M&M Oat Bars! Saturday, Feb 28 2009

Today I have been in a really chocolatey mood.  There’s no denying it and there’s no escaping it– I have been thinking about chocolate since I woke up, but I haven’t been able to get ahold of any yet (sad!). 

In thinking about all of the chocolatey treats I could make this weekend, I thought I would post up one of my favorites, which combines 2 of my great loves in life– oats and M&M’s.

Here it is: 

M&M Oat Bars

1 cup AP flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1 egg
1 T water
2 t vanilla
1.5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1.5 cups M&Ms (I like the milk chocolate ones but I bet the peanut butter ones would be delicious as well)

This is what they look like before they face the heat!!

 

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Grease a 9×9 square baking pan and then line it with parchment paper. The grease will help the parchment paper stick to the pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside for later.

Beat the sugar and butter until creamy.  Add

the egg, water and vanilla and beat until well blended.

Add the oats and the flour mixture and stir in. Add 1 cup of the M&Ms into the batter and mix in. Do not over-mix. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan with a spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining M&Ms.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set (make sure you check on them). Transfer to a wire rack, cool, and slice.

…Because if everyone had enough chocolate each day, there would be a lot more happy people running around…

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Balance is the Key to Life. Thursday, Feb 26 2009

This little blue-footed guy is the master of balance!

The older I get (and the more I think about what’s important), I realize that balance is the key to true happiness. 

Balance in timing (spending enough time with family while still making time for friends, work, and having alone time), balance in spending (allowing yourself to buy little things that make your life a little bit more fun without going overboard), balance in risk-taking (maybe you decide to follow your heart and take a big risk; you should always have a backup plan and know when to throw in the towel), and balance in eating and health (if you have a piggy moment one day you should try to eat less the next day and always make time for a little bit of activity). 

Balance is easier said than done and is something that takes practice and awareness of self.  Sometimes I suddenly observe that a habit I have is not an example of a balanced action, so I do my best to change things because I’m always trying to better myself and re-balance my life. 

For example, I started noticing that I was getting in the habit of going home, eating dinner, and watching TV every single night (did anyone see Biggest Loser last night, by the way??).  I thought about my routine and realized that I needed to mix it up a bit.  I still go home and relax, but I try to spend less time in front of the TV and more time on the elliptical, walking outside, or taking care of things that would otherwise pile up and become overwhelming if I waited too long (laundry, errands, cleaning, etc…).   Anything that has the potential to overwhelm later should be tackled little by little!

Here’s a quote that I interpreted in a way which reminds me of the importance of balance (in this case, balance of outlook):

“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight…The truly wise person is color-blind.”

—Albert Schweitzer

I’m still working on this and I know that it’s impossible to have balance all the time.  I think that putting forth the effort to be a better person and live a life that I am excited about adds up to equal a more well-rounded and happier person in the end. 

 

…Because a you may need to eat a salad for dinner to balance out that huge hunk of chocolate cake you ate in the afternoon…

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Penny Wise! Friday, Feb 20 2009

They all add up!!

I know I’ve mentioned quite a few times that saving money and avoiding spending money when possible is a big priority for me.  I try to balance enjoying my life with saving for a comfortable life later (e.g., buying a few small things every now and then instead of hoarding every penny for retirement). 

I will say, though, that it has been much more difficult for my husband to learn to save than it was for me to learn over time (my dad used to always emphasize saving 10% of everything I made and said, “it’s easy– if you just do that, you’ll be a millionaire later”).  Somehow this just made sense to me and I loved the feeling I got from saving.  Husby has actually been doing a really great job with this… and shockingly, he has been impressing me with his money-saving ideas and techniques.

By avoiding buying things we don’t really need, cutting back on dinners out, grocery shopping with coupons, and shopping around for good deals (Amazon is awesome for this), we have managed to spend about $500 less a month without dramatically feeling an impact.  Hey, not bad!

Here are a few things he has taught me without realizing he was even teaching me anything:

• If you love something and it’s on sale, stock up.  I have always gotten excited about seeing some of my favorite brands on sale, but never really thought to buy tons all at once– I’m not sure why.  I guess I felt like it becomes a big hassle to buy 10 boxes of oatmeal at once (my Kashi hot cereal was on sale and he convinced me to go for it)?  Either way, if it’s something I really like (that doesn’t go bad quickly) and there is a great sale going on, it only makes sense to buy quite a few.  This adds up to a bigger amount spent at the register all at one time, but also adds up to greater savings over time.
• Don’t get flustered when you see large totals.  When we first started buying things in bulk I would freak out thinking about spending $25 on cereal at one time.  Husby explained that, because of the sale, it was a big amount to spend just on cereal, but that we actually would be spending $8 less for our favorite stuff and we wouldn’t have to take more trips to the store for it later on.  It was convenient and smart! 
• Look online for almost everything.  I know I mentioned Amazon before, but a simple google search can often lead you to deals on all sorts of products.  I found a slightly-used ceiling light on Craiglist for our rental property for $40.  It would have cost us over $100 if we bought it new from Home Depot.  It was a proud moment
• Just ask.  I have gotten better at this over time but it doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does to him.  Sometimes I feel embarrassed to ask someone for a deal face-to-face (I’m good over the phone), but he has no shame.  I love it.  He’ll just say, “is there any way we can get a better deal on this?” and every now and then we find out there is a way.  We also learn about upcoming sales by doing this and sometimes just wait a couple of days or a week for the sale to kick in and save tons of money– just by waiting and doing nothing (we did this at Arhaus for the dresser in our room to match the set we got as a wedding gift).
• If you’re not happy with something you paid for, just say it.  Before husby and I started dating, he had NEVER returned anything to a store…ever.  I was shocked (yeah, I judged him for this)!  I taught him that it’s okay to return clothes that you realize you don’t like/want/need,  and showed him that it was easy to send food back that wasn’t cooked properly or ended up not tasting the way you had hoped.  He was really excited when we went to the movies about a year ago and walked in to a packed theater.  After scanning the room and realizing that we would be forced to sit in the very front row, I suggested we just return our tickets for a refund and come back later.  “You can do that???” was his reaction.  Oh yeah, you can do that.  I think that was the turning point for him.  Now he’s really into it and I’ve created a mini-monster (mini because he can still spend money faster than what’s considered humanly possible and his love for pricey electronics will never waver).
• Pay a little now to get more back later.  This one is simple, but it wasn’t something I had considered before… because I didn’t need to.  We learned together that it’s a much better idea for us to spend $150 on getting an expert to do our taxes than for us to do it all ourselves.  This isn’t necessary for everyone, but we went for it because I had school expenses and we have a rental property.  Our tax guy ended up saving us tons of money and we were excited to get thousands back at tax time last year.  It’s almost that time again– and we’ll be paying him a visit in March.

…Because you can learn something from everyone.  Yes, even the annoying tall guy that won’t shut up…

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So Good! Wednesday, Feb 18 2009

As promised, here is the amazingly delicious recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes that I had on Valentine’s Day morning at the bed and breakfast in Nashville, Indiana…

Do NOT eat these every day!

Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes

• 1 cup quick-cook oats
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Milk (up to 1 cup as needed*)

Combine oats and buttermilk and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Add all remaining ingredients except milk.  *Slowly add milk until batter becomes the consistency of yogurt (no thinner!)*. 

It should be thicker than regular pancake batter.  Serve hot with caramel sauce on the side.

Caramel Sauce

• 2 T melted butter
• 3 T heavy cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

Bring to a boil until sugar completely melts. 

Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.  Pour over pancakes and enjoy!

…Because special occasions suddenly become more special when a pancake is added to the agenda…

 

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Breakfast Desserts and a Great Trip! Wednesday, Feb 18 2009

I sampled fudge like this and it was amazing!!

I got back from my weekend trip  (a.k.a. “mini-vacation”) to my favorite small town in the world last night and was sad to leave the fun but glad to be home once I got here.

Nashville, Indiana has quite a few adorable restaurants with great food– but the selections certainly aren’t the healthiest of choices.  The  Bed and Breakfast Mark and I stayed at in Nashville was adorable, and we were greeted with a huge candlelight breakfast every morning at 9:00 am (early for us, but worth getting up for… for sure). 

Here is what was on the menu each morning for us at the Olde Magnolia House:

Morning #1: Scrambled eggs with chives and cheese, strawberries and cream parfaits, apricot scones, sausage links, and Cindy’s (the in-keeper) specialty “breakfast dessert” for the day (yes, every morning she made us a dessert for breakfast)– oatmeal raisin pancakes with hot caramel sauce.  The pancakes were amazing and I asked her for the recipe.  I’ll post it with other trip pictures soon!

Morning #2: Egg omelet with mushrooms (they were on the side and I opted out), a bowl of fresh bananas, cantaloupe, and blueberries, “snuffins” (a cross between a scone and a muffin), fresh granola for the fruit, and a breakfast dessert of cherry strudel cake.

Morning #3: Scrambled eggs with cream cheese mixed in (I told you it wasn’t the healthiest morning meal), a bowl of bananas, blueberries, and pineapple, homemade banana nut bread, sausage patties, and a special breakfast dessert for our last day: cream brulee.

These breakfasts were so good but I tried to be careful with my portions since I knew we would likely be eating lunch and dinner at nearby restaurants and I didn’t want to overdo things too much.  Plus, what’s a trip to Nashville, IN without a trip to the Candy Emporium for handmade caramels, a stop at the Caramel Corn Cottage for kettle corn, and a sample (or two) of amazing fudge from Schwab’s Fudge and Sweet Shop?? 

So yes– not the healthiest of trip but I enjoyed it VERY much.  To counteract all of the crap I ate, I watched my portions and had salads for lunch whenever possible.  I also ate small dinners and we got a ton of walking in each day.

I love big cities, small towns, and traveling abroad– but no bed is as comfortable as my own.  It was good to get home and start getting back into my regular (and much healthier) routine.  My bowl of pumpkin oats (thanks to Jenn from Eating Bender for the fabulous recipe) tasted just as delicious as I remembered…

…Because you can’t have the best time unless you’re with the best person…

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In Honor of Valentine’s Day… Saturday, Feb 14 2009

“Love is love. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love.”

~ Leo Tolstoy

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A Quote I Love… Friday, Feb 13 2009

“Perfection is attained by slow degrees, it requires the hand of time. “

~Voltaire

I think this quote is great because I am often critical of myself for not doing things perfectly.  I must admit I have always been like this. 

Here are some examples of things that I am an obsessive perfectionist over:

I usually feel like I’m not saving enough money (even if I’m socking away tons of money every month to my savings and 401k, I still regret buying something small that I really want…like an ice cream from McDonald’s or something ridiculous).  Afterwards I seriously think… damn I could have put that dollar in my 401k and it may be worth $9 in 30 years.  Yeah, crazy.

I did the same thing when I was in college.  An “A-” wasn’t good enough for me… I had to get solid A’s.  God forbid I get a B on something… that would just mean the world was ending.  I didn’t cut myself enough slack and should have been proud that I graduated a semester, finished my very last undergraduate class before my 21st birthday, and went on to get my master’s with no break– all while working full time.  It seems impressive to me now that I look back, and I should have recognized my achievements while I could celebrate them (but when I was living it I always thought I could be doing more and doing better).

I always feel like I could be doing more for other people.  I find myself wanting to go above and beyond when it comes to my friends and family and I am bothered by the fact that I can’t be the perfect friend/daughter/etc.  Sometimes I’m too generous and become resentful when I feel like I’m being taken advantage of.  This doesn’t happen often but it always bothers me when it does.  Because of this, I sometimes find myself becoming a little stressed because I’m trying to make favors for a friend’s bridal shower, bake for a birthday party that I’m not even going to (but my goodies have been requested), and finish up stuff that I need to get done at the same time (household stuff and work stuff included). 

One time I stayed up until 2:00am during mid-terms in grad school to put together candy bags for a friend’s birthday party (I wanted them to be nice so I counted out amounts and tied the tops with ribbon), and when I dropped them off she said, “wow you have too much time on your hands.”  I can’t say I was thrilled with that remark.

I get annoyed with myself when I don’t plan something out correctly.  If I’m planning to have guests over for dinner and something doesn’t work out the way I had hoped (I run out of time and have to go get something other than what I originally planned to cook), I get sad.  I know this is ridiculous, but I am very guilty of doing this. 

The moral of my whole post today is: Why do I do this to myself??  I have no one to blame but myself for my preoccupation with doing things perfectly.  I am not perfect, never will be perfect, and don’t really want to be perfect anyway!  I am working on not being so hard on myself and giving myself room for time issues/mishaps/and potential oven debacles.  When something out of my control causes my plans to change  I will try to smile and shrug it off from now on.  I feel relieved just thinking about it

…Because realizing how you want to change can make you a better and happier person…

 

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So Amazingly Delicious!! Thursday, Feb 12 2009

I recently found out about a blog called Honey & Jam that I LOVE.  Hannah posted a recipe for Butterscotch Blondies that I decided I had to make ASAP.  Her photography is amazing and I borrowed the main picture from her post for this post– Hannah, I hope you don’t mind (if you do tell me and I’ll pull the picture). 

I adapted the recipe a little bit and they turned out really great!  My husband ate about 5 the first night I made them.  Every single time I went towards the general vicinity of the kitchen he said “can you bring me 2 more please?”  He couldn’t resist

Picture by Hannah at www.honeyandjam.blogspot.com

Butterscotch Blondies2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted (I used 3/4 cup)
2 teaspoons vanilla (I put in 3 because I LOVE vanilla)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup butterscotch chips (I used 2 cups)

 

Heat oven to 350.

Line bottom of 9×13 inch pan with aluminum foil, spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Combine brown sugar, butter and vanilla in a large bowl and stir slowly to mix. Add eggs and mix with a wire whisk until well blended. Slowly stir in flour mixture until it is moistened. Beat with wire whisk for about 30 seconds, until smooth.

Add butterscotch chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until center seems set. When checking, shake the pan a little and see if batter jiggles.  I baked them for 35 minutes and they were perfect.  I need to make sure I let them cool COMPLETELY next time before attempting to cut into them.  They cracked a little bit but they were still wonderful.

…Because butterscotch is a wonder of the world…

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It’s the Little Things… Tuesday, Feb 10 2009

Even though it’s normal to want more than you’ve got and to set goals for yourself that are tough to achieve (e.g., a huge house with a 4-car garage, a corner office with a view, or a Rolex watch with diamonds on the face), I’m realizing how important it is to be satisfied with the life you have. 

The life that you have is the life you’ve made for yourself.  It’s easy to complain and hope for more– but there is always so much to be proud of.

It may be difficult to make ends meet at times.  When things seem like they can’t get any worse, sometimes they do.  If we stay optimistic and refuse to give up, the only way to go is up.

Because it seems like everyone and their mother is trying to save money right now and brace for bad times to come (yes, it will get worse), it’s easy to start feeling like the luxuries you are used to will be stalled for years.  I try not to think of a timeline and just remember that luxuries are not even important.  While they make my life easier and more relaxing at times, they don’t make my life more enriched.  The things that enrich my life are not expensive and can’t be worn, eaten, or hung on a wall.

Here are a few things that I won’t have to put on hold during this crazy recession.  They make my life the wonderful (yet, very imperfect) life it is:

• My husband Mark!  He warms up the car in the mornings, gets me warm blankets and hot tea when I’m cold, brags about the  lunches I make for him, appreciates all of my baked goodies, calls me during the day just to say “hi” and see how my day is going, tells me how much he loves me every day, shares my love of mafia movies, tolerates my desire to go on 9-mile walks as often as possible, and is as sentimental as me.  Basically, he’s the best.  This post would be the longest one EVER if I kept going… but I could!

Us on our wedding day!

• My family.  I know I could call on any of my immediate family members if I needed them and they would do everything they could to help me.  I LOVE my family (it is now much bigger since I married Mark and our new family is amazing–yay!).
• My Yorkie Merlin.  He is the happiest little guy ever and gets excited about Kraft cheese and rotisserie chicken.  He always wants to be hugged and loves being around people.  His joy is contagious.

Merlin (during a rather scruffy stage) on the left with his "brother" Bailey at a dog training class last year

• My love of baking.  It’s rather inexpensive to bake (I bake instead of giving gifts sometimes) and people always appreciate a delicious treat.  I am always happy when people tell me something I made for them “made their day.”

Here are some cupcakes I baked for a friends birthday. I also used the opportunity as a test-run for Monica's baby shower cupcakes!

• Wonderful weather.  This hasn’t exactly been something that I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy lately, but soon enough, Northern VA will warm up and I will be content again.
• Oatmeal.  Yeah, I had to go there.  Oatmeal makes every morning fabulous for me.  It’s cheap and healthy– you just can’t go wrong with oats.

If I let myself I'd eat this for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner...

• Gmail.  Without it my life wouldn’t be as simple, organized, or informed.  Bonus– it’s free.
• Hot tea.  I have about 5 cups a day.  It warms me up (it’s always freezing at work) and it makes me so happy.

I like every kind of tea.

• Looking at old pictures.  I love to think about wonderful vacations or good times I’ve had.  I always remember that there will be many more to come– even if huge vacations aren’t penciled in on the calendar in the near future.

Us watching the sun set in Greece!

• Popcorn.  I could eat a bag a day but I control my habit.  If popcorn lung is still a health concern I should be very worried.  I buy boxes of 50 from Costco and they last me about 4 months or so.

This would be so delicious right now...

• Plain m&m’s.  My all-time favorite candy.
• Unsweetened iced tea.  I could drink a million and it’s cheap to make.  Really cheap.

…Because the money I save now could help me later.  If I don’t need it for an emergency, I’ll just look at it is a chance for earlier retirement…

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A Picture I Love… Wednesday, Feb 4 2009

Awww!

This dog looks exactly like my dog Merlin!

…Because dogs have the life we wish we had…

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