Apple Oatmeal Bread

This is a great breakfast bread or can even be used for a dessert. Easy to make and stays moist and delish for days!

Ingredients:
1 cup quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 egg
2 apples, diced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Beat next 4 ingredients in another bowl until blended. Stir into flour mixture just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in apples. Transfer batter to a lightly buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes or until tester comes out clean when inserted in center.

Whole wheat pizza dough

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 package quick-rising yeast, (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann’s RapidRise

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2-2 cup hot water, (120-130°F)

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Step 1
Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.

Step 2
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling.

Step 3
Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack; preheat oven to 500°F or highest setting. Roll and top the pizza as desired (we suggest a 13-inch circle) and bake the pizza until the bottom is crisp and golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread... Best ever!

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 1/3 cups (10 1/2 ounces) water
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey, molasses, or sugar free maple syrup
3 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup (1 ounce) nonfat dried milk
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual.") Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.

Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature. Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices.

Healthier Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

Really moist & delish! This recipe cuts more than 1/2 the calories and 1/2 the fat!

1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup splenda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
2 egg whites
5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar splenda
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until just below the boiling point. Don't boil. Stir in the oil, sugar and salt. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and cool until lukewarm.

In a small bowl, combine yeast and water. Stir and set aside for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the egg and egg whites using an electric mixer. Add in the yeast and milk mixture. Using a wooden spoon or a KitchenAid-style countertop mixer, mix in the flours, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and, with floured hands, knead gently until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. If using a countertop mixer, use a dough hook and follow the manufacturer's directions. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Divide the dough in half and form into 2 balls. Cover with plastic and let sit for 10 more minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins.

Spray an 11-by-14 baking sheet with cooking spray.

Using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a 16-by-8-inch rectangle. Spray the dough with cooking spray. Sprinkle each rectangle with half of the cinnamon mixture. Starting at the long side, roll up each rectangle. Slice each roll into 16 pieces and place on the prepared baking sheet. Let rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a saucepan, heat the apple juice over medium heat. Cook until the juice is syrupy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Brush each roll with the apple juice. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Pecan-topped Pumpkin bread

This is about 1/2 the calories & fat of most pumpkin bread. It is REALLY REALLY yummy. You can't tell this is a "healthy" version at all!! Even so, one slice a day is sufficient enough to get a "treat". Enjoy! You won't be disappointed!

Ingredients

• 3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a bowl.

Place sugar, egg substitute, applesauce, milk, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and pumpkin, beating at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

All you ever wanted to know about Whole Grains.

If you are a carb lover like I am, than bread and pastas are a weakness.

So what do you do because we all know "carbs are the enemy!? Quite the contrary. Carbs are good. The problem is, most americans are eating the wrong kinds of carbs. We are filling up on sugar, starches and many other empty calories. One thing I suggest is to switch to WHOLE WHEAT AND WHOLE GRAIN! You can find whole grain pasta that is amazing & delicious and you will never know the difference.

Some facts about whole grains:

A grain is considered whole when all three parts – bran, germ and endosperm – are present. Most people know that fruits and vegetables contain beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants, but many do not realize that whole grains are often an even better source of these key nutrients. In fact, whole grains are a good source of B vitamins, Vitamin E,magnesium, iron and fiber, as well as other valuable antioxidants not found in some fruits and vegetables. Most of the antioxidants and vitaminsare found in the germ and the bran of a grain.

Common Types of Whole Grains:

• wild rice
• brown rice
• whole wheat
• oatmeal
• whole oats
• barley
• whole rye
• bulgar
• popcorn

Whole grains have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood coagulation. Whole grains have also been found to reduce the risks of many types of cancer. They may also help regulate blood glucose in people living with diabetes. Other studies have also shown that people who consume more whole grains consistently weigh less than those who consumed less whole grain products.

*Interesting side note...Did you know that in order for it to be considered a whole grain, it MUST read 100% whole wheat/grain? So when you are picking up a loaf of bread that says "wheat" on it, it probably has very little whole grains in it. Read labels carefully because they are very tricky.

Whole wheat zucchini bread

I made this SO much this past summer and early fall as our garden was bursting with zucchini. This recipe was a hit with my neighbors, family and friends as I was constantly giving it away to them to get rid of some of our harvest.

2 c. splenda
1 c. applesauce (this makes it SO much healthier than using Oil and it is still super moist!)
3 egg whites
2 zucchini, unpeeled & grated
3 tsp. vanilla
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Mix sugar, oil, eggs, zucchini and vanilla in large bowl. Sift together in separate bowl whole wheat flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to first bowl, stirring to combine well. Add chopped nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. Yield: 2 loaves.

Whole Wheat Banana bread (REALLY good!!)

This is an incredibly moist and delicious bread-- you would never know it is "healthy". Go on and give it a try-- I dare you!!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup SPLENDA
• 3/4 cup flax seed meal (can pick up at the health food section @ the store)
• 5 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup fat free sour cream
• 2 teaspoons egg whites
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar blend, flax meal, bananas, milk, sour cream and egg whites until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the banana mixture until moistened. Spoon into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean.