Challenged Again

While I have managed to get the downed tree branches and twigs picked up off my lawn, I haven’t yet ordered any garden seeds. I’m sure the constant winds we’re getting will have me gathering more twigs and limbs before I have to think about mowing. But the grass is greening up nicely.

At the rate I’m going, it will be next month before I look at those seed catalogs again. I’ll probably end up getting all my seeds locally, as usual. I saw the seed display in one of the local grocery stores last week, so I’m sure the other usual haunts have them as well.

I’m back to doing the Whole Life Challenge. The second six-week stint started April 13. You may have already heard that here. The well-being practice for this first week is “no electronics for two out of three meals each day.” That means no checking your smart phone, no tablets, no computer, no tv. But you can have music playing in the background, whew. In the spirit of actually paying attention to what you’re feeding your body and who you’re with (Egads! Actual conversations face-to-face?), I’m foregoing reading my library books. I’m finding that somewhat harder than exercising at least 10 minutes each day. My family has always had books in front of our faces. Thankfully, Dennis, who isn’t doing the Challenge, is also avoiding having the tv on while we have lunch and supper. I usually breakfast alone, so I’ll still read then. As one of my Challenge leaders said, it isn’t called the Whole Life Easy.

Towards the end of the last challenge, I found this recipe for a quick bread that’s compliant. It isn’t bread in the conventional sense, but it is better than several other recipes I tried. Most of them have a texture more like a sponge cake. I think I can use this one for a sandwich when I don’t want my fillings layered on lettuce leafs. And it’s quick to fix, a big plus for this procrastinator. I do mix up the ingredients in the bowl using a fork before tapping, as the instructions said.

90-Second Bread

3 Tbl almond flour

1 Tbl oil (melted butter or coconut oil or avocado oil)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 large egg

Pinch of salt

Add all to a 4-4” microwave safe dish. Tap on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles. Microwave 90 seconds. (Can also bake in an oven safe container for 10 minutes at 375°.)

I did use my recipe for roasted broccoli (shared two weeks ago) using cauliflower instead of broccoli. It’s as good as I’d hoped it would be. That recipe is definitely a keeper.

I tried some oatmeal breakfast cupcakes that were supposed to take my mind off chocolate chip cookies. They didn’t. I’m sure they’re good, and I will use them for breakfast, but they’re no substitute for those cookies I love. Maybe I have to go without sugar longer before they’ll move up, in my estimation.

Just now I made the following recipe to use as breakfast, but I’m trying to ignore the name of it. I certainly am not setting myself up to expect Reese’s peanut butter cups when I have these. I’ll have to come up with an alternative name. They just came out of the oven, and I can taste the chocolate, but not so much the almond butter I used. I doubled the recipe (used one whole banana) and baked it in two dishes. Next time I’ll use three dishes, and forget about the broiling for three minutes. They got a little dark.

Peanut Butter Cup Baked Breakfast

1/2 C rolled oats

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 C mashed banana OR applesauce

2 Tbl milk of choice OR non-dairy creamer

Pinch of stevia OR 1 1/2 Tbl liquid sweetener

(If using stevia, add 2 Tbl milk)

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tbl cacao powder

1-2 Tbl nut butter of choice

Handful of carob chips

Heat oven to 380°. Combine all and mix well. Pour into a greased 1-cup ramekin or 2 half-cup ramekins or a small loaf pan. (You can put a spoonful of nut butter in the center.) Bake on the center rack for 20 minutes, then broil 3 minutes.

These freeze well.

I didn’t add any nut butter to the center, and forgot to add more milk when I used liquid stevia, so they’re a little dry. I’ll drink my coconut milk with them.

I’m also missing my chocolate treats, so I’m going to whip up a large batch of my chocolate covered nut/raisin/coconut/oats mess. That recipe really is good and satisfies my cravings between meals.