Tuesday's Recipe

I'm under a self-imposed baking ban (but still trying to stretch the remains of the last pre-ban treat, rhubarb cake, similar to this recipe). There is an exception, however, for certain items.

So Sunday I made Breakfast Bars, combining parts of a Sun-Maid Raisins recipe with its super fiber variation:

Breakfast Bars

Ingredients
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C flaxseed meal
3/4 C toasted wheat germ
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C canola oil
1/4 C honey
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
14 bite-size prunes, chopped
1/4 C pecan halves, chopped
1/3 C Craisins

Directions
Heat oven to 350F. Grease an 8" square pan. Combine first six dry ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in oil, honey, egg, vanilla; mix well. Stir in fruit and nuts. Press mixture firmly into greased pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before slicing. Bars may be slightly crumbly. Makes 10 bars.

Nutritional Facts (according to my calculations):
per bar: 217 calories, 9.7 grams fat, 4.4 grams protein, 2.3 grams fiber.

Assessment
Too much oil, which is actually a good thing, because even before the bars were out of the oven I was thinking about how to reduce the percentage of fat. Next time I will try 3 Tbs oil, 1/4 C white flour and 1/4 C whole wheat flour, perhaps with some low-fat granola thrown in (see below). Could have stood more prunes--I just didn't feel like chopping any more.

My mother's variation (she discovered the recipe) includes 3/4 C all-purpose flour, granola in place of wheat germ, pine nuts, chopped dates, and no flaxseed meal. Extremely tasty.

Floating Away

I'm implementing some new personal health initiatives. I'm reluctant to broadcast all of them, because I haven't been very successful in the past. I'd rather just surprise you when I am successful. However, I'll share one aspect of The Plan with you: drink four bottles of water at work every day.

If you could make one personal health improvement, what would it be?

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photo: Lee, Russell. (1941). Water fountain, Caldwell, Idaho [photograph]. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, [reproduction number LC-USF33-013077-M1]. Available from American Memory.

Anticlimactic, or, a Litany of Excuses

I visited Whole Foods yesterday. I'm sorry to report that I didn't come out with anything more exotic than an avocado. I also picked up some nice sweet cherries, some raspberry jam (organic, of course), three boxes of Near East Creamy Parmesan Creative Grains, which is not available to me anywhere else, and a bag of shortcake biscuits (and a cookie, apple, and candybar, if you want to know everything).

I have some peaches at home that I plan to eat with the biscuits, and I read up on whipping cream when I got home (apparently, ultrapasturization is death if you want nice whipped cream, but that's probably all that's available to me). And yes, I could make my own shortbread biscuits, but for some reason, they called to me from the bakery table.

It was raining to beat the band when I finished at Whole Foods, so I decided to skip Trader Joe's, then drove around the block and into the parking lot anyway, but once there, stuck to my guns and left without going in.

Let's face it, I probably would have bought only candy and nuts at Trader Joe's, neither of which I really need, especially after buying 400-calorie biscuits. Finally, my lunch at Provence yesterday was $11 and I was still feeling the pinch, so I'll save that for another trip.

Organization is a Curse

If I make it through the day, I'll be grateful. I'm in a computer classroom all day without:

• cell phone
• mechanical pencil (pencil of any kind)
• electric fan
• remote desktop access

It's mostly my own fault (well, not the last two). I switched from my RRB (regular red bag) to my CRB (capacious red bag) this morning, and carefully put all my writing instruments in their cute red pouch, which I apparently then threw in the RRB by mistake. Luckily, I found a (lousy) pen, highlighter and Sharpie in the CRB, so I'm not completely bereft.

The loss of the pencil is keen, since it's practically an appendage of my hand, and without it I can't do a crossword puzzle or write in my calendar. I'm going to have to make do with a dull golf pencil or the (lousy) pen.

That aside, the Nashville Public Library is beautiful, and I'm still planning to stop at TJ and WHM on the way home.

Road Trip

Tomorrow I'm going to the Nashville Public Library for training. So of course, my thoughts are turning to food. No, not because the library is known for exceptional food (though I have scoped out the lunch possibilities), but because driving to the big city means I'll be minutes away from some unique opportunities.

So, if you were making a biennial trip to Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's, what would be on your shopping list?

R is for...

I have a cute new refurbished Sansa Clip. My other mp3 player works just fine, but it doesn't play Audible downloads. So, the refurbished Clip was an inexpensive way to remedy my situation (a cheaper fix would be to cancel my $14.95/mo Audible subscription, but we won't go there).

I own a refurbished Makita drill (thanks, Dad!), and if the IRS ever sends me the money for my first time homebuyer credit, I'll spend some of it to buy a refurbished Makita saw. Also on my want list is a refurbished G2 iPod Touch, once it's no longer the current model.

This all got me thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice if i could send MYSELF in for refurbishing?" It's often difficult to tell you're holding a refurbished item, unless you look at the paperwork or in the case of the Clip, if the mfr has marked the item. I'd be OK with an R somewhere on my body if I could send myself in for a thorough inside and out cleaning, face-lift, and general tune-up.

Alliteration Alarm

A coworker has the book Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work on the bookshelf in his/her office.

Should I be worried? Is this coworker trying to mask his/her own personality, or does he/she suspect someone else of being a psychopath?

Puppy Days

I suppose it's too early to complain about the dog days of summer, so I'll complain about the pre-dog days of summer. Hot weather is starting to move in, there are no holidays to look forward to this month, I need but don't want to get serious about my summer work agenda, and it all seems a little dreary.

On the other hand, my reading life is looking up these days, so I'll try to not complain too loudly.



photo: Rhoads, Harry M. ca. 1920-1930. Female with puppies [photograph]. Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library. Available from Library of Congress American Memory at http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hawp:@field(NUMBER+@band(codhawp+00186544))