I was up at 5:30 this morning to work on Chem and decided I wanted to bake something for breakfast. Of course I turned to my new Vive la Vegan cookbook because there are a number of recipes I want to try. What I love about vegan baking is that all of the ingredients are healthy, which means the final product is healthy. While I’m obviously not a vegan and eat things made with butter, cream etc., I’d rather not have them for breakfast or snacks and save them for special treats. So for everyday healthy baking, the vegan cookbooks are great.
I settled on the Blueberry Bounty Buns, which are described as a cross between a muffin and a scone – exactly what I was craving! But since I didn’t have blueberries, I turned to trusty bananas 🙂 I reduced the sweetener (brown sugar + maple) by half and thought they turned out perfectly sweet. I also used Smart Balance instead of canola oil, which reduced each “bun” by 40 kcal. Quite a dramatic drop! They turned out what I would describe as “drop muffins.” Basically muffin tops! Yum! And about 130 kcal each.
With a bit of almond butter:
And for the record, it was SO HARD not to go back for a second! I did lick the batter bowl though 🙂
To complete breakfast, I also made a veggie + feta scramble with 1 egg and 1 egg white plus mushrooms, zucchini, spinach and tomato-basil feta.
And apple slices –
All together –
This breakfast was 420 kcal, 8 grams fiber and 29 grams protein. Not quite as filling as my oatmeal breakfasts, but I eat early lunches on Tuesdays so it’s not as big of a deal as sitting through Physio with a growling stomach!
I have a chest cold 🙁 I feel fine, but I have a few random symptoms of a cold. I’m headed to the gym in a bit and plan to do some light ellipticaling and maybe abs. Nothing that will leave me breathless like yesterday’s spinning!
In Memorial
My mom is an author and has a number of poems published. She wrote this one yesterday in honor of the shattered little green spoon, who had become quite a character in the KERF comic strip 😥
“Resting in the Eternal Spoon Rest”
My favorite spoon,
Gone too soon,
May you rest in love,
In Spoon Heaven above.
Kris10 says
Your breakfast looks deliciously varied. Creative, as always! 🙂
I made baked oatmeal on Saturday evening (odd dinner craving, but I HAD to have it!), and it’s been a trusty breakfast for me the 3 mornings since, slathered in cashew butter. Mmm. Thanks for the recipe!
Kris10 says
Oh, and how terrible of me! Get well soon! I’m finally recovered (save for a bit of a lingering cough) from the flu and know how miserable it is to be sick. Hang in there!
Lindsay says
LOL awww your mom is too cute! Love the poem… 🙂 I love scones – looks so good!
rhodeygirl says
aw the poor spoon! for the record, the green ones are no longer… they DO however have blue and white! I just made my friend register for a bunch of white ones for her wedding along with cute little ice cream bowls, because you can’t eat ice cream any other way!!!!
your mom is too cute to write you a little poem- i love it!
hk says
yum, scone drops look yuummm! have a good day, hope the chest cold is gone quickly 🙂
Justy2003 says
That poem is so cute! I send my condolences for the spoon though 🙁 Sad to see it go…
Hope you feel better soon! I know a workout always makes me feel a little better…and it clears up any stuffiness! 🙂
Romina says
MMM!!! If they’re like muffin tops I’ve got to try these scones!
hk says
Kath, I’ve got the book, as well…I love the looks of your “variation”…and think I may give it a shot.
Did you follow everything exactly..just 1/2 the sugar and sub same proportion of canola oil for smart balance?
Betsy in Pittsburgh says
I made something so amazing last night I have to share.
I was cooking up a big batch of Minestrone, and my beau & I were wishing we had picked up some fresh bread to go with it. Being resourceful, I decided I needed to use up some arugula and ww flour. To make a long story short, I made a basic pizza dough (half ww half bread flour), and I chopped up the arugula real small and threw it in, along with about 4 cloves of garlic. They turned out being the most amazing arugula garlic knots EVER! I’m sure you could do this with spinach too. Check my blog Wednesday night, I’ll be posting about it – and all the other good things we’ve been making!
arimcg says
I would not have been able to write this post without multiple Seinfeld references.
Top of the muffin to you!
Cara says
haha the poem is great. Your scones also look pretty amazing. I hope you start feeling better. Colds are no fun.
Suzanne says
Your mom is too cute! 🙂 I love the poem.
Your breakfast looks SO good!
I hope you feel better. You had a hearty breakfast – hopefully it will fuel your immune system to kick that cold’s butt!
Clara says
*bows head in moment of silence after reading poem* your little green buddy will never be forgotten – his legacy will live on, continuing to inspire you and others in proper portion control 🙂
feel better soon! and congratulations on such a successful baking venture and delicious breakfast. have a great day =]
carrie says
Kath (or anyone), when we have rice for dinner, we make brown rice. But with 2 hungry kids waiting anxiously at the dinner table we don’t have time to do the traditional rice and have to resort to the boil in a bag brown rice that is ready in 10 minutes. Are we still getting the same benenfits that you would get from the traditional rice that takes like 45 minutes to get ready?
Hannah says
Mmmmmm. One of my famorite things to treat myself to is a scone from starbucks (occasionally even replaces dinner during my once a week night class…). I’m going to have to get that cookbook. I’d really like to try to make some maple raisin scones.
Also…I absolutely love your placemats.
Amanda@Down Home Dieting says
I love scrambles. Your’s looks delicious.
I love your spoon!
Betsy says
that is the cutest thing i’ve ever read. beautifuly said, kath’s mom!!!
i just got EDBV and I can’t WAIT to try some of dreena’s recipes. they all look ab. amazing!
Karen says
Your breakfast looks great! Love the smart balance substitution. Hope you feel better soon.
Katie says
Oh your breakfast looks SOOOO good it’s putting me to shame. i grabbed an apple and pb on the way out the door. 🙁
I love that cute poem your mom wrote. haha. Hope you start feeling better soon!
Tina says
Oh, your poor spoon! Love the poem though. Hope you feel better!
ladyw says
i have to try to make those scones–experimenting with vegan recipes is fun, isn’t it? i made vegan cookies with natural pb, ww flour, and some ghiradelli dark chocolate last week. my husband’s friends (young bachelors) really loved them…..i dont know that i even LOVED them.
kath–a weight loss question for you: if i am not working out (i have a desk job for now too…yuck) is 1200 calories too low? I am a little confused because i hear that eating<1500 for most people (unless they are obese) is not good, but i also read about reaching a certain level net calories that i can only attain by eating 1200 calories on days when i am not working out.
have a good day.
Justy2003 says
So I have a question for Kath and/or anyone else who made the pumpkin bread (Veggiegirl’s recipe). I made the bread Sunday and I’ve had some pieces (of course) and it was yummy! However, I just had a piece for lunch and it smelled funny (bad) and the taste is not that great. It’s really moist, so is it going bad quickly?? I’ve wrapped it in tin foil and left it on my counter…which is what Kath did as well (I believe). Anyway, I just made it Sunday so I can’t imagine that it’d be bad already, but it just doesn’t smell/taste very good anymore! Any ideas?
Maybe next time I’ll freeze it…
katieb says
Hey Kath – I’m getting married in Sept. so I had the joy of registering! Yes, C+B is one of our stores so I’ve thrown on a few things I’ve spotted on your blog – like the olive oil measurer! Any other tools you recommend registering for? We have some of the bigger ticket items like the Kitchenaid mixer, a dutch oven, etc. and I was wondering if you had any other suggestions since you both love to cook and bake and seem to have gotten some useful wedding presents! My shower is a surprise but I’m thinking it might be coming up since items are getting snatched up so I’m looking for some additions to the list that I might not have thought of myself (and that we might not normally buy ourselves)
Kiala says
katieb – don’t forget the Salzer kitchen scale!!! It’s precious.
rachel k says
katieb
i registered at crate and barrel too–sounds like you have some good items on your list (esp the Kitchenaid mixer! I LOVE this). i found that a lot of the “little” stuff i registered for at Crate and Barrel was poorly made. My measuring cups completely broke where the handle meets the cup and my adorable ceramic mixing bowls cracked within a month (and i was gentle with them!).
i do love my wooden bowls from there, and i have a gorgeous white salad bowl and matching platter from CB made in Italy.
it’s just unfortunate that some of my most desired items from CB were…cheap! i honestly recommend quality over brandname. I love CB and Pottery Barn, but just because they cost a lot doesn’t mean they’re durable. Also, try to find european and American made items if you can–they tend to be more durable (Though this isn’t a steadfast rule).
rachel k says
katie b
Congratulations on your wedding by the way;)
bikergurl says
I want muffins AND scones now! Is that a silicone sheet you have under them? I know that they are supposed to keep things from sticking but are they as amazing as I’ve heard they are?
hk says
bikergurl-
“Sil-Pat” silicone sheets are a baker’s best friend!! They are truly amazing! They make clean-up a breeze, they can go in the dishwasher, and the pretty much eliminate the need for oils/grease to prevent sticking to pans..GET ONE! they’re the best 🙂
Nick says
Yum, I like the look of those cookie/muffin things. Every time I made muffins, I wish I had made muffin tops instead. I’ll need to try this, I’ll have to get the recipe or a similar one somehow.
I agree about vegan recipes, I’m not one myself, but the blogs I read are usually vegan and/or gluten-free. The writers almost always use healthy ingredients and also tend to use very unique ingredients as well due to their restrictions.
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Ally says
Aww Kath, You are making really want to buy Vive La Vegan now!
I hope you feel better soon!
-Ally
Ashley H says
HI Kath when making the scramble do you cook the veggies first and then add the eggs?
Julz says
MUFFIN TOPS ARE THE BEST PART! After you described them as being like muffin tops, I know I am baking them soon! Yum
On a more sombre/serious note: RIP little green spoon… You will always be remembered and missed. <3
Aimee H. says
Kath- check out my post today on Greek yogurt.
And you just keep reinforcing that I MUST buy Dreena’s cookbooks ASAP.
AB says
That’s it; I’m going to have to buy a vegan cookbook, even though I’m not vegan. And, perhaps, take a closer peek at this SmartBalance stuff.
On an off-topic note, does anyone know what happened to KellyT’s blog (freepersonaltrainer)?
Does your mom write any non-rhyming poems? I love poetry (BA in English) and am an avid poet. If anyone wants to look me up on Facebook, my email is amcabu at yahoo on there
Danielle says
Hi KATH and fans of her blog 🙂
I just started my own and although it’ll be a while before I put anything really interesting I was thinking that I should give a shout-out since once my traveling begins I’m not sure if I’ll be able to. Intrigued? Check it out: http://daniellestudiesabroad.blogspot.com/
Thanks! POOR SPOON 🙁
KarenR says
Carrie, I use Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice. I am normally against convenience products, but brown rice takes so long, and the Ready Rice takes 90 seconds in the micro. I can even make it with some beans for myself for lunch. I have a hard time finding the brown sometimes, so I stock up when I see it. Trader Joe’s also sells frozen brown rice that I used to use before Uncle Ben’s started selling theirs.
I know that doesn’t answer your question, but just a suggestion.
Kath says
hk ,
I think I followed it all exactly – and added a 3 oz banana cut into chickpea-size chunks. I used 2 heaping tbsp brown sugar (instead of 1/4C) and only 1 tbsp maple. And Smart Balance (4 tbsp) instead of oil.
Betsy,
Can’t wait to see the knots – I love anything bread!
carrie ,
From what I’ve read, the instant brown rice has the name nutritional value. Elle Krieger used it on her show this week and said it’s “great” so I would assume that means it is! BrandAid also did a review and recommended it as long as the only ingredient is the rice.
ladyw ,
Since I’m not an R.D., I really can give you a calorie recommendation, especially over the internet without knowing more, etc. 1200 is rather low – and I’ve read that you can’t really get all your nutrients from food on less than 1500 (which is the lowest I ever go/went during my weight loss on days when I didn’t workout). My best suggestion would be to find ways to increase your activity – I used to walk for 30 minutes on my lunch break around my office. Do you have any stairs you could climb for a 10 minute afternoon bread? Just little spurts of activity are enough to meet the daily recommendations and allow you to eat more calories while still losing.
Justy2003 ,
I wouldn’t think it would go bad that fast, but if it smells bad, don’t eat it. When mine went bad it had strands of spiderweb stuff in it when I broke it apart – see if yours has that! I’d portion it into pieces and freeze what you’re not going to eat within 2 days because it’s so easy to reheat.
katieb ,
Congrats on the wedding!! Without knowing what you’re already registered for, I could go on and on on little things – garlic press, good peeler, canisters, good knives, different sizes of cutting boards, oven-safe small bakeware for single servings, salad spinner, nice tongs, etc. The best advice I can give you is to worry more about the big items that you wouldn’t likely buy yourself (KitchenAid is awesome!! Do you have a Cuisinart Food Processor?) and the smaller stuff is easy to purchase yourself with gift cards, etc. later on. Happy Registering!
Ashley H,
Yes, I cooked the veggies and then poured on the eggs. But it won’t fold over omelette-style like this so it has to be a scramble. Omelettes are only good for very small amounts of veggies that won’t weigh the eggs down.
Aimee H.,
I’m with you on hating the liquid!! Just be aware that without it you’re eating a more concentrated version of the yogurt so the nutritional information will be higher per ounce/cup.
Kath
Sonia says
Sorry about your spoon.
I know you helped me with something like this before but I need to ask another question. How did you calculate your resting HR?
I am trying to get the HR range for my body so that I can program my HRM correctly.
Thanks.
Kath says
Sonia,
I didn’t need to calculate resting for HRM, but I think you just take pulse when seated/relaxed for 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to get beats per minute.
K
Justy2003 says
Yeah, my pumpkin bread went bad. Too quickly I’m afraid 🙁 It did have some spider-web type things like you said, Kath! Weird. I think it was just a little tooo moist…and with the humidity here in Houston it didn’t help. I’ll make it again, but be sure to freeze/refrigerate it instead of leaving it out!
Bigelow Tea says
That breakfast looks delicious! Next time you are in the mood to bake, try this with a cup of tea…Wild Blueberry Harvest Muffins. You won’t be disappointed…
Julie for Bigelow Tea
http://www.bigelowtea.com/entertaining/recipes/index.cfm?action=details&category=3&recipe=89
Humorous Verse says
At one point I thought I was the only person who was funny enough to write stuff like this.