100 Cal banana bread/ Blueberry Orange bread

So I mentioned this "100 calorie banana bread" last blog.   Basically what happened was I made it last night and was going to take a picture of it today/post the recipe, however theres none left to take a picture of!  Yes, it actually turned out! As my boyfriend stated "This is the first banana bread you made thats actually good!"  well smartass it was only the 2nd time I made banana bread.   Ohhhhhhhh well, I still love him :)  Speaking of which, Valentines Day is coming up, I have nooo idea what to get my boyfriend.  I mean I already got him the watch he's been madly in love with for a while,  I also got him Burberry cologne, I have no idea what else there is to get him.  I need some help here! It'd be greatly appreciated.  Even better, guys, what would you like to recieve this year?  I'll let you guys in on a not so big secret of what I would love to recieve...  ready?

A hot pink kitchenaid mixer, which i spotted at Target for $300.  And ready....???  A new oven, so I can quit "baking" on broil.  It's tricky but I'm finally getting it down, it's just I can't come up with the right amount of baking time for things without them burning or not being done.  It really is a pain.  Plus we finally broke down and bought a new washer, FINALLY!! :)  I explained to my boyfriend how I would not AT ALL, WHATSOEVER, be disappointed if I recieved either or both of these as a Valentines day, anniversary, etc. gift.  I even asked for them for Christmas.  I don't know how much more upfront I can be about it!!! I'm sure it's less expensive and more productive to purchase either of these things than it is for sparkly pretty jewlery (that I wear only because I don't have a kitchenaid mixer or new oven to preoccupy me).  Just saying.
 

100 Calorie Banana Bread (Adapted from About.com)
10 servings, 100 calories each.


1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. butter/margarine, softened
1 large egg
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 c. ripe bananas (I used 2 medium)
3/4 c. AP flour
1/2 c. Whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl combine butter and sugar, beat for about 2 minutes.  Add egg and applesauce, beat for another 2 minutes. 

Fold in bananas.

In a seperate large bowl whisk together flours, baking soda and salt.

Add flour mixture to banana mixture 1/2 c. at a time, mixing after each addition until moist.

Coat loaf pan (sides and bottom) with cooking spray and add batter.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (Mine only took 40 minutes.)

Allow bread to cool in loaf pan for 5 minutes.  Then remove bread from pan and place on cooling rack to allow to cool rest of the way.

I am currently waiting on this awesome Blueberry Orange bread.  It's definately filling the house with the most amazing smell from the orange in it!

 
Blueberry Orange Bread (Adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny!)
10 servings, 168.9 calories each.


3/4 c. AP flour
3/4 c. Whole Wheat flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
6 tbsp. butter/margarine, room temp.
3/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. orange zest
1 1/2 c. blueberries
1 6 oz. container organic blueberry (or plain) yogurt

 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Spray loaf pan (sides and bottom).

Whisk together flours, baking powder and salt.

With electric mixer beat together butter and sugar. 

Add eggs 1 at a time.

Add vanilla and zest.

Add flour 1/3 of flour mixture, blend well.  Add 1/2 yogurt, blend well.  Alternate starting and ending with flour.

Fold in blueberries, carefully!

Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan about 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack to complete cooling.

 

 

***You can substitute AP flour for WW or whichever, just so theres 1 1/2 c. of flour.

***You can substitute sugar for 6 tbsp. Splenda.

***You can susbstitute yogurt for 1/2 c. low fat milk.

 

Blueberry Orange Bread Nutrition Facts

 

 

Ladies and Gents...We have a finished product!!!

 

I'm going to have to give myself a pat on the back for this one :)

I'm a tad bit disappointed that its 170 cals a slice but, I suppose thats more encouragement to work out so I can eat more!

 



Post- Superbowl

Hello readers, fellow bloggers, etc.  How is everyone doing today?  Me? I'm in need of a nice long workout at the gym...I have super bowl belly and i'm not digging it, at all. 

However, judging by the 3 "ripe" bananas (as my grandma would call them, i'd call them rotten), I've been looking for a low cal banana bread recipe, and I found one!  Therefore after I hit the gym (very shortly) I will be stopping by the store for unsweetened applesauce and whole wheat flour to give this banana bread a try.  It's only 100 cals per a slice and one loaf is 10 servings.   I'm excited and scared at the same time considering the first and last time I attempted to make banana bread it turned out hard as a rock.  The boyfriends grandmother tells me I stirred it too long... I think it's because I didn't go exactly by the recipe and skipped ahead like I knew what I was doing.  Either way I will be attempting banana bread once again.  I shall let everyone know how it turns out and post pictures/recipe for it!


Have a great Tuesday :)

p.s. what are you guys doing today?  It's finally my day off work and I'm awake early and sitting here on stumbleupon.  And theres currently a dusting of snow on the ground.


AND!!!! it's offically been 17 days since I quit smoking :D

It's that time of the year

Ya know, the post-holiday season, valentines, income taxes.  That fun stuff, not!  I actually decided to go get my taxes done "early" this year, rather than wait until the last minute as usual.  Anyways, I'm getting the normal amount back as always... even with buying a house this year has not helped and apparently will not help until next year. :(

Anyways, I was at walmart finishing up my taxes after I went to the gym and I was feeling rather hungry, which I'm not sure why after I all but crashed my diet at lunch time with grands biscuts filled with turkey burger and cheese (it was really the biscuits that did it!).  Anywho,  I decided i'd get a premade salad, something easy, nope of course they did not have in my desperate time of need.  So I checked out the frozen section...yeah I was that desperate!  I found some "lean pockets" with a pretzel crust, how could you turn that down? Plus they were filled with bbq chicken.  So I finally get home and microwave it, I was practically drooling from the smell of it, the taste not so much.  How in the heck did they get something so bland to smell sooooooooooooo amazing...the house still smells of it!

I seriously cannot wait to get off this diet...or at least expand my horizons of food.  Spinach and boiled chicken just aren't cutting it anymore.  I could really use a nice brownie or something super fat right now...or at least something that tastes like it'd be super fattening.   However I've never felt better or more in shape than I do now.  And on Saturday I will offically be 14 days without a cigarette!!! :)  Even better news, I only have 13 lbs. to lose until I'm at my goal weight!!  This week hasn't turned out to be too bad, so far, I still have to make it past the weekend.   Which by the way I filled out a job application last night for a facility literally 5 minutes away from my house rather than 30 minutes away.  Keep your fingers crossed that I get a job offer! I will be calling tomorrow afternoon to make sure they recieved my application.

I've got some frozen yogurt popsicles calling my name :)

Have a great weekend everybody!

Dun, dun, dun...

Good morning everybody, happy Sunday!
I have some great news...I'm 1 pound away from my halfway point in my weight loss!!! Yes things like that really do excite me, hence me jumping up and down after I weighed myself at the gym last night.
Anywho,  I also have some bad news.  My computer magically broke. Not the type of break where it's in pieces, the type of break where no matter how many times I open Internet explorer, it won't. It's just not having it today, therefore I'm posting this off my phone. Perhaps it's a sign for me to finish up my coffee and get to the gym, I'm not sure.
On another note, It's also been 8 days since I quit smoking and do I ever feel good!  It's not even about "proving a point" anymore, I'm now doing it for myself.

Just wanted to share some other great things with you guys:  after I went to the gym yesterday I decided to stop by Kohls and Target, I mean how could you not?  So while at kohls I found a pair of leggings for $3 that were originally $12!  I also invested in socks for my boyfriends daughter, 14 pairs for $3.60!  And a new pair of running shoes (Adidas) for $33 originally $70. I believe all of this is karma since I found someone's phone while shopping at kohls and handed it in.


Well, off to the gym! Have a great week everybody!

The first 24 hours!

Alright everybody, it's official.  I've been smoke- free for 24 hours! It feels pretty awesome, plus I'm definately proving a point to my boyfriend now.  He doesn't believe I can quit smoking due to the fact I've been smoking since I met him.  However, I have some really supportive co-workers, and some not so supportive co-workers.  But it's whatever, I'm willing to quit for a legit reason.  I even came home yesterday and cleaned my car out and sprayed it down, you can't even tell I smoked in there now!  However, I believe withdrawal is kicking in, I'm really not 100% sure.  I'm just super irritated right now, possibly from the stress at work then to get stuck behind someone with their turn signal on for 5 miles...how do you not know your turn signal is on for that long?  And even better why would it stay on for that long?  I'm just getting myself worked up talking about it!  Not to mention the lovely mess of broken Christmas ornaments that my dogs got into while I was at work, broken glass everywhere, and the dogs are fine no one got hurt. 
Also, since I've started this diet, I lost 12 pounds but now I ended up gaining 3 pounds back. I'm not happy about this at all!!!  I need tips and suggestions (for quitting smoking and my 1200 calorie diet, and yes I am going to the gym.)

On a positive note, I went shopping with my mother on Thursday and found some awesome stuff.  For example a Wilton Spritz cookie press.  I used to have one when I was younger and had the spritz cookie recipe memorized, kid you not. I got this bad boy for $13, it comes with 16 pattern disks, can't beat that.  I also found a pair of WV mountaineer yoga pants for $15 which is rather exciting for me.

Yikes!

It's been sooooo long since i've been on here, with the holidays and all.  Not to mention my work schedule changed and all that good stuff.  Anyways, I hope everyone had a good holiday and could hold their liquor (unlike myself)...
 
Just wanted to share an awesome story with you guys.  It all began the day after Christmas, you know when Bath and Body Works has their Semi-Annual sale, yeah. So I took my boyfriend to work at the mall and hung out with him until the mall actually opened at 8 am.  Keep in mind it was flurrying when we arrived at the mall.  So I probably spent 2 hours at the mall shopping, because I've been on this mission for a new pair of boots, not snow boots, just regular ol' boots...like the other 6 pair I have.   I was very unsuccessful with the boots but got all but a new wardrobe for under $100.   So I leave the mall, which is about 45 minutes away from our house, but as I was cleaning the snow off my car I was thinking how grateful I was that I wore my cowgirl boots and not moccasins.  So I'm on the interstate, which hasn't even been touched by a plow, yeah going 40 mph on the interstate instead of 65 mph, it was rough but with being in a car that absolutely sucks in the snow, I wasn't pushing it. After all slow and steady wins the race, apparently.  So I stop at Kohl's on my way home because well, I'm already out in this weather might as well get some great savings on a pair of boots.  Total success at Kohl's, I got a pair of biker looking boots and a few shirts for like....$40 or so. So I leave Kohl's and of course the roads still aren't plowed, at this point I'm thinking they got lost or something...  So silly ol' me takes the fastest route home...the back roads.  Of course my car got stuck on a hill and 15 cars passed by as I sat there bawling like a big baby.   Finally 15 minutes went by and I'm still trying to get up this hill, definately not working.  All of a sudden I see a white pick up truck pull over, get out and walk up to me (keep in mind i'm still bawling like a baby). The guy asks if I mind if he tries to get my car up the hill, of course not, it's not like he's going to get anywhere if he tried to steal it. Then another guy gets out of his SUV from behind me and helps push.  Well these 2 fine gentlemen didn't have much luck with my car, but I give them kuddos for trying.  Luckily the one guy was going in my direction and offered me a ride home.  Yes, scary but I had my boyfriend on the phone the whole time and made it home safely.  It just makes me really happy to know there are people out there who are willing to help.

And so the wonderful "New Years resolution" began...losing weight and excercising.  So far I've lost 9 pounds, and my boyfriend....20.  What the heck?! This is not even fair!  And of course I've been sick with god knows what for the past week, even the dr. can't figure out whats wrong with me.  Guess I'll just have to wait it out, or sweat it out at the gym.  What's your New years resolution?


How's everyones weekend going?  This is actually my first weekend off in months!  And it was a 3 day weekend thanks to my dr. visit who made me stay home on Friday, can't complain!  Not to mention yesterday it was 60 degrees out, I actually got to turn the heat off and open the windows, in Janurary!  I actually just turned the heat on an hour or so ago, considering it's not going to be warm at all today, just rainy :(

I  have this plan now. After I get off this low calorie diet (i'm only allowed 1260 calories a day), which I thought would be hard but it's really not to bad, it's just getting my butt to the gym is the problem. Anyways, after this diet is over and I'm at my "goal weight" (130 lbs, rather than 159 lbs) I'm going to attempt to do a little something like "Julie and Julia", I mean it could potentially be fun, right?  First things first though, the oven needs fixed...still. Or we just need to invest in a new one, which would probably work out for the better.

Alrighty everyone, sorry I haven't been on here lately, you know how it is during the holidays! Absolutely crazy, I'm actually at the point where I'm writing posts from my phone, yeah crazy. I totally cannot wait for Christmas to be here just so I can see the expression on my boyfriends face when he opens his Bulova skeleton face watch :) He's been looking at that thing for months now, EVERY time we go into the jewelry store, so of course I broke down and bought it! What can I say I'm a sucker at Christmas time, I absolutely love buying gifts for people, and making gifts.  We've been putting goody baskets together for our neighbors, they included ghiradelli milk chocolate covered gummy bears, pretzels and Pringles, yes Pringles. Probably the most amazing thing you will have tasted in a while. We also made 12 qt. of apple pie, I think the neighbors enjoyed the fact that we added a nice alcoholic beverage with their baskets.  Off topic, topic. Duke our Great Dane officially weighs 53 lbs. my little puppy's getting so big, it's hard to believe he's only 4 months old!  Hope everyone has a great holiday if I'm not back on before then! Safe traveling everyone :)