5 Minute Chocolate Cake

Please don't hate me for posting this... but this actually is really good... just make sure you don't skimp on the oil, otherwise it can be a little dry...

Get a large Mug...
in it put the following..

4 Tbsp Flour ( i use half reg. flour and half whole wheat flour)
4 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Cocoa
mix well

now add
one egg, mix well
3 Tbsp Milk
3 Tbsp Oil, mix well again
3 Tbsp Chocolate chips (if you want... i want)
Splash of Vanilla, mix well again

Pop it in the Microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.... The cake will rise over the top of the mug, let it go! let it cool a little, and either tip onto a plate or leave it in the mug...

I like to cut a circle in the top, and put some chocolate chips in the center, then put the top back in... it is yummy! Again, please don't hate me for this. But using some whole wheat flour, and skim milk, and some good healthy oil can make it a little less ... bad... ?

Favorite Recipes: Very Healthy!

Much Requested Fruit and Nut Cookies:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light oil
3 egg whites
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp best-quality vanilla
1 cup un-bleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bran or oats
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 cup slivered almonds

(i leave out chopped dried figes, but if you like, add 1/4 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. combine sugar, oil, egg whites. stir in dried fruits and vanilla.
3. combine all dry ingrediants, then stir into egg mixture until just combined.
4. fold in almonds.
5. drop by tablespoon onto baking sheets lined with parchment or a silpat.
Bake for 12 minutes, cool on racks..

and enjoy!


My newest Favorite, fat free Banana Applesauce Bread!

1 cup un-bleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 egg whites
1 cup (about two or three) mashed bananas
1/2 cup skim milk soured with 1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp best quality vanilla
( i leave out the walnuts, but you can add 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup raisins if you want)

1. preheat oven to 350, lightly coat a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and dust with flour
2. combine dry ingredients in large bowl. in a small bowl, beat the egg whites until they are fluffy.
in a small bowl, prepare the soured milk. pour bananas, soured milk, applesauce and vanilla
into a large bowl.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until just blended. fold in the egg whites, then add nuts and raisins if desired.
4. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes...

Amazing! super moist, and a mild bread. great toasted with some good salted butter on top! yay!

These are both super easy and well worth it. I make the bread probably once a week, depending on how many bananas Brandon wants to eat... I used to make the cookies a couple times a week and keep them around to munch on when I needed a snack... love them!

Coming Clean

So, for some reason, I have a burning desire to tell a story. One of which will not contain names because I do not wish to end up in a law suit... But non-the-less, I still want to tell it... So here it goes... So I was working at a company we will call company A... I had worked there for several years, had gone through quite a bit running the thing with my friend Brandon, I mean doing everything... The guys who were in charge spent most of their time with the sister company and so Brandon and I had a lot to do. I worked anywhere from 50-60 hours a week easy and really was able to make a difference... Things changed and in a 6 month period I went from being very important to being shoved in a cubicle in the back corner of the brand new office that I had put so much time into... Well, I started out in an office, went to Europe and came back to all my stuff being moved out into a cubicle... anyway, so on top of that I was moved into a position that really didn't have anything to do. So I sat there, all day, playing on the computer. Some would say sweet! But I hated that. I would go and ask for things to do, and they would tell me to be patient...
So I made it known that I was unhappy with my current work position(with other people of course, not my current company)... It didn't take long and I was recruited by one of my favorite people to this amazing job! WOW! They were starting me 20k more than what I was making, with a new car, and I would be working with the Owner... Who was young, liked my ideas, and didn't treat me like a piece of furniture... Sweet! So I interviewed, was offered a chance to try out the company to see if I liked it. I loved it! It was run by young people (no offense to the company A and"the guys club") who wanted to hear what others had to say. I came in as the office manager, to oversee the staff and make sure that they did their jobs, were productive, efficient, etc.
When I gave company A my two weeks, they made me feel so bad. Told me that I would be back. Why were they fighting so hard to keep me if they didn't have anything for me to do? Why should I waste their money when I wanted to be productive? So I declined, we parted peacefully, I took a long weekend and then started with the new company. It is always hard to come into a company as the boss. Well, not even "the Boss" but as an authoritative figure. Myself, along with a few other people, were brought in to "clean up". Was there any question that for some people it would be a pissing match? So I was the mean one with a box of tissues in my office for all the people I had to bring in and have a talk with. But we worked together, a lot, and got everything organized and starting to run okay. I worked pretty much with the owner, and a couple others, almost all day every day. Again, was asked what I thought and wasn't ignored when I offered my thoughts. I heard the guys back at Company A saying things, like that I wouldn't last, that I couldn't handle it. wow! what faith they had in me...
Sad thing was, that after working at this new company for only two months, and getting it organized... We revealed that it was a ponzie... I had a very trusted accountant come in to give us an opinion on whether or not the books could legally be cleaned up. This person left without a word, and came to me the next morning, almost in tears, pleading with me not to go back. (i was pregnant at the time) Begging me to not have my baby in prison! My Gosh! I knew things weren't right, but I had hope that they could be fixed... I didn't realize they were that bad! So I quit that day. I ended my contract. Not from anything that I said, because I didn't tell anyone except for the owner at the end of the day, but I heard that several other employees left that day as well. I had a baby on the way, a new house with a mortgage 3x what we were used to paying, and no plan. But I had faith that doing the right thing, getting out of the scheme, would obviously be the best choice.
That company still owes me for April of 2007.. the whole month... I know that I will NEVER see that money. But all in all I am grateful for the experience. I am glad that I was able to go out, and be treated as someone with intelegence and ideas that are worth listening to. Sure, old guys know a lot about business, but sometimes it takes a fresh perspective, young and innovative suggestions to help grow.