Cranberry & chocolate quinoa muffins

I typically eschew muffins at breakfast, because let's face it, most muffins are basically cake, and cake is not a great way to start your day (well, nutritionally speaking). These hearty fiber- and protein-rich muffins, however, will take you through till lunch. The quinoa makes them chewy and dense, like bran muffins but tastier.
The recipe below is very slightly adapted from the one here from Martha Stewart Everyday Food (check out the site for a video of Martha and one of her minions making the muffins); I used dried cranberries instead of raisins, and also added chunks of dark chocolate.

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 small bar (40g) of dark chocolate
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To Make
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cranberries and 2 cups cooked quinoa.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined.
6. Crumble chocolate bar into small chunks, stir into batter.
7. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
8. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pre-bed oatmeal

I eat a small meal every night before bed. I know, it's supposed to be bad for your digestion and cause acid reflux and all, but the fact is I am always hungry around 11:00p, because 11:00p is about 3 hours after dinner. I try to eat something that's low glycemic and calorie-rich, so I can sleep through the night and not wake up at 3p starving (yeah, that happens sometimes). Lately, this meal is oatmeal:

1/3-1/2 cup quick oats (usually storebrand but sometimes McCann's Quick Oats) cooked with milk or water on the stovetop (takes about 1 minute)
~ 1/4 cup walnuts
~ 1/4 cup dried cranberries
a couple squirts of honey

Very filling, doesn't require much energy to prepare or consume. Makes a good breakfast, too. Also portable - sometimes when I travel I pack the dry components in plastic bags.