Foodie Fiasco

Happiness, decadence, and loose pants

Single Serving Protein Chocolate Chip Muffin

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An instant staple.

I leave for college in about two weeks (!?!), so I’m currently in the throes of the epic moving process. Such a major life change is a lot of food for thought, but today I’m going to focus on the food. Look at me, talking food on my food blog. I’m really a beacon of innovation.

Enter a typical college setting. I can see it now. There may or may not be some important exam tomorrow and it’s later than I want to admit. I’m about to use my calculus textbook as a pillow because it’s been three hours and I don’t understand polar graphing any more than I did when I started.

So do you know what time it is? It’s muffin time. Something I can make in my microwave when my brain is thoroughly fried. Plus it’s nutritious and damn delicious, if I do say so myself.

It’s only 170 calories for the whole massive thing plus it has 29 grams of protein!! This is the encouragement I needed. I don’t know multivariable but I do know joy.

In a greased mug that is much bigger than you think you need. It rises WAY up while cooking because it’s excited to exist (we’re all excited this exists), but then it comes down again to form a lovely muffin for your eating pleasure.

Just give it room to grow because you want this muffin to end up in your mouth and not the sides of your microwave. You have been warned.

I’ve lived in the same house my entire life so this whole moving thing is new to me.

I’m going through my closet and I’m baffled by some of the stuff I apparently own. I pull out some poor abandoned thing and I’m like what is this? Why do I have it? I feel like this isn’t something I would buy. I don’t usually have penguin prints on my clothes. But will I need it maybe? Should I bring it?

Then again I’ve affectively blocked out all of my pre-2014 fashion related choices so honestly anything is possible and I guess these penguins are fair game.

Penguins and Pennsylvania start with the same letter so maybe that’s showing state pride? Um, sports? I know things about sports. I cheer when the people sitting next to me are cheering and all is well.

That means I’m either actually pulling this off or my poorly concealed utter confusion is charming. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I’ll probably keep the sweater. You never know.

I look around my room and ponder what to bring. What about this lamp? I’ll definitely need a lamp. Do they have lamps in Pennsylvania? Probably? I feel like they’re a pretty universal thing. But what if I get busy (ehem, when I get busy) and forget to buy one? Then I’ll be more in the dark about math than I already am? I don’t think that’s a good idea.

But how do I get it there? Should I wrap it in bubble wrap? I do love bubble wrap. But I’ll probably pop at all myself before I get there to distract myself from the enormity of this life change.

*pop*

What enormity?

*pop*

Exactly.

*pop*

Lamp it is.

I also hear it rains there, so that’ll be an experience.

I’ve seen rain on TV and people tend to be holding these protective contraptions that the locals call “umbrellas”, so I probably need one of those. I think it also gets dark so good thing I’m bringing that lamp. Also I bought a coat. A COAT. Things are getting real.

 

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Three Ingredient Pasta Bolognese for One

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Because sometimes I’d much rather be in bed than in the kitchen.

We all have those moments, right? When you’re just reeaaalllyy not feeling the whole cooking thing, but it’s time for a meal. Not a why-don’t-I-just-make-a-cinnamon-bun-for-dinner-again kind of situation (worry not– I’ll still make it for dessert), but like an actual meal substantial enough to be indicative of my newfound adulthood. Maybe even featuring a vegetable. Or, in this case, a vegetable-esque fruit (tomatoes just can’t catch a break) that is still pretty much a vegetable. Maybe.

Folks, for a real (and dare I say classy?) dinner, this is about as easy as it gets. Almost embarrassingly so. I was considering not even sharing this because I thought you’d make fun of me for proposing something so simple that I could easily make it while basically asleep on my feet, as I am ever too often these days. But I figured, hey, for those days where taking it easy is really the thing to do, this might come in handy for you too.

There’s something very comforting about making a special pasta dish, holding the the bowl for an extra second before eating as I let it warm my hands, and knowing that it’s all for me. It’s a lovely moment, and I have to mention that it could be your reality in under 10 minutes. If you’re ever like me and want your dinner to be ready five minutes ago, I got your back.

As always, I designed this recipe so it could be made perfectly with traditional methods (with pots and pans over a stove) or simply in the microwave. Either way, you make the pasta, and while it’s boiling you cook the meatless meat (or just regular meat if you eat it!), add in your favorite pasta sauce and cook for a bit more. Add the sauce to the pasta and voilà! A special dinner just for you! I love self-love.

As for the meat part of the meat sauce, I use the beef-less crumbles from my beloved Trader Joe’s. I’ve also used their soyrizo in this and it was surprisingly amazing. But feel free to use pretty much any meat substitute you want. I feel like chopped tempeh would be amazing! Of course, you can also use regular ol’ meat if you’re not a vegetarian.

I also called upon Trader Joe’s when choosing a tomato sauce for this recipe. Their three cheese one is SPECTACULAR. But any pasta sauce that you like would be perfect here. If you are an avid DIYer, please feel free to make your own pasta sauce and enjoy your fresh homemade food, the satisfaction of being a kitchen star, and my undying respect.

I talk a lot about pasta options in my mac and cheese post, so I will refer you to that for any pasta-related inquiries. You are also more than welcome to make this spaghetti bolognese, and you can find even more spaghetti info in my crispy noodle post. Happy dinner time!

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Giant Single Serving Cinnamon Bun

This is an easy sell. There is no convincing involved when explaining the necessity of an on-demand cinnamon bun. There is no time a day that would not benefit from something so decadent/healthy/easy/all around fabulous. It’s the morning and you’re craving a warm, fresh baked good right out of the oven. But it’s a big dayRead More »

Healthy Single Serving Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Needed!)

Hello old friend. It’s a shame we lost touch. You always brought such joy to otherwise dreadfully hot, sticky afternoons. I looked forward to summer all the more because I knew you would be part of it. But fall would always roll back around and I’d lose you in the (figurative) flurry of pumpkin andRead More »

Single Serving Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding

This is the kind of thing you feel very proud of yourself for making. Savory bread pudding just feels so fancy and innovative. It’s the stuff of primetime Food Network shows and those swanky restaurants with hefty price tags (like a $$$$ on Yelp kind of thing) that reserve a meal there for birthdays or otherRead More »

Single Serving Vegan Mac and Cheese

I just couldn’t wait! I was so enthralled by last week’s concept of single serving mac and cheese that I thought it would be nothing less than a profound injustice to deprive my vegan friends of something so fabulously earth shatteringly life changing for even another moment. Have I mentioned that mac and cheese is the best?Read More »

An instant staple. I leave for college in about two weeks (!?!), so I’m currently in the throes of the epic moving process. Such a major life change is a lot of food for thought, but today I’m going to focus on the food. Look at me, talking food on my food blog. I’m reallyRead More »

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