Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday!
Well, last night was a huge success. Had my parents for dinner... along with Ayden's buddies, Emma and Julia (you'll notice that this time Emma's name is listed first -- that's because when Ayden showed them my blog last night,... Emma asked why she was mentioned second). I call the three of them "The Pigeon Sisters" -- but of course they have no idea who the Pigeon Sisters are, or Felix and Oscar for that matter. Love the Odd Couple! My two older kids, Jesse (15) and Cole (12) were both out for the evening with friends. I made Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps for dinner and we served Ayden's chocolate muffins for dessert. Everyone thought it was delicious! Red vino for the adults :-)

This afternoon I'm prepping for tomorrow's segment on the Today Show. It's all about FIBER and should hit at about 8:30 am. Try to watch if you're around -- its very informative and has a fancy-shmancy animation off the top.

In the spirit of fiber and regularity... I picked up the biggest, most magnificent blackberries at Cosco this weekend, and tossed them on my oatmeal this morning (1/2 cup oats prepared with water and topped with 2 teaspoons maple syrup and 1 cup blackberries = 250 calories, 12 grams fiber!). Very filling and yummy. For those of you with blood sugar issues, lose the syrup and enjoy the natural sweeteness from the berries.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend! Speak with you tomorrow.

Chocolate Muffins with Ayden

Hi everyone... so I've decided to start a personal blog. Yup, you're about to find out how wacky, fun, and sometimes mundane Joy Bauer's life actually is. Here goes.

Woke up to almost two feet of snow in Westchester, New York this morning and it was totally gorgeous! Looks like a beautiful Norman Rockwell painting. So, my younger daughter, Ayden Jane, has been itching to bake. Full disclosure; at 9 years-old, she's actually a pretty darn good cake decorator and is addicted to watching Ace Of Cakes and Cake Boss (I know, YIKES -- the nutritionist mom and her cake-decorating daughter). Well, we compromised and made Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins. I let her take a few liberties by adding Reeses Pieces to her side of the muffin tin. Later this evening she'll be hosting a "late night hang out" with her two best buddies, Julia and Emma.... and she'll be serving her masterpiece muffins for dessert. Here's Ayden and her finished product (Bravo, Ayden!) ... I'm posting my "Skinny Double Chocolate Muffins" recipe sans Reeses Pieces, for all of you healthy chocoholics. Enjoy!

SKINNY Double Chocolate Muffins By Joy Bauer

1½ cups whole wheat flour (may use 3/4 ww flour and 3/4 all purpose flour)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup skim milk
1 tablespoon strong coffee (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large egg whites
¾ cup fat free vanilla yogurt
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325°F degrees. Prepare muffin pan with muffin liners and spray with nonstick spray. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients: maple syrup, apple sauce, milk, coffee, vanilla, egg whites, and yogurt. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups evenly with batter. Bake at 325 °F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Muffins can be frozen in an air-tight container, sealed freezer bag, or individually wrapped for up to 2 months. For best results, freeze muffins immediately after baking and cooling to room temperature.

Makes 12 muffins (150 calories each)