Wholemeal oatmeal muffins with mixed dried fruits

After making all those sugary cakes and sweets I feel like baking something healthy. Something I can snack on during the week and not feel bad about it. Something that can help me through a eight-hour day and stop me from reaching for more jelly beans.
These muffins are exactly what I need. They are made with mainly wholemeal flour and rolled oats so they are really filling. They are quite light in texture but have a lot of bite in them. The muffins themselves are not sweet at all but the dried fruits make them really flavoursome. I used raisins, dried cranberries and dried goji berries but any other dried fruits, chopped toasted nuts and seeds should work well too.

Wholemeal oatmeal muffins with mixed dried fruits
(from Baking Bites)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup pack brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda pinch salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup mixture of raisins, dried cranberries and dried goji berry
1 cup rolled oats, slightly chopped
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup water

1) Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Line a muffin tin with baking cups.
2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir in dried fruits and oats. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and water.
3) Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredient and pour in the milk mixture. Stir until just combined. Let stand for 20 minutes.
4) Spoon batter into prepared tins using a 1/4 C measuring cup.
5) Bake for 15-20 minutes, until muffins are golden brown and spring back when gently pressed.

These muffins smell absolutely amazing !!

According to my dad and many websites, goji berries are meant to be packed with antioxidants and really good for you. They are a bit dry and hard to bite into so probably not the best thing as snacks on their own. But they are great with porridge or muesli.
Plus they have an orangey-red colour that is so pretty!

PS As suggested by the original recipe, I divided the batter into halves and store one half in the fridge. It has kept very well over an entire week. It is still very moist and lumpy and easy to scoop out. And the muffins turned out to be equally delicious. I ended up adding three more minutes to cooking time.

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones

Some people say hats are for bad hair days. The Cancer Council says they're for sun protection. Stephen Jones says they complete your outfit, express a statement and transform you into a character.Hats: An Anthology of Stephen Jones is a currently exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art, showcasing modern and historical hats and headpieces from the London's Victoria and Albert Museum and Stephen Jones's own collection. Here you can see a small selection from the exhibition. Jones's creations are such amazing work. I love how he has such a "British heart". He draws inspiration from the London underground, British passport, the Wimbledon tennis court, the uniform of the guards of the Buckingham Palace. He has the ability to put a paintbrush on a woman's head without making her look ridiculous. His work is so exciting and fun and has changed my perception of hats. Even though I absolutely enjoyed this exhibition, I still think they are missing one thing - a trencher hat!!A couple of hats featured in the exhibition:

John Galliano 2009 Spring RTW

Comme des Garcon 2007 Fall RTW

Sarah-Jessica Parker at Sex and the City Movie premiere

Where the outfit would not be completely without these exquisite headpieces:

Jean Paul Gaultier 2010 Spring Couture

Christian Dior 2010 Spring Couture

Marc Jacobs 2007 Spring RTW

Burberry Prorsum 2009 Spring RTW
(Has a fisherman hat ever looked that chic?!)

Chanel 2009 Spring Couture

Alexander McQueen 2008 Spring RTW

I always think fashion should be about fun. So go wear the biggest bow you have, put a bird on your head, wear colours that are not supposed to go together. Be adventurous. Go big. Have fun. Stand out.

And how can a weekend be complete without baking?

Banana and apple cinnamon muffins :)

Baking with wholemeal flour

In the attempt to improve the nutritional values of my baking, I bought some wholemeal flour the other day and incorporated it into a muffin recipe. It's a really versatile recipe that allows you to add different ingredients to make it your own.
Muffins turn out so perfect. The wholemeal flour adds a slightly course texture and these muffins have more "bite" than the ordinary ones. Great for on-the-go breakfast! Adapted from Best Ever Muffins from allrecipe.com

1.25 cups all-purpose flour
0.75 cup wholemeal flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup pack brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
30mL olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
Frozen mixed berries

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
2) Stir together flour, baking powder and sugar. Make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk and oil. Pour the liquid at once into the well in the flour mixture. Mix quickly and lightly with a folk until moistened. Foil in berries. Do not overbeat or the batter will be lumpy.
3) Pour batter into prepared muffin cups.
4) Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.