Hummingbird Muffins

After taking a week off of muffin Tuesday, the tradition lived on this week and the chosen muffin was Hummingbird muffins!  I love making these because they have so many different flavors and are very different than the other varieties that I make.  The recipe is adapted from an annies-eats post for Hummingbird Coffee Cake (http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/05/10/hummingbird-coffee-cake/), and I only made a few changes.  I chose to adapt it from a coffee cake into muffins so that I could control how much I actually made since I have no use for an entire coffee cake in my apartment!

Since the original recipe said it makes 16 servings, I quartered it and made 4 muffins.  The only other changes that I made were to use unsweetened applesauce instead of butter to make it a bit healthier, non-fat greek yogurt instead of low fat, and I omitted the glaze and opted to put the chopped pecans in the muffins instead.  Since it is in muffin form and not a cake, the timing in the oven was more experimental because I knew it would not need the 50 minutes that the cake needed, and it ended up taking about 20 minutes.

This is really one of my favorite muffins that I make.  I love the combination of banana, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, fresh pineapple and cinnamon, and even though it may seem like a lot of ingredients, the flavors work great together.  The muffin actually has a sort of buttery taste to it, which is amazing because there is absolutely no butter in them.  This variety is a lot more unique than the classic banana, blueberry or chocolate chip, and it is even more delicious!  When making these, you can choose to follow the original recipe a bit closer and include butter and the glaze, but I honestly don't think that you need to because they are great this way and a lot healthier!

Clinton Street Baking Company

I have had a killer sweet tooth lately, and last night I got an overwhelming urge to have chocolate chip pancakes.  I even considered making a batch late last night, but seeing as it was 9:30pm I figured that was not the best option.  So, instead I spent the night thinking about chocolate chip pancakes and trying to figure out when I would be able to have them.  Since I finished my summer class last week, my Tuesdays and Thursdays are now free so I decided that I would take the plunge and have chocolate chip pancakes for lunch today.

When you want pancakes in the city, you must go to Clinton Street Baking Company.  I went there for the first time three years ago after reading about them incessantly online.  Since pancakes are my favorite food, I had made it my mission to find the best pancakes, and kept seeing Clinton Street's blueberry pancakes pop up.  I have never ordered blueberry pancakes because I don't like the tart flavor in my pancakes, so at first I was a little skeptical.  They also have banana walnut and chocolate chip offerings, so I decided that I would go and try out one of those options.  The first time that I went I chose to go for dinner because I had read about the crazy long waits, and the only pancakes offered at the time were blueberry.  Since I had traveled all the way to the lower east side, I put my doubts aside and try the blueberry.  They were so delicious and fluffy, that I chose to order the blueberry pancakes every time I went back, instead of my usual chocolate chip or banana.  I even went here for my birthday dinner just to have the pancakes.  While they are expensive for a stack of pancakes, they are SO worth it.  With the exception of Thomas' Diner that I previously posted about (I have hometown loyalty to them) these are the BEST pancakes I have ever had.

Anyway, to get back on point, I knew that a visit to Clinton Street was the perfect way to satisfy my chocolate chip pancake craving.  I even made sure to work out for an extra half hour this morning so that I could fully enjoy the pancakes without feeling the guilt.  When I arrived at 1130 (on a Tuesday morning) there was a 35 minute wait for one person!  While it is pretty small inside, it still goes to show you how good everything is here, because there are not many places that have that long of a wait on a weekday, and the location is pretty off the beaten path.

After waiting for about a half hour and dreaming of the pancakes, I finally got seated.  I looked at the menu simply to see what else they had for future reference, but there is no way I could ever come here and not get the pancakes.  I sat close to the kitchen, and I probably saw more than 10 stacks of blueberry pancakes leave the kitchen before I even ordered.  While it is clearly the most popular dish and what they are famous for, they also supposedly have great eggs, biscuits, and actual lunch/dinner foods like fried chicken, in case you are going with someone who is not a huge pancake lover.  I ordered pretty quickly, and after about 15 minutes my pancakes finally arrived.

Not only were there chocolate chips in the pancakes, but there was a huge pile of chocolate chunks on top of them!  You really can't get much better than that.  After I took my first bite, I was in pure bliss.  The pancake on its own is amazing, and the chocolate just makes it that much better.  All the pancakes here come with not maple syrup, but maple butter, which is basically a maple syrup/butter hybrid.  While it is very good, it is very rich so I never really use too much of it, especially since the pancakes themselves are pretty rich.  I would probably rather have maple syrup, but the maple butter is one of their signatures. 

The best part of the pancakes is the mountain of chocolate chunks in the middle that get all melty from the heat of the pancake. It is so delicious and sweet, and puts every other chocolate chip pancake to shame.  The chocolate chips were pretty concentrated in the center, so even though the outsides of the pancake were delicious, it was a bit disappointing that the chocolate wasn't more evenly distributed.  

Since they are so sweet and decadent, I was only able to get through about 1 1/2.  I, of course, was very strategic about it and ate the top pancake (the best one) and the center of the second most chocolatey one, leaving over the outsides and the third pancake.  I could not let the pancakes go to waste, so I took the rest to go.  I left feeling stuffed, yet happy that I satisfied my chocolate chip pancake craving. 

In NYC, if you want a great stack of pancakes, you really must come to Clinton Street.  There is a reason that they are on the top of every "Best of" list and have a 2 hour wait on the weekends.  The pancakes are the stars in my eyes and are the best I ever had, but they also have a ton of other delicious breakfast offerings to appeal to everyone.  They also sell baked goods that you can take home, like cakes, cookies, muffins and scones.  I have had the banana chocolate chip muffin in the past and it is delicious, but I of course could not get one today since I made basically the same thing for breakfast!  They also have "Pancake Month" in February where they feature a different specialty pancake every few days.  I didn't get a chance to go this year, but when I went two years ago they had coconut pancakes with passion fruit syrup.  Needless to say, they were heavenly.  

If my rave review of the pancakes isn't enough, just go on Yelp and read all of the reviews and look through the 1,000 pictures, and I'm sure you will be convinced to pay them a visit!

Petite Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Loaves

In my opinion, the best bread/muffin combination is banana and chocolate chip.  Banana bread is good on its own, but once you add chocolate chips it makes it that much better.  In January when I started my Muffin Tuesday tradition, I made a list of all the recipes I wanted to try, but the one staple missing was a healthy banana chocolate chip muffin recipe.  I had seen a recipe on Skinnytaste for Petite Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Loaves, but I did not have a mini loaf pan and for some reason it didn't seem like it would be as good to me if I adapted the recipe for muffins.  So, after a few months passed and my sister kept looking at the recipe, she finally decided to cave in and buy a mini loaf  pan.  Once the pan arrived in the mail, I immediately made the loaves. 

What is great about these is that they are bigger than muffins, but the same amount of points on weight watchers (5)!  I halved the recipe (though my sister wishes I would've made eight) and pretty much made no other changes.  The recipe (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/petite-chocolate-chip-banana-bread.html) has a lot of banana, flour, baking soda, salt, egg white, applesauce, vanilla, a little bit of butter, and chocolate chips.  I upped the amount of chocolate chips to 1 oz because it was the same amount of points when I put in the recipe to weight watchers, and who doesn't love more chocolate!  

When you put the batter into the pan, you can tell right away how big these are going to be!  They go into the oven at 325 degrees for 40 minutes, which is a bit torturous to wait for.  What makes it even harder is that the whole kitchen (and if you live in NYC, the whole apartment!) starts to smell like banana bread.  

These come out of the oven looking like perfect little banana bread loaves!  It looks even better than a muffin because you get your own personal loaf, and, lets be honest, who doesn't want their own banana bread!  These have such a strong banana flavor because that is the prominent ingredient, which is what I love.  The chocolate chips do not overwhelm the banana flavor because there are not many chocolate chips in the recipe, but you appreciate it more when you reach a chocolatey bite.

If you are a banana and/or chocolate lover, you should give this recipe a try.  You can play around with it and switch out the chocolate chips for nuts, or simply just make them as banana bread, though I do recommend keeping the chocolate chips.  They are really delicious and bigger than muffins, so they are more filling too!

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Like I have said previously, I am generally not a fan of muffins with fruit in them (unless it is banana) because when I want a muffin I am looking for something sweet, not tart.  With that being said, these blueberry oatmeal muffins are pretty darn good!  I mean, I probably would not end up making them if they weren't my sisters favorites, but I still think they are delicious.  Again, the recipe is from skinnytaste.com (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/03/insanely-good-blueberry-oatmeal-muffins.html), which is pretty much my go to blog for healthy recipes.

This recipe takes a little more time than my usual muffin recipes, but I wake up early enough that I don't mind waiting a bit longer for these.  First, you have to put the oats in a food processor and soak them in milk for a half hour.  I get pretty restless waiting for the 30 minutes to be up, but in the meantime I prep the other ingredients and preheat the oven.  Once the oats are soaked, it only takes about another 5 minutes to finish the mix and get them in the oven.  This is one of the only recipes that I don't need to substitute anything because it is already super healthy, and making any substitutes would probably taint the recipe.  Besides the oats, it has a very small amount of whole wheat flour to give them the muffin texture, and then it just has egg whites, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, a little bit of olive oil, applesauce, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and of course blueberries!  The muffin tins get filled pretty much to the top, but you don't have to worry about them spilling over because they don't really rise a lot in the oven.  Once the tins are filled, you just put them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 22 minutes, and then they are ready to eat!

I prefer this recipe way more than the Honey Coconut Blueberry Bran Muffins that I previously blogged about, because while those muffins tasted healthy, these still have the sweetness that I look for in a muffin.  The combination of the oats with the brown sugar reminds me of a nice bowl of oatmeal, and the blueberries do a good job of breaking up the sweetness.  This recipe put my distaste for fruity muffins to the test, and ultimately I do enjoy these.  It is a nice change from what I usually make, and they feel healthier than some of my other muffin recipes.  If you are someone that likes blueberry muffins, I would give this recipe a try.  It is a bit different from a traditional blueberry muffin because of the oats, but it is still very delicious!

Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins

I have been counting down the days until I got to make this muffin again, because it is one of my ultimate favorites.  I never used to be a huge Nutella lover, but now I really don't know why!  It is SO good and I could probably eat it on anything.  When I was looking at different muffin recipes on Pinterest a few months ago, I found this gem: Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins (http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2013/01/nutella-banana-swirl-muffins/).  I love banana and I love Nutella, so to me this seemed like a no brainer!

From the recipe, I only made a few slight changes.  Instead of using vegetable oil, I used unsweetened applesauce, I omitted the chopped pecans, and I used an egg white instead of an egg (since I had to quarter the recipe, it was too difficult to use a quarter of an egg, and it was much easier to measure out the equivalent in egg whites).

After I made these for the first time, I knew that they would be on the remake list.  While the top of the muffin with the Nutella swirl was the star, the banana muffin on the bottom was still delicious.  I waited for the banana to get very ripe before baking it, so the banana flavor really came through.  When they first come out of the oven, the Nutella has a crunchy shell around it but is so soft and melty on the inside.  If you have any leftover after the first day like I always do, the Nutella on top loses the crunchiness and becomes soft, but it is still extremely delicious.  You can choose to eat these any way that you like, but I recommend eating the bottom part of the muffin and then saving the top for last!  The combination of the Nutella with the banana is spot on, and it really raises the bar from the classic banana chocolate chip combination.

Trader Joe's Frozen Chocolate Croissants

I know it is probably getting annoying reading post after post about Trader Joe's, but when I went a few weeks ago I stocked up on stuff (if you live in NYC, you know how long the lines can get), so now I am finally getting around to trying everything!

One of the items that I had read about online and saw in store was the frozen chocolate croissants.  I heard that they were supposedly the best frozen item and tasted just like a fresh baked chocolate croissant.  Intrigued, I looked at a box when I was in Trader Joe's a few months ago but was instantly scared away after looking at the nutritional information.  It probably comes as no surprise that they are extremely high in fat, since croissants are basically half butter, but it is still a little shocking when looking at that nutritional information.

But, after reading multiple blog posts about them and after a few times of picking up the box and putting it back down, I finally decided to take the plunge and buy them.  They have been sitting in my freezer now for 3 or so weeks, so I decided that today was the day to make them.

It does involve a bit of planning, because you have to take them out of the box and let them proof (rise) for 9 hours, or overnight, before you even start to bake them.  Therefore, you have to know that you want to make them the day before you actually want to eat them.  To me, this is actually a good thing since they are pretty unhealthy and you can't just wake up and make them on a whim.

Anyway, I have been craving these croissants lately, especially with the cronut craze all over the news, so I decided that I would finally make one this morning.  When you take them out of the box, this is what they look like....

It looks a little strange at first, but I knew that they had to rise overnight and was very anxious to see what they would look like when I woke up.  Upon waking up this morning, the first thing I did was go into the kitchen and see what it looked like. 

I was shocked at how much it grew overnight!  Even though it said on the box that it would grow a lot, I was a bit skeptical after seeing what they looked like when I took them out of the box.  Now that it had risen overnight, I still had to preheat the oven and bake them for 20 minutes.  You can choose to brush an egg over the top to give it a more shiny finish, but since I was only making one I chose not to waste a whole egg.  The hardest part of the whole process was waiting for it while it was in the oven, because the smell permeated my entire apartment!  I felt like I was sitting in a bakery in Paris waiting for a fresh baked croissant, and I was just hoping that the taste was able to stand up to the amazing smell.  

I actually want to take back my earlier statement and say that the hardest part was waiting 10 minutes AFTER taking them out of the oven.  It says on the box to wait 10 minutes after you take them out before eating them, and normally I would disregard the directions but I decided that I had already invested a lot of time in it and I may as well just wait 10 more minutes. 

So, I sat there staring at this beautifully golden chocolate croissant, taking in the aroma of a Parisian bakery, until 10 minutes finally passed.  When I picked it up, I noticed that even though it looked huge it was super light and had a nice and hard exterior, which were good signs!  Then, I finally took my first bite...

I was pretty much in heaven after my first bite.  It was very crispy on the outside and the outermost layer started to flake off onto the plate, which is exactly what you want to see.  The inside of the croissant, however, was the star.  The layers were extremely soft, fluffy, and buttery and once I got to the chocolate, I couldn't stop smiling.  There are two long strips of chocolate in these croissants so you definitely get chocolate in almost every bite, and it goes really well with the crunchy outside and soft, buttery inside.  

This croissant is honestly up there with some of the best that I have ever had (and yes, I have been to Paris).  Not only does it look better than some that are sold in bakeries, but it even tastes better!  You would never guess that these came from the freezer aisle!  If you have a Trader Joe's near you and you love croissants, I highly recommend purchasing these.  Even if you are scared away by the nutritional info, I figured that it was good to have in my freezer for when I was craving a croissant.  I mean, if I am craving one, I would rather make it myself, know the nutritional info, and eat it in my home instead of buying one in a bakery and not knowing how many calories I could be eating.  Also, since you do have to plan for these, it prevents you from making them on a whim which means when you decide to make them, you have really thought it through!  So, before you put that box down (multiple times, if you are like me), just buy them now and stick them in your freezer.  They honestly taste like a freshly baked croissant and are on par, if not better, than ones you could buy in a bakery.  

(I should also mention that last night I watched American Baking Competition and one of the challenges was to make croissants, so that made me in the mood for these even more!  I also took it as a sign that I made the right choice in making them for today!)

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Today, I woke up excited for muffin Tuesday because I got to make one of my favorites: Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal.  This muffin is from a recipe I found on Annies Eats (http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/05/17/peanut-butter-banana-oatmeal-muffins/), and I ended up quartering the recipe because the original makes 18 muffins.

I originally found this recipe on Pinterest and immediately repinned it because it has everything I love in it: peanut butter, banana, oats and brown sugar!  My first time making it, I was pleasantly surprised as to how moist and fluffy the muffin was.  Since I make them Tuesday mornings, I usually measure out the dry ingredients the night before and put them in a Ziploc bag so that there is one less step that I have to do in the morning.  My first time making these, however, I made the mistake of pre-measuring out the brown sugar and forgot that it would harden when exposed to the air like that.  So, that first batch had chunks of brown sugar (which actually was a delicious accident).  After making it through my rotation of muffin varieties, I was back to the beginning and made these again, this time holding off on measuring the brown sugar until the morning.  Having now made them correctly, I enjoyed the muffin that much more.  This morning was my third time making them, which is a testament to how much I like them.

The taste of peanut butter really comes through in the muffin, and the oats add a nice texture to them, while the brown sugar adds a hint of sweetness, as does the banana.  I do admit that the taste of banana is not as prominent since peanut butter has a stronger taste, but I love peanut butter so I don't mind.  Since my sister and I tend to have opposing tastes in muffins (we really can only agree on the fact that any muffin that has chocolate in it is our favorite), she has a different view of these.  Whereas I put the blueberry muffins last on my list and she puts them on the top, I put these towards the top of my list and she puts them at the bottom.  She still eats them and says that they are good, she just doesn't like them as much as some other varieties.  This could be due to the fact that she is not a huge peanut butter lover, so you really have to like peanut butter if you are going to like these.  

Regardless, this muffin variety will remain a staple on my rotation!  

Thomas' Diner

Since this weekend is Fathers Day weekend, my sister and I came out to Long Island to stay at our dad's house.  I alway love coming to Long Island because in addition to seeing my family that is out here, I get to go to a lot of the food places that I grew up with.  One of my all time favorite places is Thomas' Diner in Carle Place, which is a small diner that is near Roosevelt Field Mall.

It is a pretty small and understated place, and from the outside looking in it looks like a typical diner.  However, it is much more than that.  There is always a long wait there because the food is just that good.  The owners and workers there really make an effort to get to know everyone, and the owner knows me and my family by name whenever we go.  Since I live in the city now, it has sadly been about a year since I have been back and I have been waiting for the opportunity to go.  Upon reaching my new weight loss goal and knowing that I was going to be on Long Island for the whole weekend, I decided that going to Thomas' was going to be my reward.

Everything there is so delicious, and you really can't go wrong with anything.  My favorite thing is obviously the pancakes, and you can custom order them to whatever you want.  Once, I even got three different pancakes in one order (one chocolate chip, one plain, one banana chocolate chip), and they made it for me without even hesitating!  This time, I went a bite more traditional and got the banana chocolate chip, which is my favorite combo (I figured that if I was going to have these pancakes as my reward, I was going to go all out), and my dad got whole wheat blueberry pecan pancakes.  They also have a really great selection of waffles (the chocolate almond chip ones are amazing), french toast (nutella stuffed, banana stuffed, etc.), and eggs.  They do have an extensive lunch menu as well, but I can't imagine coming here and not getting breakfast food.

Today we arrived at about 1145 and got a table right away, which pretty much never happens.  Right after the owner, Thomas, sat us, he asked me and my sister how school was, what we have been up to, etc., which really shows that he makes the effort to get to know his customers.  The fact that we hadn't been back in over a year and he remembered us is really a testament to how friendly it is there.

We were all pretty hungry, so after we sat down we ordered right away.  Between the four of us at our table, we had one order of banana chocolate chip pancakes, one order of whole wheat blueberry pecan pancakes, scrambled eggs with toast, hash browns, and extra crispy bacon, and an egg white omelet with toast and hash browns.  I don't like eggs, but I always like when my family orders them because I get to steal a bite of bacon, hash browns, and toast.

When the pancakes came to the table, they were huge and fluffy, and had a lot of chocolate chips and sliced bananas in them, so I could not wait to dig in.  After taking my first bite, I remembered why I love going there so much.  The pancakes are just so delicious, and you really can't go wrong with the banana chocolate chip combo.  They are very large and I do admit I got full after eating just one, but I powered through and ate a second because I could not let two pancakes go to waste!  The last one got devoured by others at the table, so luckily it was not wasted.  The hash browns and bacon were also delicious, and according to my sources the eggs and whole wheat pancakes were just as good.  The eggs come out on their own hot skillet, which also adds a nice touch.

(The pictures show the progression of the stack of pancakes.  They come to the table with the bottom side up so that you can see all of the toppings, and they are sprinkled with powdered sugar.  I then spread all three pancakes out to cover the plate so I can choose which ones look the best, and then I dip them in maple syrup instead of pouring it on top so that I can control how much goes on each bite.  As you can see in the last picture, after I gave away the last pancake I just left a few bites of the outside of the pancake over and ate the middle, which is the best part.)

Of course, a visit to Thomas' is never complete until you leave with a muffin, so my sister and I both bought one for tomorrow morning.  They have a really nice assortment that are homemade, like Blueberry Banana, Cinnamon Coffeecake, Lemon Poppy, Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Cheesecake, and many others.  I opted for the cinnamon coffee cake because it is my all time favorite (it has a nice layer of crumbs on top and a few chocolate chips on top as well), and my sister got the lemon poppyseed.

Even though I left Thomas' feeling super stuffed, I was also very satisfied and happy that I finally got to fulfill my pancake craving from my favorite place!  My house on Long Island is about 30 minutes from Thomas' but we never hesitate to make the drive there, so if you are in the vicinity I HIGHLY recommend that you go and you won't be disappointed.  I do caution you, however, to be prepared to wait, because when we left there was a herd of people standing in the doorway waiting for a table.

Cascadian Farm Hearty Morning Fiber

One of my favorite ways to start the day is with a nice bowl of cereal.  Cereal has always been my go to breakfast, but I used to stick with one variety for a while and then either got sick of it or couldn't find it in store.  Some of my past favorites have been Honey Bunches of Oats with Pecan Bunches and Kashi Good Friends (Cinnamon Raisin Variety).  I loved the Kashi Good Friends because the cereal was nice and crunchy, had granola clusters, and sweet raisins.  Once I added banana to the cereal, it was the perfect way to start the day, and because the cereal was so high in fiber it was super filling.  After about a year of having this cereal everyday and getting attached to it, I was shocked to find out that it had sadly been discontinued.  And what was worse was the fact that they kept the other Kashi Good Friends variety around which to me tasted like cardboard.

Anyway, I then set out on a quest to find contenders for a replacement cereal.  I tried a bunch of different brands, but none of them had what I was looking for.  I wanted a cereal that had crunchy flakes, twigs, granola clusters, and raisins, just like the Kashi kind did.  After analyzing the cereal aisle in Whole Foods and almost being ready to give up hope, I stumbled upon Cascadian Farm Hearty Morning Fiber.  It fit all of my requirements, except it did not have raisins.  I decided to buy it anyway because I could always add raisins if I wanted to.

When I ate this cereal the next morning, I took a deep sigh of relief because I knew I finally found my go to cereal!  It is really crunchy and doesn't get too soggy in the milk, it has granola clusters, and it is high in fiber which makes it very filling.  It also is not overly sweet, but it has just enough sweetness so that it does not taste like cardboard.

Even though I recently have been varying my breakfasts and rotating between different types of cereals, yogurts, muffins, etc., this cereal always remains as a staple on my weekly list.  I love that it is healthy and tasty, and I do not even miss the raisins.  I just add half of a banana to it and it is the perfect way to start the day!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

It is that time of week again---Muffin Day!   Even though I try to keep the muffins on the healthier side,  sometimes you just need to start the morning out with some chocolate.  And chocolate can be healthy in limited quantities, right?  Well, I think so....

So, today I made Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins and  I used the recipe posted on emilybites.com (http://www.emilybites.com/2011/07/zucchini-chocolate-chip-muffins.html).  I have made these muffins before and wanted to remake them because the muffin base is really delicious, and the chocolate obviously makes them that much better.  I halved her recipe from 12 to 6, and then ultimately made 5 muffins because I follow weight watchers and after putting it into the recipe builder, each muffin was the same amount of points whether you made 5 or 6.  So I of course chose to make 5 and have them be a little bigger!  The only other slight change was using half whole wheat and half regular flour because I do not have white whole wheat flour in my apartment.

These muffins are really delicious, and the zucchini adds a nice touch because it makes the muffins a lot more moist.  You also don't even taste the zucchini, so don't let that scare you away from making these!  They also have some cinnamon, vanilla extract, and lemon juice, which helps makes the muffins more flavorful.  The best part of these though is of course the chocolate chips.  

I usually eat my muffin right when it comes out of the oven, so the chocolate is very warm and spreads more evenly throughout the muffin.  There is only 2 tbsp in the whole batch, but it is more than enough to give you that chocolate punch without it becoming too unhealthy.  If you are looking for a chocolate chip muffin recipe that is healthier than normal chocolate chip muffins, I would definitely recommend these.  The applesauce and zucchini that are in these muffins takes the place of any oil or butter that you would usually need for a muffin, and you can't even taste the zucchini.  So, before you immediately rule out making chocolate chip muffins because you think they are too unhealthy, try making these and you will be pleasantly surprised!

Peanut Butter and Sliced Banana on a Toasted English Muffin

One of my favorite breakfasts that I like to start my week off with is my Peanut Butter & Banana English Muffin Sandwich.  It is probably because I love peanut butter and banana so much, but it is such a satisfying way to start the morning!  To make it, I use a Thomas' Light Multigrain English Muffin, 1 tbsp of Skippy Roasted Honey Nut Peanut Butter (which as I mentioned in a previous post, is my all time favorite peanut butter) and 1/2 of a sliced, ripe banana.  Thomas' is a trusted brand of choice for the english muffin, and I especially like the light multigrain one because it is only 100 calories, has 32% daily value of fiber, and is really tasty!

I usually leave the english muffin in the toaster for about 2 and a half minutes, which in my toaster oven  is enough time for it to get warm and fluffy on the inside, with a slight crunch on the outside.  Then, I wait about 30 seconds for it to slightly cool off before I add the tablespoon of peanut butter.  And finally, I top it with sliced banana.  

Since I add the peanut butter while the english muffin is still warm, it gets very melty which makes the peanut butter have an even stronger and more delicious taste.  The banana on top just adds a nice finishing touch to this dish and brings all the flavors together.  I usually end up having this for breakfast every Monday as it is a great way to start off the week!  

If you are like me and like to vary your breakfast options, I would definitely recommend adding this to your rotation!

Donna Bell's Bake Shop

One of my favorite bakeries in NYC is Donna Bell's Bake Shop.  It is pretty new to the bakery scene in NYC, but it is up there with the best.  I actually interned there in the Fall of 2011 to help with PR and Marketing, which is how I was first introduced to their amazing baked goods.

They are a quintessential neighborhood bakery that you would expect to find in a small town, but they happen to be right near one of the busiest areas in the city, Times Square!  They specialize in southern style baked goods, drinks, and food items.  Some of their most popular items include their Lemon Bars, Drop Biscuits, Sweet Tea, Chicken and Dumplings, and their Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Since I worked there twice a week, I got a chance to try most of their items and can vouch for all of them!  My favorites were their cake slices (you get a huge slice and it is some of the best cake that I have ever had), brownies, lemon bars, biscuits (I seriously have never had biscuits as good as theirs), chicken & dumplings soup, mac and cheese, corn bread, cinnamon scones (tastes like a cross between a scone and a cinnamon roll), and their muffins.  Oh, and even their coffee is amazing!  I know the list is pretty long, but it is because everything is just that good.  I have never had anything there that I didn't like.

But, unfortunately for me, the location of the bakery is pretty much out of the way of anywhere that I go in the city, so I hadn't been back in over a year.  This morning, however, I decided to go back and pay them a visit.  I was immediately greeted with a beautiful display case of about 5 different muffin varieties, 3 different scones, warm biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, and hot coffee.  It was so difficult to choose one thing because there were so many baked goods that I wanted, but I had to limit myself to one item as to not completely sabotage my efforts to eat healthier.  So, I ultimately decided on my favorite muffin there- the Coconut Almond Muffin.  Not only is it my favorite of their muffins, but it is the best muffin that I have ever had, and that says a lot because I have had A LOT of muffins.

When I took my first bite, it was just as delicious as I remembered.  The top has an amazing crunch to it, and the inside is very fluffy and soft.  The almond flavor really comes through in every bite, and there is tons of coconut and almond slices in the actual muffin which makes it even more delicious.  Most muffins that I have had don't have the crunchiness on the top that you look for, but all of the muffins at Donna Bells have it.  I have tried their chocolate chip, banana pecan, peach, and blueberry bran varieties and they are all just as good.  I also got a cranberry muffin for my sister and she had the same reaction as me--she said the best part was the top because it is crunchy on the outside but so soft on the inside.  You can really tell that they are baked fresh and they care about what they are making (just as a side note, my sister was planning on saving it, but she finished it on the subway ride before she even made it to work, which is a testament to how good it was!)

Basically, if you are in the city you MUST go to Donna Bells!  It is on the corner of 49th Street and 8th Avenue, which is just walking distance from Central Park and Times Square!  It has a nice homey, neighborhood feel to it, and you will be able to find something for everyone.  A lot of the more famous bakeries in NYC have lost their edge and are just tourist attractions, but Donna Bells is the real deal.  

They have their menu posted online and it updates with their daily specials, so you should definitely check it out (www.donnabellsbakeshop.com).  They also have such an amazing story...it is owned by three best friends, one of whom is Pauley Perrette from NCIS.  The bakery is named after Pauley's mother, Donna Bell, and most of the original recipes were hers.

Oh, and if you are planning to visit (which you should be), I recommend going on the early side because the best things tend to sell out quickly!

Honey Coconut Blueberry Bran Muffins

Today is Tuesday, which in my apartment means muffin day!  Since about January, I have tried to make a new and healthy muffin/scone every week.  I use recipes that I found on skinnytaste.com, emilybites.com, and a bunch that I adapted off of Pinterest to make a bit healthier.  Most, if not all, of the muffins that I make have no butter and use unsweetened applesauce instead of oil to keep them moist and low in fat.   I usually limit the quantity of muffins that I make to 4 because even though they are healthier, they are still muffins and should be eaten in moderation.  After making a new kind of muffin every Tuesday for about 3 months, I finally got to the repeats and there are about 8 that made it onto the permanent list (including these)!

So, today was Honey Coconut Blueberry Bran Muffins.  Again, I found the recipe for these on skinnytaste.com (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/08/honey-coconut-blueberry-bran-muffins.html).  I have to admit, I am not the biggest fan of fruit in muffins with the exception of bananas.  But, my sister love blueberries in muffins so I try to be a good roommate and make blueberry muffins once in a while.    That being said, I'm glad that I gave this recipe a shot because I really enjoy these muffins.  They are very hearty and filling, and have nice texture because of the blueberries, coconut, and chopped nuts.  They also have a significant amount of wheat bran which makes them more healthy!  The only real change I made from the skinnytaste recipes was to use pecans instead of walnuts, because I just love pecans.

To me, this muffin has the perfect balance of sweetness, moistness, and healthiness!  Adding the coconut and the chopped nuts adds another layer of taste to them, and the wheat bran makes them very fiberous (not sure if that is actually a word) and filling.  I highly recommend trying this recipe, even if you are skeptical about fruit muffins like I was!

Trader Joe's Silver Dollar Pancakes

There's nothing better than waking up on the weekend to hot off the griddle pancakes, right?  Well, that involves waking up and immediately starting to prep the ingredients, making the pancakes, and then doing a full clean up, which always makes me steer clear of making them.  So, I resort to the next best thing--frozen pancakes.  On my recent trip to Trader Joe's (I think you can sense the trend in my posts, that I absolutely love Trader Joe's) I noticed they had a box of frozen silver dollar pancakes for $1.99!  I figured that I had to try them since I love pancakes and this was such a great deal.  The serving size is 11 pancakes, which may sound like a lot but they are super small.

I ended up having about 9 and it was plenty.  These were good for frozen pancakes, but seeing that pancakes are my favorite food it did not nearly come close to fresh pancakes.  I guess if I want to satisfy my pancake craving the best bet is to either make them myself or go out and get them.  For now, this is a decent frozen option, and they are very convenient if you are on the go because you can literally pick one up and eat it in two bites.

Nature's Path Flax Plus Cereal

I have major issues when it comes to the granola bar/cereal aisle in the grocery store, and I tend to buy something new to try every time I go through the aisle.  It has come to the point where I don't even allow myself to walk down the aisle unless I know I need something (sometimes, this doesn't even work!).  I don't know what it is, but I just love trying all the new varieties!  Anyway, then I get stuck with huge boxes of cereal in my cabinet and if I end up not liking the cereal, I have to force myself to keep eating it so that it does not go to waste.  That is the case with the Nature's Path Flax Plus Cereal.  I originally had high hopes for this cereal because it is organic, very high in fiber, and low in sugar, which meant it was a healthy alternative to other sugary cereals out there.

It is not bad, it just isn't something that I would buy again.  While I commend them for keeping sugar low, it is definitely reflected in the taste.  I tried adding 1/2 banana to my cereal bowl (which I always do anyway) to sweeten it up, but it didn't help too much.  It is one of those products that actually tastes healthy because it has that wheat-y after taste to it. 

Even though I wouldn't buy it again, I would recommend this cereal if you are looking for a healthy breakfast cereal that is not sweet.  In the meantime, I will continue to slowly make my way through the box until I finally finish it.

Trader Joe's Vanilla Greek Yogurt and Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola

So today for breakfast, I finally got around to trying the Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt that I have had in my fridge for about a week.  I usually do a breakfast rotation so that I don't get sick of eating the same thing everyday.  It varies between cereal, oatmeal, frozen waffles/pancakes, yogurt and granola, muffins, or an english muffin with peanut butter.  Today, it was the Nonfat Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt from Trader Joe's with 1/4 cup of Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola.

I highly recommend both products.  The yogurt was just what I have been looking for in a greek yogurt-- super creamy, but not overly sweet like some of the other brands.  And, at only 99 cents per yogurt, it is a great deal.  Adding 1/4 cup of granola completes the breakfast by some texture, crunch, and sweetness.  I also love the Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola because it has raisins and dried cranberries, as well as almonds and pumpkin seeds, which makes each bite different and delicious.  At around only 200 calories, this is a protein packed and delicious way to start the day!