Yummies

 I was greeted by this guy, bright and early this morning, who was very ready to go outside.
 He was READY to get out the door after he spotted a squirrel. There is nothing funnier than watching Mulder chase after a squirrel once it has run up a tree. Mulder tries to jump, climb, dig...anything to get up the tree to get that squirrel.

Anyways,
I attempted to do this workout last night when I got home from work. I was in the middle of it when my phone rang from a friend who I don't talk to that often. (Actually, I talk to his wife/my best friend nearly every day) so I picked up the phone to chat and then gave up on my workout. Friendships are more important to me :)

I liked the concept of doing as many rounds as possible in a four minute interval followed by a one minute rest.  So, I am using the same format for my workout tonight:

8 minute warm up of as many rounds as possible: 50 jumping ropes, 20 bicycle crunches, 20 alternating lunges
4 minutes of as many rounds as possible: 10 burpees, 10 over head presses in holding squat position
1 minute of rest/stretch
4 minutes of as many rounds as possible: 20 jumping jacks, 5 up/down planks
1 minute of rest/stretch
4 minutes of as many rounds as possible: 10 mountain climbers, 10 tricep dips
1 minute of rest/stretch
4 minutes of as many rounds as possible: 10 jump-tucks, 10 leg raises
3 minute of rest/stretch
This will round out to a total of 30 minutes. I'm going to turn the ringer off to my phone so there will be no distractions this time!


Anyways, I posted about this recipe when I gave the recap of the bbq that we had a few weeks ago.

When my grandmother made these while I was growing up, I started referring to them as "yummies" and the name stuck. I'm assuming they were originally called Oatmeal Squares or something equally as boring.  I don't know why, but she stopped making them for a while and recently I asked her about the "yummies". An hour later, she called me back telling me she dug through her old recipes and found the recipe for the yummies. They are a big hit in my house, and even the teenager (who is reluctant to try any new food) was eager to taste these.

I convince myself they are healthy because they are made with oatmeal. That makes them healthy, right? And if I use sugar free preserves, it must make them even healthier. Obviously.


They are ridiculously easy to make and best of all, don't require a lot of dishes. I literally used one mixing bowl, one measuring cup (the 1/4 cup measuring cup), a small dish to melt the butter, and the 1/4 tsp measuring spoon. Oh, and a spatula to mix and spread it.


Here is what you need:

1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted margarine
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

10 oz. jar of apricot (or any flavor) preserves.

Mix all the ingredients, except the preserves, in a bowl. It will be a thick, lumpy like consistency. Spray a 9x 13 pan and spread a layer of the mixture on the bottom, reserving about a cup or so of the mixture for the crumb topping.

Use a spatula, or your hands, to press the mixture down, covering the entire area. (It will seem really thin).
Spread the apricot preserves, leaving a one-inch or so border along the perimeter.

 



Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top.

 Bake at 350 for 22-28 minutes, until crust begins to turn a golden brown.

Let cool and then cut into squares.

Warning: The preserves are extremely hot when coming out of the oven, so resist eating right away!

Enjoy!!!!