Friday and Saturday I worked 8 hours each. Sunday I was off, but had a lot of homework to do for class, so I spent 5 hours in the library and another 2 or 3 at home working on it. I got it all done before going to bed so that I'd be able to enjoy my Monday off!
Today I slept in until 8, which gave me a little over 8 hours of sleep which felt wonderful! I read for a while and just relaxed. Then I looked up recipes online and went grocery shopping before lunch with a friend. It was a productive morning.
This afternoon was even more productive! I made Zucchini Muffins, Peanut Butter Cookies, and Chicken Alfredo! The recipes are all below along with pictures of the final products. I have class tonight and then my long week starts. Since they are doing a special algebra test at school I have to be there full days this week (except for Wednesday) which means I'll have 12 hour days plus trying to find time to get homework done. I will be working about 65-ish hours this week so it'll be interesting to say the least. Baking has always been one of the best stress relievers for me, so today gave me a good dose of mental health. Plus I used my new stand mixer that my parents gave me for my birthday! My head has been bothering me all day but I was determined not to let that get in the way. It felt good to be productive and make things I enjoy.
Zucchini Muffins (gluten free of course):
Ingredients:
2 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix (one of the best g-f baking mixes I've found)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups grated zucchini
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and either grease muffin tins or use paper liners
-Whisk together the baking mix, cinnamon (I added 2 1/2 tsp because I like the flavor), salt, and nutmeg.
-In a separate bowl beat eggs, oil, and sugar together for 1 minutes on medium speed. Then stir in vanilla.
-Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold in zucchini.
-Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350.
Peanut Butter Cookies (gluten free and delicious)
Ingredients:
1 large egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-Beat together egg, sugar, baking soda, and vanilla in a mixer.
-Beat in peanut butter and then carefully stir in chocolate chips.
-Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet, pressing lightly with the back of a fork. Bake 10 minutes. Let rest 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
I baked half of the batch without chocolate chips and added a handful of chips to the rest of the dough. Both versions turned out really well. This recipe is super easy and doesn't have any flour so there is no need for substitutions.
This was just a random dish I put together for dinner. It should be easy to reheat later in the week.
Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts
pasta (1 box)
alfredo sauce (1 jar)
seasonings- I used garlic powder, salt, pepper, and basil.
Directions:
-Boil water and cook pasta as directed.
-Cut chicken into bite size pieces and season with whatever seasonings you desire, I used those listed above.
-Cook chicken in a little olive oil on the stove.
-Add sauce to the chicken once it is fully cooked and then mix together with the pasta.
The first two recipes were new for me, which is counting as my new things for the month! I'm glad they turned out well! I'm so glad to be finding gluten free recipes that taste good.
so awesome you got time to relax and recooperate! baking and cooking is likewise therapeutic for me...I especially enjoy bringing what I bake to lab to share with co-workers. :)
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