Lemon Blueberry Muffins

As part of my undergraduate degree in dietetics I had to take some college cooking classes...ahem... food science classes. These were some of my favorite classes of college. My MOST favorite was called Experimental Foods. In this class we learned the why behind cooking. I found out all about the different cuts of meat (which I have since forgotten) and all the details of baking. I truly believe that because of this class I am confident in making the adjustments that I do in the recipes.

One thing we learned about was the "muffin method" of baking. Did you know there's a whole method to muffins? Anyway, we also learned that there are many things that can go wrong with muffins that are easily explained. Here are a few:

1. If your muffins don't rise either your oven wasn't up to temperature, you didn't mix the batter enough or you used muffin cups which are too large.

2. What causes muffins to be tough and rubbery? Probably too much egg. If you are using an egg larger than a "large" size egg, this might be the culprit. This can also occur when using dark nonstick pans.

3. Why are there tunnels and crazy peaks on my muffins instead of nice rounded tops? You probably beat the mixture too much. When the recipe says to stir until just combined, they mean it.

So why am I telling you this? Because I made this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything and I definitely broke rule #3. These bad boys were so ugly! They had crazy peaks and looked like the noses on the Smurfs.

The original recipe provides the following per muffin:
265 calories
12.5 g fat
35.6 g carbohydrate
0.9 g fiber
3.6 g protein

I made two small changes. I substituted applesauce for the butter. I also tried something new. I put some old fashioned oats into the blender and made them almost into a flour. I substituted 1/2 cup of the white flour with 1/2 cup of the ground up oats.

Even though these bad boys were ugly, they still tasted good. Good enough, in fact that I took a bag full of them over to a family at church when I brought a meal over.

Lemon Blueberry Muffin - BETTER

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one lemon
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup frozen blueberries

Topping
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Beat eggs, milk and applesauce thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in blueberries gently. Portion into 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Combine butter and lemon juice for the topping. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the butter and lemon juice, then dip in sugar.

Makes 12 muffins. Each muffin provides:
160 calories
3.7 g fat
29.8 g carbohydrate
1.2 g fiber
2.8 g protein

Practice what you preach...

As I said before, I'm trying to follow this new meal plan that is matched up with my DNA. I fell into the "Carb Reducer" category which isn't crazy low carb Adkins diet but its still way lower carb than I'm used to eating.

My goal each day is to eat 45% carbs, 35% fat, 20% protein. This is really a struggle for me! I do so well with breakfast and lunch, then I get home for dinner and all I can think of is "What kind of carbs can I have?"

Probably doesn't help that last night I made these... and they were awesome.

(I did however use skim milk instead of whole milk).

Oh well, at least Finley loves me anyway :)

Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

We continue quick bread week with a tasty recipe for muffins (although I assume you could make it in a loaf too!).

Lately I've been craving sweets at night - cakes, cookies, ice cream, brownies, you name it - I want it. I've upped my exercise in the last month or so and I have really noticed an increased appetite, but I'm trying to keep it under control. I have rationalized my sweets craving by thinking that if I just have "healthier" muffins around, that will satisfy my sweet craving without all the bad parts of other desserts.

I had some pumpkin puree in my fridge so off I went in search of a pumpkin muffin recipe. I found this one from pickycook.com. It sounded (and looked) quite tasty so I whipped it up in no time! (Literally took me about 10 minutes to put together then throw in the oven- awesome!).

The original recipe provides per muffin:
203 calories
6.1 g fat
35.0 g carbohydrate
1.2 g fiber
3.0 g protein

I only made a couple small changes. Instead of oil I used mashed ripe bananas. I also added 1/2 cup raisins because I really wanted to put in white chocolate chips but this was my internal compromise. The end result is a flavorful, moist muffin perfect to satisfy my sweet tooth or for my husband to grab out the door in the morning for a quick breakfast.
Pumpkin Raisin Muffins - BETTER

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cinnamon-divided
pinch nutmeg
1 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar - divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins

Put oven in the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.

Sift together flour and baking powder in a small bowl, set aside.

Whisk together pumpkin, bananas, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in raisins with a wooden spoon.

Combine remaining 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp sugar in a small bowl. (Or just use cinnamon/sugar from your cabinet!)

Divide batter equally among 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. After 5 minutes, transfer muffins to wire rack to cool.

Per muffin:
182 calories
1.1 g fat
41.3 g carbohydrate
1.6 g fiber
3.2 g protein

Cornbread muffins

Sometimes I struggle on this blog with what to share / what not to share. Believe it or not - I don't make every recipe that I make healthier. Sometimes its nice just to enjoy the high fat/calorie/carb-loaded food and call it good. I've debated whether or not to share this recipe because really.... it's not that great for you - but it tastes OH SO GOOD. Obviously I've decided to go ahead and share away.

In my mind, I live by the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time, I make healthy choices, conscientiously plan my meals and exercise routinely. 20% of the time, I eat what I want, enjoy my treats and truly rest on my rest days. I figured it's only healthy to show balance and give an example of what can be included in my 20%.

Growing up, we always had Jiffy cornbread muffins with chili. It's just a natural pairing. I never really knew the potential of tastiness that cornbread could provide until one day I was forced to come up with a recipe that could use up the large amount of corn meal that I had in my pantry. Over the years I've tried many different cornbread recipes. But I've finally landed on one recipe the won hands down. It's a sweeter version of cornbread but I welcome everyone to try it (as part of their naughty 20% of course)!

Cornbread Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup frozen corn

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter, sugar, honey, eggs and salt in a large bowl. Add flour, cornmeal, and baking powder and blend thoroughly. Add milk while mixing. Add corn to mixture and combine by hand until corn is worked in.

Grease a 12-cup muffin pan and fill each cup with batter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Per muffin:
244 calories
9.3 g fat
37.4 g carbohydrate
1.2 g fiber
4.0 g protein

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins / Bread

I have been on a quick bread kick lately. I seem to keep making them as treats to give away or to go along with our meal. So I decided to declare this Quick Breads Week. First up - Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins / Bread.

I had a freezer full of brown bananas and needed to do a little reorganization so they needed to be used. I also am in a calorie burn competition at work and having been pushing extra hard with the workouts, so I'm a little hungrier than normal. So having a sweet fix like banana bread around has been a lifesaver!

I went out in search of a banana bread recipe that was a little different and found one that called for sour cream on Foodies, Inc. So I decided to give it a try.

Original recipe provides (per serving):

194 calories
8.7 g fat
27.4 g carbohydrate
0.9 g fiber
2.8 g protein

I made the usual changes: I substituted reduced fat sour cream for the full fat version as well as used unsweetened applesauce in place of the butter. The result was awesome! I made 12 muffins and 2 medium sized loaves out of a double batch of this. The muffins were gone in just a few days. The loaves made it to the freezer. One was delivered to my coworker who is a new mom. The other one waits in the freezer for it's final resting place (which just might be my belly!).

Rock Your Banana Bread - BETTER

1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter desired baking dish (muffin tin, loaf pan, etc). Combine sour cream and baking soda in a bowl. Cream applesauce and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in eggs, bananas, and sour cream mixture. Sift in flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon mixture into pan. Bake for one hour for 9x5 pan, 30 minutes for muffin tin, 45 minutes for 4x8 pan, etc.

Take it out of the oven , let it cool and enjoy! Makes 20 servings. Per serving:

153 calories
3.7 g fat
28.1 g carbohydrate
1.0 g fiber
2.7 g protein

***You could probably omit the chocolate chips here and save a bunch on calories and fat... that really wasn't what I was going for :) ****

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

I was searching for a homemade breadstick recipe to go along with my meat sauce and whole wheat pasta. I have upped my exercise considerably the last few weeks and have noticed that I'm really needing more food to hold me over and satisfy me. Plus, I'm nursing which I have found if I try to cut back on my calories too much, it really affects my supply (possibly TMI but hey, its the truth). So why not add some breadsticks with my pasta?

So I'm pretty sure that My Sisters Cafe is my go-to place for homemade bread recipes. They are always so good! I found this recipe for homemade breadsticks and is was exceptionally appealing since they take about an hour to make.

The recipe didn't say how many breadsticks it makes but I assumed about 12 from the picture. With 12 as the serving size, the original recipe provides:

181 calories
4.6 g fat
30.1 g carbohydrate
1.0 g fiber
4.4 g protein

Now I made about 12 out of my batch but came up with GIGANTIC breadsticks (as evidenced by the picture on top!) I would suggest making at least 16 out of this recipe, or even more. The more breadstick you yield, the less calories, fat, etc in your recipe. I also did not melt butter into the pan. I sprayed the pan with nonstick cooking spray. I used 1 Tbsp of butter, melted to brush on the tops of the breadsticks. This decreased the fat slightly per breadstick.

Quick and Easy Breadsticks - BETTER

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp parmesan
1 tsp garlic powder

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and let it sit and bubble for a few minutes. Add the salt and flour. Knead for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. (All of this can be done in your kitchen stand mixer). Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to roughly the shape of your cookie sheet. Cut into 16 (or more!) sticks. Twist or lay flat on cookie sheet. Brush with 1 Tbsp butter and sprinkle with Parmesan and garlic powder.

Let rise 10 -20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Makes 16 breadsticks. Per breadstick:
116 calories
1.3 g fat
22.6 g carbohydrate
0.8 g fiber
3.3 g protein

Wheat Rolls

When making minestrone, I decided I needed a good roll to go with it. One that was hearty enough to stand up to the soup but still soft and delicious to make my insides melt. I went to the Sister's Cafe to see what good bread recipes they had. Listed under their "Grandma's Recipes" was Grandma's Dinner Rolls. I don't know about you, but something about good old fashioned yeast breads made by a grandma sound way better than any bread made by some young hipster. So I figured it had to be a good recipe.

As originally listed, this recipe provides:
114 calories
0.8 g fat
23.1 g carbohydrate
0.7 g fiber
3.3 g protein

I made a few changes. I made sure to use skim milk and substituted about half of the flour with whole wheat. I'd love to tell you made made a whole bunch of difference... but it didn't. It only saved me 7 calories, 0.2 g fat and gained 1.1 g fiber. Not a big deal. But tasty, nonetheless. Oh yeah, I also made them into clover shaped rolls instead of butterhorns... but I just did this because I'm lazy.

Wheat Rolls - VERY SLIGHTLY BETTER

2 rounded Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup warm skim milk
1/2 cup sugar
6 Tbsp shortening
2 tsp salt
4 eggs
3.5 cups whole wheat flour
3.5 - 4.5 cups white flour

Beat together yeast, water, milk, sugar, shortening, salt and eggs until smooth. In an electric mixer with a dough hook, add flour one cup at a time until dough forms a ball, cleaning off the edge of the bowl. Knead 5 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand). Let rise until double.

Punch down dough and let rise until double again.

Punch down again and divide into three parts. Decide how you are going to shape your rolls. For some ideas, check out these shapes from Real Mom Kitchen. No matter how you choose, make sure you are creating 36 rolls. I used the clover shape in my muffin tins.

Let shaped rolls rise a third and final time. Watch carefully as they will rise very quickly. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned. Do not overbake!

These rolls will freeze well if you allow them to cool completely and then freeze promptly.

Makes 36 rolls. Per roll:
107.7 calories
0.6 g fat
22.4 g carbohydrate
1.8 g fiber
3.6 g protein

Tale of Two Pizzas

My poor husband puts up with a lot from me. I am constantly trying to revamp recipes (obviously, hence the purpose of this blog). I like to think that his health is benefited by his marriage to me. But sometimes you have to put your foot down. That foot was put down by my husband when it comes to pizza crust.

I like to make homemade pizza. It tastes so good and is relatively quite simple. I've made thin crust pizza. I've made whole wheat crust pizza. You name it - I've probably tried to make it. But when it comes down to it, my husband prefers the true to form recipe of white flour dough. So I've decided to stick with this wish and not sneak whole wheat flour into our pizza.

I've decided that I can manage to indulge in some good old fashion pizza crust. I like to top mine with veggies and keep pepperoni on Paul's side. (can you tell by the picture above?)

What toppings would you put on your perfect pizza?

So here it is. Here is the recipe that I use for pizza crust. Not necessarily healthy but you can healthify it by adding your healthy toppings, using part-skim mozzarella or even halving the recipe and making a thin crust.

Pizza Crust

1/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk
4 Tbsp soft margarine
1 heaping Tbsp yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour

Combine water, milk and margarine. Heat until warm, 120-130 degrees. Dissolve yeast into liquid. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Combine sugar, salt and 1 cup of flour in electric mixer. Add liquid mixture and stir with dough hook to combine. Add additional flour 1/2 a cup at a time until dough forms a ball and is slightly sticky. Knead with dough hook for additional 5 minutes.

Cover bowl with dish cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. In the mean time, cover a pizza pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Sprinkle with corn meal to prevent the dough from sticking. When the dough is done rising, place onto prepared pan and press out to edges of pan, allowing for a slightly thicker crust around the edges.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Top crust with tomato sauce and desired toppings such as cheese and vegetables! Bake for 20-25 minutes or until desired doneness is acheived. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Each slice of crust (1/8th of pie) provides:
226 calories
6.1 g fat
37.4 g carbohydrate
1.1 g fiber
5.0 g protein

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

I already discussed my love for pretzels here. But, I don't just love hard pretzels but soft pretzels as well. A few years ago Paul and I went on an East Coast baseball tour including baseball games in Baltimore, Washington DC, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. When in Philadelphia I was so excited to have a famous Philadelphia soft pretzel. I was born in the Philly area and had memories of hot, steamy soft pretzels from street vendors. When we got to the baseball game, I was disappointed to see that the pretzels at the ball park were "Super-Pretzels" . I can get those anywhere :(

Following the game, we saw a street vendor selling soft pretzels by the subway station. We quickly whipped out the cash for my guilty pleasure. As we were walking onto the subway I opened up my foil package to take the first tasty bite. Much to my disappointed surprise, my pretzel was ice cold. Needless to say, this was a low point of that vacation.

For New Years Eve each year, a group of our friends get together at someones house to ring in the new year. We each bring an appetizer-y dish to share and pig out. Appetizers are notoriusly unhealthy options - nachos, cheese dips, cocktail wienies, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to bring a healthier option, without being OVERLY "health food". I decided to make these pretzel bites found on Two Peas and Their Pod, without any alterations, to provide a lower fat, moderate calorie snack.

Homemade Pretzel Bites

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all purpose flour
vegetable oil
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp cold water
coarse sea salt

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combine. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and beings to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 Tbsp at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead to a ball with your hands.

Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towl or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites (I used a pizza cutter). Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches, 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. Make sure they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the coarse salt. (Good two-person job, I boiled the bites as Paul brushed and sprinkled them). Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. I wrapped them into a big pouch of foil and reheated once we got to the party in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Makes 15 servings, 10 bites each. Each serving provides:
182 calories
5.0 g fat
30.3 g carbohydrate
1.1 g fiber
4.0 g protein

Homemade Crescent Rolls

Some packaged foods have become so main stream that you forget that there is probably a way to make them homemade. When Janae posted a recipe for Crescent Rolls on Hungry Runner Girl (recipe originally from allrecipes.com) I honestly thought to myself...huh - I never thought about making homemade crescent rolls! I wonder if future generations will not know that you can make things like biscuits or cookie dough homemade? I'm not sure if we're moving in a positive direction....

As posted in this recipe, each crescent roll provides:
195 calories
9.3 g fat
24.3 g carbohydrate
0.7 g fiber
3.3 g protein

One way to decrease the fat and calories of a recipe is to decrease the portion size. When I made these, I cut each circle into 12 rolls, instead of 10, yielding 24 instead of 20 rolls total from the recipe. I also used whole wheat flour for ALL of the all purpose flour. I liked them, if I thought of them as a wheat roll, and not necessarily a crescent roll. They were a little too "wheat-y" for my husband. You may sacrifice a little of the fiber and try half whole wheat, half all purpose flour. I also did not brush the tops with butter after coming out of the oven.

Overall, these changes saved almost 50 calories, 2 grams of fat and added 2 grams of fiber - PER ROLL.

Crescent Rolls - BETTER

2 (0.25 oz) pkgs active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups wheat flour (or 2 cups wheat + 2 cups all purpose)
1/4 cup butter, softened

Dissolve yeast in warm water.

Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 2 cups wheat flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape dough from side of bowl. Knead dough, then cover it and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 1/2 hours).

Punch down dough. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Spread with softened butter. Cut into 12 wedges. Roll the wedges starting with the wide end. Place rolls with point under on a greased baking sheet. (I used a sheet covered with parchment paper). Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour).

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Per serving (24 servings):
146 calories
7.0 g fat
19.0 g carbohydrate
2.5 g fiber
3.3 g protein

Poppyseed Bread

I am a new mom with a now 4 month old. (Today is her 4 month birthday!). I went back to work full time at 8 weeks post partum. I get a lot of questions from people who sympathetically ask, "How's it going?", "Are you doing ok without your little girl?", "Is it hard to leave her at daycare?". I have to be honest with people. I like working. I love my job. I like the interaction with adults and the perks of my job.

BUT, none of this would be possible if I didn't have the most ideal daycare situation - but I do. I work early shifts a few days a week. On those days, my husband stays home with our daughter then goes into work for later in the afternoon for practice after I get out. Two days a week, however, I work later and we need someone else to watch her. When we built our house earlier this year, we specifically built on a cul-de-sac that has three other friends living on it. (Its like college dorms for grown ups!). Our next door neighbor are two of my husband's good friends from college. They had a baby in February and the wife decided to stay home from her job as an elementary school teacher to be with him. So two days a week, she watches her for us. We often joke that our daughter is going to learn more at the neighbor's house than she will at home.

I knew that she wouldn't accept any monetary gifts for Christmas, but we wanted to do something special for her. So I made up a basket of homemade apple butter, puppy chow, a gift for their son, and a loaf of poppyseed bread. I got the recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

As posted in her original recipe, each serving (32 total) provide:
204 calories
9.2 g fat
28.6 g carbohydrate
0.4 g fiber
2.3 g protein

This looks absolutely delicious! I didn't want to put any whole wheat fiber in here and risk making it tough or too grainy. I did, however, feel like I could substitute unsweetened applesauce for the oil. I also made sure to use skim milk in the recipe. The end product was awesome! The recipe says it makes 2 large or 6 small pans. I used medium sized pans and created 4 loaves. We ate one, one will go to the sitter, one will go to my boss and one to a family that hosts my small group from church every other Sunday - PERFECT GIFTS!
Poppyseed Bread - BETTER

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 1/8 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp melted butter (or butter flavoring extract)

Mix all together. Pour into greased and floured baking pans. Makes 6 small loaves or 2 large loaves. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes for large pans and less for smaller pans. If you have a dark metal pan make sure to bake it for less time at a lower temperature.

Glaze:
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp melted butter (or butter flavor extract)

Pour all ingredients into a small saucepan and let cook on stove on medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove bread from pans and pour glaze over warm bread. Use knife or spatula to bring the glaze that has run off up and over the warm bread until it stays on.

Per serving (32 servings):
137 calories
1.2 g fat
29.7 g carbohydrate
0.5 g fiber
2.3 g protein

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Apparently everyone knows that if you are trying to take good food pictures you just cart your dish out onto your back porch and take a picture. Well, I actually tried that and - what do you know? - this is by far the best food picture I've taken so far. Too bad that it's winter and when I'm usually making dinner it's pitch black outside so I can't guarantee good pictures every time, just when I cook in the daylight :)

My husband loves cinnamon raisin bread. He honestly got a little giddy when I told him I made a loaf of it this day. When I saw the recipe from Annie's Eats for Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread, I knew I would get this reaction from him.

As originally posted, each slice (1/16 of the loaf) provides:

200 calories
4.3 g fat
36.8 g carbohydrate
1.2 g fiber
4.1 g protein

As I've said before, baking with yeast requires precise chemical reactions. So I am often afraid to make HUGE changes to a recipe which includes yeast. So I just made sure I used skim milk and I substituted 2 cups of the flour for wheat flour. Did it taste awesome? YES .... Did it make a huge difference? Not so much but at least you save 10 calories, 0.3 g fat and gain 1.4 grams of fiber per slice.... ehhh, I tried.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread - BETTER

1 1/8 tsp instant (rapid rise) yeast
1 cup warm SKIM milk (105-110 degrees)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
vegetable oil

For the filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp water
1 egg, lightly beaten

In the bowl of a standard mixer, combine the yeast, warm milk, both flours, butter, sugar, egg, salt and cinnamon. Mix briefly until a dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is mostly smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. Add in the raisins and allow to continue kneading about 3 minutes more, until the dough is smooth and supple and the raisins are evenly incorporated.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl; turning once to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat into a round circle. Fold the bottom third of the dough up and fold the top third down, in business-letter fashion. Then fold the right and left sides into the center in thirds, forming a rectangle. Press down to seal. Return to the bowl, cover and let rise again until doubled, about 40 minutes. (See Annie's Eats for a GREAT picture guide to this step).

Generously butter a 9x5" loaf pan. To make the filling, combine the sugar, cinnamon and water in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a 10x12" rectangle. Brush lightly with the some of the beaten egg. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture, leaving a thin border around the edges. Fold in the edges of the long sides of the dough about 1 inch. Beginning with the short ends, roll the dough up into a tight spiral log, gently pressing as you go.

Pinch the seam shut and place the loaf, seam side down, in the prepared baking pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise until dough rises just above the edges of the pan, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the loaf has risen, brush the top of the loaf lightly with the remaining beaten egg. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the loaf is golden brown, about 45 minutes. If the surface seems to be browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil (I did this about 15 minutes into baking). Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then turn the loaf out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Makes 16 slices, per slice:
190 calories
4.0 g fat
35.9 g carbohydrate
2.5 g fiber
4.6 g protein

Garlic Knots (or just plain rolls)

My name is Jody, I'm a dietitian, and I'm a carb-aholic.

It might seem like an oxymoron but I LOVE good roll or slice of homemade bread. I know that excessive carbohydrates might be the downfall of my existence... but everything in moderation, right?

There's nothing better than a good homemade bread to warm you from the inside out. It makes your house smell like yeasty-goodness and when that's topped with garlic? Even better! I had pulled out a lasagna from the freezer and wanted something fresh to go with it. When I found this recipe for Garlic Knots on Annie's Eats, I knew it would be perfect.

As described in the recipe, each knot provides:
200 calories
6.7 g fat
30.5 g carbohydrate
1.1 g fiber
4.2 g protein

I didn't make any major changes to these. Yeast dough is actually a chemical process which if you tweak TOO much, just won't work out. I did make sure I used skim milk in the dough. I also only used 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter to coat and felt like I had plenty. I made mine into 12 rolls, instead of 10, to help control the calories just by size alone. I could have even made it into 16 rolls if I needed to.

I also did not make mine into knots. Although they are cute and look much more professional that way - I ran out of time! I simply formed mine into balls and baked them in a greased 8x11 pan. Didn't affect the nutrition content - just not as cute.

Garlic Knots - BETTER
3 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp lukewarm water

For the glaze:
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

To make the dough, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil, milk and water. Mix until ingredients have formed a dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide dough into 12 (or more!) equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 10-inch long rope and tie into a knot. Take the end lying underneath the knot and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center. Take the end lying over the knot and tuck it underneath and into the enter. Transfer the shaped rolls to a baking stone, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (If short on time, form into equally shaped balls. Place in a greased baking pan with room for them to rise around each other). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy.

To make the glaze, finely mince the garlic (I use my micro-plane). Mix with melted butter and Italian seasoning. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Brush the glaze onto the risen rolls. Bake until set and lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

With 12 servings, each roll provides:
153.6 calories
4.0 g fat
25.4 g carbohydrate
0.9 g fiber
3.5 g protein

The more your recipe yields, the less calories and fat each roll will have.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

***Picture to come***

Quick breads are such a convenience item – they come in handy all the time! Going to a relative’s house for a weekend getaway? Bring a quick bread. New neighbors move in? Bring a quick bread. Unexpected company staying over night? Whip up a quick bread. The BEST part about quick breads is that you can make them ahead of time and freeze for up to 2 months when properly wrapped in your freezer. Since pumpkin is the quintessential fall food accessory, I was bound and determined to find a pumpkin bread recipe. After all, I was headed to a Bible study that night… and why not bring a quick bread?

I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Addiction and knew it was meant to be. A. I like when pumpkin recipes call for the whole can of pumpkin, not a portion of it. So then I’m not stuck with a portion of pumpkin that I have to figure out something to do with it. B. It called for 1 cup of chocolate chips and I had a random bag of chocolate chips with 1 cup in it in my pantry.

The recipe makes quite a few loaves of bread. I made three 8x4 pans and could easily cut each loaf into 12 slices, making 36 servings total. Per serving, each slice provides:

196.4 calories

8.2 g fat

29.9 g carbohydrate

1.3 g fiber

2.4 g protein

I made a few simple changes to the recipe to decrease the fat and calories (and make a small increase in the fiber). First, I switched the white and wheat flour. Second, I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the oil. The finished product was delicious!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread – BETTER!

2 ½ cup wheat flour

1 cup white flour

3 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 large eggs

2/3 cup water

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9x5 loaf pans or three 8x4 loaf pans with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together canned pumpkin, applesauce, eggs, and 2/3 cup water until well combined and stir into dry ingredients, just until the dry ingredients are moistened and no dry streaks remain. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake the bread for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife gently around the edge of the bread and turn the bread out, right side up, onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This bread freezes beautifully. After cooling, wrap the bread in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of tin foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Per serving (36 servings)

143.7 calories

2.2 g fat

30.3 g carbohydrate

1.9 g fiber

2.5 g protein

Snake Bites

OK… Paula Dean doesn’t have a blog, but I love watching Paula Dean. I have no illusions that I am going to be getting a healthy meal out of any of her recipes but they sure tempt my taste buds. A few weeks ago, my husband and I were watching her Halloween special where she made a recipe called Snake Bites. Essentially it was rolled up crescent roll dough with meats and cheeses on the inside. I promptly went to foodtv.com to get the recipe. As printed in the recipe, each serving provides:

563 calories

37.8 g fat

1421 mg sodium

28.2 g carbohydrate

0.6 g fiber

26.2 g protein

Now when I decided to make this for a special treat for my husband for dinner, I had no intentions of making it health-i-fied. However, I’m not sure if the recipe is written wrong but it calls for 30 ounces of meat and 12 ounces of cheese. There is NO WAY that would fit in one can of crescent roll dough! So I used significantly less meat and cheese, as well as reduced fat crescent roll dough, only one egg yolk and reduced fat cheese for a slightly healthier version. (I also omitted the mustard, but that’s because I hate mustard). I also didn’t shape this into a snake as we were just having it for dinner – not any special occasion. I’m pretty sure my two month old doesn’t quite appreciate the Halloween snake shape either.

Snake Bites - BETTER (makes 10 appetizer servings)

1 can reduced fat crescent rolls

Flour, for dusting

4 ounces lean ham

4 ounces salami

10 pepperonis

4 oz. reduced fat cheddar cheese

1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

Dust a flat surface lightly with flour. Spread out the crescent dough – do not separate. Pinch together the seams so that you have 1 piece of dough. Roll out to make a large rectangle. Make sure the dough is not stuck to the surface at all.

Layer the meats down the center of the rectangle, leaving a 1 inch border on either end.

Top the meats with the cheese. Fold one side of the dough over the filling, lengthwise. Fold the other side over the middle. Pinch the seam with your fingers to seal. Press the outside of the dough to make sure everything is sealed tight. Brush the top of your dough with beaten egg yolk. (I also sprinkled with garlic powder).

Transfer dough/meat roll to prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

254.9 calories

15.7 g fat

589 mg sodium

18.6 g carbohydrate

0.3 g fiber

9.5 g protein

*** This would likely also be good using the breadstick, French bread, or pizza crust dough. My husband and I both thought that the crescent roll taste was a little strong ***

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

In Michigan, we are all about fall. The leaves are BEAUTIFUL, the pumpkin patches are overflowing and the abundance of apple orchards provide endless entertainment for families. My husband and I enjoy a fall weekend with many of our friends every year at one of our friend's family farm. We drive across the state for a weekend full of outlet malls for the girls, poker for the guys, hayrides, apple orchard and tons of food.

I wanted to make sure I brought along a treat for the occasion that represented fall and it's many tastes. So of course I had to find something pumpkin! (I already have made a fall apple treat here). I came across this recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls at Sweet Treats and More. As made in the recipe, these cinnamon rolls provide:

252 calories
6.5 g fat
49.1 g carbohydrate
1.1 g fiber
4.4 g protein

When baking yeast breads I am often hesitant to make too many changes as baking really is a chemical equation - which has the potential to fail miserably! The only change I made to the ingredients was to use half wheat flour and half AP flour for a little extra fiber.

When a recipe doesn't allow for huge adjustments, the next thing to evaluate is your serving size. The recipe states that it makes 12 cinnamon rolls, but I rolled mine out so it made 14 cinnamon rolls, thus making each a little less in calories, fat, carbs, etc. You could even make this into 16 or 20 cinnamon rolls, just roll out the rectangle to be a little more oblong and you'll have more room to slice more rolls.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
1-1/2 cup all purpose flour, divided
1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2/3 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp butter, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Caramel Frosting
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp skim milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
dash salt
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

In a bowl, combine 1-1/2 cup all purpose flour and yeast; set aside. In a saucepan, heat and stir pumpkin, milk, sugar, 2 Tablespoons butter and salt until warm (120-130 degrees) and butter is almost melted.

Add to flour / yeast mixture along with egg. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to make a moderately stiff dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Roll into a 14x9 inch rectangle (or longer /narrower if you are increasing the number of servings). Melt remaining butter; brush on dough. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Roll dough, jelly roll style, starting with the longer side. Cut into 14 slices, 1 inch each. Place rolls, cut side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, melt butter in a saucepan; stir in brown sugar and milk. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Stir in vanilla, salt and 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar; beat until well blended. Add more sugar, if necessary, to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over rolls. Yields: 14 rolls.

210.9 calories
5.7 g fat
41.3 g carbohydrate
2.2 g fiber
4.1 g protein

Banana Carrot Bread (or muffins)

I’m not a big banana eater. I will buy them a few times a year for my husband to eat but he usually forgets about them and they turn brown and mushy on the counter. So I toss them in the freezer for their inevitable fate of banana bread.

This past weekend my brother and his family came from Pittsburgh to see our new house and meet our new baby. I assume all young children eat bananas so I purchased a bunch for my 2 year old niece and 11 month old nephew to eat. Turns out they are not banana eaters… so banana bread it is! I went searching among the food blogs for a banana bread recipe. I came across this recipe from The Sisters Café for Banana Carrot Bread and thought I’d give it a try.

As originally posted, this recipe provides:

Per serving (18 servings per recipe)

200 calories

9.8 g fat

30.5 g carbohydrate

0.9 g fiber

2.3 g protein

This recipe has a lot of good qualities. The bananas provide a good source of potassium which helps your heart and muscles. The carrots are a good source of vitamin A which has many benefits, including vision health.

I only made two small changes in this recipe. I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the canola oil to decrease the fat.

I also substituted whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour to provide added fiber and a source of whole grains.

The result was a batch of delicious, flavorful, and tender muffins.

Banana Carrot Bread – BETTER

1 cup mashed bananas (~3 very ripe bananas)

1 cup brown sugar

¾ c. unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 cup finely grated carrots

Combine bananas, brown sugar, applesauce and eggs in mixer. Sift flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Stir in banana mixture. Fold in carrots. Spoon into greased and floured large loaf pan. I baked in lined muffin tins for 20 minutes. Bake at 350 degree F for 45-50 minutes or until done. Do not over bake.

118 calories

0.9 g fat

30.9 g carbohydrate

2.3 g fiber

3.3 g protein