The upcoming new year means different things to people. To me, it means a chance to renew, refresh and revitalize! And I know just how to achieve that! Organize, clean, and cook more! Yup, losing more weight is on the list too. Working on it!

So I organized our basement freezer and found out we had lots to work with-enough food for maybe a month or two. I am a bit of a food hoarder, I confess, and the freezer clearly demonstrates this.

On my journey to cook more, and use up our freezer reserves, I whipped up some cookies and cornbread! My mission was to use up some of the 2 bags of the masa harina ( for making tamales) and oat bran that has lingered in the freezer for a long, long time.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I asked my good friend (Google) for some suggestions, and here is what I found:

A corn bread recipe using masa harina instead of cornmeal!!
http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/a-healthier-organic-corn-bread-recipe-made-with-masa-harina/

Here are the ingredients, but click on the link for the directions. I think the butter really makes the difference. Cornbread and cookie recipes must have butter (or do they?)!!

A Healthier Organic Corn Bread Recipe (I don't think it should be called organic, as none of the ingredients called for are organic!...just sayin!)

1 1/2 cup masa harina flour

1/2 cup spelt flour, or other flour of choice, (with the exception of coconut flour, it won't work in this recipe) ....I used white whole wheat

2 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp unrefined sea salt...I used kosher salt

1/4 cup raw honey ...I used maple syrup

1 tbsp sucanat ...or regular sugar

1 1/4 cup whole milk or coconut milk ...I used skim milk

1/4 cup grass fed butter, softened....my butter did not come from grass fed cows :(

This is how I served it up!! with pulled pork tenderloin, shredded cheese and a tiny dollop of real sour cream!

Now, earlier I said that cookie recipes must always have butter! But it just so happens that this recipe uses oil!! I always heard that oil should never be used in cookies. But it really works, and it yields a different type of cookie; a thinner cookie, with a more crisp texture. And speaking of cookies, here is the recipe that helped me use up some of my copious amounts of oat bran:

http://www.madebymichellec.com/?p=3794

Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Bran Cookies (adapted from cdkitchen)

3/4 cup canola oil..I used avocado oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chips...I only had mini chocolate chips to work with

- See more at: http://www.madebymichellec.com/?p=3794#sthash.eSeVwCYE.dpuf

I really like making other bloggers recipes! the recipes are already tested, so less chance of a mess for me!

If you are reading this post now, or have ever read any of my posts, you are probably thinking, “oh there she is!”, or “she finally got a break from the baby!”….yup, it’s been over two months..and yes, I do get a few breaks from our little critter, not too many though.

Here is an update:

1. Wyatt will be 5 months next week!!

He loves naps! and yes, he is a bit out of season!

2. I am back to work full time with some sort of workout routine (as if we expected anything other than that)

3. I am down 25 lbs. since Wyatt arrived (yep, that includes the baby; it makes me sound like a champ if I include the actual baby weight). 15 lbs to go!!

4. Herbie is being a great big brother!

5. I made baby food today for the first time using my Vitamix blender!! Finally, my mom-in-law’s investment is paying off! And I made the recipe below, in my Vitamix too!

So here I am, taking advantage of nap time, and whipping up something fun for the week. I used a recipe from the kids section of my Vitamix cookbook, as a base and added some key ingredients! Here is it, no pictures of each step this time…who has time for that!?

Peanut Butter and Jelly Swirled Protein Bread

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup vanilla protein powder (yep, totally my idea to replace ½ the flour with this…surprised?)
1 tsp. kosher salt (love kosher salt)
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ cups milk-I used vanilla soy milk
1 egg ( added this for fluffiness)
½ cup sugar
2/3 cup natural peanut butter (increased this from ½ cup for more flavor)
½ cup your favorite jam or jelly (why not swirl in some jammy goodness)

Preheat oven to 350F.Combine flour, protein powder, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Place milk, egg, sugar and peanut butter in a blender; process until smooth. Stir into flour mixture, until smooth. ( I actually added the flour mixture right into my blender, but this probably won’t work with a regular blender). Coat a standard loaf pan (or a larger one works too) with cooking spray. Pour1/2 of batter into pan and add dollops of jam over surface. Use a knife to swirl jam into batter. Repeat process again.

Place on a baking sheet (in case of spillage) and bake for about 50 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into 14 slices.

Nutrition per 1/14^th recipe: 210 calories, 8g total fat, 1.5g Sat Fat, 370mg Sodium, 26g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 15g Sugar, 11g Protein, Vitamin A 2%DV, Calcium 15%, Iron 6%