So, I baked them last night, and Meeker woke up to a breakfast of champions.

Sleepy, but content with the food set before him.

Brownie I was a recipe sent to me by reader Alexa. She swore to me that she too was a very precise brownie eater, and had hopes that these would satisfy Meeker’s picky brownie palate.

The recipe was so simple. So, so simple. They probably took me 10 minutes to make. You can find it here.

Brownie J

Yup, I did it. Just as promised – I threw a boxed brownie in there to see if Meeker really does like the boxed variety as much as he claims.

I tasted both of them while baking yesterday and I knew that this would be a close battle. So, I drafted a score sheet so Meeker wouldn’t lose track of his preferences.

Very official.

Punky weighed in, too. The results…

A TIE!! Both scored an even 10 points. Meeker instantly knew that brownie J was boxed, but I told him not to let that sway his opinion. He took his time, very seriously scored each category (think Throwdown with Bobby Flay) – and I was thrilled. I am so excited to experiment with Brownie I next week and see how perfect I can make it.

I have a good feeling about this.

Missed the previous brownie Sundays?

Round I

Round II

Round III

Round IV

Look who is feeling better!

In the kitchen, baking, and loving Day 1 of my spring break.

I promise, that big belly underneath the apron isn’t all from chocolate consumption.

In fact, I’m not so sure Baby Cakes even likes chocolate – my craving for it has been non-existent since month 3 of this pregnancy. But it doesn’t stop me from pouring all of my effort into baking the perfect Better-than-Boxed brownie for my scuzzband (and taste-testing all of the brownies, anyway).

Brownie E was a recipe sent to me by one of Meeker’s friends, Jessica.

brownie E is on the left, brownie F on the right

Brownie F stands for Flay because it’s Bobby Flay’s Peanut Butter Caramel Swirled Brownies sent to me by Emily from A Tasty Life.

The secret ingredient? Peanut butter caramel – which was way easier to make than it sounds.

I had high hopes for this recipe.

The results? (points are out of a possible 5)

Brownie E

Brownie F

Too gooey. That’s what was said about Flay’s brownie F. I was sorely disappointed. Mostly because they could have used 10 more minutes in the oven, and I knew that as I was pulling them out, but I was trying to follow the recipe exactly.

Next time, I’ll trust my brownie instincts.

But brownie E was pretty dang close to perfection. At least, in my book. It was easy to make, tasted divine, and when I took some over to Meeker’s family to try out – they were all very impressed. Maybe I should start having them judge this little challenge.

So, although I haven’t won yet, I’m staying optimistic.

And loving every finger-licking moment.

Because I failed to make a better-than-boxed brownie last week, I had to try again today. I have dedicated Sundays to brownie baking until I win.

Meeker is loving it.

This week, I chose two more recipes that you all sent me.

BROWNIE C

First up, Evan’s Better than Boxed Brownies.

One bite into this bad boy, and Meeker declared it too cakey.

Obviously, not the winner. (But I really liked, them Evan! After all – Yes, I want cake)

BROWNIE D

Sarah sent me a recipe for King Arthur Fudge Brownies.

Oooh, we’re getting closer! Meeker really liked these. I think I may end up tweaking this recipe to make it slightly fudgier (should I more oil??) and improving the chocolate taste by adding a few more handfuls of milk chocolate chips.

I’m having so much fun with this self-imposed challenge. If you have any stellar fudgy brownie recipes – keep them coming.

Until then…

Happy chocolate eating!

In other news, I have had a few people ask me if I eat more than I post. In short – yes. I often snack while I’m teaching, so no picture. However, today I captured everything I ate. Here you go:

Breakfast

½ cup oats, 1 cup water, 1 egg white, 1 tbs. chia seeds, pumpkin butter, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, cinnamon

Lunch/Snacks

Orange, apple x2, minestrone soup, udi’s bread, some walnuts/dried cranberries in the yellow pouch, and 2 chocolates

2 rice cakes

Dinner

Broccoli and red peppers sautéed with peanut butter, soy sauce, water, peanuts, red pepper flakes

In the 3^rd grade world…

I went to the bathroom at the end of the day, and when I walked out, two boys from my class jumped out from around the corner and screamed HAPPY BIRTHDAY! as they jumped in the air.

I tried to be mad that they had snuck out of the room and followed me down the hallway to the teacher’s bathroom – but it was too funny, so I just laughed and we walked back to the classroom together.

When lunched rolled around, I wasn’t any hungrier than normal – but I made a mixing-bowl-sized salad anyway. I prefer my veggies in mass quantities.

Romain lettuce (almost a whole head), red bell pepper, cucumber, green beans (canned), carrots, almonds, corn, avocado, flax seed, hummus + water dressing, and nutritional yeast.

Just to give you a little perspective, that’s a regular sized fork perched on the edge of my biggest mixing bowl. After the intake of all this roughage, I needed a few bites of this.

Salad, then ice cream. Balance.

All that fiber kept me FULL for the day. Dinner was light.

Spring rolls!

I soaked 4 pieces of rice paper, and then filled them with carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, and avocado. Then I dipped them in Soy Vay Teriyaki.

And for dessert…

A little square of dark chocolate with crunchy pb. The perfect balance of sweet and salty.

I’ve got some relaxing to do before school tomorrow…enjoy your evenings!

One egg, salsa, two slices of ww bread

I love my milk frother. This was an old leftover starbucks cup with ¾ coffee and ¼ steamed milk. I packed the sandwich in foil, put a lid on the coffee and hoofed it to school. The breakfast sandwich was enjoyed while checking email at my desk. 6 days, 6 days, 6 days…

At lunchtime I was beyond hungry. My lunch did very little to stop the grumbling.

Leftover chicken and zucchini

Cheese and crackers

a mini packet of M&Ms given to by a student

The day was so nice and warm that I took both of my afternoon classes outside to write poetry in the sunshine. I just strolled around listening to 8 year-old wisdom and soaking up the rays. It was glorious. After school, I headed to my after-school job in the office and had some homemade cheerio trail mix.

Cheerios, chocolate chips, almonds, pepitas

I left just after 6:00pm and walked home in the warm sunshine. I can’t even express how much I love the longer daylight hours of summer. Upon entering the door, I quickly made a taco salad.

Lettuce, shredded carrot, ground turkey, salsa, hummus, crumbled chips

The salad was so voluminous that I had to transfer it to a mixing bowl in order to eat it. Don’t believe me?

Proof.

For dessert, I made an insanely simple, delicious and healthy ice cream.

Just like a frosty. Into my food processor I put: one frozen banana, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, splash of milk

In the 3^rd grade world…

My students have taken to using the phrase “google it up” – and I fear that I’m to blame. I don’t remember ever saying this, but it sounds like something I would glibly say in response to a question. For example…

Mrs. Unger, do you know what the alternative name for Orion’s Nebula is?

No, I don’t Timmy…I’ll have to google that up later.

Like I said, I don’t recall ever using that phrase, but I sometimes feel so comfortable with my students that I slip into the habit of using tremendously casual speech. I wouldn’t put it past myself. Either way, some of my students now think that “google it up” is a perfectly legitimate term for “doing research”

I would correct them, but honestly, I think it’s hilarious.

2. Upon waking, go for a quick run. No more than 3 miles or else you’ll be starving during   church.

3. Make a dinner-plate-sized-pancake for breakfast (this also helps with the mid-church hunger)

• ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  
• 1 scoop protein powder
  
• 1 egg
  
• ½ tsp. baking powder
  
• 7 vanilla drops
  
• Pinch of salt
  
• Cinnamon
  

4. Top said pancake with a mixture of mashed banana + peanut butter + agave + chocolate

5. Go to church

6. Go to lunch with in-laws after church

7. Choose a place where you can order a delicious Hugh Jass salad

Greens, pumpkin seeds, roasted beets, goat cheese

8. Have a lunch dessert, preferably chocolate custard

9. Lay on the couch after lunch, contemplating a nap

10. Ultimately decided to go for a walk in the glorious sunshine instead

11. Get some work/grading done – this way you won’t have to worry about it all week

12. Grill something for dinner – it will make you feel summery

Chicken and zucchini

13. Always eat off of your favorite colored plates (my favorite color is red)

14. Relax and remind yourself that summer is near

What was the best thing about your day?

I whipped up a version of Katie’s raw cheesecake and poured it over some Greek yogurt. It didn’t feel complete without a few chocolate chips, so those were added, too. To make my version of the raw cheesecake:

• ¼ cup almonds
  
• ½ frozen banana (about 50g)
  
• 1 tbs. water
  
• 5 vanilla drops
  
• Pinch of salt
  

1. Put the almonds and water in the food processor and blend until smooth
2. Add the rest of the ingredients

It’s that easy. It tasted like heaven draped over the creamy yogurt. I let Punky lick the food processor clean and she loved it, too. After breakfast, I just laid around. I was feeling a little under the weather, so I opted to talk on the phone to my best friend and watch TV rather than go for my typical Saturday morning run. Lunchtime was here before I knew it, and I wanted something savory. Seeing as my savory-loving-taste-buds rarely make themselves known, I fully embraced the craving.

Delicious: spinach, roasted potatoes, egg, salsa, and some buried hummus

Meeker got home from work and started in on some laborious yard work – which made me feel lazy, so I went for a walk/run. In total, I probably moved about 6 miles, and I felt so much better afterwards. I came home and fixed my hard-working scuzzband some steak/potatoes/eggs. He was a happy boy.

For dinner, I was still on that savory kick, so I started with a pizza.

flatout wrap with tomato paste and cheese, popped under the broiler for about 4 minutes.

Then, a big huge salad.

Lettuce, carrots, edamame, a few potato chunks (leftover), celery and ranch dressing.

I like salad. I also like chocolate, but we didn’t have anything but cocoa powder in the house, so I created an insanely quick and delicious raw dessert to end the meal.

Into the food processor (don’t worry, I cleaned after Punky’s taste-testing earlier) went:

• ½ frozen banana
• 3 medjool dates
• 1 handful of almonds
• 1 tbs. cocoa powder

It was so creamy and delicious! It made about ½ cup of mush, but it was so rich that I only ate a few bites before storing the rest in the refrigerator. I know it will be a perfect addition to my breakfast in the morning.

I hope you are all having beautiful Saturdays!

½ cup oats, a couple spoonfuls of greek yogurt, sunflower seeds, a little square of chocolate waaaay in the back.

I ate this sitting at my desk while my kiddos walked in the door. It was yummy, but AS ALWAYS, it left me hungrier than before I started. Dang oatmeal. Lunch was something new.

Flatout wrap, hummus, edamame, garbanzo beans, a few more sunflower seeds.

Unfortunately, that apple in the background ended up going in the trash. It was given to me by a student who picks his nose all day, every day. I just couldn’t get that image out of my head. I’m sure I could have washed it and it would have been fine, but quite frankly, the student who gave it to me just plain grosses me out, so I opted not to eat it. Plus, it was a little mushy and there is nothing worse than a mushy apple.

Later in the afternoon, I had my fave Clif Bar.

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.

After school, I actually went to the gym! An after-school-gym-workout is very unusual for me, but I ended up really enjoying myself. I started with Janetha’s 4×5 HIIT workout, and then finished up with another 3 miles. All in all, it was a little over 5 miles. I love running outside, but for a while, I didn’t think I could stick it out that long on the treadmill, however I kept thinking about Angie’s Treadmill 10 miler and that got me through it. I felt great afterwards. Plus, I saw two of my co-workers at the gym, which was really fun. (Hi Beth and Mandy!)

I came home and prepared my dinner (Meeker has to work late. Boo.)

Grilled chicken on a bowl of mashed cauliflower and broccoli – so, so good.

In the 3^rd grade world…

My students had this little “game” they played all day:

Every time I turned my back to write something on the board, the entire class would start counting down: 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It was so weird. I have no idea who started/planned it, but each time it happened, I laughed my head off. Of course, my laughter made it worse and perpetuated the silliness. Working with kids is funny.

Overnight oats with protein powder, cocoa, yogurt, almond milk, chia seeds. Topped with coconut granola and peanut butter – still didn’t fill me up, silly oats.

Veggie sandwich with Stacy’s pita chips

Snacky carrots and hummus

Pro bar – half in the morning, half in the afternoon

Mashed sweet potato and cauliflower – in the food processor

In the 3^rd grade world…

I had a student misspell the word disturb as disturd and it made me laugh for about 10 minutes. Sometimes I wonder what all this time spent around 8 year-olds does to my maturity.