Monday, March 2, 2009

The Pop Tart Solution

I remember being shocked when Pop Tarts first came out with the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon flavor. I think I was about 9 at the time and my cousin and I bought a box to share. It was like bad pie crust stuffed with a sickeningly thick layer of greasy sugar and cinnamon, topped with petrified icing. We ate the whole box in one night and felt so sick afterword. I remember just laying there, holding my stomach and groaning, thinking there was no way that what I had just eaten could be considered, "Part of this nutritious breakfast." (Don't click that link unless you loved G.I. Joes as a kid in the 80's)

Now I think Brown Sugar and Cinnamon is probably one of their more nutritious flavors, what with new Banana Split, Hot Fudge Sundae, and Smores flavors.

But the lure of a quick, low mess, grab and go meal has made me (regretfully) buy a few boxes of this stuffed cardboard junk for my kids. Each time I quickly realized my mistake as I mentally tallied the cavities, child onset diabetes, and carbon footprint damage each one of those individually wrapped monstrosities was causing and I soon vowed never to be guilty of such waste ever again.

So, what's a busy mom to do when a quick grab and go meal is needed? What can I keep on hand for those mornings when I sleep in (I wish) and am late making the kids' lunches, or I wake up and remember why Grocery Shopping was on yesterday's to-do list, or I actually decide to be spontaneous super mom and quickly throw together a picnic lunch and head to the beach with my kids? I have found the answer in one of my new favorite blogs: The Muffin Mom. My sister has been rockin' the muffin scene for years now and has been inventing meals in a muffin that are perfect for freezing and keeping on hand for quick and convenient, grab-and-go food. and has finally devoted a blog to sharing her genius.
Check out these awesome "flavors":


Bake these up, freeze them, and next time you have a day full of in-the-car activities just grab some to go and leave the Pop Tarts and McDonalds drive-through behind you forever. And yes, she is working on a muffin cookbook.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the blog!! Those muffins look delicious!

Anonymous said...

I'm going to check out her blog right now!

Anonymous said...

Thanks ice cream! You ROCK!

just jamie said...

Okay seriously...SERIOUSLY? My son has a muffin addiction. Um, yeah. So I came here at the right time. Thanks!

(And, for the record, just looking at those Pop Tarts, made me eat the only sweet I had on hand...Halloween candy. I did. Just now. Totally. Thanks. Again.)

Annie said...

I AM IN LOVE. BRB, I gotta check out the muffin blog!

Beth said...

Wow - this sounds fabulous! I love muffins & biscuits, so this is right up my alley.

LoraBelieves said...

Yumminess! I love muffins and so do my kids! I've been into muffin invention for awhile now too, but I need all the help I can get! Thanks for the link. I can't wait to check it out. Actually...now.

Michal said...

looks like a great blog. i'm headed over to check it out now. i'm not big into pop tarts, but brown sugar and cinnamon is my favorite kind! then again, your description of it was dead on.;)

PJMcD said...

I remember when I first quit eating sugar,and white flour and corn starch and corn syrup,(in all it's incarnations). One of the first labels I read was a Pop Tart. WOW!!!!It turns out they have all those bad things,like 3 times each in the ingredient list. I think rats die if they eat one and I'm pretty sure they have a shelf like measured in half life. Dang I miss those suckerz.

Awesome Mom said...

Gag Pop Tarts are eevil and nasty tasting. I am shocked that they are still selling. I will have to check out those muffins once I can start having carbs for breakfast again.

CC said...

Bwhahaha!! Yep, I've been giving my son "brown sugar" poptarts as his Friday snack. Bad mommy.

CC said...

BTW: I love muffins. A little too much.

Lisa said...

The brown sugar pop tarts are my favorite!! But I don't buy them anymore. Instead I have a house full of girl scout cookies. ???

Thank you for the link to the muffin blog! I love that idea and plan on giving them a try!

Sonja said...

I sooo need this. Thanks for sharing!

Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouw said...

The babysitter gave my 2 year old a poptart the other day & he asked her what was on top. She told him it was the frosting & he said, "It's my favourite thing EVER!"

~ej said...

love a good homemade muffin....
and we're all about the healthier TJs version of poptarts...not too many flavours but none of the extras! ;)