Butterscotch Brownie Bars

Cooking is something I’ve grown to really love, but baking is something I’ve always adored.

I wonder if my love for baking stems from my love for sweets?

Today I baked a totally new treat!

Last week I was loving the combination of butterscotch chips with roasted peanuts and enjoyed it as an afternoon snack throughout the week.

Butterscotch + Peanut Butter

Toady I figured I could take this tasty creation to a new level by combining the two in a brownie-like bar.

I started by melting butterscotch chips and butter in a small saucepan.

Butterscotch + Butter

I stirred the warm mixture into a bowl with sugar, brown sugar, an egg and vanilla extract. After adding flour, a pinch of salt and peanuts, the batter was ready for bakin’.

Batter

After about 25 minutes, the butterscotch brownies were done.

Butterscotch Brownies

Butterscotch + Peanuts

Yummy!

They were moist, delicious, and a fantastic combination of sweet and salty.

Butterscotch Brownie Bars

(Makes 18 bars)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag butterscotch chips (6 oz.)
• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 c. roasted unsalted peanuts
• pinch of salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Melt butterscotch chips and butter in a saucepan on low heat. Stir constantly until no lumps remain.
• Combine sugars, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl.
• Pour butterscotch mixture into the bowl with the sugar mixture.
• Stir in flour, peanuts and salt until everything is thoroughly mixed.
• Pour batter in to a pan sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 25 minutes.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

“Hummus, hummus, I got the hummus!”

(Anyone else remember that episode of Friends where Phoebe wears a big Christmas bow to cover her hummus stain? Hysterical!)

I got the hummus in my lunch today. 🙂

I copied my sandwich from Tuesday’s lunch and made another roasted red pepper hummus sandwich with portobello mushrooms.

Hummus + Mushroom Sandwich

This sandwhich was awesome. You’d think Ryan and I just discovered hummus or something this past week. He’s had it on his turkey sandwich every day since Sunday!

On the side I snacked on fresh green and red peppers dipped in Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese and enjoyed sugar-free strawberry Jello for dessert.

Peppers + Cheese

Thursday's Lunch

Delish!

Snack Time

Today’s morning snack was oh-so-good!

I made a double chocolate and peanut butter protein cake (courtesy of Miss April‘s recipe) with All the Whey chocolate peanut butter cup protein powder (which I buy here on NutraPlanet.com) and cocoa powder.

I spread a semi-thawed frozen banana on the divided cake and smooshed the two slices back together for a chocolate peanut butter and banana delight! April, I love you for this recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Protein Cake

Stuffed Up

I also enjoyed some salty peanuts.

I ❤ Peanuts

Jumping on the Bandwagon: Ask Me Anything

Now that it seems like the Ask Me Anything phenomenon all over blog world is dying down, I figured I’d suck it up and participate. Better late than never!

I’m not anticipating a lot of questions since I’m not the most interesting person in the world, and I’m a little nervous about what kind of questions I might get! Buuut, I know I really enjoyed reading other question and answer sessions. It’s fun to learn something new! So, without further ado, click here to ask me anything!

Remember, it’s completely anonymous and I cannot see who submits questions… It’s cool for you, but I know it’ll drive me crazy since I’m the most curious person in the world. 😀 Just ask my mom, who still has to hide my Christmas presents from me.

Free 8 x 10 Photo

Click here to get a free 8 x 10 photo print at Walgreens today!

Be Your Own Olympian

I read an interesting article today in the Health & Fitness section of MSN.com, offering average people tips on how to train like an Olympian.

• Set a goal and break it down
• Cross train
• Work out with others
• Utilize people who can help you (a trainer, nutritionist, physical therapist, etc.)

I wish I had a nutritionist, or better yet, a personal chef, to “utilize.”  Ryan and I ask each other “would you rather” questions all the time, and one of my past favorites is, “Would you rather have a personal trainer or a personal chef?”

This was an easy one for both of us… Personal chef! I would love to have someone make nutritious and delicious meals for me. How sweet would that be!? I think I would miss cooking and baking a bit though…

Now it’s your turn:

Would you rather have a personal trainer or a personal chef?

Aren’t “would you rather” questions fun? 😀

Mid Morning Snack

My breakfast sandwich was tasty, but not too filling. I dug into my mid morning snack a bit early today.

Peanutty Yogurt

I ate a small handful of peanuts before sprinkling a few on top of a cup of Fage Greek yogurt.

I think Fage is my favorite brand of Greek yogurt. It tastes the thickest to me, which is my main criteria for good tastin’ yogurt.

Click here for $.50 off any Fage Greek yogurt.

Lunch

When I made pasta for lunch yesterday, I made extra to pack in my lunch today.

Pasta Bowl

This particular pasta bowl had lots of veggies mixed in, plus several shakes of Parmesan cheese.

Is pasta even pasta without Parmesan cheese???