MINDFUL EATING

Has it ever happened to you that you're so hungry that you just start chomping on things and gulp them down, without even tasting them? Or, at least, not for the first half of whatever you're eating?

Or has it ever happened that you were so focused on the movie you were watching that, when someone asked you "How is it? Salty enough?" you suddenly realised that you didn't know?

Well, to me it's happened like, five minutes ago, and it was a real shame, cause it was really awesome. I was having my 4o'clock snack while reading a book, and I was so into it (it being the book) that it took me some 4 spoons to realise that I cannot do two things at the same time.
Well, that might be a bit harsh towards myself, there are things I can do at the same time. For sure, there are.. well, but the point is, sometimes you shouldn't. Because doing to many things at a time makes you actually more stressed and less efficient, and it doesn't make you taste your coconut milk.

Mindful eating is actually one of the first meditations you should try when you approach mindfulness.
It all start with a grape and an alien (you).
You have to pretend to be an alien, and pretend you're seeing a grape for the first time in your life and, therefore, eat it as such.
You should first touch it, analyse its shape and its texture, and the way it feels on your skin. Then you should smell it. Shake it next to your ear.
Only now you can put it in your mouth, and run over it with your tongue, feel its weight.
And then chew it, and feel the sweet explosion you were not expecting.
And so on.
Slow? For sure.
But some things are so delicious that they really deserve all that time. And if they don't maybe you shouldn't eat them at all.

Well, my 4o'clock snack was definitely worth putting the book aside.

You'll need:

• banana
• coconut milk
• oats
• raw cacao nibs 

All you need to do is to blend together half a banana and two or three (very generous) spoons of coconut milk. Pour your mixture over half a cup (or more. I guess it just depends on how hungry you are) of oats and sprinkle it all with raw cacao nibs.

It's really five minutes. (If you knew where your blender was, I'm sure it would be even less).

It's gonna take - i hope- much longer to eat it than to make it.

GO PANCAKES

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

How did your celebrations go? Has a proper stuck-up wannabe, I feel like saying that of course I hate all the expectations about it, I love glitter but I hate clubbing, I love the 80’s but I hate stinking like smoke.

BUT, what  I do love about New Year’s Eve, is that it’s THE excuse to have lovely –and too abundant- dinners with your friends. After herb-cheese filled mushrooms, pasta, a mozzarella and zucchini quiche and chocolate mini cakes with a melting heart, we are now left with some chili con carne and tandoori chicken.

GO BREAKFAST!

Or, as an alternative for the delicate stomached, go pancakes.

INGREDIENTS (Makes about 7):

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 egg

50 grs butter

2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

TBS sugar (Optional)

Cinnamon (Optional)

DIRECTIONS: 

In a bowl mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and the optional sugar a nd cinnamon) and the melted butter. Stir and stir.

In a second bowl, whisk together milk and the egg, then add –always stirring- to the dry ingredients.

Grab the pan in which you have previously melted the butter. And put more butter. Yess. When melted, pour a ladle of batter and let cook for a few minuts. Turn on the other side when you see borders are ready.

Start your 2013 with a proper breakfast.

Because sometimes, easy, fast and satisfying is the only combination.

Especially on the 1^st of january.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND BANANA CUPCAKES

Here I had quite a problem.

Not about making the dough, not about baking it, for sure not about eating it. The real problem was actually to call it. Arrived at the crucial moment, I didn’t really know if what I had just baked was a bunch of cupcakes, or muffins. Well, at the end of the day –one might say- you ate them all and they were crazy good, so.

But it becomes a problem when you have to title a recipe. Eh.

So I gathered some information and I found out there are three ways to distinguish a muffin from a cupcake:

-          Muffins are usually eaten for breakfast, therefore they’re bigger then cupcakes, that are normally eaten in the afternoon, say tea-time. –Mine were the size of muffin, but got eaten at cupcakes time. Uhm-

-          Cupcakes, besides being smaller, are usually frosted, while muffins are not, and the’re likely to contain pieces of fruit. – Ok, it seems mine are muffins then. My bad to eat them at the wrong hour-

-          It is also said, though, that muffins are usually prepared using oil, while cupcakes are made with butter. –Oh, so mine seem to finally be cupcakes. As much as they are muffins, at least-

Well, I can’t really tell what I baked.

What I can tell you, though, is that it was really good.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND BANANA CUPCAKES

Makes about 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

-          2 cups all-purpose flour

-          1 cup white granular sugar

-          1cup brown sugar

-          1 tea-spoon baking powder

-          ½ tea-spoon salt

-          1 cup (2 sticks) butter

-          4 eggs

-          1 cup milk

-          1 banana

-          Dark chocolate

DIRECTIONS:

1-      Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2-      In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter. Hand mix until everything’s combined.

3-      In a second bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.

4-      Start adding wet ingredients to dry ones, beating until ingredients are incorporated.

5-      Chop the banana and the dark chocolate, and add to the batter.

6-      Divide batter evenly, filling the cupcake forms about 2/3.

7-      Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes: you’ll know they’re ready when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

8-      Once baked, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

9-      Enjoy!

MUFFIN ALLA BANANA CON GOCCE DI CIOCCOLATO

Dosi per circa 12 muffins

INGREDIENTI:

-          2 tazze di farina

-          1 tazza di zucchero granulare bianco

-          1 tazza di zucchero di canna

-          1 cucchiaino di lievito in polvere

-          ½ cucchiaino di sale

-          200 gr di burro

-          4 uova

-          1 tazza di latte

-          1 banana

-          Cioccolato fondente per dolci

PREPARAZIONE:

1-      Preriscaldare il forno a 180°.

2-      In una ciotola abbastanza larga, mattete la farina, lo zucchero, il lievito, il sale e il burro. Mescolate con le mani fino a che il burro avrà creato un impasto. Non preoccupatevi, non importa che sia omogeneo.

3-      In una seconda ciotola, sbattete insieme il latte e le uova.

4-      Iniziate a versare la parte liquida nella ciotola degli ingredienti asciutti, mescolando fino a che tutti gli ingredienti non saranno ben amalgamati.

5-      Tagliate la banana e il cioccolato a pezzetti, dopodichè aggiungeteli all’impasto.

6-      Dividete l’impasto ottenuto in parti uguali riempiendo gli stampi dei vostri muffin fino a circa 2/3.

7-       Infornate e lasciate cuocere per circa 15 – 20 minuti. Saprete che sono pronti quando un coltello infilato al centro ne uscirà pulito.

8-      Una volta cotti, lasciateli raffreddare sopra ad una griglia.

9-      Godeteveli!