Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Pumpkin Muffins & Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

Happy Wednesday! Are you having a good one? My day has been nice so far. I got up this morning and ran a couple miles and took most of Body Pump (had to leave early because I had a meeting). After work, I finally got some baking in - feels like its been forever! I made Tina’s Vegan Pumpkin Muffins and Joy of Baking’s Chocolate Cookies with added Chocolate Chunks (because chocolate always needs more chocolate right?). I made these goodies for my three younger "siblings" (Josh's brothers and sister). I am sending them all Halloween care packages (loved getting these when I was in college).

I used my EatSmart food scale to measure out my ingredients:

This food scale rocks! I was amazed how far off some of my "cup" measurements were vs. the weights that were called for in the recipes. A lot of you mentioned that you either would or do use a food scale for baking or for measuring proteins. I think this is exactly what I will be using this for! Thank you again to Bill and EatSmart for sending me this wonderful product to test out.

Now for a few pictures of my baking! First up, a picture of the chocolate chocolate batter- mmm:


Finished pumpkin carob chip muffins in Tupperware (very classy ;)):

And finished chocolate chocolate chunk cookies:


Hope the siblings enjoy them!!
On another note, the nice folks at Harper Collins sent me a copy of Tal Ronnen's new cookbook, The Conscious Cook.
"In his first four-color cookbook, chef Tal Ronnen, who has cooked on Oprah and catered many celebrity weddings, shows readers that avoiding the health risks and ethical dilemmas of eating meat and dairy does not mean sacrificing taste and appetite. This is not a cookbook of sprouts and tofu burgers, but of mouth-watering, hearty meals that keep the protein at the center of your plate. Featuring 75 original recipes that will satisfy the fussiest foodies and the most dedicated of carnivores, The Conscious Cook is a breakthrough in meatless cuisine that will revolutionize the way readers experience food."

The cookbook is just beautiful and I can't wait to taste out some of the recipes:


Look for some reviews to come!
Now its time to go learn some new group fitness choreography! I am also hoping for a trip to Fresh Berry tonight ;) What are you doing/eating tonight?

48 comments:

Jessica said...

Mmmm both of these sound delicious. Now I want to go home and bake some more!

Haleigh said...

Oh me. Oh my! Those baked goods look delicious! I would love to have a food scale, I hear they do wonders with baking! Lucky girl :) Enjoy your day!

Angharad said...

Umm why did I not have a sister like you sending me care packages when I was in college?! Those look amazing! Can't imagine anything better than those popping through the door.
And I am officially obsessed with cook books. I know you can find everything online but I love glossy pictures of good food!!

Leah @ L4L said...

Class! Eating leftover stir-fry. :)

Pam said...

Cookies look great and that is so nice of you to send those packages.

Does one of them have my name on it...lol!!!?

Enjoy!

Jenna said...

Omg, I would go to town on that dough... it looks out of this world!

I have a work function tonight. So I probably will have a little something there and a little something when I get home!

K from ksgoodeats said...

You're going to laugh when you see what I did today - hint, hint: great minds think alike!

Glad you had fun playing with the food scale. Those packages look awesome - if I go off to college will you send me some!? ;)

I hope you get some Freshberry!!

janetha said...

wow, that batter shot is making my mouth water! yum! tonight.. not sure about the menu.. but i am for sure going to the gym!

Maria said...

I haven't had much time to bake lately. Hopefully this weekend. Tonight I am going running then hopefully relaxing. Not sure what will be on the dinner menu. I should of planned ahead, oops! Either a veggie sandwich or cereal if I am really lazy:)

Stephanie said...

Hey girlie, great job on the baked goods, they look fantastic! And that cookbook looks awesome as well :) The Man and I are headed out on date night tonight for some yummy dinner, so I'm excited to spend some time out with him! Enjoy your evening :)

Lizzy said...

Girl you are a baking goddess! These cookies look awesome! :) I'm so glad your lovin your scale! i love mine and find it so useful!

http://saladdiva.wordpress.com

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

YUM thte pumpkin muffins sound amazing! but then again so do the cookies, such a hard choice what I would want to try first!

Anonymous said...

mmm i want to do some pumpkin baking, but my fiance won't eat pumpkin... and i think baking just for myself could be dangerous! :-)

Krista said...

What do I need to do to get on you Hallowe'en care package list??? Cuz those treats look FAB!

The cookbook looks really interesting, too. Can't wait to hear your review.

I Run for Fun said...

Aw...you are one sweet sister. I wish I was one of the siblings...those goodies look deeelicious!

Anonymous said...

love those muffins and cookies! with pumpkin and chocolates.... all my favorites.

night plan? catching up on blog reading.

Lauren said...

I am seriously craving pumpkin muffins. Haha, when am I not craving anything pumpkin though? :)
Yours look amazing! And what a great idea to do Halloween care packages. That is so much fun!

What a stunning cookbook. I would love to add this one to my collection.

Have a great night girl!

Fitnessista said...

those both look DELICIOUS! i've got a cookie hankering now ;)
i'd be happy to take a care package over here :D
have a great night!

Anonymous said...

Yay pumpkin! Homemade stuff is always so delicious- bookmarking that recipe! I ate already...blogged- best food day in a long time!

Esi said...

Good for you! Baking with the scale gives the most accurate measurements and it's way easier than using a bunch of measuring cups and spoons! Tonight, I am just laying low so I can get up early for the gyyyyyym tomorrow!

Bec said...

I just want to eat that chocolate batter raw :) looks so good

Erika said...

Great muffins and cookies! I have a scale and I love it! I use it all the time!

Britt said...

Yum those cookies look great! Maybe I should make some cookies for the party we are going to this weekend, I've been meaning to try some pumpkin chocolate chip ones..... cause everything needs a little pumpkin this time of year!

I'm enjoying an evening AT HOME! Love it! Its so nice not to have a meeting or event to go to..... ahhh.....

Julie said...

care packages at college ARE THE BEST!! Deej is always sending my brother and sister one and I'm super jealous when I see her send them out. I'm pretty sure she should just put one in the mail for me and have it sent to our house haha.

cant wait to hear about the cookbook and I hope you got some froyo!

Sophia said...

oh my god, PLEASE make that herbed cheese baguette thingy! They sound absolutely gorgeous!

Aggie said...

That scale looks awesome! I always feel off when I'm measuring, I may have to look into it. Your baked goodies look so good...send me some? ;)

Low key night...dinner was grilled bbq turkey burgers no bun, tomato slices, kale chips and sweet potato rounds...SO good!! Caught up on some Dexter and now some blog reading! Have a great night!

Allie (Live Laugh Eat) said...

Freshberry!! I went there when I visited Charly this summer (haha that's what my roommate and I referred to Charleston as). I wish I had a sister in law to bake goodies for me!!! SO nice of you!

Have a great night and day tomorrow!

Trying To Heal said...

those goodies look delicious! i wish i could get things like that in my care packages (not that mine are bad or anything, but they're certainly not as healthy!!!)

Holly said...

How sweet are you to send care packages?! That is awesome. I have to agree - LOVED getting those in college! (Well, loved it when my roommates got them, LOL).

I have some canned pumpkin I need to use....pumpkin muffins might be on my agenda this weekend. :-)

CaSaundraLeigh said...

The title of this post got me excited!! :-) All your baked goodness looks delish--although I am not a huge fan of pumpkin and chocolate together, so I might have to sub some cinnamon chips instead! Yum!

Yum Yucky said...

Ooo. I wanna eat the cookie dough.

My Sensei said...

OoOOooOOoOoo those cookies and muffins look so scrumptious. I loved getting care packages in college too especially during exam time! And yes, you are right, the more chocolate the better!! ;-)

Being Healthier said...

COOKIES!!!

no i don't know what i'm eating tonight but since I am working late- probably something random and quick when i get home.

Heather said...

yum!!!!! everything looks so tasty :)

Anonymous said...

Those goodies look great! The cookbook also looks really interesting... can't wait to see what you make!

Alison Can Read said...

Scales are definitely ideal for baking - especially for measuring out flour.
Your muffins and cookies look great!

fittingbackin said...

Glad you're loving the scale - and that cookbook looks awesome! Tonight i'm hanging with my mom, cooking for this weekend and packing for alabama!

Deva (Voracious Vorilee) said...

Mmmmmmm those look so yummy :-) I think it's awesome that you are making up some tasty care packages. I love pumpkin muffins becuase of how tasty and homey and comforting they are - YUMMY

lauren said...

the last picture made my mouth water...seriously...and it is 11pm. That is some good food photography! delish baked goods.

Jenna said...

looks look sooo yummy!
jenna

The Blonde Duck said...

Pumpkin muffins make every one, college student or not, happy!

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

Oh, I'm dying for a kitchen scale. I bought Ratio, a book all about the ratios of ingredients in recipes, and it pretty much requires using a scale. Like you said, cup measurements can be really off!

Holly said...

ohhh that cookbook looks fabulous! the photography is absolutely GORGEOUS!

can't wait to see what you concoct from the book :)

teresa said...

that cookbook sounds like so much fun! what yummy cookies!

Priyanka said...

Thats so sweet of you to send care packages. It would sure make my day!

Anonymous said...

girlie those pumpkin muffins look fantastic. seriously drooling :)

Diana said...

Baker in da howse! Look at you go! I've had the baking itch lately myself, which started with VeggieGirl's pumpkin carob loaf last weekend and might need to end with some VeggieGirl blondies this weekend. And then I have to figure out who to give most of it away to. No control! :D

RunToTheFinish said...

I made some cookies at my parents house that have carrots in them and they just weren't sure what to do with something that looked healthy but was a dessert...yet they've been eating them!