Simple (super simple) muffins!

I admit, a love warm raisin bran muffins. They remind me of visiting my late grandparents in Maine. My grandfather would start baking around 4:30 in the morning, so I'd literally wake up to the smell of yummy muffins coming out of the oven. Ahhh, great childhood memories!

As much as I enjoyed those muffins, they were loaded with sugar and oil. To lighten them up, I've been making the muffins from the Engine 2 cookbook which could not be more simple. 

You start with this:

And then after a couple of steps, you have this:

Makes 6 small muffins

7 ounce box bran muffin mix
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 375. Mix the ingredients together. Spoon the batter into a nonstick muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I usually add a handful of raisins and a 1/2 tsp vanilla. Sometimes I add 1 tsp Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 1 T water to make a taller muffin.

These are such a great post-gym snack or a perfect breakfast when you're in a hurry. I mean, it's a lot easier than eating a bowl of cereal in your car, right?

What in the world is...Mestemacher Bread

I watched the Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue recently and a bread was mentioned by Rip's Mom, Ann. She's a terrific, inventive cook, so basically anything she makes I like to try! She mentioned the name of the bread while making a sandwich, but did so quickly, so I couldn't make out what she was saying. Turns out, it was "Mestemacher" bread :)

I found it (by accident) at Whole Foods and it's going to become a regular purchase. It's particularly good toasted. I do an old trick my late grandmother used to do: toast 2 pieces and then rest them on the top of the toaster until they harden up, almost like a cracker.

I use the bread for making rustic sandwiches topped with chickpea spread, cukes and tomatoes.

Below is a little blurb about the company. Enjoy!

Source: http://www.mestemacher-gmbh.com/company/

"Mestemacher is a producer of bread and baked goods supplying the classic retail grocery trade in Germany and abroad with pre-packaged Vollkornbrot - German-style dark wholegrain bread - and international speciality breads. These products give Mestemacher a presence in a part of the whole bread and baked goods market. The range is aimed at potential consumers looking for speciality breads which are different from the conventional range of pre-packaged breads and baked goods. Mestemacher has been active in Germany for many years with numerous social projects promoting the equality of men and women in society and a work-life balance on the Scandinavian model."

The Engine 2 Diet DVD

You all know I'm a fan of Rip Esselstyn's "The Engine 2 Diet" book, which is the source of all things PLANT STRONG!

My father (go Dad!) brought this hour long movie to my attention, and I'm excited to say it's now available to watch (along with Forks Over Knives) right now, streaming on Netflix! I just watched it, and although I know a lot of what was covered, it served as a great reminder that I'm on the right track.