Muffin Madness

Okay, here is the deal...I am tired of drinking protein supplements. I don't like the taste anymore and can't stand the idea of drinking them. I still want to lose weight, but just realize I need to make some changes in my diet plan. Whatever I do, it has to be something that I can see myself doing for the rest of my life. I know this isn't a brief moment in time where I watch what I eat, it's going to be a lifestyle change. With that said...I am trying to stick to 1200 calories and eating foods that are higher in protein, more natural, and filling. Now, I realize when I follow my Metabolic Research Center plan I lost about 2.5 pounds a week. The catch is, I haven't been following it. I find every reason possible not to drink protein supplements. So, I need to adjust. I know I can do this new hybrid plan and monitor my results. If I quit losing weight, I can always go right back to where I left off.

For accountability, that's the thing I struggle the most with, I am posting my food on sparkpeople.com. I love the website so much! I can track my fitness, food, and join groups. I have been using the site for almost two years! Anyway, my sister is going to check in on my food diaries and knowing that at any point in time a person can look, helps me feel more accountable. Also, don't be afraid to ever ask me how I'm doing. That helps a lot too. With all that being said, I tried a new recipe and figured the calories out after I made my adjustments! (If you are on or join sparkpeople, add me- it's my first name underscore 2004 aka my e-mail address without the @hotmail.com, you can also put this information in when you create an account to tell them who referred you.)

The recipe I am highlighting today is from the Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 cookbook. I made the Big Fat Blueberry Muffins with some modifications. First of all, the recipe claims to make 6 muffins. I am pretty sure I am using an antique muffin tin to bake in. I do not know if the tin makes smaller muffins or if I just had extra batter? Either way I ended up making 8 muffins, which means each muffin is just a few less calories than what is suggested in the cookbook. The recipe also called for sugar free maple syrup. Without thinking, I used Walden Farms Maple Syrup. This product is sugar free, calorie free, just about anything you can think of free. When I accidentally doubled the amount, it didn't matter. However, most sugar free syrups have 35 calories in a 1/4 Cup serving and those calories were cut out. I know this seems small, but it was enough to make my muffins come in at 99 calories. So forget all those cutsie 100 calorie pack muffins you see at the store, just make your own!

The muffins tasted great. At first they were a little tricky to get out of the liner, but after they cooled, they came out a lot nicer. I was happy with the end product and LOVE having a piece of breakfast I can eat on the go! Speaking of breakfast, I paired my muffin with Kellogg's 19 cereal. Has anyone tried this? I thought it tasted good and LOVED that it had almost as many vitamins and minerals as my vitamin! Oh and speaking of 100 calories, 1 full cup is only 100 calories! I couldn't find many other cereals that were the same calorie and nutrition wise.

If you would like the recipe for the muffin straight from Hungry Girl, click here: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1552

Keep in mind the two modifications I made if you want a muffin under 100 calories. Even just following the Hungry Girl Recipe, the muffin is 137 calories.

P.S. in the background is a sneak peek of a newly painted wall in our house!