Chocolate Chip Patty Pan Bread

This week at work has been so busy! I wish I could say that a daily slice of this no-oil chocolate squash bread was my single indulgence to get me through, but...

let's talk about something else.

Patty pan squash.

I only used about a quarter of the squash in the ratatouille from last week and have brainstormed / Googled other ways to use it up (especially because I got another one in the most recent CSA delivery). One of the recipes I found was from The Harmonious Kitchen. I switched it up a bit by replacing oil with applesauce, reducing the sugar, using 50:50 whole wheat:white flour, and increasing the squash. The end result was a just-sweet-enough, chocolate-chips-in-every-bite, soft and awesome bread.

I made this last weekend when J was in town visiting and we had our first, tentative bites after a 5 mile run, which included an unplanned detour through Wiener Fest*. That's a festival of wiener dogs, in case you were wondering. In fact, a part of me wishes I had a wiener dog just so I could enter it into the races. They actually have a race for "wannabe wieners" that Newton would have qualified for, but let's be honest: watching dachshunds** run is much more entertaining than watching dogs with normal sized legs run.

And look what else we saw:

Isn't this thing so cool??! I think this was part of a "coolest dog house" competition or something, but I haven't done the research to see what exactly was going on. A bunch of really awesome doggie houses were all lined up along the sidewalk here, but this one really stood out. Amazing!

Here is your reference, non-Texas people: Gruene Hall is the most famous dance hall in the central lone star state that plays host to some of the best country music in the entire world (a la REK).

Between J's visit, randomly running (literally) into Wiener Fest at the park, seeing this dog house, and visiting with an old friend (well, she used to be my boss back in the day, but it's been a while...so we can be friends now, I think), last weekend was pretty great. And then the chocolate bread actually turned out pretty great, too, so luckily that just added to the overall greatness.

Chocolate Chip 
Patty Pan Bread

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 25 to 65 min (muffins vs loaf)

Yield about 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 eggs

¼ cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

¾ cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa powder

2 Tablespoons baking powder

2-2 ½ cups grated patty pan squash

1 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9 x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Alternatively, grease a muffin tin (about 18 cups).

2. In a large bowl, mix wet ingredients (applesauce, eggs, and yogurt) and both sugars.  

3. Sift in the dry ingredients (both flours, cocoa, and baking powder). Mix until just combined.

4. Fold in the squash and the chocolate chips.

5. Spoon batter into the loaf pan or muffin tins.

6. Bake the loaf for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If making muffins, bake for about 25 minutes.

7. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then run a butter knife around the edges (if necessary) and move the bread to a cooling rack.

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per serving):

Calories 232, Total Fat 6.2 g, Cholesterol 46 mg, Sodium: 266 mg, Protein 5.2 g, Fiber 3.1 g

Ordinarily, I'm all about substituting and using the things I actually have around the house, if at all possible. But, the chef's note on the original recipe warns against substituting other types of squash for the patty pan because of different water content.

I chose to fill a 6 muffin tin and then put the rest in a loaf pan. That made my own "servings" count a little weird. But the muffins will bake up much more quickly than the loaf, which is perfect for an impatient someone like me.

Do you see the colorful flowers in the periphery of those pictures? Those were from J -- his contribution to (me and) this recipe, making my photos look a little prettier.

*After writing this entire paragraph about Wiener Fest, I realized that I spelled wiener incorrectly. All of the wieners were wrong.
**This is officially the most I have ever used the word wiener. Ever. In a post that was supposed to primarily be about chocolate, even. 

#100bySummer

The #100bySummer challenge... 

100 miles of cardio in 7 weeks.

Not that hard, right?

It boils down to about 2 miles a day. 

There are all sorts of fitness challenges floating around, particularly in that time of year barreling headlong into summertime. But this particular challenge was inspired by the girls at Tone It Up - you know the ones who have that show on Bravo? Well, maybe you don't know. But Bravo is just about the only channel I watch, so therein lies my current perspective of the world outside of Ames.. whatever. 

The important part is that I did it. Not only that, but I got J to do it too! (He didn't run for a bikini body, but he did run for himself. And maybe a little bit for me, too.) I am so proud of us! Especially since I've never been a good runner. Oh, believe me --- I've given running the ol' college try. Many times. It's always hard. But this time, it was a bit easier for three reasons. 

1. Other people were doing the exact same thing I was doing. There's a little community of people (mostly women) out there who were posting to Instagram (#bikiniseries #toneitup #100bysummer), documenting their progress, and providing a bit of outside support. It worked. 
2. I learned to pace myself. With a heart rate monitor (this kind: Polar FT4). It's time to get serious, ya'll. 
3. Perhaps most importantly, J was willing to go with me. Rain or shine. Hail or humidity. His pace isn't exactly as slow as mine, but he really made an effort to keep with me. I think it was comical at times.. You know how slow I was running? But he didn't laugh. Too much. 

The challenge technically ended on June 21 (the first day of summer!). I posted photos on Instagram throughout the 100 mile challenge to document our progress and thought it would be nice to round them all up here. Enjoy!

Mile 1: We started the challenge the same weekend of Tulip Time in Pella, Iowa and got in our first 4 miles. 

Mile 5: Showing off our Christmas running shoes courtesy of J's parents.

Mile 8: On the way home from Main Street.

Mile 11: Early morning run with the man of the house.

Mile 14: One of the first places I visited in Ames - Olde Main Brewery - with Ian and Tiffany. 

Mile 17: Started the day off right. That always means a green smoothie. 

Mile 19: Down to the farmer's market on Main.

Mile 23: You just have to get off the couch. The rest is easy. 

Mile 26: Ada Hayden park.

Mile 30: The first of *many* cloudy/rainy days in a row. And a massaged kale salad. That's right. I said massaged.

Mile 34: Minor head trauma due to unexpected hail storm. Whoopsie.

Mile 38: First run with the new toy! Thanks, J!

Mile 42: Lots of good work-outs in the Ozarks! These little beauties live down the street from J's parents. They always come to greet us at the fence.

Mile 46: And these guys.. :) Such troopers!

Mile 58: ....aaaaannnd the blisters that I began taping like a pro.  

Mile 63: A little uphill hiking at Ledges State Park with the boys.

Mile 67: Met this dude at the neighborhood park over Skunk River. 

Mile 70: Made the best roasted garlic and wilted spinach egg pitas after my "passing with a D" mile of the 100 by summer challenge.

Mile 83: Another rainy day in Iowa at the downtown Des Moines farmer's market. 

Mile 88: I ran 5 miles without stopping for the first time ever. I think this hot air balloon in the sky was a visual reward for all my hard work so far. 

Mile 95: Train tracks and green grass in Ames.

Mile 99: Field of dreams. 

Mile 100: My neighborhood for the last 3 years.
"I like my one better than my zero." - Jason

Mile 111: Everything that is good. 

And there you have it. One hundred eleven miles under our belt, and then some (in the weeks that followed).

Have a happy holiday!