Day 11: Vanilla Almond Cupcakes

Wednesday is my day off - which means a day to myself when the kids are in school and the hubbie is at work.  I started the day off with a run at the gym after dropping the kids off at school.  It was a very difficult run and for no apparent reason.  I have learned to just get through them and look forward to the next one.   In fact, exercise has just been difficult all week.  Monday, I was able to get a run in at the local sports center while Nick had basketball practice.  I am glad I did it, but at the time I was really not in the mood. Tuesday night is my weight training class, but Nick had a basketball game so I had to miss it.  Then, the difficult 5 miles this morning. As I was running, I began to think about some tips that I could offer to any newbie fitness people or anyone who just needs motivation.  The following is what I came up with:

1.  Start small - you have already set yourself up for disappointment if you set your goals too high.  Don't try to run 3 miles the first time you lace up your shoes and step on the track.  You will leave discouraged and never come back.  Each week, build on what you accomplished the previous week and do a little more.

2.  Plan ahead - You will be more likely to skip your workout if you don't schedule it in your day.

3.  Include your family - Now that my kids are older, exercise has become easier because I can leave them at home or bring them with me to the gym to shoot hoops or play racquetball.  If you have small children, run or walk the neighborhood and let them ride their bike beside you.  Play soccer in the yard or shoot hoops in the driveway.

4.  Do something you enjoy - If you don't enjoy what you are doing, you are unlikely to keep doing it for very long.  I have been able to run for the last 5 years because I enjoy it.  Find what works for you and keep it up!

Now, on to the Vanilla Almond Cupcakes.  I made a batch of these and took them to my kids in Bible Class tonight.  I had intended to stir in some mini cherry chips that I discovered a few months ago, but I had already scooped the batter into the pans before I realized what I was doing.  I decided to sprinkle a few chips on top instead.

I came across this recipe from one of the blogs I read-Sweetapolita. This is a very moist cupcake with a light crumb.  Definitely my go to recipe when making white cupcakes.  If you don't like almond extract, just replace with extra vanilla. There are 160 calories in the cupcake without the icing.