guilt-free brownies

No, that was not an oxy-moron. No-remorse, guilt-free, sinless brownies that actually taste amazing do in fact exist, and can be made with a few ingredients that you probably have on hand. I HAVE to share this recipe in case there is someone out there craving chocolate but trying to "behave." This, my friend, is going to change your life (or at least make it a little better!).

As many of you probably know, you can use the healthier alternative of subbing applesauce for oil when making boxed-brownies. However, since I've stopped using box mixes when it comes to baking (so worth it, even it takes more time), I started researching healthy brownies from scratch. When I had a full-on chocolate crave attack last night after having minimal amounts of chocolate for the past two-and-a-half months (Jake is not a fan), this recipe for Jillian Michael's Fudge Brownies not only satisfied my craving, BUT also left me feeling guilt-free.

[disclaimer: I am not a huge J.M. fan or anything, but the woman can make some brownies!]

Jillian Michael's Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:
2/3 cup mild honey, such as clover (what I used) or Orange blossom
1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (I just used all-purpose flour)
1/4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbs olive oil (I used EVOO)
1 large egg at room temp.
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
*1/2 cup of natural peanut butter (optional, but highly recommended!)

Directions:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with olive oil (I used regular cooking spray because I wasn't sure how that would turn out!) and set it aside.
2. Place the honey in a glass bowl and microwave it for 45 seconds. Add in the cocoa and mix it all together until it is all very well combined. Let it cool.
3. In a small bowl, Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix through.
4. In a large bowl, combine, the applesauce, EVOO, egg, and vanilla and mix together. Add the honey and cocoa mixture and whisk through, then add in the flour mixture and whisk together until no traces of flour are remaining.
5. Pour into your greased baking dish and cook for 25minutes. When you stick a toothpick in the middle loose crumbs will cling to it.
6. Let cool completely before slicing. Cut into 16 bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temp.

Source

My suggestion:
Before placing the brownies in the oven, microwave 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter in a glass mixing cup for about one minute. Using a spoon, drizzle the melted pb over the brownie batter. Delicious!

Nutrition Facts (without Peanut Butter):
Calories: 86.2 kcal
Fat: 2.2 g
Protein: 1.3 g
Carbohydrates: 16.0 g
Sodium: 63.6 mg



I LOVE these brownies. They are moist and fluffy, have just the right amount of sweetness, and taste amazing right out of the refrigerator--not to mention, they are SO easy to make! They will take care of even the most intense chocolate craving without making you feel like you need to hit the gym after. No remorse here. :)

floods, free-days, and four-wheel drive!

Due to a series of unfortunate events (namely, the four days of rain that caused flooding on many of the major highways and roads in Fairfax county), my first week at my new school has ended a day early. Although the timing of this "rain day" is rather inconvenient, I'm taking this time to get some things done around the house, play with my puppy, and share a little about what's been going on in the Crane house via blog post!

First of all, I'm excited to report that I am SO happy at my new school! I thank God everyday for providing me with such a great job (and a carpool buddy to make the commute easier!). I've received an incredible amount of support from my co-workers, who are all amazing teachers and all-around wonderful people. I am LOVING my three classes of seniors, and really enjoying my two sophomore classes as well. I feel so at home at Langley, which has made the transition to a new school district so much easier. I can't wait to post some pictures of my new classroom and share some ideas that I'm trying out.

In related news, the roles have really been reversed in our house since I went back to work. I had a lot of fun being a little house-wifey over the summer (and I'm pretty sure Jake enjoyed it as well!), but now that I'm working, we've been dividing up the household tasks. I can safely say that my husband has prepared more meals than I have the past couple weeks! He's also taken on the responsibility of packing lunches, which is a huge blessing (and it always makes me laugh when I open my lunch box and see a "Jake-size" lunch that I could never finish!). Jake has also been doing the grocery shopping, which has been a nice break for me. Even though life has been crazy these past couple weeks with the new school year starting, my husband has been an awesome support-system and source of encouragement.

Izzy, of course, is still her adorable, rambunctious self. She's growing so much and is too smart for her own good. My favorite part of the day is coming home to a REALLY excited puppy who can't wait to play!

This past week, after quite some time of looking and debating, we purchased a 2012 Chevy Equinox! I've never had a brand new car before, so it's been a lot of fun to have such a pimped-out ride. Having a bigger, more powerful vehicle was a huge blessing while driving through multiple "ponds" on Route 50 yesterday during the flood!

I'm hoping the rain will start clearing up so I can run some errands on this unexpected day-off. For now, this housewife/teacher is off to clean and grade some papers!