Treading My Mill

Well, we did it! Finally purchased a treadmill for the Hoffman household (including Beignet)!!! I had NO IDEA that this sucker was going to be such a beast to get into the house, let alone my room which is on the third floor. The salesman at Dicks was not allowed to tie the box into our car, so I was climbing all over pulling twine here and there and knotting it as best I could. Next, it was the journey of carrying the monster machine from the car up two flights of stairs... can you say sore? Now, I may be an almost graduate of a well known design/architecture school in NC, but these directions were brutal! It took me two whole nights, and one trip to Lowe's before I got the machine up and running. I mean really, what would people do if they couldn't lift and tighten all these parts? Well, after two nights, I did get it up and running and so was I! I've put in four miles to the treadmill thus far and boy this baby runs like a dream (no pun intended)! So now if you can't find me ... or Beignet... and we're not out riding Roxie... try the mill cause we're probably treadin!

Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops

This week, I got a new cookbook! I am so excited about cooking more recipes from it, but last night was the first one out the blocks, and BOY was it yummy! Also, I tried a new cake baking method "diet soda cake," you may have heard of this before. I don't have pictures of the cake unfortunately, but I do have a picture of dinner! This recipe was really simple and we all enjoyed it so much there were no leftovers.

Cook Book: Taste of Home - Guilt Free Cooking
Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops (pg 153)
Nutritional Information:
258 calories per pork chop
9 grams of fat
21 grams of protein

Here is my adapted version of the recipe

1/2 cup packed splenda blend brown sugar
1/3 cup dijon mustard
5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons cane syrup
1 tablespoon ground mustard
(recipe is for six pork chops, we did four or five)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º


First in a small saucepan, whisk all the ingredients (except the pork chops)
Over medium heat, bring to boil, make sure you stir mixture often
Lower the heat, and let simmer for 2-3 minutes

Spray cooking dish (9x13) generously with non stick spray
Place pork chops in dish (try not to overlap the pork chops for best cooking results)
Pour half the sauce over the pork chops, then flip pork chops and pour on the remaining sauce
Cook uncovered for 18-22 minutes or until juices are clear (be sure to flip chops a few times to ensure maximum flavor)

I served the dish with saffron rice, fresh pineapple, green beans, and pillsbury crescent rolls.

For the cake, buckle your seat belt these directions get tricky!
Just kidding, all you do is open a box of your favorite cake mix (I used double fudge chocolate cake) and then pop open a diet soda or a regular soda if you rather! (recommended cola's for chocolate cakes and citrus for white cakes i.e. sprite zero etc.)  Now, do not add any ingredients listed on the box, simply pour in the diet soda, mix, and bake as directed on the box. Along with my chocolate cake, I poured in a diet cherry pepsi and boy it was tasty!  I am going to make another one of these cakes for the family over the weekend, and will be sure to take pictures!

Hey Cupcake

I am a chocoholic if ya ever met one, thats for sure! So, while I'm watching what I eat these days, staying away from sweet treats can be very difficult some days. I found a recipe for made from scratch, low calorie, chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes and it turned out great! This recipe was very detailed and even gave the exact nutritional information per recipe. I highly recommend this recipe one, if you like peanut butter and chocolate together, and two, if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth but don't want to pay for it later. I did however add one or two ingredients, so here is the recipe adapted from its original form. 



INGREDIENTS:
(makes 10 cupcakes)
Filling
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Cupcake
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons applesauce1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon espresso powder (I used instant espresso coffee)

Directions:

1. Mix together ingredients for filling. Set aside.
2. For cupcakes, first blend butter, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar. Add egg and sour cream. Mix.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and espresso powder.
4. Mix dry ingredients into wet.
5. Line muffin tin with papers or spray well. (papers recommended)
6. Fill bottom with batter, being carful not to over fill, because you will use the remaining batter later and you don't want to run short (I did run short). Spoon in a drop of peanut butter, then cover with remaining batter.
7. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.



NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
135 calories
8 grams fat
17 grams carbohydrates
2 grams fiber
3 grams protein

CAD Drawings 2009

Foxy Roxie

Today, I became a little girl all over again when I bought a PINK Schwinn roxie (the name as read on the bike) beach cruiser! Thats right, I walked the aisles of target pushing a shiny pink bike around, and with the help from my Mom, squeezed it in her car to bring roxie home! I was so excited, everyone who passed us smiled and we even overheard a few "wow! she got a pretty pink bike!" comments from fellow shoppers.

I will say riding a bike wasn't as easy as I remembered! Of course I never forgot HOW to ride a bike its just my body went limp after a few peddles around the block. Can anyone say "JELLO?" Oh, but what fun I had riding this precious pink cruiser around with my very fashionable helmet...sike! I think pink bikes just make people happy, because every person I rode by smiled and waved with extra enthusiasm!

So, if you can't find me... I'll be riding Roxie!