On blueberry muffin hill

Blueberry muffins…yum!  Who doesn’t like a good moist blueberry muffin?  But don’t most of us also want something that’s at least somewhat healthy?  I try to make my muffins from scratch using whole grains and fresh fruit, but when time is short (or I’m feeling kind of lazy) I’ll resort to the boxed muffin mixes.  Fortunately I found this…

Is it as good for me as what I would make using one of my healthier recipes?  Mmm…no.  Is it better for me than something sweet and sugary from the vending machine?  You bet it is.

These muffins, baked according to the package directions, still have 210 calories per muffin.   I make them smaller by making 18 instead of 12 and that reduces the calories to 140 apiece.  This is just one more indication that what we now consider to be a serving size is much larger than it was in the past.  So I still get to enjoy a freshly baked muffin without going overboard on calories.

Can I make a lower calorie, healthier-for-me muffin?  Yes, I can.  But there are times in life where we make trade-offs, this is one of those times…calories for convenience.  I don’t do this all the time, but it’s nice to know I have the option.  Now I have a good supply of muffins in the freezer.  I can pull one out in the morning, put it in my lunch bag and it’ll be thawed and ready to eat for my morning or afternoon snack.  If that can keep me from putting that dollar in the vending machine, I think it’s worth it. 

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Breakroom Ambience…really

Another crazy busy day at work…this just in from our corporate offices…we need to ambience the breakroom for Christmas!  Seriously?  We don’t even have the time to do all the work we need to get done every day and now they want us to decorate the breakroom…heck, most of us don’t even manage to make it back to the breakroom to actually take a break! I usually try to get outside for a quick walk and often end up eating my lunch at my desk while working on the computer…hmm…maybe I should try taking a real break at least once a day…could do wonders for my stress level…I think the whole ambience thing has more to do with corporate visitors being in our stores over the next couple of weeks than providing us with a relaxing place to take a break.  Hey, I’m all for relaxing…how about some recliners and a nice television…that’ll happen, you betcha!  Okay, okay…let it go…this could be fun…what do I want to see in the breakroom?  I’ll have to give this some thought.

Now on to the challenge…yep, made it thru another day without resorting to the evils of diet soda…have to admit I was tempted once, but just refilled my water bottle and kept moving on.  Tomorrow I’m going to do some real cooking…something to take to work for my lunches for the rest of the week, maybe some pumpking muffins (love, love, love anything pumpkin) and I just remembered I have some rhubarb in the freezer…what can I do with that that doesn’t involve pie?  Looks I’ll be searching for some recipes tonight while I watch my favorite show, Dancing With the Stars!

I did work out this morning before heading out the door to work.  I really do feel so much better when I sweat a little before going to work…seems to at least start my day on a high note.  It usually makes me more aware of what I’m eating, but I have to admit to eating a donut today…we had a birthday girl at work today and, instead of cake, she got donuts.  I can’t really say why I felt the need to eat a donut other than the fact that they were there…that’s one of those bad habits that I’ve got to work on again…thank goodness I never smoked!!!  As difficult as it is to kick that habit, I’d be in real trouble!  No donuts for me tomorrow…but I will be going out for a run, my first one in several days…hopefully I haven’t lost much in the way of fitness…we’ll see…