Banana bran chocolate chip muffins

Even though I am not normally a fan of baking mixes, I am making an exception for this weight watchers friendly recipe.  Here is the basic idea:

3 cups of Quaker low fat muffin mix (I used the honey bran type)
3 cups of all-bran or bran flakes (the PC blue menu bran flakes worked nicely)
2.5 cups of warm water
1.5 cups of fruit, e.g. mashed ripe bananas, pumpkin puree, applesauce, rhubarb
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup of raisins OR chocolate chips OR cranberries, etc (optional)

1. Mix bran and water, let stand for 5 mins.
2. Add muffin mix, fruit, baking powder and raisins/chocolate chips/cranberries, and combine well.
3. Spray mini-muffin tins with cooking spray or oil.
4. Fill mini-muffin cups fairly heaping.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 mins.

Notes: The original recipe said this amount made 32 mini-muffins for a point each, though I made 48 heaping mini-muffins with this amount. I guess my mini-muffin trays are on the small side, but this way I can add the raisins or chocolate chips and still keep the points to one per muffin.

Last night I made banana muffins with chocolate chips and added some nutmeg.  Delicious, though adding about 1/2 teaspoon of salt would have helped a bit. I needed about 4 mashed bananas (previously frozen) to make 1.5 cups.  I have also made pumpkin raisin muffins, using cinnamon, all-spice, nutmeg and ginger to make them more interesting - and you don't need to be shy with the spices.  1.5 cups of pumpkin puree is about 1/2 one of the big cans (28 oz I think).

Of course adding butter makes them infinitely more delicious, but apparently weight watchers poo-poos on butter. Sigh...anyway, enjoy!

9 months old - time for a profile!

Since I shamelessly ripped off Julie's post for the #1 daughter back in 2008, figured I should do the same for the #2 daughter.  Micaela is 9 months old today, and I cannot believe how fast time is going by.  Sigh...but I will lament about that another time.

Funny, Micaela hasn't had the chance to play with a Starbucks coffee cup the way Avery liked to at this age (with no coffee in it of course!).  I guess that is because I have cut down my patronage big-time. When a grande non-fat latte is 3 points, you tend to prioritze!

Weight: I am guessing around 18 lbs, but will update officially once she goes to the doc next week. Update: she was 18 lbs, 2 oz.  Avery was 18 lbs 14 oz.

Height: I am guessing around 27.5 inches, to be updated (both are smaller than Avery at 9 months).  Update: she was 28 inches, as was Avery at this age.

Eye Colour: Brown, with greeny-hazel shifts every once in a while.

Hair Status: Quite a good bit of medium brown hair, all over her head, with enough for barrettes and tiny little ponytails.

Teeth Status: First tooth cut exactly yesterday (9 months minus a day)! It is the bottom front left tooth.  Likely to be joined by its partner soon I think.

Nicknames: Mikes, Mikey, Miker-doodles, Miker-moos (all from Mom); Nugget, Miker-doos (Dad); Caela (Avery); Michalie (or something like that from Grossmueti and the Swiss faction)

Prized Collection: In a repeat of Avery's babyhood, Micaela's shoe collection is enormous.  Most are inherited, though Mom has purchased a couple here and there... :)  Shoes are followed closely by clothes!

Biggest accomplishments: clapping, waving off food she doesn't want, pulling herself up to standing with help from Mom or Dad, saying "da da da da da da da da" repeatedly (for just about anything), some serious gurgling, and incredible flexibility. Check this out (which is actually from a few weeks ago):

Ways to describe her physique: healthy baby girl, beautiful big eyes, great chubba cheeks.

Favorites: Trus and the cats, the "exerpooper", anything she can bang on the floor, the TV remote, watching TV, being a little daredevil, bathtime, and pretty much anything she can put in her mouth.

Most likely career: Therapist (because of the way she likes to stare at others and decipher their innermost thoughts, but prefers not to be analyzed herself - i.e. don't stare directly at the baby!), or Olympic breaststroker (due to her frog-kick proficiency)

Who sleeps most? Avery, who seems to be able to sleep through anything.  Micaela is actually a way better sleeper than Avery was at this age, and if we could get ourselves into bed at a decent time, we would sleep pretty well too.  We also have to stop bringing Mikes into our bed in the middle of the night when we don't have the resolve to let her cry it out!

Most endearing qualities: Great (devilish) smile, desire to explore, contentedness while snuggling on the couch (until she needs to get down to explore, that is).

Favourite food: Pears, broccoli, sweet corn casserole (!), avocado, yogurt

Marital status: Single and choosy

What’s next? Hopefully a little more mobility ( I know I will rue those words) in learning how to roll from stomach to back and decrease her frustration, crawl, stand, walk, run...but all in good time! :)

Micaela's room

So this is a little late...but since I posted a pic of Avery's room when it was ready before she was born, I thought I should do the same for Micaela.  We actually had her room painted before she was born (mostly thanks to Sandy), but since it was still a guest room for a few months after she was born and she bunked in our room, it was never totally decorated.  Now it is - and is even clean most of the time!  There are still a few things I want to put up, like the lovely glass butterfly decorations from Arlene and the hand-painted letters to spell out Micaela's name, courtesy of Sandy again.  I still haven't figured out how to hang the butterflies though.  Any ideas?