It really has been one of those weeks.
Work is really busy right now both for me and for my boyfriend. We are both surviving on limited sleep and our interaction is mainly confined to a muffled conversation every morning about how exhausted we feel.
Despite that, I'm not really complaining though. I may be slightly sleep deprived but I come to work every morning feeling energised. I've always been one of those people who likes working to tight deadlines. When I was at university, I used to start writing an essay a couple of hours before it was due and finish writing my last footnote a minute before handing it in. I thrive on the adrenalin rush and the focus that it brings even if I do miss being able to dive into twitter conversations and read my favourite blogs at my leisure.
I know all too well that not everyone is like this. I am, most likely, incredibly irritating in these situations. The more pressure there is, the tighter our timings get, the happier I am. I like to think that my cheerfulness helps to keep up team morale but really, I expect people would just like me to shut up.
Some days this week even going to the loo has seemed like an unnecessary extravagance. Those few minutes could be used more productively. The idea of taken twenty minutes out of my day to eat lunch wouldn't even cross my mind I know I need to eat though and so it seems rather fortuitous therefore that I whipped up a batch of muffins last weekend that were stuffed full of goodness.
I probably eat a small bowl of yogurt and granola at some point most days. When I stumbled upon this recipe from the New York Times which combined the two in a healthy muffin, it immediately jumped to the top of my 'to bake' list.
I made a few small changes to the recipe subbing in agave nectar for the honey and using extra virgin olive oil rather than canola (this decision was, I should add, prompted by the posts that Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen has recently written on various forms of healthy fats). It also stands to reason that not all granolas are created equally in terms of their nutritional value. I used a nut based granola which added some texture as well as some more healthy oils. Despite the use of whole wheat flour, these stay wonderfully moist and light with a heady kick of vanilla. These babies have fuelled my working days almost single handedly.
~
Granola muffinsAdapted from the New York Times Makes 12
Ingredients
- 90g granola
- 120ml semi-skimmed milk
- 115g whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 60ml agave nectar
- 120ml low fat yogurt (I used vanilla)
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/375F. Line a muffin tin with paper cases or grease it well.
- Combine the granola and milk in a bowl and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
- Beat together the eggs, agave nectar, yogurt, oil and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients and fold until just combined.
- Finally fold in the granola mixture.
- Fill baking cases 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool.