Pumpkin and Spice

I've been trying to eat healthier and lose some of my "pastry fat". However, I've also been pretty stressed out the past few months. And, since I tend to be a stress eater, I've really not lost any weight (though I haven't gained any either, which tells me that if I could lay off the comfort foods, I might actually be dropping weight...)

"They" (scientists, nutritionists, moms everywhere...) say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially if you're trying to lose weight. It helps jump-start your metabolism for the day, and studies have shown that people who eat breakfast eat fewer calories throughout the day than those that don't. Most mornings, Kyle and I have been making healthy smoothies (that recipe will be another post), but every now and then we need a little change.
Muffins are a breakfast classic, but there is usually so much sugar and fat in them, that they are basically just a cupcake without icing. I want something with some redeeming nutritional value, which is where my bran muffins come into play. They're packed with fiber and protein, so they're nice and filling. All the fat in them is the healthy unsaturated kinds- from the flax, bran and nuts. They're lightly sweet, with lovely bursts of tangy dried fruits. I used apricots, golden raisins, cranberries and cherries, but you could use any combo of your favorite dried fruits. When you bite into them, the little bits of fruit made me think of little gems, which is why I named these Jewel Box Bran Muffins. Pair them with a cup of coffee or a latte made with skim milk, and you have a filling, healthy breakfast that comes in at under 300 calories (that's including the latte!- providing you get a "tall" with skim, and stick to splenda or stevia for sweetening it.)

Bake and freeze them, and you can grab one, nuke it for about 30 seconds, and run out the door with a healthy, fast alternative to a breakfast sandwich at a fast food place or that calorie-bomb muffin you were eyeballin' at Starbucks.

 Whew! Yikes, that was an exhausting December! I really, honestly thought I'd post more last month, but I spent most of the month working, shopping or squeezing in some family time. I'm sure you all were in a similar boat- it's a busy season. Hope you all had lovely Chanukahs, Christmases and Champagne-soaked New Year's Eves. (Me? I had two glasses and was in bed by 11. I had to be up at 7a for work the next day, and I'm a girl who needs her eight hours.)

New Year's Eve is great- I love that feeling of having a new chance at a fresh start. I know it's just the turning of the calendar, but something about a new year makes anything seem possible. Did you make any resolutions? I did, and it's probably the same one many of you made- to lose weight. I make it every year, but I'm never very good at it. I've been going back and forth in my head about this, but I've decided that this year, I'm going to blog about it. Please don't roll your eyes- I know this is a food blog, but this is about food. I've tried to share with you all my adventures in food, and I feel like this is going to be a significant adventure for me.

And, well, it's my adventures in food that brought me here. I was a chubby kid, and a chubby teenager, and in college, thanks to the tried and true method of exercising a bit and not eating everything that wasn't nailed down, I managed to lose quite a bit of weight. Later, when I got engaged, I slimmed down even farther... but, with the threat of a strapless dress immortalized on film forever no longer looming, and the cozy comfort of newlywed-hood, a few pounds crept back on. Not a big deal, but then I went to pastry school and put on a few more, then I went to Utah and packed on some winter weight on top of that, and well... never really lost it. So, in a nutshell, I am an embarrassing 45lbs heavier than I was three years ago (thanks mostly to croissants, cakes, and other sweets...)