My Life, My Thoughts



Protein Rich Chocolate Chip Muffins

I. AM. EXHAUSTED.  How is this even possible?  It's 8pm on a Tuesday night and I am only in my early 30's.  SAD.  I don't even have a job!  Well... I don't have a paying job.  Okay.  Now reality is coming front and center and I am remembering that my day was consumed with: a 4:30am wake up call from the tiny terror in the next room (nicknamed O), breakfast for O, breakfast for "the better half" (nicknamed A) ,pick up 1,000 crayons, pack a lunch for A, get O dressed, go to the gym, do laundry, pick up 1,000 crayons, do the dishes, put O down for a nap, pick up toys, put O back down for his nap, put O BACK DOWN FOR HIS NAP, do homework, pay bills, answer endless texts and phone calls from mother, sister, and A, get O up from his nap, lunch for O, clean lunch that was smeared all over table, clean lunch that was smeared all over my pants, vacuum, take O outside for some fresh air, clean goose poop off O's shoes, clean goose poop off carpet, clean crayon off the wall, pick up 1,000 crayons, make dinner, serve dinner, make O a 2nd dinner, make O a 3rd dinner, finally give O a granola bar, clean up the dinner mess, give O a bath, put O to bed, pick up toys, put O back to bed, put O BACK TO BED, and then collapse.  Plus, I have to actually remind myself to shower, eat, and use the restroom within all that chaos.  Impressive.

Actually, what's more impressive is that I am able to drink 2 cups of coffee at 8pm without any worry of whether or not I'll be able to sleep tonight.  I'll be able to sleep.  No worries there.  The only real worry is how long O will let me sleep.   I'm taking bets.  Winner gets a muffin. 

You've heard it over and over again, but being a stay at home mom is by far the hardest job ever. If you're considering it, let me just tell you that YES it is very rewarding.  I'm sure it's 1,000 times more rewarding than any salaried position even with benefits, bonuses, and a 401K.  Believe it or not, your satisfaction will come from hugs, smiles, giggles, and hearing "I love you mama".  You'll even feel accomplished by conquered colds, pee/poo in the potty, and shoes on the right feet. However, your mind will ultimately be consumed with torturing thoughts of how you might have corrupted your child by dropping the "F bomb" when he turns the crayon box over for the zillionth time, or when you see him eat a hairy fruit snack that he found from under God knows where, or you ultimately decide not to take him to the emergency room to be checked out after he trips and hits his head on the sewing cabinet because you don't want to seem like a paranoid mom (even though the noise when he hit it was really loud and is still haunting you). If you don't want your brain to rot from only having to remember all of the above plus when "Bubble Guppies" will be on Nick Jr, then you need to get some sort of creative outlet.  TRUST ME.

My creative outlet is cooking and baking.  Culinary arts is what really drives me.  I eat, sleep, and breathe recipes.  Seriously... I do.  Even as I am wiping yogurt off the mirror I have recipes rolling through my head. Sometimes the hubby will be talking to me about something that I'm pretty sure was serious and I'll totally blank out and come up with a whole new recipe I need to try.  I use to think I was in the early stages of Alzheimers or Dementia, but now I realize it's an entirely different problem... OCD.  Anyway, back to the recipe problem, here's what inspired the picture of the muffin you saw above.  So I was picking up 1,000 crayons for the 1,000th time today and I found a chunk of a brown crayon.  I thought to myself "this looks like chocolate.  Man I could go for something chocolatey. Oh, but it's still early. What's chocolatey that's okay to eat early in the day? MUFFINS!"  See what I mean?  It's a sickness.

I decided I wanted to bake a muffin that was protein rich, but not make it as heavy as a paperweight, AND still be delicious.  My husband is a protein fiend and if I intend for him to eat it too I should probably at least try to respect that about him.  After all, he does take great care of himself and I TRULY appreciate that. ;)  So, the recipe below is my creative outlet for the day.  I assure you... they came out fluffy, sweet, buttery, and totally delicious!  I'm not saying they're "healthy", but they definitely have way more protein than your average chocolate chip muffin and if you're looking to make it healthier I am sure I can make a few more suggestions or adaptations to the recipe for you. If you try the recipe, let me know.  I'd LOVE to know what you think. In fact, I'll probably dwell on it ALL. DAY. LONG. 

Protein Rich Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2c granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2c vanilla greek yogurt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2c milk (I used 2%)

2c all purpose flour

1T baking powder

1/4tsp salt

1c mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare 12 cup muffin pan with either paper liners or grease with pan spray.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.  In mixer, blend together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.  Add egg and yogurt and mix until well blended.  Stir in vanilla and milk.  Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until blended.  Batter will be lumpy.  Slowly stir in chocolate chips.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until knife inserted comes out moist but clean.  Allow to cool in pan for about 5 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack or towel.  Enjoy!