Monday, February 9, 2009

Busy Bee

by Meghann on February 9, 2009

Wow, what a day!

Between organizing the Blogging Bake Sale, going back to work, and running a million and one errands I’m exhausted! I’m going to make this quick so I can get some much needed sleep.

My day started out relaxing.

I had my first Team in Training practice tonight where I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I just did Detox Yoga 1 on yogadownload.com

It was an intermediate download and I am proud to say I made it through the short session. It was perfect for stretching out my achy ski legs.

I was all about the cereal this morning. :)

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I had 1/3 cup of Nature’s Path Pumpkin Granola, 2/3 cup of Kashi Mighty Bites, Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries and 2 dollops of Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt. YUM! Great way to start of the week.

I had a HUGE pile of work waiting for me on my desk this morning, so I grinned and bared it and was glued to my seat all day!

I had a Doctor’s appointment so I ate lunch at my desk.

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For lunch I had 1 cup of Amy’s Butternut Squash Soup (I wasn’t impressed) and a Whole Wheat Bagel where one half was covered with Honey Almond Butter and Apple Slices on one side and Reduced Fat Veggie Cream Cheese on the other.

The Honey Almond Butter was a packet Ryan had given me for my birthday.

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I was really excited to try this flavor, but felt it was little off. I was expecting sweet almond butter, but it was oddly salty. I still enjoyed it, just not what I was expecting.

After my Doctor’s Appointment I seriously ran myself wild running errands. I had to go to the bank, Best Buy, UPS, my Team in Training Practice, and I wanted to buy new Running Shoes but ran out of time!

While running the errands I had a Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna bar…aka… Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie. ;)

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My first Team in Training practice was a lot different then I was expecting. In fact I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting. I didn’t bring my IPOD or my Garmin because I didn’t think I would need it, but I wish I had brought it! I show up to a group of people and our coaches tell us to just run for 45 minutes. So while everyone starts walking, I start to run. I found two guys that were running and started running and chit chatting with them. I felt find at first, but these guys were keeping at least a 8:00 min pace and I started breathing heavy. I kept up and luckily we got called back to the center after only 30 minutes, I couldn’t believe how out of breath I was.

Its good to know there are some fast runners to keep up with that are going to kick my booty. I can’t wait to see how the rest of these training runs go!

It was late by the time I got home and all I wanted was a quick and easy dinner. Thankfully I had this to photograph the food for me.

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That’s right, the Nikon has returned! It’s great to be able to take decent pictures again (not that Caitlin’s Camera isn’t totally awesome ;) )

Look at this perfection!

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That’s right I pulled out a frozen meal for dinner. These were 50% off at Publix and it was 8:00 as I was popping this in the microwave!

I also put together a simple salad.

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Mixed Greens, Carrot, Blueberries, Caper, Goat Cheese and Annie’s Cucumber Yogurt Dressing.

All together.

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And some Praline Crunch Yogurt with a sprinkle of Granola for dessert!

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So have you guys been enjoying the Blogging Bake Sale?!?!?!?!

I can’t believe the success this has been, were are raising so much money for a great cause!

Keep the bids coming! Day 1 of the Blogging Bake Sale ends tonight at Midnight EST.

Here are the high bids thus far!

Kath’s Bread – $60

VeggieGirl’s Blondies – $50

Gina’s Macaroons – $100

Gina’s Macaroons Batch #2 – $70

Nicole’s Carrot Cake Whoopee Pies – $50

Stacey’s Whole Wheat Challah Bread – $40

Ryan’s Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies – $50

Ashley’s Tiger Butter – $30

Victoria’s Chocolate Topped Cashew Toffee – $40

Andrea’s Chocolate Chip Cookies – (1 batch) $40

Andrea’s Chocolate Chip Cookies – (1 batch) $25

Sarah’s Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Cookies – $26

Ashley’s Cranberry Crunch Granola Bars – $20

Tami’s Whoopee Pies – $20

Amanda’s Brownie Toffee Hearts – $24

Beadie’s Best Fudge Brownies – $26

Caitlin’s Gingerbread Hearts – $25

Ashley’s Maple Banana Cornbread – $31

Heather’s Olive Oil Muffins – $30

Heather’s Mixed Brown Bread – $20

Vani’s Granola – $25

Sammie’s mocha Fudge Brownies – $25

Meredith’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – $30

Tina’s Chocolate Pumpkin Bread – $30

Aimee’s Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – $20

Jasmine’s Custom Blondies – $20

Maggie’s Thumb Print Cookies – $20

Quantity –

Kath’s Husband’s Bread: 1 Loaf or A dozen Bagels or Rolls

Caitlin’s Gingerbread Hearts: 30 cookies

Andrea’s Chocolate Chip Cookies: 1 batch = 8 (5in) cookies

Heather’s Chocolate Peppermint Cloud Cookies: 15-18 cookies

Beadie’s Best Fudge Brownies: made in 8×8 pan for 9ish nice sized brownies

Heather’s Mixed Brown Bread: 2 Small loaves

Heather’s Olive Oil Muffins: 18 mini muffins

Ashley’s Tiger Butter: approx 30 tiny squares or 15 regular size

Nicole’s Carrot Cake Whoopee Pies: 12-15

Ashley’s Cranberry Crunch Granola Bars: 24 individually wrapped bars

Sarah’s Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Cookies: a dozen cookies

Victoria’s Toffee – 9×12 pan worth

Tami’s Chocolate Whoopee Pies: 15-18 pies

Gina’s Macaroons: 24 also Raw Goji Berry Bars

Andrea’s Banana Apple Bread: Each batch = 1 loaf

Amanda’s Brownie Toffee Hearts: a generous bakers dozen.. errr… 15

Maggie’s Thumbprint cookies: 2 dozen

Ashley’s Maple Banana Cornbread: 1 Loaf

Ryan’s Peppermint Brownies: 16 Bars

Shannln’s Snowballs: 2 dozen

Merediths: Peanut Butter Chocolate Ship Cookies: 1 Dozen

Aimee’s Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: a few dozen of small cookies or 20 large ones

Mel’s Banana Oat Bread: 1 Loaf

Mel’s Blackout Cookies: 2 dozen

{ 27 comments }

Blogging Bake Sale

by Meghann on February 9, 2009

The time as arrived the Blogging Bake Sale is here!!!!

Don’t forget to check out the BBS Rules and Logisitics to see how this bake sale works.

Remember there is a mininum bid of $20 on each item and e-mail all bids to BLOGBAKESALE@GMAIL.COM

ALL BIDS MUST BE E-MAILED, NO BIDS LEFT IN THE COMMENTS WILL BE COUNTED!!!!!!!!!

I will update the comments section through out the day on which items are currently being bidded on and what the highest bid is. Let me know if you have any further questions.

Here we go!

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Tami (Blog Reader)

Whoopee Pies

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These are REAL Old-Fashioned Whoopee Pies. They are NOT the cakey, wet things you run across at the check-out counters of small stores or bake sales. These are light and dense at the same time….with just the right balance of chocolate flavor and real creamy filling. If you share these with your friends you will immediately be known for them….and will be harassed to make them again and again.

*There are no nuts in the recipe but the ingredients are probably made in a factory with nuts

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Sammie (Running With a Recipe)

Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies

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These brownies give you the best of both worlds. For all you chocoholics and coffee lovers this treat is sure to please. The subtle coffee flavor is a delicious accent to these decadent fudgy bars. Add that melty milk toffee topping and your mouth will be in heaven. Grab one fast, they will disappear quickly.

*These brownies are not vegan. They contain wheat, but no nuts.

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Andrea (bella eat [and runs])

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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2 Batches for Sale

These cookies are worth the wait and the extensive blogger hype. Totally worth it. They are perfectly crisp around their golden edges, soft and chewy in their centers. The sea salt adds an unexpected depth that heightens the flavor of the chocolate while at the same time reducing its richness…a quality that makes it even easier to finish the entire 5? mammoth cookie all at once.

Banana Apple Bread

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2 Batches for Sale

The bread is super-moist, and the chunks of apple are wonderful little surprises. The white whole wheat flour made it fluffier than the whole wheat flour version

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Victoria (The Idle Loaf)

Chocolate-Topped Cashew Toffee

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This was the biggest hit of my holiday gift baskets. Known allergens include milk (in the form of butter) and nuts (cashews). A great feature of this recipe is that it lasts 2 weeks in an air-tight container, and tastes as great on day 14 as it did on day 1, although, I can’t guarantee that this treat will last that long. I gave some to my family for Christmas and my dad hid it form my younger brother and sister!

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Tina (Carrots ‘n’ Cake)

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf

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Oh my gosh, this Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf came out so well! It’s super moist and chocolately, almost like chocolate cake, but with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. It would make the perfect dessert after dinner, especially with a warm cup of coffee or tea.

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Heather (Heather Eats Almond Butter)

Chocolate Peppermint Cloud Cookies

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Chocolate cookies with white peppermint chocolate chunks and a crushed peppermint candy topping. These cookies do contain gluten, dairy, eggs, & nuts (walnuts).

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Mel (A Taste of Life)

Banana Oatmeal Bread

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A moist, slightly spicy, whole grain loaf swirled with bananas, walnuts and oats! Contains Walnuts but can be made without at the buyer’s request.

Blackout Cookies

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The ultimate indulgence, a cakey dark chocolate cookie made even richer by the addition of dark chocolate chips. Made with whole wheat pastry flour to make you feel a little less guilty!

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Gina (The Fitnessista)

Raw Vegan Macaroons

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These macaroons are made with almonds, unsweetened coconut, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract, sea salt and pure maple syrup. They’re dehydrated for 24-36 hours and are firm on the outside, and soft and chewy in the center. My favorite dessert ever :D

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Kath (Kath Eats Real Food)

Reader’s Choice

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One of the Husband’s famous baked goods is up to the highest bidder for this one. The reader has the option to purchase any baked good listed on the Husband’s bread selection page. Potato buns, bagels, focaccia, sourdough, etc. the choice is completely up to you. (Personally I would go for the bagels… but that’s just me ;) )

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VeggieGirl

Customizable Blondie

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The highest bidder had complete control with this one. VeggieGirl has offered a customizable blondie to the highest bidder. This means you have the option to review the multiple wonderful combinations VeggieGirl has delivered in the past and come up with a combo you believe will work the best for you. All of VeggieGIrl’s treats are vegan friendly and wheat and glutten free.

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Amanda (Blog Reader)

Brownie Toffee Hearts

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The white bakery box will include a bakers dozen of brownie toffee hearts just in time for Valentine’s Day! The sweet chocolate brownies are balanced by the crunchy, salty kick of chopped toffee pretzels. Brownies are nut-free.

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Beadie (What I Ate Yesterday)

Best Fudge Brownies

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On a recent trip to North Carolina, the dear husband and I had the best brownies ever. We bought them from a baker at the Farmers Market. Had I known they were going to be so delicious, I would have done my best to get the recipe. Alas, I did not. Since then, I searched the world over for recipes to duplicate these little delights. After a few tries and tweaks, I have come up with the best fudge brownie recipe…ever.

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Aimee (Healthy Lawyer)

Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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They are closer to a muffin top texture than a crispy cookie. They are a great breakfast cookie, if you don’t mind a little chocolate in the morning. These cookies include peanut butter, bananas, oats, whole wheat flour, egg whites, chocolate chips, sugar, salt, and baking powder. The bananas replace the oil. So the peanut butter is the only fat (and I use all natural, no sugar or salt added peanut butter). These cookies are huge, the size of a muffin top, but that is how my husband likes them.

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Nicole (Another One Bites the Crust)

Carrot Cake Whoopee Pies

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With luscious cream cheese filling, sandwiched between two soft and chewy carrot cake cookies, these vegan treats are undeniably delicious! These delights are 100% dairy-free and vegan. I could also make these gluten-free if necessary. I hope you enjoy them!

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Stacey (Blog Reader)

Whole Wheat Sweet Challah Bread

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Support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and enjoy two loaves of Whole Wheat Sweet Challah Bread. Created with all-natural ingredients, this subtly sweet bread is as delicious as it is versatile! Wonderful with a variety of sandwich fillings, a natural choice for amazing french toast, or (my favorite) just eat toasted as a snack.

As I don’t have a blog, I should introduce myself—I am a graduate student striving to lead a healthful lifestyle. I also have several personal connections to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and was inspired to bake to support Meghann’s fundraising for this great cause. I hope you will donate today for some Whole Wheat Sweet Challah Bread!
(contains eggs)

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Ashley (Sweet and Natural)

Maple Banana Cornbread

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The nutty flavor and slightly crumbly texture of cornbread + sweetness and moistness from maple syrup and bananas = one uniquely scrumptious loaf! No added fat, unrefined sweetener and 100% whole grain flours make this treat as nutritious as it is delicious!

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Sarah ( lovIN My Tummy)

Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Cookies

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A description of the baked good. All the deliciousness of an oatmeal cookie studded with trail mix and jumbo dark chocolate chips, but with the added benefit of 12 grams of protein per cookie! Throw out the nutrition bar and throw in one of these scrumpish cookies!

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Ashley (Daily Goods)

Tiger Butter

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This is a delicious peanut butter and chocolate fudge. There is also white chocolate which adds a lovely vanilla sweetness.

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Vani (Fit For Free)

Superfood Granola

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Crunchy, vegan-friendly granola packed with superfoods, including dried blueberries, walnuts, almonds, and dark chocolate pieces.

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Heather (Hangry Pants)

Mixed Brown Bread

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This is the Mixed Brown Bread from p. 291 of Apples for Jam. I followed 90% of the recipe. I used the Buckwheat, Rye, Spelt and Wheat Flours, but I did not have Bread Flour so I added more Wheat instead. I also used pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower and sesame. I love this bread! It’s quite tasty and soft. I had it with big chunks of cheese and an apple for lunch.

Olive Oil Oatmeal Muffins

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Heather is offering up any version of her wonderful Olive Oil Muffins. She has found olive oil is key to moist muffins.

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Ashley C. (Blog Reader)

Cranberry Crunch Granola Bars

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All of my family and friends go crazy for these homemade granola bars and recently my aunt told me they were the best granola bar she’s ever had! I typically make them with rolled oats, sunflower seeds, wheatgerm, almonds, and dried cranberries, but sometimes throw in other nuts/seeds/dried fruits. Let me know if you have any requests on what to add/not include and I will do my best to suite your needs & desires! You will receive 24 delicious, individually-wrapped granola bars if you win this item. Thanks!

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Alexia (DoodleBug’s Journey)

Kalamata Olive Bread with Oregano


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THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD!!! :)

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Shannon (Tri 2 Cook)

Snowballs

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Maggie (The Salad Girl)

Chocolate Thumb Print Cookies

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Ryan (Chasing Daylight)

Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

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As Meghann stated, it’s a little out of season, but the weather is still chilly and I think it’s totally appropriate! From Cooking Light, I introduce to you, Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies!

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Meredith (Pursuing Balance)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Peanut butter + dark chocolate + oatmeal + fighting cancer = a dozen amazing gigantoid vegan cookies. Could it get any better?

*Allergens: nuts; chocolate chips processed in a plant that makes products with dairy.

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Jasmine (Sweet and Fit)

Granola Bars

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All I am going to say is that the pictures don’t do a justice to how amazing they are…perfectly chewy and yummy!

Custom Blondies

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You can pick what you want in them (chips, nuts, coconut, craisins, raisins…whatever!)

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Caitlin (Healthy TIpping Point)

GIngerbread Hearts

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Who says gingerbread cookies can’t be wonderful year around? Think outside the little gingerbread and consider a valentines twist of hearts. These are amazing and any bidder will be lucky to enjoy this gingerbread treat.

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LET THE BAKE SALE BEGIN!!!

{ 69 comments }