WIAW #5

I can't believe another Wednesday has come and gone.  Fall is officially here and I'm so excited for it! (Except for the fact I already need a spray tan and it's not even October yet.)  I was thinking of doing a challenge during the month of October and try to eat/drink something pumpkin every day.  I'll keep you posted...

Breakfast was cream of wheat...perfect for a stormy, rainy morning.  If only I could have enjoyed it at home and not at my computer at work.

Snack was 2 no bake energy bites.  I wasn't joking when I said I love these things.  I make them almost every week.  I also drank an Emergen-C.

Lunch was leftover grilled eggplant bruschetta from dinner last night.  I also had 1 C. of Trader Joe's Red Pepper Soup.

Afternoon snack was a pita and Trader Joe's Edamame Hummus.

We had tickets to The Lion King so to start out date night we went to Bonefish Grill.  I'm not usually a huge fan of Bonefish for some reason, but I do like to go there this time of year.  Their pumpkin ravioli is back and I had it several times last year.  It's a special that comes with swordfish and some other stuff, but I always just ask for the ravioli and then take advantage of $5 Bang Bang shrimp!  I ate 1/2 an order of shrimp and then all of my ravioli. It's topped with goat cheese (my fav!) and sage and stuffed with just the right amount of pumpkin.  Mmmm!Mmmmm!  I also had one glass of cabernet and I only had one bite of bread since I ate a pita that afternoon.

Some of you may wonder if Josh was excited for The Lion King.  Well.... he does this with every newborn he's ever held.

All we were trying to do was get a family pic and Josh "presents" his nephew like he's Simba.  I'm next to him frantically telling him to be careful...it's a HUMAN, not a lion.  Exhibit A as to why we are still a family of 2. :)

He may have been excited for the show, but he was not so excited to take a pic to document it.  I know he just does this because he knows it frustrates me.  Oh, true love!

Whole Wheat Mini Banana Muffins

I don’t bake much, but I hate throwing food away.  So, several weeks ago when some of our bananas browned before we ate them I decided to test a new recipe out.  It came from one of my favorite bloggers, Sugar Free Mom. (www.sugarfreemom.com)  I receive her daily e-mails, but I wasn’t sure how these would turn out because some things I try of hers are really tasty, but some of it has been not so tasty.  However, I ate all these up already and need to make a new batch.   I hope you like them as much as I did!

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
4 oz cream cheese, light, softened (I used neufchatel cheese)
2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal
1/2 c. applesauce, unsweetened
1/2 c. milk of choice (I used almond milk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
6 packets stevia (Aldi carries this now!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, flaxseed, stevia, and salt and mix well.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla extract, applesauce, and milk. Add them to the mixer and combine well.

Add cream cheese and banana’s and mix until combined.

Stir in chocolate choips.

Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, pour the mixture into each cup. If you want more mini muffins, fill them 3/4 of the way. If you want larger ones, fill them level to the top of the cup.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick in center comes out pretty clean. Let them cool for a few minutes then finish cooling them on a wire rack.

Nutrition Info
Servings: 36* Calories: 61* Fat: 3g* Fiber: 1g* Carbs: 9g* Protein: 2g* Points+: 2*

I placed these in the freezer and then each night put a couple in the refrigerator and I was set for breakfast the next morning.