Few will dare to tread the path of roasting and carving their own pumpkin to reap the delicious rewards when Libby will do it for us. Whoever Libby is, millions of pie-makers around the country must thank her every November. I certainly do every time I whip up a batch of pumpkin muffins or a pumpkin pie. But just opening a whole can of pure pumpkin feels like a commitment. You’re going to have leftovers unless you’re making a pie or a Pumpkin Pouffle.
I hope everyone’s week is off to a smashing start! As for me, I’m getting in some early morning runs before the heat gets too high, and studying up a storm (in between my snacks). Honestly, I’m still reeling today because in yesterday’s lecture my world was rocked. I learned that in New York, there is no spousal privilege when testifying in a criminal case – meaning that Gossip Girl’s awesome series finale Chuck-and-Blair wedding would not actually have worked like it was supposed to… I was walking by Bethesda Fountain,where they filmed the scene, on my way home from a run listening to the lecture, and I was totally thrown!
I’ve mentioned now and again how, although I love dark chocolate, I’m not really a fan of chocolate flavored baked goods. The only way I really like them is if they taste like actual dark chocolate. Which usually means they’re crammed full of dark chocolate chips, which melt gooey and deliciously and would tempt even the most dedicated vanilla aficionado. That’s how I made my Cocoa Chocolate Chip Muffins and Decadent Dark Chocolate Cupcakes, and became the inspiration for this latest rendition of my baked oatmeal cakes. I used unsweetened cocoa powder and real 70% cacao dark chocolate chips to make this delectable dark chocolate treat, and although it tips the the dessert-for-breakfast scales dangerously… I won’t tell if you won’t! This gloriously gluten free double chocolate chip oatmeal cake is bursting with dark chocolate in every bite if you use a liberal tablespoon of dark chocolate chips, and is perfect for any morning you’re craving chocolate for brekkie. I hope you’ll enjoy it, and stay tuned for the next editions…Cookie Dough and Peaches n’ Cream are in the pipeline for June!
This Wednesday, June 3rd, is National Running Day. So I am kicking off this week with a linkup with some other fun runner bloggers to share our running stories through a Q&A!
1. Why do you run? I run for health and happiness. I started running because I wanted to get back in shape and have a physically active outlet for my energy after my childhood ballet and gymnastics days were over, but fell in love with it because of the way it contributed to my mental well-being and overall outlook on life.
2. How do you plan to celebrate National Running Day? I plan to celebrate by going for a long run in the sun (I hope!) and maybe stopping by some of the New York Road Runners events.
3. How many miles have you run so far this year? Just over 500 as of today! Averaging 100 miles/month, which works out to 20-25/week. March was a little less and May a little more but it all evens out in the end.
Happy Saturday, everybody! Hope you’re all getting out there to enjoy the glorious sunshine (well, if you’re in New York too, at least). This is shaping up to be a wonderful weekend. Not only is spring here, it feels like summer – 70 degrees in Central Park and I’m a happy camper!
There’s also some other exciting news, which you may know already if you’re reading this. I’ve officially made the move from WordPress.com to a self-hosted website. I’m ready to tackle the challenge of really making Renaissance Runner Girl my own space where I can share my recipes and running tips and general ramblings on life with all of you.
For new readers, I’d like to take this opportunity to say hello, and share a few of my favorite posts of the past several months for you to enjoy. I hope you’ll return and follow along with me on my new journey!
Banana-Maple-Oat Muffins (with peanut butter here!)
© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! I went for a run in the park yesterday morning and it was beautiful. I’m so excited spring has officially sprung. It’s always fun to see students ‘sunbathing’ on the Columbia campus…hard to believe in just about a month I’ll be graduating law school and leaving academia behind. Winter was so long, it makes the few weeks of spring while I’m still in school seem very short!
When I got home from my run, I was in the mood for an oatmeal cake for breakfast. I picked up a tub of ricotta cheese over the weekend to use in a polenta dish, and though I often use it in omelettes or pancakes, I’d never thought about other breakfast treats. All that changed when I went to whip up an oatmeal cake after my run yesterday morning, and instead of reaching for my usual Greek yogurt to spoon in, I went for the ricotta instead. I added some maple syrup to the mix, and this little ramekin of deliciousness became a Maple Ricotta Oatmeal Cake. It was roughly the same density as one of my other oatmeal cakes, but with a texture just a tad lighter and fluffier. I’m sure it would be great with lemon zest (which I didn’t happen to have on hand), like a lemon ricotta pancake – but with just the maple and cinnamon it was a delightfully dessert-y breakfast treat!
Ricotta and maple syrup and cinnamon, oh my!
One of the great things about the blogging community is the way in which it really is a community. When I started blogging in December, I was looking for a way to share my thoughts on running, recipes, and life in general with the world. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I also missed writing for fun about subjects I enjoy, and I realize now that’s a part of me I never want to give up again! On a related note, this past Saturday was my 20th day straight of blogging, unplanned by me but the creative juices had been flowing for the past few weeks. That probably won’t happen again, I’ll keep it to 4-5/week at the sweet spot for me. But part of the reason I kept writing was because people kept reading! Another thing I didn’t know was how all the bloggers out there (and there are many, many more than I ever imagined) who found their way to my little corner of the web would be so supportive of my blog, and would themselves have such creative content that I’d become a daily reader of theirs. There was so much to learn over the past few months, and every day is another surprise. Like last Friday, when I was nominated for a Liebster Award by Peppermint Girl. I’d never heard of it, but I think it’s a great way to encourage connections between bloggers. So, without further ado, on to her questions for me…
What inspires you the most in life?
What time of day do you write the best content for your blog?
Welcome to this week’s What I Ate Wednesday, hosted by Jenn at Peas and Crayons. This post features Monday’s eats. I think my PB&J cravings and insatiable appetite that day were the result of doing my first long run on Sunday since the NYC Half (I jogged to the start of the 10k, making it 8 miles and change). I’m always extra-hungry for a few days after one of those. In fact, after this morning’s November Project PR Day, I’m not sure my tummy is going to STOP growling! The sunrise was a beautiful way to usher in April…but now I need to make some breakfast to start my monthly eats off right. So without further ado…
Breakfast: I was really craving PB&J Monday morning. Before my run, I had a salted rice cake with a smear of Peanut Butter & Co Smooth Operator and some blueberry jam, topped with fresh blueberries. I did 5 miles in the sunshine in the park, just a nice and easy pace, and felt fabulous. Both my food and fitness for the wee hours seemed to be exactly what I needed. Then, when I got home, I mixed up a PB&J Oatmeal Cake and put it in the oven to bake while I showered and readied myself for the day. My stomach was already rumbling, so I had a peach Greek yogurt to tide me over. The oven timer couldn’t chime a moment too soon! I enjoyed my oatmeal cake with some more fresh blueberries and a crisp Pink Lady apple, and a mug of Green Mountain Wild Blueberry coffee. Scrump-diddly-umptious!
Lunch: An assortment of snacks to get me through a long afternoon of class and internship. As regular readers know, I tend to eat a lot of little things strung together during the day, bookended by a big breakfast and dinner, because I’m often on the go and dislike feeling weighed down (as I snack, my backpack gets lighter!) OR hungry (because for me, hungry = hangry). This day featured a salad of greens, cabbage, and carrots, with smoked sockeye salmon and feta cheese, topped with Annie’s honey mustard vinaigrette as my ‘lunch’ entree. I ate this with a side of baby carrots around 12:30. I ate the muffin around 2pm before leaving school for Lincoln Center, and had the apple and pretzels around 4pm while at my internship. Then I had a pre-dinner snack when I got home around 6pm and had to wait a bit for dinner as I was going out to eat with a friend. To tide me over for the hour, I had the yogurt – banana cream, with some kettle corn and blueberries crumbled in.
This rainy start to spring has put a damper on my mood recently (bad pun, no apologies) and I’ve been wishing and hoping that the sun will break through and May flowers will bloom even when it’s supposed to be April showers. After all, March went out like a lion instead of a lamb, the weather should mix it up a little! To get in the spirit of spring, I’ve been making meals with lots of spring fruits and veggies like asparagus, artichokes, baby lettuces and berries. Since I already have classically autumn apple cinnamon and pumpkin spice oatmeal cakes, I came up with a lovely Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal Cake for this season. It’s a little cakier than my other oatmeal cakes, and worthy of the muffin name for that reason. Go ahead, whip one up and take a bite bursting with berries!
Ingredients:
Essential ingredients
1/2 cup gluten-free quick-cooking oats (using these instead of rolled oats results in more of a muffin-y texture – I went with Chex Gluten Free quick-cooking oats)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp Greek yogurt – plain, vanilla or blueberry
1 egg white (substitute applesauce if desired)
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar
Pinch salt
For topping: 2 tsp each of Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and blueberry jam or preserves
For ramekin: 1 tsp butter (can substitute olive oil or cooking spray)
This rainy start to spring has put a damper on my mood recently (bad pun, no apologies) and I’ve been wishing and hoping that the sun will break through and May flowers will bloom even when it’s supposed to be April showers. After all, March went out like a lion instead of a lamb, the weather should mix it up a little! To get in the spirit of spring, I’ve been making meals with lots of spring fruits and veggies like asparagus, artichokes, baby lettuces and berries.
renaissancerunnergirl 