfortably.

“You Give Me Fever”

My poor husband has been sick with the flu for the last few days. Last night he had a fever of 101. This morning it has gone down to 98.9 degrees. I hope he gets well soon!

I seriously hope the flu shot I got in October works! He better not give me the flu!

At the end of the rainbow

At the end of the day, I was walking from my office to the parking lot and spotted a rainbow. I stopped to take a pic with my cellphone. I love rainbows, they make me happy. I know a little silly. I crossed the street to the parking lot and looked down to find a wet $10 bill lying on the side of the sidewalk! I guess that was my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow :)

“It’s like rain on your wedding day…”

"And isn't it ironic...don't you think
A little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do think...
It's like rain on your wedding day."
-- Alanis Morissette

I was just thinking about me starting a blog. My husband asked me why I wanted to do this and I said why not. Now as I think about it more, it is somewhat out of character ironically. I am in general a quiet and private person; so posting on a blog that is on the internet for the world to see seems somewhat ironic for me. Hmmm… I guess I am opening myself up to new experiences and allowing myself to change and evolve with the times. That is a good thing. It is good for a person to try new things. Plus, I think way too much, my mind is constantly runnning. So it seems I may have a lot to actually write about and share.

Training to be a Tri-Fit Diva

One of my adventures is training for the Women's Tri-Fitness competition in July. I know I am a little crazy. To get in shape for my Cinco de May wedding last year, I joined the Inland Empire Adventure bootcamp. I loved it and got into the best shape of my life. It was so awesome and was it not for the cost; I would still be in bootcamp today. It is such an awesome program and so motivating. Even though I am no longer in bootcamp, my bootcamp instructor, Molli, asked me to participate and train for the Women's Tri-Fitness competition and so crazy me decided to do it. The competition consists of completing 3 fitness skills (you can see pictures of the events on the website, just scroll down past the fitness event, I'm not doing that!). I am doing the following skills:

1. Box Jumps - This event will be performed using a 20 inch box. The athletes will jump 50 repititions. Both feet must land on top of the box. This is a timed event.
2. Bench Press - This event will be performed using 60 percent of the athlete's body weight. Weight will be rounded off to the closest 5 pounds. If the weight falls in the exact middle between 2 weights then the highest weight will be used. The athlete will bench press the weight by fully extending both arms and lowering the bar to the athlete's chest.
3. Shuttle Run - The athlete will pick up 10 tennis balls and place them in a riser 20 feet away. Only one ball at a time will be picked up. This is a timed event.

and also an obstacle course, which includes:

• A 10 foot Wall
• Running Grid
• Incline/Decline Monkey Bars
• Balance Beam
• 15 foot Cargo Net
• Shuttle Run
• 2 Low Hurdles
• Steeple chase jump over water
• Sprint
• Under and Over Bar

I look nothing like those women on their website and don't do this kind of thing for a living, I just hope to survive and finish! It is a challenge and I love a challenge. Plus, I love having a goal and training for something. I'll post my training schedule later. Wish me luck!

A Monster in the Closet!

I am my cat’s human. Yes, my 24 lb monster of a cat thinks that it is his world and that we are merely players. My cat’s name is Chase, we affectionately call him “monster” for his large size (did I say he was fat!!!). Everyone who meets him is always a little shocked when they see him. “What’s that?” “That’s not a cat!” Oh but he is and he is the best ever!

Despite his bigness, he is a very sweet cat. But it is definitely his world and we are just fortunate that he allows us to live in it. According to my husband, Chase is just working towards getting bigger so he can eventually eat us all!! That is why he loves to lick my head every morning (seriously he is a cat not a dog!). Introducing the majestic, the large and in charge….

Chase Monster!

Isn’t he beautiful and great? His favorite things to do are eat, sleep, and eat some more. Some locations around the house where you will find him (usually sleeping unless I wake him up, as my camera flash has been known to do):

On the couch sleeping,

on the computer chair sleeping,

on the bed sleeping (with Pooh Bear)

oh and of course at the food bowl eating!

If you don't find him in one of the above visible places, then there is probably a Monster in the Closet, sleeping! Life is hard being a fat cat!

Okay, some people might think I am an awful mommy for letting my cat get so big. I am not an abusive mommy, I do worry about my kitty’s health. I had him tested for all possible problems that being overweight may have on a cat and he is – aside from being fat – healthy according to the tests and according to the vet. I have tried everything to help him lose weight (he was 26 lbs at one time), weight management cat food, portioning and restricting his food, I have even chased him around the house to give him exercise! But the darn cat is too smart, he will run (it’s really more like a waddle) to a space where I can’t get to him (usually under a coffee table). My vet did tell me, maybe he is happy being fat. So there we go and so be it. Chase is happy being fat!

Welcome to Sher's Corner

My first blog post! How exciting! I guess one of the main reasons I wanted to start a blog was to have a place where I can share some of my thoughts and journal. When I was younger (many hunny pots ago), I used to keep a journal. But somewhere along the line, I got too busy. Well it is now 2008 and I think it is time to start again. So much has happened in the last few years so from time to time I may reflect back to what has happened in the past. After all, we are a culmination of our experiences of the past and our hopes for the future. Hope you Enjoy!