rain rain

It is drearity dreary here in Beantown, so I’ve been turning to my usual rainy weather staples… lots and lots of warm carbs!

Last night, at Super 88 (which I like to call “ASIA”. It’s a supermarket and food court and they have virtually every type of Asian food you can think of. Last night I went for Wisteria, one of the Chinese places) I got hot soup. Mmmm.

That’s tofu, bok choy, carrots, yummy comforting broth and…

  

NOODLES! That was seriously about a block of tofu and a pound of noodles. I didn’t finish—thank God my friend was there to help me, or an offensive amount of food would’ve been left behind.

This morning, anything other than this for breakfast was just inconceivable:

  

Oats! Stovetop oats! Super ripe banana stovetop oats topped with peanut butter! Yesssssssss.

But come on now, there is one ultimate rainy day activity… BAKING!

Carrot Apricot Muffins

(an adaptation of this recipe which called them horse muffins- too cute!- because of the carrots and oats. However, the original was a little too healthy even for me!)

The oat mix:

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

2 dried apricots, diced

1/3 cup boiling water

Pour water over oats and apricots, and stir. Let sit and soften.

The dry:

1 cup flour (all I had was all purpose)

1 T-ish brown sugar (I used the 50 calorie packet from Starbucks oatmeal, hahahaha. If you like your baked goods really sweet, add more than this)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Combine those guys. Then make a well and add your wet:

2/3 cup milk (I used 1%, just what I had on hand)

1/2 cup applesauce (supposed to be unsweetened, but I actually accidentally bought sweetened! It was the chunky kind and actually had fiber in it, which excited me, so I got distracted. Anyway, I’m glad I used it cause otherwise these wouldn’t have been sweet enough)

Stir those in until dry ingredients are just coated:

Then add:

2 carrots, shredded (for me this yielded about 2/3 of a cup, which made for a good carrot ratio)

your oatmeal mixture

Fold in to combine, making sure to break up oatmeal lumps:

That’s your batter! It’s eggless, too, which means it’s dangerously delicious to lick the bowl.

Bake your muffins in a greased muffin tin for 22-25 minutes at 350*

  

Makes 6 HEFTY muffins

To say that these smell slightly good while they bake is like saying that  Congress has slightly strong opinions on health care reform.

I inhaled ate my first (of many!) muffins  looking out my window at the rain.

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh MONDO EXCITAMUNDO: after a Negative Nancy at the office of the registrar at the school of public health told me that I was on the waitlist behind two degree candidates for this class I wanted, I kind of gave up. Flash forward to an email saying I GOT IN! Starting Monday, I’ll be taking Nutrition and Public Health!

This course examines the principles of public health nutrition and explores the nutritional status of individuals throughout their life cycle. Faculty focus on nutrition assessment, the development of nutrition policy, the role of diet in obesity and chronic diseases of an affluent society, nutrition program planning, and national and local nutrition surveillance. In addition, the course reviews the components of administering nutrition services on a local, national, and international level. The impact of overall socioeconomic development on nutrition and health status, infectious disease, and public health policy is considered. No previous coursework in nutrition is required; a basic introduction to nutrition is provided.

No joke, this is my dream class. I am, at 20 (21 on the 7th of October!) trying to figure out what the eff I’m going to do with my life. This may very well be it. SO STOKED!

If you could take any class you wanted (I’m talking to people who aren’t in school anymore, too, use your imaginations!) what would you take?