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5 X 3 CARDIO & BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

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Hey guys!

I’m feeling a ton better than I was yesterday. Guess I was just in funk. Thanks so much for all the support on yesterday’s post

Last night I got the chance to really catch up on some me-time, which felt really good. My husband was away for the night on a business trip, so I took the night to be selfish and catch up on me.

WORKOUT

I came home with the intention of running after work. I surprisingly had a lot of energy after work (3 cups of coffee will do that, eh?) but my apartment’s gym was very full and I couldn’t get on the treadmill. I was a little frustrated at first because, come on- if I am going to make the effort to workout after work when I least want to, I better be able to do it!

But instead of throwing a pity party for myself, I went back to my apartment and did my favorite cardio moves for a quick but heart-pounding cardio sesh.

These are my favorite cardio moves. I did one minute of each move without stopping, then rested for a minute. Repeat 3 times and be done! Easy.

BLUEBERRY CHIA SEED OAT MUFFINS

After that, I was feeling like getting my bake on. I’ve seriously been wanting to make like 20 different muffin recipes for the past few weeks but haven’t had time.

Blueberry muffins are my favorite though. I made my own variation of it last night, and I have to say it’s a total keeper!

I specifically wanted a recipe that would make less than 12 muffins because I knew we couldn’t eat them fast enough in my house between just my husband and I. This recipe only makes 8 – perfect for two muffin lovers!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • dash of salt
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1 cup or so of fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 tsp. chia seeds

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, baking powder and mix well.

3. Add flour and milk slowly. I started with 1/2 cup of milk and went from there. I found my batter to be rather thick, and added more milk. If your batter seems too thick, don’t be afraid to add more milk as the chia seeds will soak up a lot of moisture when baking.

Be sure to mix the batter well before adding the blueberries as you need to fold those carefully in.

4. Add oats and chia seeds, slowly folding in. Fold in blueberries.

5. Add batter to muffin tin lined with muffin cups. Muffin cups should be 3/4 of the way full.

6. Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy!

These muffins are particularly delicious heated up with some butter on top – but what muffin isn’t? I couldn’t stop myself at just one either. Hopefully there’s some left by the time my hubs gets home

I also gave myself a good manicure last night too. I just picked up this nice fallish/holiday color by Essie.

And now I’m a new woman! A workout, some baking, and a mani? Recipe for relief right there, eh?

Questions for You: 

  • What are your go-to “me time” activities?
  • Would you rather do an activity to relax or be more passive?
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LOW-FAT CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

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Happy Friday!

I dunno about you, but it has been a very long week for me. Work was crazy, I didn’t get enough rest, and it got pretty cold again yesterday which is getting kind of old.

Thankfully, I did some Sunday food prep over last weekend and had some easy go-to breakfasts already made. Anything that makes my morning easier these days is a winner in my book. Over the weekend, I didn’t make my usual bakery run that I’ve been sharing the past few weeks, but I still had the craving for a bakery-like treat.

Scones are one of my favorite things since childhood since my mom (hi mom!) always made the best currant English tea scones. I’d been meaning to try a recipe for chocolate chip scones for a while now. They are nothing like my mom’s, but still good for a quick breakfast or can double as a healthier dessert.

Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Scones | FreeingImperfections.com

Ingredients: 

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup white flour
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • couple dashes of cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips, mini or full size

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix all dry ingredients except chocolate chips together in a bowl or mixer. Fork in the butter or toss into dry ingredients in mixer. Mix until butter and dry mixture is crumbly together.

3. Add the wet ingredients: yogurt, egg, and vanilla. Then add the chocolate chips.

4. Flour a cutting board or flat surface. Place all the dough, which will be crumbly, on the cutting board and flatten. Roll the dough into a half in thick round. Cut the dough into triangles, like so.

Scones cut into triangles

5. Grease a baking sheet. Place triangles a few inches apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Do not overbake or they will become hard/crumble apart.

Enjoy!

And enough these scones are what I would consider mini, they are not too shabby in size.🙂

Although, just one scone is not quite enough for breakfast. Maybe two and some coffee, or my recent favorite that I shared on Instagram yesterday: ricotta cheese, strawberries, and almonds on the side. Verrrry tasty. My perfect “cafe at home” breakfast

Have a tasty weekend!

Questions for You:

  • Would anyone be interested in almond cranberry snack bars and/or easy zucchini, tomato & cheese pasta recipes? Let me know and I’ll share them soon! 
  • Favorite breakfast from the week?