Don't know (flap)jack

I don't run with music.

It's not so much a "I'm better than you, and I don't need it" thing. It's more of a safety thing as most of my runs are with the dog and the stroller, and I need to be aware of cars in the event their drivers aren't aware of me.

When people hear that I run "naked" so to speak, the question I most often get asked is: What do you think about? Things. I think about things. Sometimes it's the day ahead or how beautiful the day is (today was a gorgeous "warm" 28). I sometimes write my grocery list or, if I'm lucky, I completely zone out.

Today, though, my thoughts were not focused on any of those things. I had just one focus: Pancakes.

 Lots and lots of pancakes.

I normally like to eat a protein-rich breakfast because it holds me best. However, Mark will be out tonight and I'm going to take advantage, eating a dinner he won't - breakfast. Seeing as I didn't want eggs twice in a day, pancakes seemed an appropriate way to end a 4-mile run.

I thought I would make my favorite, banana pancakes. Heck, I could go crazy and add some chocolate chips to the recipe ... until I discovered that Mark ate the last one. Jerk.

So I made the next best thing*: Oatmeal Applesauce Pancake for One.

*Note: This excludes any pancake with pecans because those are on a whole other level of awesomeness.

Source - I don't have a photo of my actual pancake because ... well, let's just say it was a little crispy.

Oatmeal Applesauce Pancake for One

1 egg white
1/4 cup no-sugar added applesauce
2 tablespoons skim milk
Scant 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
1 pouch instant plain oatmeal
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 packet Truvia
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a bowl, beat egg white until foamy. Whisk in applesauce, milk and extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Gently add dry ingredients to wet, mixing until just combined. Spoon batter onto a hot skillet sprayed with non-stick spray or coated with canola oil. Cook like a pancake. Serve with toppings of choice - I had light I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and Sugar-Free Hungry Jack syrup.

If you don't like the texture of rolled oats, you could pulse them in a coffee grinder or food processor to achieve a finer, more palatable consistency. 

Nutrition (without toppings): 205 calories, 2 grams fat, 41 grams carbohydrates and 10 grams of protein.

Banana Muffins

I searched this blog for this recipe this morning (my banana bread recipe), and couldn't find it.  Kinda crazy!!  How did I go 4  years without posting it?  It's basically a recipe from one of my cookbooks that I healthified.

I generally healthify a dish by cutting the sugar to 1/3 to 1/2 of the original recipe, replacing some of the fat, and subbing whole wheat flour for some of the all purpose flour.

My kid complains about nuts, so I left them out.  Usually I make bread, but I was feeling like muffins today, and they bake in less than half the time.

Banana Muffins
1.5 c. all purpose flour: 0.31
1 c. whole wheat flour: 0.20
1 tsp baking soda: 0.05
1 tsp salt: 0.01
1 c chopped walnuts (optional).  Other options: chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut: 0.50
1/2 c. sugar: 0.09
3 T canola oil: 0.15
2 eggs: 0.63
3 mashed ripe bananas: 0.57
1/3 c. milk: 0.14
1 tsp vanilla: 0.15
1/4 c. organic natural applesauce (unsweetened): 0.37

Total: $3.17 for 20 muffins, or $0.16 per muffin.  Two for a nice breakfast, one for a snack, yummy!

I made one pan with a few chocolate and peanut butter chips, and the other pan with coconut and chopped macadamia nuts.

A brief week in pictures

The blog has been winding down lately, as I'm sure you've noticed.  There are a few reasons for this: work craziness (I now have four people working for me, and it's crunch time), husband traveling, and bronchitis.  Yay for me.  I find myself passing out between 8 and 8:30 in the evening (many times before my child), waking up at 1 am with insomnia for a couple of hours, and then awaking again at 4 or 5 in the morning.  Lovely.
So my energy level isn't that great, and the whole family is ready for the bronchitis to be over.  Here's a bit of what's been going on:

Last weekend a really great friend of ours came by for a visit.  He was in our wedding, and my hubby was his best man.  He's from Santa Fe, and he was on a business trip in San Francisco, so he swung by for a weekend.  His wife wasn't able to make it.  We had such a great time.  You know how you've got old friends (we've known him for...19 and 21 years I think) who, no matter how long you've been apart, you go back seamlessly into a great fun relationship?  Yeah, it's one of those.  He's a vegetarian, so we did a combo of cooking and eating out while he was here.
Friday night (I had the day off): homemade pizza
Saturday morning: eggs and toast
Saturday lunch: farmer's market, went wine tasting, ate sandwiches at a great deli
Sunday dinner: made black bean burritos and kale chips
Sunday breakfast: out (we love breakfast out).  Tried a new place.  It was "meh".
Sunday lunch: veggie burgers
Sunday dinner: skillet spaghetti and salad
Monday breakfast: scones.  See below...
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