The Naptime Chef’s Fall Recipe for Foodies Who Are Also Harried Parents

Four years ago, when my first child was born, I started teaching the foodie in me how to be a pragmatic parent. I set out to streamline my husband’s and my favorite recipes so they could be made during naptime or any other precious little downtime I had. I nicknamed myself the Naptime Chef and started blogging about these early attempts at simplifying dishes without sacrificing flavor — attempts that led to me scraping more than my fair share of food into the garbage. But with a little practice, I came up with some great family-friendly recipes and in March published my favorites in my first cookbook. Maybe I’ll whip up a sequel after baby No. 2 arrives in January.

In the meantime, it’s apple season now, my favorite. I do my best to incorporate the fruit into just about every meal possible. From apple pancakes to apple cheddar soup, name your favorite food and I’ll add apples to it.

The beauty of my apple cake is that it is a simple one-bowl affair with only the most basic of stirring required. The preparation fits so perfectly into our hectic daily routine it makes an apple pie look positively arduous. Why bother coring and slicing half a dozen apples when you can get the same amount of flavor from simply chopping up two of them and pouring some batter into a pie plate?

I often whip this cake up before school while my daughter is eating breakfast. It’s delicious and it really can be made whenever you have 10 minutes to spare.

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ¼ sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 apples (Gala or MacIntosh are best), peeled, cored and chopped into 1-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-in. pie plate, or baking dish of equal size, and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, add the melted butter and sugar and stir well. Then, stir in the two eggs and the vanilla extract until completely incorporated.

3. While slowly stirring, pour in the flour and kosher salt and stir until the flour is just combined and no longer visible. Do not overmix the batter.

4. Scatter the fruit evenly in the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Pour the batter over the fruit and use a spatula to spread it evenly on top.

5. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. Before serving, dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.



Source : http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/12/apple-cake-the-naptime-chefs-fall-recipe-for-foodies-who-are-also-harried-parents/

Five Ways to Ramp Up Your Metabolism

When it comes to your metabolism, age can slow you down, making it easier to gain weight once you hit 40. But if you aim to turn that around, experts offer a few tips to boost your metabolism and shed a few extra pounds.

One way to do so is by altering your diet, exercise,
and sleep habits, suggets Scott Isaacs, M.D.
(img : GWImages/shutterstock.com)

One way to do so is by altering your diet, exercise, and sleep habits, suggets Scott Isaacs, M.D., an endocrinologist in Atlanta and author of Hormonal Balance: How to Lose Weight By Understanding Your Hormones and Metabolism.

"Think of your body as an engine - your metabolism is the rate at which your engine runs," he explained to Health magazine. "By making adjustments to these three elements, you can actually make your engine rev higher."

On September 4, fitness blog FitSugar and Health magazine offer a few expert tips to get your metabolic engine burning -- at any age. The promise? You can drop ten pounds, or 4.5 kilos, in 21 days.

1. Eat early - "Breakfast triggers a process called thermogenesis, where the body signals the brain to activate the metabolic process of turning food into energy," Mark Hyman, M.D., author of The Blood Sugar Solution, told Health magazine.

2. Watch your sugar - "As we get older, it's crucial to pay attention to how much sugar we're consuming," stated Diane Kress, R.D., author of The Metabolism Miracle. "Too much messes with your metabolism by causing your body to store extra calories as fat."

3. Eat often - To optimize your metabolic burn, Hyman recommends eating small meals every three or four hours.

4. Work out, with intensity - "Not only does it affect your metabolism while you're doing it, but research shows you can keep burning calories up to 24 hours after you finish because your metabolism stays elevated," Isaacs stated.

5. Sleep well - Research suggests that people who sleep two-thirds of their usual amount (such as five hours instead of eight) eat an average of 549 extra calories the following day without even noticing. Doing this regularly means a lot of extra weight.

Source : Ny Daily News

My Favorite Brownies

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. My 4 year old son had surgery on his Kidney.

What thing better to start up blogging again, ***CHOCOLATE***. This is my Aunts recipe. Any time I make brownies this is how I make them. They are so moist and delicious. You wont make brownies any other way after you try this one. :)

Here is what you need:

2 Brownie Mixes (out of the box)
5 eggs
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cups water
6 TBS heaping flour

Grease and flour a Jelly roll pan. Cook at 350 for 30 mins. Sprinkle with powdered sugar on top. Yummy in my tummy!

I am telling you these are the BEST brownies without all the extras added, and they are so simple to make. ENJOY!!!