Blueberry Muffin French Toast + Bosu Circuit

Good Morning and Happy Saturday. I just love weekends :)

Remember those Blueberry Muffins that I shared with you on Wednesday? Well, if you didn't make them, you're missing out! Why, you ask? Because today, I'm turning the leftover muffins into French toast- that's right, Blueberry Muffin French Toast.

It all starts with my go-to French Toast recipe. First, scramble an egg. Next, add a splash of milk, a pinch of salt, and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Mix all of the ingredients until well combined. Slice your leftover muffins in halves or thirds and dip into the wet mixture.

Cook the muffin slices over medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides.

Ahhhh, Blueberry Muffin French Toast perfection!

And it only gets better with a drizzle of syrup. Ok, maybe two drizzles.

 

And after you indulge with this ah-maz-ing French toast, you can get moving with this Bosu Blast Circuit I created.

If you're not familiar with Bosu balls, they have a flat platform on one side and a rubber dome on the other. It naturally creates instability and it encourages you to use your core to keep balanced during your workouts.

Don't have a Bosu ball at home? If you have a gym membership, your gym probably has one that you can use. Otherwise, most of these exercises can be done without the Bosu.

And if you don't feel comfortable using the Bosu, please do the exercises without it-- Bosu balls create instability and I don't want anyone to injure themselves. Listen to your body!



Any plans for the weekend?
I've got a run scheduled today (4 miles) and plan on doing nothing else for the rest of the day, but try to stay warm! We went from kind-of-like-fall to winter weather here on the island.

Easy Blueberry Muffins

Hello, hello. It's Wednesday!

I hope your week is off to a great start. I'm working on some new material for my classes and I'm right on schedule with my running plan- today's run is an easy 2 miles. I never thought that I would actually be excited to run again, but it really is exciting and I feel so refreshed after each run. I have noticed that my left knee starts to ache when I try to work on my speed, so I back off a bit and listen to my body when that happens. Otherwise, it's all good; my cardiovascular endurance has certainly improved since last year, which really helps :)

Anyway....

Do you guys like blueberries? Blueberries never go to waste in my house. I love topping oatmeal or bran cereal with fresh blueberries and I also eat them by the handful. I know they're not quite in season anymore, which is a shame, because it seems that I want them the most when they're not fresh and local.

Blueberries.

I've been searching for the perfect blueberry muffin for years. You see, my boyfriend loves blueberry muffins. His favorite ones are from Whole Foods- right in the bakery area- the kind with the streusel and sugar on top. If you've ever had a blueberry muffin from Whole Foods, you know what kind of muffin I'm competing with... it's not even a competition. Needless to say, I've tried quite a few recipes over the years, hoping to make something that compares. And while this recipe didn't quite pass his test, I still thought they were great. I've even included a streusel recipe that will take this muffin to a whole new level.

These muffins are great at breakfast or alongside your afternoon coffee or tea.


Makes one dozen regular sized muffins.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup oil (vegetable, canola, or even applesauce)
1 egg
1/3 cup skim milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*F and line a muffin pan with liners or spray with cooking spray.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, oil, and milk. Combine the wet and dry mixtures.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Evenly distribute the batter between the muffin tins. Optional: top muffin batter with streusel topping (see recipe below).

Bake for 18 minutes or  until done.

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Mix ingredients together with a fork and sprinkle over muffins before baking.


Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Week Recap + DIY "Spooky" Ghosts

I hope all of you enjoyed the weekend; I definitely did! Sundays are now my favorite day of the week- my only rest day. I spent the day catching up on the housework I've been neglecting and I downloaded a few more books to read on my Kindle.

 

I had a week full of teaching fitness classes, plus 3 training runs. It's hard, but I'm determined and I plan to get through it :) After all, race day is just 46 days away!

Here's a few photos from the week-

Have you decorated your house for Halloween yet?

If not, I've got a very inexpensive DIY project that will get your house in the spirit!

Today, I've got a very simple, but fun craft to share with you: "Spooky" Ghosts. I used to make them with my mom each year as a child, and we still decorate with them for every Halloween. If you have kids, they will love to help "decorate" them by adding spooky faces.

This craft costs practically nothing and you probably have some of the supplies at home already. You will need an old white sheet or a t-shirt, orange yarn or ribbon, Poly-fil or some stuffing from an old pillow, scissors, and permanent markers.

First, cut a square from a sheet or t-shirt.

Next, place some Poly-fil or pillow stuffing in the center of the square. The stuffing will be the head of the ghost. Tie a piece of yarn or ribbon around the base of the "head."

Next, with a pair of scissors, cut two slits in the very top of the ghost head.

Thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the opening.

Finally, draw a face on your ghost. Kids will love to help with this part!

And hang them inside from a chandelier or outside from a tree. We usually have about a dozen hanging from the trees outside. It definitely gets us in the Halloween spirit and the neighborhood kids love seeing them when they come  trick-or-treating .

Do you have any Halloween traditions?

We usually decorate the house, carve pumpkins, and hand out candy to the kiddos. There's usually a caramel apple or two involved :)


 

White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Happy Saturday everyone! I have a full weekend free from work-- I can hardly believe it! Before I go on my training run, I wanted to share a delicious recipe with all of you. Blogland has been on a pumpkin rampage since fall rolled around, so it's about time I pitched in and celebrated fall with a pumpkin recipe.

It's the weekend and weekends call for special treats! I made these White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins last weekend while I was on my pumpkin kick and oh my... they were pretty tasty! Totally decadent, but really moist and flavorful. You should make these ASAP.

Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

2 eggs

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

heaping 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup white chocolate chips (feel free to use anywhere between 1/2 and 1 cup)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400*F. Fill the muffin pan with muffin liners (if you don't have any, cooking spray and flour work well).

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add the remaining wet ingredients. Mix well.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.

Slowly incorporate the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Fold in the white chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!