It’s official.
Screw packing...let's make some donuts!
I suck at packing. Although I had been planning ALL week what I was going to pack for my West Coast adventure, I still found myself cutting it down to the wire.
Perhaps the problem was the workout clothes…they did take up 75% of the space in my extra-large suitcase, after all.
All packed and ready to go to California....WAIT! I need to bring more than just workout clothes?
And of course, I had to pack this little thing for the Vegas leg of my trip (although it didn’t take up much space).
It's a bathing suit..in case you can't tell.
Maybe it was the can of pumpkin, cake mix and can opener…because it’s normal to bring those types of things across the country….(tbd if my little idea for using these items works out).
I don't travel without cake mix. I just don't.
A car was scheduled to pick me up at 1:45 and at precisely 1:30 as I attempted to pick up my extremely heavy suitcase, I had a grave realization: it appeared to weigh over 50 pounds.
Distraught with concern over having to pay a ridiculous amount of money for an oversized piece of baggage, I ran downstairs to the apartment gym…where my suspicions were confirmed: 54 LBS.
So….yeah, I suck at packing.
Luckily, this Sometimes Healthy Girl is very quick on her feet (but you already knew that).
I threw all of my shoes and toiletries into my gym bag and prayed that the airport scale would read the magic number 50.
I always thought my least favorite time to see a scale was at the doctor’s office, but now I realize it can also be a nemesis at the airport…
Sometimes Healthy Housesitters
Oh…and in addition to my normal “going away for over a week regiment,” I also had to prep the apartment for houseguests!
My fave partner in crime.
Anjelica and her fiancé, Joe, are holding down my fort while I’m out of town. They normally commute about 90 minutes to two hours a day, so when I realized I’d be out of town for a while I offered to let them camp out at Casa Sometimes Healthy.
The problem? I’m not exactly the neatest person around.
So, in addition to scrambling around to ensure that my luggage was the proper weight, I also had to make sure that my apartment wasn’t a hot mess…per usual.
I did my best, but in the end, I figured a little mess might be forgiven…due the baked goods. You didn’t think I’d let anyone stay in my apartment without some nice semi-homemade baked goods…did you??
Nobody stays at the casa without some good ol' fashioned Semi-Homemade, Sometimes Healthy Baked Goods...
Drawn to the Doughnut Pan
I had to make a quick stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond on Saturday for some special cupcake needs. My goal was to make it in and out in 5 minutes…but, let’s be honest, that never happens at this place.
I mean, it’s hard enough for me to walk out of there without a Magic Bullet in my hand. That’s self-restraint. But, when I saw this donut pan…there was no way I was leaving the the Triple B without it.
Look at my shiny new donut pan!
And of course, once I bought it, there was absolutely no way I wasn’t going to use it right away.
Packing, Baking and Jamming
Saturday ended up being a bit of a busy day. Between working out, brunch with Brother Bear and Julie, getting my hair cut and shopping, I was running around from 8:30 to 6:30 PM.
So, when I finally walked in the door, the last thing I wanted to do was pack. But, given that I was getting on a plan to LA in less than 12 hours, I had no choice.
I turned on the television music channel to set the mood for my packing, and this song happened to come on.
If this doesn't get me excited to pack to a trip for LA, I don't know what will!
I was officially pumped.
In the midst of planning my fabulous California outfits, I figured I might as well test out the donut pan. And since I couldn’t bake cupcakes on the road for Cupcake Monday, I decided we could make this “DONUT MONDAY.”
But donuts can’t be healthified…right?
Chocolate Chip Vanilla Glazed Donuts
Healthified Chocolate Chip Donuts...ohhh yeeah.
These delicious baked goodies taste so sinful, you won’t believe they’re healthy. But, indeed they are – Sometimes Healthy…and always delicious. If you’re looking to pick up a police officer, just bake these and he’ll be all yours. They may work to get you out of a parking ticket as well…The secret’s in the cake mix.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 – 10 minutes (for 6 dougnuts at a time)
Ingredients (makes 18 Doughnuts):
1 Box Yellow Cake Mix (any brand)
½ cup flour
1 cup egg Substitute (or 4 eggs)
1 ¼ cup skim milk
1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions:
1. In large mixing bowl, pour in yellow cake mix and flour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Stir in wet ingredients. Mix thouroughly and ensure that all lumps are broken up…unless you want big clumps of cake mix in your donuts.
3. Throw in some chocolate chips (optional).
4. Spoon batter into donut pan – filling up about 2/3 of the way. If you fill ‘er up, you’ll end up with round dough balls, rather than donuts. And then your donut pan will be useless…and you might as well have baked muffins.
5. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, until the tops get brown. Unless you have 3 donut pans, you’ll need to cool batch 1 of the donuts, refill the pans and do this process 3 times. Throw on some Jersey Shore – your donuts will be finished before Ron and Sam even have a chance to make up.
Here’s a quick look at how it all went down:
Mix ‘er up…batter will be thicker than a typical cupcake batter…because you’re making donuts.
Throw in some chocolate chips. Go wild!
A little choco chip love goes a long way!
Pour in your cool donut pan. Don’t overpour – you’ll lose the hole and you might as well bake muffins!
in 10 minutes, you'll have beautiful donuts!
Let there be Glaze!
When all was said and done, I had a mound of donuts that would make Homer Simpson proud (and they were way healthier than the kind ol’ Homer eats).
Homer Simpson, eat your heart out.
All that was missing was the glaze…
It’s not like I had anything to do…like figure out how to pack like a normal human being, without going over the standard bag weight limit.
So, I got to work on a little glaze. I adapted a recipe from Alton Brown. The recipe basically involved warming up a lil’ bit of milk, adding a touch of vanilla and whisking in a few cups of confectioner’s sugar.
Look at me whisking like a real chef!
It was so easy…I was sure it wouldn’t turn out.
But sure enough, after 5 minutes of whisking, I had a beautiful glaze.
Thus, began the dipping.
I wish I could dunk everything in sugary goodness.
Mmmmmm…if only I had sprinkles!
I gotta say – I was pretty proud with the end result. And they tasted as good as they looked. The glaze took the sweetness over the top. I have already received confirmation from Anjelica and Joe that they’ve eaten 3 each.
Chocolate Chip Glazed Donuts + Milk = 5 Year Old's Dream Come True
And the best part of it all? These donuts are relatively healthy! Maybe they don’t taste exactly like the ones I drool over every morning when I pick up my coffee at Dunkin, but for the healthified version, they are not half bad!
Oh, I also baked Anjelica and Joe some pumpkin muffins, using pumpkin bread mix. What can I say? I like to spoil my house guests! (I think I get it from Sometimes Healthy Mom).
Pretty Pumpkin Muffins Dressed in Pink!
Straight Out of a Jimmy Buffet Song
So…that was Saturday night. But it’s Monday now, and I’m in sunny California.
This is how I enjoyed my morning coffee.
Coffee with a side of ocean? Yes please.
Oh, and here is where I completed my morning run.
Looks like an episode of Baywatch...or maybe Saved by the Bell (the summer episodes) or maybe 90210 (the beachclub episodes)?
Needless to say, I have the sudden urge to drop everything and move to California. Between the water, the weather and the serenity, I’m pretty much living in a dream right now.
Sadly, all good things do come to an end. While I enjoyed a peaceful morning, as soon as I got into our LA office, I remembered that I do have quite a bit of work to complete this week. While I’d prefer to lay on the beach, drink margaritas and pretend I’m in a Jimmy Buffet song, I do have a little thing called a job.
Hopefully I’ll have some downtime later in the week so I can show you all of my fabulous California adventures. Until then, here’s a preview…
Nibbling on a make-your-own cookie sandwich while watching the setup for a major Hollywood premiere. Ohhh yeah.
Question:
What’s your favorite kind of donut? What flavor should I make next?
Ever been to Cali? What’s your favorite part about it? Any food recos?
You and your sometimes healthy creations always look amazing! I think my favorite kind of donuts chocolate frosted ones :).
OMG, so jealous that you’re in Cali! I was there a few years ago and stayed near orange county…there’s a place called Mutt’s on the boardwalk that is AWESOME. Their brunch menu is like 5 pages long size 2 font and they have mimosas the size of my face.
And yes, if only you had sprinkles for those donuts! lol
Oh I can’t wait to get a donut pan! My favorite is the strawberry frosted with sprinkles, but I usually pick whichever flavor has the most sprinkles. I think you should make a glazed blueberry dount!
I’ve only been to Santa Barbara. It was gorgeous and dreamy. Have a great trip Jamie!
oh my gosh i want donuts so badly right now!
Favorite part of cali? The sun shines nearly every day!
WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS BAKING SUCH GOOD THINGS?!? I am so jealous!!!
Yellow cake mix >>> White cake mix, any day. Just my thoughts.
i fricken love CALI..cant wait to move there – the weather is beautiful! And you’re quite the host there lady..can I stay at your house too?? haha
AAAHHH Diddy Riese!!! I went to UCLA for a year and Diddy Riese is to blame for the bulk of my Freshman 15. Those ice cream cookie sandwiches are SO good!!!
Your donuts look so delicious too. Hope you’re having a great time in California!
What a nice friend you are! You let them stay for a week and bake for them! The donuts look delish 🙂
your recipes are so awesome because they’re so simple! makes me feel like a fool for trying to buy flour and all that *stuff*
my favorite donut is a sour cream donut! so delish!
YUM! I love donuts–my all-time favorite are Boston Kreme donutes (with custard in the center, not cream). And I’m totally jealous that you are in California right now! I have never been, but I’m hoping to visit the sunny state soon. Hope you have a great time…forget that silly job thing and explore! 🙂
Oh my goodness, you are the world’s sweetest host. I thought I was awesome by leaving a clean house for friends, but you VOLUNTEERED your house AND baked things for your friends! You are awesome.
Hope you have an amazing time in California. You deserve lots of fun in the sun … and by the way, the song “California Girls” makes me so pumped up, too!
In fact, I think I’ll play it now … seeing as I’m still at work and I need a little pick-me-up … 😉
Really, the only kind of doughnut I like is apple cider donuts from this place in my town…but I think I could get into homemade baked healthified doughnuts. 😉 I too, like to spoil my house guests. I have never been to Cali, but I hope to someday….and your pic totally does look like one of the summer episode of Saved by the Bell! 🙂
I was in santa Monica for 10 days last year and biked the path along the coast from Malibu to marina del ray daily. The most calm and happy I have EVER felt! I am dying to get back out there and in a year or so hopefully move there. There is nowhere else quite like SoCal! I am jealous!
*marina del Rey ugh autocorrect!
Wow, you are the best hostess! Baked goodies and snacks- yes please!
Yum……you want to sell them at your favorite Omaha Cookie Company?
Love to try them. Next time you get to the Big O bring one of those delicious
chocolate chip donuts by! Hope you’re enjoying yourself in California!
Hugs,
Ellen
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