Whole Wheat Oat Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar

Hola todos! Como están ustedes? Estoy muy bien. Gracias!

Yo horneé galletas el lunes pasado. Tenía una ganas para comerlas! Me gusta comer postres. Es muy mal para la salud pero los postres son muy delicioso.

Translation: Hi everyone. How are you guys. I'm very good. Thanks!

I baked cookies the past Monday. I felt like eating them. I love eating desserts. It is bad for the health but desserts are so delicious!
I wanted to bake something that was more on the healthier side so that I wouldn't feel bad eating them. I came across a recipe from eatgood4life.com and it looked very simple to make. I just had to make them. Well, I didn't have to but I wanted a healthier dessert. It ended up being really good. My mom likes it too.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups oats
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dark chocolate chips (as much as you want) 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil or parchment paper. 
3. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla extract 
4. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Mix until a dough forms. 
5. Place the dough in the pan and push the dough into the pan, so that it covers most of the pan. 
6. You can add extra chocolate chips on top if you want. 
7. Bake for 25- 30 minutes.
8. Take the bars out and let them cool completely. 
9. Cut them into bars and enjoy! 

Warning: These bars do crumble a little. However, they are delicious! I just had to make these just so that I wouldn't feel too guilty about eating sweets. 

Do you like cookie bars?

What baked goods do you "healthify"? 

Applesauce Muffins

Imagine yourself waking up on a Saturday morning to the smell of freshly baked muffins. You suddenly bolt up and dash to the kitchen to get your hands on these muffins. 

What makes these muffins even better is that they're made with whole wheat flour. There's more fiber and nutrients in these muffins. And, you know what? They taste great too! My group baked these muffins in our culinary class the other day and I just have to share it with you guys. Here it is. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/3 cup  + 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup oil 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• dark chocolate chips or craisins (optional) 

And for the topping:

• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients and set aside.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients.
3.  In a small bowl, combine the liquid ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients
4. Spoon batter into muffin cups (about 2/3 full). Sprinkle top of each muffin with topping mix.
5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.
6. Remove pan from oven; carefully remove muffins from muffin cups immediately; cool muffins on a rack.

I hope you guys enjoy these muffins!

What's your favorite breakfast food?

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Hey hey everyone. I've been busy all week with classes. I'm sorry I didn't post this recipe earlier in the week. But, I finally have it up (I'll talk about my first week back in the next post)!
These whole wheat peanut butter banana muffins are delicious! They are really simple to make. These only make about 7-8 muffins. I made half the recipe since I only had one banana. But, hey. Making some is better than having none. Here's the recipe.
Remember that you guys can eat these as a snack or part of breakfast!




Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar (or less, if you want them to have less sugar)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. In a bowl, mix together the milk, sugar, banana, and peanut butter. 
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour and the baking powder. 
4. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix as you pour the flour in. 
5. Pour the batter into the muffin pans, 
6. Bake for 20-23 minutes. 
7. Take it out, let it cool and enjoy!

I would have added chocolate chips (dark chocolate chips, that is!) but I didn't have any. So, next time, I will add it. 

I hope you guys enjoy these muffins!

Do you like muffins?

Who here LOVES school?

Brown Rice Broccoli Tofu Mesh

Hey hey everyone. I hope your weekend is going good. It's Labor Day weekend!
So, here's the recipe I promised from earlier this week. I know, I'm sorry for making you guys wait 6 days for this.
Anyway, it's simple to make. The only thing is that I never really measure anything when I cook. I know what ingredients I use and the approximate amounts. Usually in Asian cooking, we just use our eyes and see if we have enough of one ingredient or another.
Here's a loose recipe you can follow. Enjoy.



Ingredients:

• brown rice 
• tofu (I used one container of tofu)
• broccoli
• carrots and peas (I used the frozen ones)
• Annie's Lite Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Cook the brown rice. I usually cook 1-2 cups dry brown rice. 
2. Cut the tofu into cubes. Pour the dressing over the tofu and let it sit and marinate. 
3. Boil the broccoli in water. You can also roast the broccoli instead of you like roasted vegetables.
4. Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray. I use the olive oil kind. 
5. Add in the tofu (and all of the sauce). 
6. Cook and brown the tofu. Then, add the carrots and peas. 
7. Mix in the broccoli. And then add the rice. Stir and make sure all of the fillings are evenly distributed. 
8. Serve and enjoy! 

I hope you guys enjoy this meal. If you want a more asianified meal, use tamari or soy sauce instead of the vinaigrette. 

How do you eat brown rice?

Do you have any plans for the weekend?

P.S. There is a whole wheat peanut butter banana muffin recipe that I will post later on. It's delicious! Be on the lookout for it. =)

Running + PB2 Alfajores

Hey hey everyone! How are you guys doing on this fine day?

Anyway, I'm here to talk about a few things. For one thing, I'm addicted to animal crackers right now. We bought the organic Disney animal crackers from Costco last week and they are so good!

So, what I'm here to REALLY talk about is running. More specifically, training to run a half-marathon or a marathon.

I have one question. Have any of you guys experienced weight gain while training for half-marathon or a marathon? Do you guys wonder why?

Personally, I thought that I'd lose weight with all that running but it's not the case (not for everyone, at least). Gaining weight can be easy, especially with all that running. Here's why.

• You are eating more than you should. We tend to eat more due to the increased level of activity. However, it doesn't mean that we are necessarily burning all of those calories we are eating. 
• Increased muscle mass is another reason. You gain more leg/thigh muscle from running. It's just part of it. 
• Our body is holding more carbohydrates to increase our glycogen supply for our runs. Water is also retained due to the increase in carbohydrates!

Well, I hope that clears up some things. And now, here's the recipe. I got this recipe from Erica House. I love her blog! Here's the recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal 
• 2 tablespoons PB2
• 1 packet stevia
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
•  1/8 tsp baking powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons water

You can make sandwiches with dulce de leche. It'll be called alfajores!

 Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Drop spoonfuls onto a baking pan. 
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes. 
5. Take them out, let it cool and enjoy! You can make sandwiches with these by using dulce de leche. 

Do you like alfajores?

Have you ever trained for a running event?

Half-Marathon Training Update + My Week

Happy Saturday everyone! There's one more week until my first fall semester class starts. I can't believe it. I shall have as much fun as I can this last week.

I really hope it doesn't get in the way of my half-marathon training. I always run first thing in the morning. That is when the weather is nice and the sun isn't directly in my face. Also, I know that there won't be any excuses to not train, if I do it first thing. There is always time (to train and to exercise!). You just have to figure out how to fit it into your schedule. Whether it means waking up earlier or skipping your favorite TV show, just get your training/exercise in.

I love running. It's a way for me to clear my mind for a bit and to relieve stress. I also like pushing myself to train for a half-marathon. I see it as a goal to accomplish. It's very possible! Since I've already ran 10 miles, I think I can get up to 13.1 miles! I also like running because of its health benefits (mentally and physiologically speaking). I've been averaging 30 miles a week. Yes, running makes me more hungry but as long as I fuel my body the right way, it'll work out in the end. There is one topic I'd like to touch upon about half-marathon/marathon training but that will be in a different post. Stay tuned!

I plan on running 11 miles tomorrow. Wish me luck. Last week, when I tried running 11 miles, I ended up having some stomach issues during the last few miles. Sorry if it's too much information! I ate a snack an hour before my run and I guess it upset my stomach. I talked to a friend that has ran half-marathons and marathons. He said that the eating probably caused the stomach issues (and I agree!). He said that since I run in the morning, it's better to load up on carbs for dinner the night before. He suggested that I eat pasta (I'll stick to whole wheat pasta). Then, just drink water and then run the next morning. I can eat something after I run. I plan on trying that. I'll see how that goes.

And, now, my week!

Do you guys remember when you were children and played at the playground? Well, that's exactly what I did on Wednesday. I played at the playground with a VERY good friend of mine. We went down the slide, ran around, tried going across the monkey bars and went on the swings. I love the swings!

We also ate at Chipotle for lunch.

I ordered the Sofrita Bowl. It came with brown rice, sofrita, black beans and salsa. It was so good! The sofrita had the right kind of spiciness to it. I love tofu, which is the reason why I loved this meal. I can't believe that Chipotle is now trying to cater to vegans. That's awesome! My friend liked it too and he LOVES meat.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now.
Stay tuned for the recipe for this!

Do you like playing at the playground (or remember those days)?
Have you tried the sofrita from Chipotle? Do you like tofu?
Take a guess at what is pictured!

Whole Wheat Corn Bread (Vegan!)

Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday to you guys. I hope yesterdays tip helped you guys with exercise.
Anyway, school starts back up in a few weeks and I can't wait! You would think one will dread going back to school. Well, I want to go back! I want to keep learning. But, having a break is good once in a while.
So, what is today's recipe today? You can already tell from the title of this post. It's Whole Wheat Corn Bread. It's been such a long time since I've eaten corn bread, and I have to say, it's one of my favorite breads.
I remember when I was in elementary school, the 4th grade took a class trip to Coloma. We learned about the Gold Mining days and everything. It was so much fun. One activity we did was making cornbread on an outside skillet. I don't know what it's called but it was before ovens were invented. We had to make a fire to make this. The cornbread was so good! It's unfortunate that I don't remember the recipe. All I remember is that I helped cracked the eggs and that the corn bread was delicious.

Anyway, I decided to make corn bread and it brought back some of those memories. I can't believe I can remember things from that long ago. Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup yellow corn meal
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Sift together all the dry ingredients.
3. Mix in the wet ingredients. 
4. Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. 
5. Test with a toothpick to make sure it is all the way cooked. 
6. Let it cool and cut into 15 pieces. It will be about 100 calories a piece. 
7. Enjoy!

I guess that's it for now. I hope you guys enjoy this cornbread. By the way, I tried making dulce de leche in the microwave and it didn't turn out so well. The condensed milk decided to boil over, so, some of that got wasted. Other than that, the rest that actually stayed in the bowl turned into dulce de leche. It's yummy.

Do you guys like corn bread?
What are some of your favorite childhood memories?

Super Easy Pizza + My Week

Happy Sunday everyone. How are you guys doing today? I'm fine, thank you very much. I started off my morning with 11 miles and then I ate breakfast. The 11 miles didn't go as I wanted it to go but I still completed it. That's all that matters. Last Sunday, I ran 10 miles in 1 hr 35 minutes.

Anyway, before I go blabbering about my week, here's this super easy pizza recipe. It's not even a recipe, since it's something you can throw together pretty quickly. You can use any type of bread/grain base you want. I used whole wheat sandwich thins but you can use a tortilla or pita bread instead.

Here's the "recipe".

Ingredients:

• sandwhich thins, tortilla or whatever grain source you want to use
• 2 tablespoon hummus (or pizza sauce)
• 1/3-2/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (depending if you like a lot or a little cheese)
• whatever toppings you want (I like mines plain or with veggies and pre-cooked chicken)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
2. Spread the hummus or pizza sauce on the bread. 
3. Add the cheese and spread it evenly. 
4. Then, add the toppings. 
5. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes. 
6. Take it out and enjoy! 

And, now. my week! 

For one thing, I went shopping. I went shopping last Sunday and yesterday (I normally don't go clothes shopping much, but we drove a long distance to a place near the mall for an event and we might as well go the the mall after, since we drove that far already). I only bought one top last Sunday. I also ended up buying this M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie from a bakery attached to Macy's. 

It was pretty good and crunchy. I normally don't like crunchy cookie, so I was surprised I liked these. By the way, if you want to make your own M&M cookies, click here for my recipe. 

Anyway, my shopping trip yesterday went pretty well. I bought 2 shorts that were on sale. They were about $5 each. I also bought 2 tank tops that were the same price and I also bought a nice blazer. Shorts costs so much these days and I was surprised to find some for $5, at JcPenny! 

I went to the Bay area on Monday to visit family and to go to my internship. My grandparents flew back to Canada a couple days ago after staying with my cousins in the Bay area. It was nice spending time with them. 

During the week, I decided I wanted to eat a salad for lunch. I decided to buy this Cranberry Apple Walnut Grilled Chicken salad from Carls Jr. I ditched the dressing that came with it and used my own dressing. I have to admit, the salad was pretty good and filling. The salad was pretty big! The price, on the other hand, wasn't that pretty. It always seems like the government is trying to promote healthy eating but the prices make it difficult for some people to afford it. Then again, people can always make their own salads at home for much cheaper. Even then, some prices at grocery stores are crazy high. Anyway, I may vent about that in another post. 

Work/interning on Friday was busy! I stayed on my feet most of the day but things needed to be done. I managed to sip some organic free trade coffee and grab a bite of a Whole Wheat Blueberry Scone here and there. I bought the scone and coffee from Fluid right before going to work. I thought I'd have time to eat at my desk but I guess not. It was a pretty good, busy and productive day though! And, the scone was delicious. I should try making it. 

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. 

Do you like scones? 

What's your favorite salad dressing?

More importantly, how is your weekend going? 

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies (gluten free and flourless)

You must try these cookies. Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies, that is. I made them and they taste so good!

What I really like about these cookies (besides it being delicious!) is that it uses simple ingredients. You won't believe it. Almond butter, eggs, honey, dark chocolate (if you want to add it) and baking powder. The baking powder part is not necessary, but I like how it makes the cookies expand more. 

I was really surprised that they solidified after baking. They have no flour in them. But they turned out pretty good. You can't tell it's flourless and the texture is very similar to a regular cookie. They are chewy. 

I guess I should give you guys the recipe now. Here it is. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond butter (I used the freshly ground one from the store)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• chopped pieces of dark chocolate (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl (except the chocolate) until it's smooth and creamy. 
3. Fold in the chocolate. 
4. Drop tablespoon size balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. This made 12 cookies. 
5. Take out, let them cool and enjoy! 

I hope you guys enjoy these cookies.

In non-food related news, I still have a bruise from getting my blood drawn on Wednesday. It's always so hard to find the vein. They sometimes have to poke me a few times until they find one. I could go into more detail on that but I'll save you guys from the details.

Adios!

Have you made flourless cookies before?
What's your experience getting your blood drawn?

Banana Oatless Oatmeal (Paleo!)

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys doing today? I'm doing fine, thank you very much. My summer classes are over now and summer has finally started for me.
School doesn't start until late next month so, I have time to relax, hang out, and do whatever I want to do. Singing, blogging, hanging out with friends, training for my half-marathon.  By the way, I ran 8 miles yesterday. I'm so proud of myself for running that far (without stopping). It was at a little slower pace than the 7 mile run but I have time to improve.
Anyway, I decided to make oatless oatmeal. I've been hearing about this from other bloggers and I've finally decided to make it. It's suppose to be a paleo version of regular oats. I have to say, this oatless oatmeal tastes really interesting. It's not in a bad way, but the texture is a bit different.
I guess it's because egg whites are used in this.This basically only has 3 ingredients altogether. It's simple and nutritious. I topped it off with some almond butter I bought the other day. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1 banana, mashed
• almond butter (or whatever you want to top it off with)

Directions:

1. Mix together the egg whites and bananas together in a pot or sauce pan. 
2. Place over medium heat and gradually stir until the eggs are cooked. 
3. Pour it into a bowl and top it off with some almond butter (or whatever you want to eat it with). Enjoy! 

It's that simple. I hope you guys enjoy it. It's a great post-run meal, I think. You can call this an egg scramble, if you want. 

Have you tried oatless oats before?

What's your favorite go-to breakfast?

Whole Wheat Flax seed Bread

Hey hey everyone. Happy Memorial Day. It's a day to honor those that served our country. I hope you guys are having a great Memorial Day Weekend.
So, I made Whole Wheat Flax seed Bread during the weekend and I thought that it'd be best to share the recipe with you guys. It tastes really good, especially with peanut butter or nutella. I know, it looks kind of small but it tastes great! It takes a while to make though, as bread always takes a while to make. At least it's faster than making the Chinese buns I usually bake. This is also a lot healthier. So, here's the recipe and I hope you guys enjoy it. It takes a total about 4 hours from start to finish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• about 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup whole flax seeds
• 1 tsp salt (optional) 
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup warm milk 
• 1/2 cup honey (I used raw honey) 
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the water, milk and honey. Then, add in the yeast. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes to let the yeast begin its work. 
2. While waiting, mix together the flour, flax seeds and salt. 
3. Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture. 
4. Then, pour the flour mixture into the yeast mixture. 
5. Knead it until a dough forms. If it's too sticky, add more flour. 
6. Put the dough in a bowl and cover it. Let the dough rise for an hour or until it doubles in size. 
7. After an hour, punch the dough down and put it into a loaf pan. Let it rise for another hour or so until it doubles in size. 
8. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
9. Bake it at 375 F for 15 minutes and then lower it to 325 F. Bake the bread for another 20 minutes. 
10. Take it out, let it cool and then enjoy! 

This weekend was a busy one. We still did a lot of things, even though my mom isn't feeling that well. I hope she gets better soon. 

So, I went to my cousins graduation. He graduated from Sac State. Congrats, primo! I'm so proud of him.  He helped me so much through my first year of college. Thank you so much, primo. You're the best! I can't believe it went by so quickly! I'll write about my thoughts of the first year of college in another post. 

Then, yesterday was another cousin's birthday party. So fun. I also organized some of my shoes yesterday and guess what. I have like 22 pairs of shoes collected from over the past 6 years. I don't even like shoe shopping. 

I also bought dumb bells since I won't be able to use the school gym until the fall semester. I don't want to lose the muscle I gained. I didn't buy the heavy ones I wanted but what I have will do. 

Last week, I bought some food from Big Lots. I bought the Brown Rice with Red Beans Roasted Red Pepper Triscuit, Kashi Simply Maize cereal, and a nutella knockoff called Cocoa Hazelnut Spread. There's also a single serving Kashi cereal too. I can't wait to try the Triscuits.

 I also bought the Jamba Juice  thai-style chicken & sweet chili protein wrap. It was so small but hey, it was only 250 calories. It tasted pretty good though.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. Have a great Memorial Day!

What's your favorite type of bread?

Do you like shoe shopping? I don't but I ended having a lot of shoes.

Have you tried making home-made bread?

Healthy Groceries at Dollar Tree?

Hey everyone. What's up?

I'm here to talk about shopping healthy on a budget. As you know, some healthy grocery items people buy are more expensive than others. Well, I'm here to tell you about one store that has offered some healthy options. And, you guessed right. It's Dollar Tree. Here's a few things I bought or saw at the store:

They have brown rice, whole flaxseeds and sweet potato chips. I can't believe it. Of course, you would expect them to have oatmeal, right? Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that eating healthy doesn't mean having a skinnier wallet. Just look for the deals and keep it as simple as possible.

On the other hand, my siblings bought unhealthy stuff at Dollar Tree. This is NOT what you want to buy.

They bought chips and cookies. Please limit these kids of foods.

Anyway,

I guess that's it for now!

Do you have any tips for shopping healthy on a budget?

Are you surprised that Dollar Tree is now selling some healthier foods now?

Protein Chocolate Cake

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys doing today? I can be better. I'll talk more about it later. But, for right now, it's protein chocolate cake time. Who doesn't love chocolate cake?

What I love about this cake is that it's healthier than other chocolate cakes. You also get protein from it too. You won't regret making it.

 So, here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup protein powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp coffee granules (instant coffee)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup agave
• 1 banana, mashed

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. Sift together the protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder and coffee granules. 
3. In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. 
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix.
5. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. 
6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. 
7. Let it cool and enjoy. 

I hope you guys like this cake recipe. It's healthy and delicious! The texture is a little bit different but the taste is great! 

Anyway, I have two more finals tomorrow. It's my bio final and my family and social issues class final. Wish me luck! This week has been crazy! I'll talk more about it later. 

Do you guys like chocolate cake?

Do you like taking exams?

They're so stressful because of all the studying I have to do!

Secretly Healthy Mocha Vegan Brownies

I know. I know. I've posted a lot of vegan brownie recipes already.

The first one I posted was this one (click on the word) and my 2nd one was this one , which I personally like better than the first. Everyone that has made the 2nd one loves it! It also helps that it's fat free and mostly all healthy ingredients are used (except for the sugar).

Well, this one is a bit different. As you know, I baked cookies with avocados the other day. That inspired me to bake some brownies with avocados. I know. I'm getting obsessed with baking with avocados. Hey, avocados have healthy fats in them! It's better than using butter. Anyway, I plan on baking a cake or cupcakes with them. No one notices that avocados were used to make these baked goods! Trust me on that. I baked the brownies just last night and there's only one piece left, I think. Wait, there's no more.  My father ate a lot of them (yes, I'm also guilty of eating one too many, or two).

Anyway, I guess you guys really want the recipe now. Well, here you go.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup mashed avocado (about 1/2 of an avocado)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. Cream together the avocado, oil and sugar. 
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. 
4. Pour into a greased pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
5. Let it cool and enjoy. 

I do warn you though, the bottom can get a bit sticky. These are more like fudgey brownies! You can bake them a little longer as long as they don't burn. Use the toothpick test.

I hope you guys enjoy these brownies. It's good to experiment once in a while with baking. You never know how the product will turn out. In this case, it turned out good!

I also had a fun day today but I'll talk more about that the next post. I watched a very educational movie. I'll leave it at that.

Do you like brownies?
Do you like watching educational shows or programs?

School Lunches: Are they Healthier?

Look at this Elementary School Breakfast and Lunch Menu:

Compare it to the High School lunch menu:

 

These are the lunch menus for the school district that I live in. They are available online.

What I am here to write about today is the difference between the meals the schools have served in the past and the meals they serve now. Before I get into the differences between the past and the present, I would like to point out that the high school menu has more variety than the elementary school menu. I personally don't know why this is the case but here are a few points that you should consider when thinking why the menus are different between elementary school and high school:

• First and foremost, teenagers and children develop differently. 
• Teenagers and children have more nutritional needs. Technically speaking, teenagers need to consume more calories for their rate of activity and growth. 
• Variety is good.  

Image from foodhappy.ca

As you know, Michelle Obama promotes the fight against obesity. She created the Let's Move campaign. She wants children to get moving but she also wants school's to provide nutritious food to children as they are in school. And, it seems that her campaign is working. 

What I notice from the lunches from when I was in Elementary school to current lunches, the changes are there, being made in the process. 

• There are now salad options in the Elementary menu.
• They have switched to using whole grain breads. 
• They are now using brown rice in place of white rice. 
• The meals are more balanced.
• There's a switch from full fat milk to 1% to nonfat milk. 
• There are now fresh fruit options instead of canned fruits.
• It caters to vegetarians now.
• There are now two choices for lunches instead of one. 

Yes, I know that they are still using frozen foods. We don't know what "whole grain" really means unless we see what type of breads they actually purchase. However, it is a step in the right direction. 

Now, let's compare the high school menu from when I was in high school to now (only a one year difference).

• There is now an outdoor grill instead of heating up frozen patties in the oven. 
• They cut the portion of the spicy chicken wrap in half. 
• A couple years ago, there used to be a buttermilk bar , which was all covered in sugar frosting. Now, they took that off. 
• Lower fat milks are now offered. 
• The lunch cost has increased. 
• There is now the use of brown rice instead of white rice. 
• There is now a REAL fresh salad bar. 

Other than that, the high schools are pretty much serving the same food I've eaten since I was in high school. However, once again, it's the step in the right direction. 

Really, I advocate for schools to serve nutritious meals to its students. It's good for the mind and the body. Nutrition is important because children are growing and developing. They also need the energy to get through school and learn what they need to learn. 

Schools now how have to meed new federal guidelines for school meals, which can be found on the USDA website. 

Schools are doing a good job on implementing these guidelines. Hopefully, we will see more healthy options at schools. 

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys today?
I'm sorry about my previous post if it had any negative feelings or anything. I just felt like I had to say that. The number on the scale is not important. As long as you are healthy and living a healthy lifestyle, you should be happy with yourself.
Anyway, this week has been really busy. I'll talk about it later in the post. For right now, I'm going to give you guys my chicken salad sandwich recipe. It is actually a Southern inspired recipe. I hope you guys enjoy it!


Ingredients:

• 12.5 oz can chicken breast, drained
• 1/3 cup chow chow (a Southern picked relish dish)
• 2 tablespoon mayo
• slices of bread 

Directions:

1. Mix the chicken, chow chow, and mayo together. 
2. Spread the mixture onto one slice of bread. 
3. Place another slice of bread on top of the mixture. Enjoy! 

I know, this may seem like such a simple recipe. However, it's delicious! You can use store bought chow chow or homemade ones. 

Now, let's talk about my week. 

Monday was relatively a slow day. Nothing really happened that day. Tuesday was the same thing. All I did those two days were attend class and do homework. However, at the gym, FOX40 was there. They wanted to talk about the calories to kilowatts thing at the gym. I'm in the background of that recording! Score. haha. I got to be on TV.

Wednesday, I showed my cousins around campus. It was pretty fun. I didn't really do much that day though.

Thursday was pretty fun and busy. Talking to professors, doing homework, going to class, working out, you get what I mean. It was my night class day and my group finally got something together for our debate. I also finally got some Panda Express. They added a brown rice option and I just had to try it. I got the brown rice, honey walnut shrimp and the mushroom chicken. It was yummy! I love honey walnut shrimp.

Also on Thursday, there was a Farmer's Market in front of my school's bookstore. I bought two freshly made granola bars from a local bakery. They were so good! Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and Harvest Granola Bars. The chocolate chip one also had coconut in it. The harvest one had some raisins. It didn't have chocolate chips though. It was more like a cake than a granola bar. Still yummy! I so wanted to buy the strawberries but I didn't want to carry them around school all day and night (because of my night class).

Yesterday was a pretty chill day. I ran 6 miles! I rarely have the time to run 6 miles. It feels so good running! I walked a mile after. I also talked on the phone to a friend who's been so busy. It was nice.

Today was dentist day. Meaning, teeth cleaning. I guess everyone has to see their dentist at least once or twice a year, right? I would say so.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now!

Do you like going to the dentist?
Have you ever been on TV?