278/365 Getting in Touch with My Inner Jew...Challah!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

The food making continues! Actually, most of this was done on Saturday since it was rainy and gross but, that's okay. I want to share more happy delicious things that have been made from my tiny kitchen.

I know I wrote a post once upon a time ago about the dangers of eating yummy bread such as this: highly addictive with little nutritional value in return. However, it is the Easter season and I thought it was time to try a stab at making this bread (and yes, I do realize that bread made with yeast like this one would not be acceptable at Passover). Anyway, here is the finished result. The recipe was from Tracey's Culinary Adventures. The one downfall was that her baking time is too high and I should have kept a better eye on my bread; as you can see, it's a little too brown and not shiny enough. Next time, I will bake this at 350F for 20-25 min rather than 375F for 30 min. Still, the bread was not ruined. It is sweet and delicious just like I hoped it would be. Though it is still nice and tender, if I don't eat it (or give it away) quickly it will become hard. This isn't always a problem though; I could make Stuffed French Toast which will probably thwart my April plan...update on that soon, it's going well! Also, I did see a recipe for whole wheat flour challah; I'll explore that in the future too along with gluten-free food.

Remember: everything in moderation!! Happy Easter!

In health,

Lauren

277/365 Meet Your Toast's New Friend: Pumpkin Apple Butter

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I realize that this is out of season but, I don't care. I had a hankering for apple butter and I was determined to satisfy it. For those of you who have been on EWC at Camp Bethel, this apple butter will disappoint you. If you just like pumpkin and apples like me, this is a happy alternative to jelly.

sorry that it's blurry y'all! still good, chunky but, smooth

 

Even with 1/2 c of brown sugar, one serving (one tablespoon = 15 calories) of this beats out any jelly on the market (typically 60 calories per tablespoon). I got the recipe from Nestle's Very Best Baking website. It was very easy to follow; you just need a lot of time to dedicate to stirring it and making sure it doesn't explode everywhere. Enjoy it with toast, bagels, or cornbread. It seems like it would be worse for you considering how thick and rich it is.

In health,

Lauren

225/365 Bread Pudding

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

For my own little Oscar party, I had some Brie cheese and wine served with slices of apple and chunks of a French Baguette, a combination I learned from my dear friend Cole. I couldn't finish the baguette that day (I would be shocked if I or anyone else could single handedly) and was left with a hard loaf two days later. This inspired me to make some bread pudding.

Bread pudding is really easy to make. I didn't have all the ingredients for this recipe, so I made these changes:
- I only had 3 cups worth of old bread
- 1/2 cup sugar instead of 1
- 2 egg whites, 2tbsp butter, and 2 tbsp applesauce because I didn't have 2 eggs
- I didn't have pumpkin spice, vanilla extract, or raisins so I used 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 cup craisins
- I also added 1/4 of flaxseed for extra fiber
- I didn't make the custard

Be as creative as you can with this sort of thing. You could add nuts to make it more filling and more nutritious.

In health,

Lauren

195/365 Think Twice before you Challah at some Bread

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

My friend Allison makes some delicious challah that I can't wait to nosh on when she finishes studying abroad. In fact, I am working on a lovely, little chunk of challah as we speak! Sadly challah, King's Hawaiian Bread and other sweet, tasty carbs like this have hardly any nutritional value.

There are some alternatives that aren't as fluffy or sweet but are quite good. Thomas' Whole Wheat Mini Bagels are one of my favorites. Each bagel is 110 calories with 3g of fiber. Top it off with some nutella and I think you've got a winner. Wouldn't adding nutella cancel it out? Not really because the fiber in the bagel is something you won't find in the other breads and the protein from the hazelnut-chocolate spread will tide you over before dinner.

Happy snacking!

In health,

Lauren

56/365 Banana Bread is Beautiful

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Some days, you just need to bake...or read a book, go for a walk, etc. However you unwind, do it. Relax and do something you enjoy.

Today I decided to make banana bread. This was mostly due to the fact that I had some over ripened bananas that needed to be utilized but, also because I was feeling stressed and knew that a baking session would cheer me up.

This recipe is from the Better Homes recipe book that my roommate has. It's fantastic!

Quick Banana Bread Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chocolate chips, nuts, etc. (if desired)
1 and 1/2 cups mashed bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten

Topping Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture.
3. Combine mashed bananas, sugar, butter, and eggs in another bowl.
4. Add in banana-egg mixture all at once into the flour mixture.
5. Gently fold in; batter should be clumpy. Don't overdo it or it might get way too fluffy.
6. Pour into loaf pan(s) until 2/3 full.
7. Coat topping on top of batter (see recipe after this one)
8. Bake for 55 minutes if using 9 inch rectangular bread pan. The smaller the pan, the less time you'll bake it for.
9. Once removed, let cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan onto wire rack or plate. Let cool completely then wrap a towel or saran wrap. Let the ingredients mingle and settle for 8 hours or overnight.
10. Enjoy! It's so delicious and just right at the end of a long day.

Topping Recipe:
1. Pour brown sugar and flour into a bowl
2. Cut the 2 tbsp butter into the bowl (really just try to slice the butter into the sugar-flour mix)
3. With a fork, chop the butter so that it gets coated with the sugar-flour mixture as best you can.

In health,

Lauren