wheat flour

This summer I decided to change a few more things about my every day diet that would be healthful for me.  Many of you know I had already quit drinking soda.  This has had a dramatic effect alone, I lost 10 pounds right of the bat and haven't put it back on.  I also decided to join a CSA - Grower's Alliance in which I get 2 bags of food (meat, veggies, fruit, milk & eggs) every week for $25 and it's all organic, and grown around here. All the meat I get is free of antibiotics and growth hormones.  Along with this, I decided to try and eliminate white sugar from my diet as well as white flour.  So at home, I've been successful.  Going out to eat, not so much - but I can choose not to go out to eat.  I found a delicious Wheat flour pancake recipe that I wanted to share. 

Wheat pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon common granulated sugar (I use honey instead of the sugar and just add about a tablespoon or 2 of it in the batter - I've been doing this consistently all summer with lots of recipes and it works really well)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil

I either spray a pan with pam or put a little bit of butter in it.  Heat it on medium.

Mix the flour, sugar/honey, baking powder and salt in one bowl.  In another bowl, mix the egg, add milk and 2 tablespoons of oil.  Mix the dry and wet ingredients together.  (Or if you are like me and don't like to dirty bowls, I mix the dry and then add in the wet and then mix it all together).
Then make your pancakes.  I add fruit to mine before frying.  I've done blueberries and banana - I think anything you like would work well (nuts too). 

I will probably make all recipes with wheat flour as time goes on and I use it even more.  The difference in taste is not extraordinarily different and it's better for me. 

The only other thing I've done is that while shopping I am very aware of the ingredients in anything I buy.  If I don't know what an ingredient is, I don't buy it - I look for the product with the fewest ingredients.  So far - so good.  It's really dramatically changed how I look at meat.  But Food Inc. did that and before that was Jillian's Metabolism book - so this really isn't new thinking for me. And if you haven't seen Food Inc., you should.  If you want a great read on nutrition, you should read Jillian Michael's Metabolism book.  Mine's loaned out right now and has a waiting line of 1, but I'm totally willing to share when it becomes available.

casserole for a cold night

A week into this new paycheck - I've saved over $10 in coupons, however I managed to get a virus from one of the coupon downloads...so be careful about printing off internet coupons. I've stayed on my budget, but am already very close to the end. But that is okay! I just have to be smart about what I do, and really weigh in on decisions of things I feel the need to buy. I already notice that I started being much more aware of deals and savings. I do think that I am going to start getting the Sunday paper.

For Christmas, I gave my family 12 dinners (in the form of a calendar with fun pictures of our family). And for January, I did fish and chips. The fish did not turn out like I wanted, but I think I know how to remedy that. Part of the problem was my choice of baking pan and also my choice of baking it, rather than just frying it or at least browning it in a pan and then baking the rest of the way. I'll get it next time I make it. Oh well. They ate it up anyhow.

Tonight, I did make some delicious and wonderful. The recipe is below:

Chicken Stuffing Casserole (the weight watchers version)
Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 4)
2 cans reduced fat cream of chicken
10 oz fat free skim milk
1 1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 box of stuffing, chicken
10 oz canned tomatoes with green chilies, drained (rotel) *I didn't use this*
1 box frozen spinach - thawed and drained

Directions:
Cut chicken breast into cubes and cook in pan, season as you wish. Pour into 9x13 pan, sprayed with Pam. Layer spinach over chicken. Mix soup with milk, pour over chicken/spinach. Mix broth, stuffing (and rotel) and pour over soup mixture. Cook 45-60 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees F.

*I thought tomatoes in this dish sounded disgusting tonight. But I will try it some other time.

The casserole turned out warm and delicious. It was filling and I have 4 more huge helpings chilling in the freezer or fridge.

BTW - I saw Julie & Julia this weekend. What a wonderfully funny film. However, I saw UP today and it was such an awesome movie! Everyone must see it. I am sad I did not see it in the theater.

I just made some awesome brownies!

Here's a great homemade - from scratch - Brownie Recipe

I would rate this recipe as EASY!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

(frosting)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (I used Pam) an 8 inch square pan (or I used a muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, melt 1/2 cup butter. Stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into greased pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. I found that 17-18 was enough for the muffin pan. (but I know it's done by how it smells...)
4. To make the frosting (which I didn't): combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup powdered sugar. Frost the brownies while they are warm. (the brownies are pretty sweet without the frosting...)

If you had a mini-muffin pan, these would be very similar to the Little Brownie Bite product that most baking lines have. Plus they would be perfect little treats. The other part of this recipe I like is there is no added oil. Only that Pam I used to grease the pan.

They are delicious. I had everything in my house to make them. :) For those that don't bake - you should try some 'from scratch' recipes for simple every day treats - they are so much better than the box or refrigerated stuff.

Enjoy.