Do you know the muffin man?

I mentioned yesterday I was planning on finally making the oat bran muffins I had wanted to make a week ago. Well, I DID! I was in the commissary a few weeks ago and spotted this oat bran hot cereal. It looked good and nutritious. One serving (1/4 cup dry) has 6 grams of fiber (3 grams soluble). When I picked up the box I noticed there was a recipe for oat bran apple sauce muffins. I already had most ingredients at home so I thought this would be a perfect way to add some fiber in and muffins make a quick and easy breakfast or snack since you can "grab 'n' go".

I started off with flour (1-1/2 cups). We happened to still have local flour so here is what that package looks like. It is from Angra on the southernside of the island.

Then I added 1- 1/2 cups oat bran (this brand is Hodgson Mill).

The other dry ingredients were:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

After the dry ingredients were all blended together it was time for the wet ingredients. Yesterday I did choose to use the Enova oil (4 Tbsp vegetable oil or sub with Enova). I use this often because I have been to many professional meetings where sample bottles have been given away. In fact I thought only dietitians knew about this or had it because it is an expensive product. When I first met Ryan and I was at his apartment in the kitchen I was so excited to know that used Enova too. What are the odds!
Then I added 1 cup applesauce. I happen to really like this apple sauce. It is no sugar added and the granny smiths give it an tart flavor. I could eat granny smith apples all day.

Lastly, I added 2 eggs (or sub 4 egg whites). I went with the whole eggs because I use local eggs and honestly, the egg looks so nice that I had to break it apart. Plus, I feel a personal connection to the chickens here so I don't want to be wasteful. In the end it is 2 egg yolks spread out over 12 muffins. Then I mixed everything up.

Ok, here's where I got creative. I was worried about the final flavor my oat bran muffins. I assumed the apple sauce would prevent a dry muffin, but I also felt like it needed something else. I decided to add dried cranberries to my muffins. I did not want to add them to my batter though since the recipe called for filling the muffin tins and letting them sit for 10 minutes. I was worried the cranberries would sink to the bottom of the muffin after 10 minutes. So I preheated my oven-400 degrees.

Then I filled my muffin tins. I decided to experiment. Only some muffins got cranberries. I filled some tins half way and then tossed some cranberries in. The good news is that even after 10 minutes, they did not sink. After sitting for 10 minutes the oven was ready to go. I baken them for 15 minutes and...

They came out perfectly.

They were a success. Ryan enjoyed them too.

So I noticed that many of the blogs I read are talking about greek yogurt and kefir. Well, I decided I was going to go to the commissary and see what was available. The local grocery store has the largest yogurt selection I have ever seen (that will be another post another day!) but these are all Dannon products or similar. So I went to the commissary to find that they were out of almost everything. Must be time for another shipment to come in. Our commissary gets their food from Germany. So, in addition to American products we also get some German products. I picked up some German yogurt the other day and when I eat it I will definately take pics. Here is what was left in the store, just to give you an idea of the yogurts here.

And here is the yogurt (store brand) from the local grocery store Modelo. I am just glad they do not use gelatin here when making yogurt. In the states I ate the Dannon All Natural since it was cheaper than some organic brands and I could buy it near where I lived (Whole Foods was a bit of a drive and in Vegas the frozen foods would be totally thawed after the drive).

So I had mentioned that when I got to the commissary it was slim pickings. Just to give you an idea of what I am working with here by way of produce. Yes, a lot is missing. Shipments come only so often, so when it comes in you better get it. I was there last week on the day the shipment arrived. I stocked up on tofu packed in water because that goes fast. The expiration date was not until late October so no harm in buying more than one. If it happens again that I am there just after unloading the delivery I will get a picture to show you how nice it looks when everything is available. No, this is not my only option for produce, but I do go on base to use the gym regularly, so it is convenient. I have a variety of local grocers and Modelo as well as a few markets that I have seen.

QUESTION: Have you ever gone to the grocery store or market and they were out of almost everything?