Brunch N' Cupcakes: March 2013

Friday, March 29, 2013

Friday Treat - Cooking Light Granola Cookie Wedges

Sometimes you just need a cookie - a warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven!
But I have to say that cookies are tough for me to bake, because half way through a batch I get bored!
So you can imagine my excitement when I opened up Aprils issue of Cooking Light and found this recipe!

Granola Cookie Wedges!

(Source)

This recipe both satisfied my craving for warm gooey cookies while saving me from baking batch after batch of individual cookies! I highly recommend making these bars if you love cookies but hate rolling out batch after batch of cookie dough! These bars come together in a pinch and bake in no time! Even Derek that these bars were tasty - and he is the cookie baker out of the two of us!

When I was making these bars I followed the recipe to a "T" but decided I wanted to make them a little nuttier, so I added about a tablespoon of Trader Joe's Sunflower Seed Butter to my dough! I thought the results were fantastic but was a little shocked when I uncovered my bars the next day and looked down at this...

Yes, my bars turned Bright green! It was a bit alarming, and I was convinced that I had a mold problem! It turns out that sometimes baked goods made with Sun Flower Butter will turn bright green due to a chemical reaction between the baking soda and sun flower butter! Read about a similar situation here! My mind was put at ease after reading this article (knowing that the bars hadn't molded) but I have to say it was a a bit odd eating a bright green bar. If only I would have made these for St. Patty's day - they would have been perfect!

All in all these bars are delicious! I think you should make them today! Why no? It is Friday, and Friday afternoons are perfect for a sweet treat like these bars!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Butler!!! Number 6 Seed - March Madness

Butler has done it again!

Source: pawnation.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

We are officially going to the NCAA Tournament - March Madness is here!

Butler was given a Number 6 Seed in the East Region! Lets see how far we can take it this year!

Source: Uploaded by user via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

Congrats Dawgs!!
I can't wait to see how far we go in this years NCAA Tournament!

3 New and One Old - Recipe Sharing

This past week I decided to jump back on my Pinterst Challenge bandwagon and try 3 new recipes. And to my surprise they all turned out well, and took no time to make at all! Plus I had plenty of leftovers that were delicious and easy to pack for work!

These recipes were to good to keep to myself - check it out!

Spinach Feta and Rice Bake - From Kalyn's Kitchen

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

Delicious - The Feta added great flavor! This dish was a great meatless main but you could easily top with grilled chicken or add some beans to keep it vegetarian!

Sweet Potato Stuffed Peppers - From Natural Health Mag.

Yes, I will admit I have a million stuffed pepper recipes on the blog! But the thought of adding sweet potatoes to my pepper stuffing intrigued me. The end results... delicious! I cut the recipe in half and made one stuffed pepper. I used the extra pepper stuffing to top a salad for lunch the next day!

Healthy Peanut Butter Chunk Oatmeal Bars - Sally's Baking Addiction

Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

These bars are delicious and addicting! They are not super sweet and have a wonderful peanut butter taste! I made them for my team at work and got tons of compliments! These make a great snack or a healthy dessert! Make them as soon as you can!

I also dug this recipe out from the archives!
One of my Favorites!

Cooking Lights Spinach, Caramelized Onion and Feta Quiche

I made this Quiche for Derek's cousin Nikki and her husband. Derek and I took them dinner on Thursday night because they just had their little girl! Their baby girl is adorable and I loved being able to spend the evening with them. I have to say that I forgot just how much I love this Quiche, the guiche turned out perfect just as it always does!

Enjoy these fabulous recipes!

"Get Lucky" 7K Recap and St Patty's Day

Happy Monday Folks!

Did everyone have a good weekend? Celebrate St. Patty's Day?

Derek and I ran the "Get Lucky" 7K this past Saturday in honor of St Patricks Day and I could not be happier with the outcome of the race (Plus it got me excited for our Half Marathon)!

I ended up running an average pace of 7:47 Min/Mile which is the fastest I have run a race!

Below are my official stats!

Official Race Time: 33:50

Average Pace: 7:47 per mile

228th out of 9797 runners

45th out of 7223 Females

and 18th out of 1728 in my age group!!!!!

I am still in shock with my stats due to the fact that Saturday was insanely cold. We are talking about 20 degrees when we started running! Saturday was by far the coldest weather I have ever run in. Thankfully the sun was shining Saturday which helped a little bit!

Post race Derek and I met up with some of his friends at Kierens an Irish Pub downton Minneapolis! Lets just say it was packed and most people at the Pub had run the race!

It was a great way to enjoy the day and celebrate a great race!

How did you celebrate St. Patty's Day?

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Get Lucky - 7k

I have to say that I am falling in love with outdoor winter runs! Does this mean I am becoming one of those crazy Minnesota runners? I find the cold slightly invigorating, and enjoy the fact that I am not running inside on a treadmill like a hamster! I am anxiously awaiting the warm Spring weather!

Anyways this Saturday Derek and I will be running the Minneapolis "Get Lucky" 7k and the weather forecast doesn't appear to be to warm.

At least it is supposed to be sunny!

The race will be a quick 4.2 miles around Minneapolis!

I am pretty excited to run this race (it has been a while since my 10 miler) and I am hoping this race will pump me up for our upcoming half marathon! And not to mention we get some pretty cool gear!

The race is sponsored by Team Ortho Quick (they put on 6 different races a year including the Monster Dash) and will feature plenty of St Patty's Day celebrating post race (complete with bag pipers)! I will keep you posted on our time!

Have you ever run any holiday themed races?

Happy Thursday !

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Running Update - Half Training

Well, Derek and I are over half way done with our Half Marathon training!

We completed our 10 Mile run this past Saturday, and man was it a good run!

The weather was perfect for running outside (sad when we think that 33 degrees is lovely) the sun was shining, and I was just happy to be out running! Derek and I ended up running clear down to Lake Calhoun and around Lake of the Isles!

(Source)

There were a ton of people out enjoying the day Saturday! I love seeing so many people out in the winter time being active! It is one of my favorite things about Minneapolis - People in Minnesota just don't hibernate in the winter! Love it!

The half marathon Derek and I are running is not till May, but we have a 7K coming up in March!

We also plan on back tracking in our half training and incorporating a little speed work!

Below are a few articles I found regarding how to incorporate speed work into your training. As well as some articles on what you should eat before and after a run! Hope you enjoy!