snow day

As a kid, snow days are awesome. As an adult, snow days are still awesome. Especially when said snow day is tied to a weekend, because then there’s little to no pressure of cleaning off cars, shoveling, or doing anything that involves going outside. This winter storm Nemo (lolz- still funny) has certainly unleashed some chaos along the northeast. In the Boston area, Governor Patrick has declared a state of emergency and has banned all travel on the roads after 4pm today.

Boyfriend & I each found out about our respective snow days yesterday afternoon, so we turned off our alarms and slept in until almost 10am today. When we woke up, the snow didn’t really look all that menacing.

But now, as I type this, it’s nearing 3:30pm and there is WAY more snow. According to weather predictions, we’re supposed to see over two feet of snow throughout the entirety of this blizzard. We had such an easy winter last year, so I feel like we are due for some Narnia-esque weather. I do think there’s a huge over-reaction of the media about this storm though– like, is this like the first time ever that we’ve had a blizzard that’s brought 2 feet of snow? I can remember several occasions throughout my childhood & high school years where there were snowstorms that resulted in several days of school cancellations and endless amounts of snow (perfect for snowmen, snow-angels, and snowball fights.)

Regardless, I was pretty psyched about not having to wake up at 5am today. It’s been a relaxing day so far with the perfect combination of laziness and productivity. I’d thought about taking the time to make a more complicated breakfast, but I was too anxious to try this new yogurt flavor I found:

Yes…that is caramel greek yogurt. When I bought it, I’d thought it could be hit or miss, but it was a hit. Huge hit. Must go back and get more.

I don’t know about you guys (girls), but I always need something crunchy in my yogurt, whether it’s cereal, or granola, or oats, or nuts, or seeds (you get it.) I can’t just eat plain yogurt.

After breakfast, I tackled the huge pile of laundry that I’ve been neglecting for days. While that was happening, Boyfriend & I did a massive clean of our apartment. I always hate the “idea” of cleaning, but once I start, I find that it’s actually rather enjoyable. At least the end result is enjoyable! It’s good to feel accomplished.

Because we live in a “luxury” apartment complex (I hate that word- it sounds so snobby, but I guess that’s the correct term), we have a gym right across from our building. But the thought of putting on my coat and hat was kind of too much so I decided to pop in a pilates DVD and get somewhat of a workout. I haven’t done pilates in a while, so I’m sure I will be sore tomorrow, but isn’t that the best kind of pain?

After all this productivity, I started getting the itch to bake something…only we were seriously low on ingredients. Of course, I was at the grocery store just yesterday afternoon but hadn’t had the foresight to pick up any baking ingredients. I decided to get creative.

Using the random ingredients around our kitchen, I attempted to make brownies with M&Ms and marshmallows. And yes, those are pretzel M&Ms. Whatever.

Because I’d kept the M&Ms in the freezer, I needed to crush them somehow.

Using a plastic baggie and an avocado masher, I turned those M&Ms into dust. Perfect.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any cocoa powder, so I attempted to use hot cocoa mix instead. I figured it was almost the same thing, and I could just use less sugar.

There’s the batter, in all of its colorful glory, ready to bake in the oven. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when it emerged…

Truth be told, they’re actually really good! Sometimes kitchen experiments can end in disaster, but isn’t it a relief when they don’t? We just happen to have some low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt in the freezer along with gummy bears…I think I know what I’ll be eating for dessert later.

Here’s how to make these brownies, just in case you happen to have the same random ingredients in your pantry:

M&M + Marshmallow Randomness Brownies

You will need…

• 1 1/2 packets of hot cocoa mix
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup soymilk or regular milk
• 1 “fun sized” package of pretzel m&ms, crushed
• handful of mini marshmallows

Method…

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Whisk together all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the dry to the wet and mix until combined.
3. Fold in crushed m&ms. Pour batter into pan. Bake in the preheated oven approx 20 minutes. Remove and add marshmallows to the top. Return to oven for another 3 minutes. Enjoy!

Reader Question: What is your favorite thing to do when you are snowed in?