tropical granola

granola is a great substitute for cereal.  i think.

when i go to the grocery store, i spend way too much time standing in the cereal isle waiting for an acceptable cereal to pop out at me.  it never happens.  i read label after label and either put the box back because it's loaded with crap or, it looks like it might taste like crap.

granola is great.

tropical granola
printable recipe

recipe adapted from annie's eats

3 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut extract
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1/2 cup dried pineapple, chopped
1/2 cup dried mango, chopped
1 cup dried banana chips, chopped
1/2 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped

preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

combine the oats and puff cereal in a large bowl.

in a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, mashed banana, coconut oil (melted in microwave in 20 second increments until runny), applesauce, salt, cinnamon and coconut extract.  whisk until very smooth (i will add a 1/3 cup of pureed pineapple as she recommends.  i didn't have it on hand this time around).

add the wet ingredients to the oat mixture and stir gently until everything is evenly coated.  spread evenly onto prepared baking sheet.

bake for 30 minutes and then turn sections of the granola over.  bake for another 15 minutes until nearly completely dried.  key word, "nearly."  if the edges are done but the middle is not, remove the edges and spread the remainder out to finish cooking.

cool on pan for about 15 minutes and then crumble into a large, airtight container.  add toasted coconut, pineapple, mango, banana chips and macadamia nuts.

(nutritional facts: i forgot to measure for serving sizes this time around.  i will make this again for sure and measure then).

turkey burgers & sweet potato fries

i ran off to yoga without eating the meal i prepared.
on the way i text my man, "take a picture!"
his reply? "i guess."

turkey burgers are tough. when made "lean," they seem to fall apart when i grill them.  so frustrating.

these turkey burgers, however, did not fall apart.  and, they were quite tasty according to my taste testers.  my dinner was waiting for me in the microwave when i returned from yoga.  even re-heated and without a bun, both the burger and the fries were really good.  something i'll make again for sure.  especially the fries.

the fries are from mel's kitchen cafe.  i've said it before but, i have to say it again; i really love her blog.

sweet potato fries
printable recipes

recipe source mel's kitchen cafe

*note: the purpose of the sugar is to help caramelize and brown the outside edges of the potatoes. combined with the salt and other spices, you are left with a tender sweet potato fry infused with a sweet and smoky flavor. preheating the baking sheets also helps the outer edges get a nice little crunch.

3 large sweet potatoes or yams

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place two rimmed baking sheets in the oven while it preheats and while you prepare the potatoes (about 10 minutes). peel the potatoes and slice the potatoes into about 1/4- to 1/2-inch strips or wedges. try to keep most of the pieces the same size so they bake evenly.

place the potato strips/wedges in a ziploc bag or bowl. Toss the potatoes with the oil. add the seasonings and mix until the potatoes are evenly coated.

carefully remove the hot baking sheets from the oven and divide the potatoes evenly among the two sheets, taking care the potatoes are not touching so they have plenty of room for the air circulate to circulate and bake evenly. also, try to leave any excess oil in the bag or bowl so the potatoes don’t get too soggy while they bake.

bake the potatoes for about 12-15 minutes*, flipping halfway through, if desired, until they are tender and well-browned. serve immediately.

*i baked these for nearly 20 minutes and they still could have used more time.  i'm beginning to believe my oven sucks.

serves 6

Nutrition Facts mels recipe sweet potato fries Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 137 Total Fat 6.9g       Saturated Fat 0.9g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 404mg Carbohydrate 19.5g       Dietary Fiber 2.4g       Sugars 5.8g Protein 1.2g Vitamin A 223% Vitamin C 16% Calcium    2% Iron 4%

turkey burgers

recipe adapted from epicurious

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast

4 tablespoons dried bread crumbs

2 tablespoons barbecue sauce

3 tablespoons quick-cooking oats (not instant)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper

warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat.  add the garlic the last 2 minutes (cook until onions begin to brown). remove from the heat, transfer to a large bowl, and let cool for 10 minutes.

to the same bowl, add the turkey, bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, oats, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. mix well. shape the mixture into patties (5-6 total).

(coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. cook the burgers over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until browned and crispy. flip the burgers carefully and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until golden brown and a thermometer inserted in the center registers 165° and the meat is no longer pink. serve the burgers hot.)

i grilled the burgers on the outdoor grill over low heat for 5-6 minutes per side.

serves 6

Nutrition Facts epicurious recipe turkey burgers Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 279 Total Fat 13.4g       Saturated Fat 2.4g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 69mg Sodium 294mg Carbohydrate 15.1g       Dietary Fiber 1.9g       Sugars 5.2g Protein 25g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 7% Calcium    3% Iron 14%

my week in meals ~ week one

{longest post ever.  it won't be this way every week.  promise.}

(this is how we do grocery shopping)

this is my first attempt to put together a weekly meal planning post.  i'm nervous about it and haven't been able to decide exactly how to go about it.  i've been racking my brain and obsessing as i often do. obsessing no more.  here we go ....

it is important to keep in mind that this will most definitely be a work in progress.  i'll learn as i go and i'm committed to making this a tool that (i hope) people will use/benefit from.  if you're reading this, please provide feedback.  it will help me a great deal and i promise that from now on, i will not have a huge intro to each week (such as this).

first, the truth:  i do not plan meals for our week.  this single obstacle poses a huge problem when it comes to meal-plan-posting on this here blog.  mostly, i mess around on the internet, find recipes that sound good, make a grocery list that will give me enough ingredients to put together a couple of new dishes per week and then, i just run with it.  i try to prepare healthy food as often as possible.

considering my lack of planning, it's not really possible for me to provide a weekly-meal-plan without changing the way i run this household (that sounds really official) and i know myself well enough to know that i would develop serious anxiety over meal time if i felt like anyone was expecting me to make ________ on monday. or tuesday. or wednesday.  get it?

i'm also terribly selfish so i needed to think of a way to do this that would benefit me first.  it's the only way i know i'll keep it up.

so i'm going to try to do this backwards.  i hope you won't mind.  i hope it will still be helpful.  if not, tell me to stop while i'm ahead of myself.

what will i gain?  more accountability.  i need it.  knowing people pay attention to what i'm feeding my own family throughout the week will help me continue to feed my family well.  i hope.  i'm reporting to you all to keep myself in line.  i get off track sometimes and i hate it.  maybe this will keep me on the straightened path?

how will it work?  the only way i could think to go about this fun new subject for posting is to provide to my faithful readers a look back on the prior week.  i can't say i'll make x-y-z on monday, tuesday, wednesday, etc. but i can say "this is what i fed myself and my family last week."  this way, i'll be able to tell you about something i made and whether or not we liked it.  if we liked it, the recipes will be posted here.  if we didn't like it, i won't spend the time sharing the recipe on this site.  maybe a link back to the original source but, that's about it.

will that be okay?

my goal will be to post the prior weeks meals in a user friendly format (links to recipes, photos of food, etc) on either saturday or sunday for the past six/seven days.  (the user friendly format will be the work in progress).

i'm going to be posting on this blog a lot more.  in addition to the recipe posts i'm already doing, i'll be posting some on workouts, tips in the kitchen,  snacking, planning, preparing, etc.

will that be okay too?

i might change the format as i get the hang of it.  i'll also be looking forward to suggestions if anyone is willing to send any my way.  i might consider adding my blog to a few sites that will link for more traffic (any suggestions?).  some days might include breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert.  some might not include anything more than "ordered pizza."  it won't be everything i/we are eating.  that would get super boring.  just the stuff i feel might be worth sharing.  what's that saying?  "under promise and over deliver" ... that was my motto when i actually worked for money.  it worked.

oh! and, you know i talk a lot so, it will be no surprise when i feel the need to add a lot of commentary to everything.  my apologies in advance.  please don't judge me.  this is where i struggle the most with blogging (and deciding to go ahead and try this whole meal planning posting).  i genuinely enjoy and appreciate similar blogs but, i'm afraid to put myself "out there."  i suppose that despite my best effort to not care, i really do care about what people think of me and i don't want anyone to think that this is all i care about (food, eating, exercising, nutrition, etc).  or, that i'm obsessed (i am).  or that i judge others (i don't).  or, that i think i'm perfect (i'm not).  some of the meals will be the most boring, repetitive foods you've ever seen in your life and for that, i'm sorry though i dare guess that most households rotate the same handful of meals over and over again.  we'll see ...

another disclosure/admission; i feel like a poser with this foodie blog. for one, i'm not interested in taking the time with the photography. i just don't have the time.  most foodie bloggers spend a great deal of time on the eye-candy portion of their sites.  waiting for the perfect daylight to take photos of the food they prepare, using light boxes, saving leftovers to re-create the "dinner" during the daylight hours the next day.  i just can't do that right now.  so the photos will be what they are and i realize what they are is not the best but, it is what it is.  i don't own pretty place settings or kitchenware and i'm super messy while i'm cooking.  what am i trying to say?  just that it won't be pretty.  okay?

last of all, my food philosophy is a work in progress but, i enjoy the process.  that's gotta be enough for now.  as of now, there's no trend.  raw, vegan, vegetarian, organic, paleo, gluten-free, etc.  i just cook what sounds good.  nothing special.  i'll share what i learn as i learn it and what i feel as i feel it.

so, lets get to it.

____________________________________________________

week one ~ 3/20/2011 thru 3/27/2011

sunday:
(dinner) hamburgers and hotdogs.  my "hamburger" = amy's california veggie burger.  for the rest of the troops i prepare real beef burgers 93/7 (lean/fat).  my favorite hamburger buns are nature's pride 100% whole wheat (first ingredient: whole wheat flour).  i resent the fact that decent whole wheat hamburger buns are difficult to find.

one of these days, i'll have my mother in law demonstrate how to make the perfect hamburger patty.  she has some serious skills that i try really hard to emulate but, i've got a long ways to go before i can say i've mastered the trade.

monday:
(dinner) "hamburger helper" creamy taco mac.  the family loved this dish.  we had fresh green beans from the co-op. i steamed them so, nothing fancy. is it bad that i prefer steamed from frozen over fresh?

tuesday: 
(dinner) creamed chicken, mushroom & leek pasta.

TIP**frozen chicken:  the kirkland signature brand foster farms chicken breasts from costco.  we go through so much chicken around here!  when i get home from the store i wash, trim and cut each breast in half (width wise) so i get four "cutlets" from each pouch that i put in ziplock gallon-sized freezer bags, suck the air out and store in our outdoor freezer (i'd say each cutlet is approximately 4oz).  usually, i pull chicken out of the freezer in the morning and put it on the counter to thaw (which supposedly is a no-no but, we're still alive) or, if i pull it out later in the day, i'll fill a bowl with room temperature water and put the bag in the water.  the chicken thaws quickly this way (an hour or two).

wednesday:
(breakfast) my breakfast is nearly always the same thing.  fruit in vanilla soy milk and 1/2 bubba's honey whole wheat bagel toasted and topped with maranatha almond butter (sprinkle truvia on top).  this is a high calorie breakfast but, it gets me through without the need for snacking until what usually ends up being a late lunch.

(dinner) kneaders bakery.  classic roast beef sandwhich on french country bread.  cub scout pack meeting + lack of planning = drive thru dinner.

TIP**frozen fruit:  i buy the huge bags of frozen fruit from costco (strawberries, blueberries and wild berry blend).  i divvy up a daily serving in separate ziplock baggies for the week and then put them in the freezer.  they thaw quickly but i try to remember to pull a bag out of the freezer the night before so it can thaw overnight for the next morning.  my servings = 4 strawberries and 1/3 cup blueberries or wild berries.

thursday:
(snack) green apple with one tablespoon of chocolate almond butter, melted.  SO GOOD!

(dinner) turkey burgers and baked sweet potato fries.  

friday:

(dinner) date night at goodwood barbecue company. pre-race dinner preparing for 1/2 marathon saturday morning.  i ordered "sweeeeet chicken." it was good.

saturday:

(dinner) post race.  with thrashed legs and the rest of me super tired, we had leftovers which, for me meant a salad consisting of whatever i had in the fridge. 

(spinach, grilled chicken seasoned with lawry's lemon pepper, orange bell pepper, cucumber, farfalle pasta and newman's sesame ginger dressing.  oh! and ice for the knee).

week one.  down.  how'd i do?

i'm starting a cleanse tomorrow that will last through thursday.  i won't be cooking too many new things this week but maybe, if anyone cares, i'll post about this cleanse.  what say you?

creamed chicken, mushroom and leek pasta

we have another successful kid-friendly dish folks.  my kids ate every last bite (in exception to that one kid who won't eat mushrooms) and the husband said, "too bad there's not any left for work tomorrow."  he's my taste-o-meter.  i rarely get more than an "it's good" out of him though so i don't really think he's the best taste-o-meter after all.  sorry hon.  in fact, he also said, "didn't we just have this?"  that was dumb.  of course we didn't just have this.  the nerve!

this recipe came together because i had leeks and i had mushrooms that needed to be used up before they went bad.   i'm also two days from running another 1/2 marathon so i've been loading up on the pasta this week.  

the cool thing about leeks is they are a nifty cross between an onion and garlic (i think).  as a result, i don't feel the need to pull out the onion or garlic when i'm cooking with leeks.  this saves me from onion tears and garlic fingers.  plus and plus.

creamed chicken, mushroom & leek pasta

(printable recipe)

recipe adapted (sort of) from taste food blog

1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (i used 5 (3-4 oz) cutlets)

1 tbsp olive oil

3 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped into 1/4" pieces and rinsed

8 oz mushrooms (i used sliced buttons)

1 tsp thyme

1/4 cup dry, white wine

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup fat-free half and half

8 oz whole wheat farfalle pasta

shredded parmesan to top

in a non-stick pan, brown chicken 3 to 4 minutes on both sides (not until done).  remove from pan and set aside to rest.

in a saucepan, cook noodles according to package directions.  

in the meantime, heat olive oil over medium-high heat then add the rinsed and drained leeks to the pan.  saute the leeks for about 4 minutes and then add mushrooms, cooking both for another 4-5 minutes.  stir in wine and simmer over medium until wine evaporates. 

while the wine simmers with the veggies, slice the chicken.

once the wine has evaporated (3-4 minutes), add the chicken stock, chicken and tablespoon of flour. add salt and pepper, stirring to combine being sure to rid of all flour clumps.  cover and cook over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through (about 5 minutes).  pour half and half into mixture and stir to combine.  allow mixture to simmer until sauce thickens (couple of minutes).  stir in noodles to combine.   viola!

top with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese to taste.

makes 4 generous servings

Nutrition Facts creamed chicken, leek & mushroom pasta Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 443 Total Fat 10g       Saturated Fat 2.2g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 70mg Sodium 654mg Carbohydrate 51.7g       Dietary Fiber 5.7g       Sugars 7.2g Protein 35.9g Alcohol 1.4g Vitamin A 26% Vitamin C 15% Calcium    11% Iron 26%

peanut butter cookies

my man loves himself a decent peanut butter cookie which has caused me to become seriously intimidated by the task of baking him a batch to enjoy.  over and over again i fail.  "too salty."  "not enough peanut butter." .. every single time he compares the most recent prototype to his mother's peanut butter cookie recipe that i've yet to get my hands on.   supposedly, they are chewy and crisp at the same time with the perfect balance between peanut butter and salt.  

i have no idea what i'm doing.  am i in over my head?

no worries, i'm not one to give up too easily.  for the last ten years i've tried recipe after recipe titled "best peanut butter cookie EVER" and things like that.  liars.  this last time, he actually acted surprised that i still hadn't given up.  

and then he took a bite.  chewed.  swallowed.  

"these are good."

SCORE!

they are good.  i must say.  and i'm not really a huge fan of peanut butter cookies so ..... anyway.

i will be forever grateful to tara over at seven spoons for providing the key to my now happier marriage.

peanut butter cookies
(printable recipe)

recipe source seven spoons

1 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose four

1/4 tsp kosher salt (up to 1/2 tsp if you particularly like savory sweets)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup peanut butter (called for chunky.  i used smooth)

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp packed brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp honey

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350.  line two baking sheets with parchment paper

in a bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.  set aside

in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy.  add the sugars and honey and beat on high for three minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

add the egg and vanilla, then mix on medium speed until well blended.

add the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir until just combined.  

at this point, she calls to form balls of dough and then place the baking sheets in the freezer.  i prefer placing the bowl of dough in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes and then forming round balls with my hands rather than using a scoop.  this worked well for me.

pressing the dough with a fork kicks my butt every time.  why?  her recommendation to dip the fork in warm water between each "press" really helped.  you only want to slightly flatten their shape.  this seems like a no brainer but for whatever reason, i struggle every time.

bake both sheets together (on separate shelves) in the preheated oven for 16 minutes, rotating 1/2 way through.  

cool on pan for two minutes and then move to a rack to cool completely.

my batch made 24 cookies

Nutrition Facts seven spoons recipe peanut butter cookies Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 132 Total Fat 7.7g       Saturated Fat 3.2g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 10mg Sodium 128mg Carbohydrate 14.6g       Dietary Fiber 0.6g       Sugars 9.7g Protein 2.5g Alcohol 0g Vitamin A 3% Vitamin C 0% Calcium    1% Iron 3%

"hamburger helper" creamy taco mac

we don't do hamburger helper in our house.  not anymore.  so, yes, we used to.  my husband likes loves the stroganoff version and so does my oldest boy.  yuck!  i have never been a huge fan but, i like to please my people so i admit to being a bit beyond excited when i came across this recipe.

my people?  they gobbled it up.  a keeper for sure.

creamy taco mac
(printable recipe)
adapted from annie's eats
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz dry whole wheat pasta
1 small onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz) can salt-free diced tomatoes (not drained)
4 tbsp taco seasoning (she has a great recipe for taco seasoning but i just used mccormicks msg free)
4 oz light cream cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
salt and pepper

bring a large pot of water to a boil.  cook pasta according to the package directions.  drain, reserving 1/4 cups of pasta water (i ALWAYS forget this step!!!  don't do it!).  set aside.

meanwhile, in a large skillet or saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  cook the ground turkey until no longer pink.  a few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet.  once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water.  continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended.  season with salt and pepper to taste.  simmer over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes to reduce sauce a bit.  remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar if desired.

makes 6 servings

Nutrition Facts creamy taco mac Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 424 Total Fat 12.2g       Saturated Fat 3.8g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 77mg Sodium 607mg Carbohydrate 52.5g       Dietary Fiber 7.5g       Sugars 6.5g Protein 32.2g Vitamin A 11% Vitamin C 12% Calcium    10% Iron 22%

chicken fajitas

ever so slowly i'm getting better at making up my own recipes.  this seems simple enough (for some) but, for me, it's not.  i'm still learning my way around the spice isle at the grocery store.  i finally feel a bit more confident in my ability to choose which ones to use for whatever flavor i'm trying to achieve.  

this "throw together" worked out well.  i had some leftover cilantro lime brown basmati rice from our faux cafe rio night and i usually have my favorite la tortilla factory whole wheat tortillas on hand (costco!).  there's always cleaned, pre-portioned chicken in the freezer.  it was a no brainer.

chicken fajita mixture

(printable recipe)

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

juice & zest from one lime

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 cups sliced bell peppers (your preference; red, yellow, orange, green)

1 small onion, sliced

1/2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp cumin

in a small bowl mix 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, lime juice & zest, onion powder and garlic powder.  toss chicken in mixture and let sit to marinate while prepping and sauteing the veggies. 

i had 1/2 of three peppers leftover from another recipe so, that's what i used.  i would have liked to have more (note for next time).

in a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat.

add veggies and saute until they begin to soften (6-7 minutes).

add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.  add chili powder and cumin.  continue cooking until chicken is cooked through.

pick your toppings!  we had light sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro and rice.  

makes 6 servings

Nutrition Facts chicken fajita mixture Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 201 Total Fat 6.9g       Saturated Fat 0.6g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 80mg Sodium 317mg Carbohydrate 6.2g       Dietary Fiber 1.8g       Sugars 3.3g Protein 31.5g Vitamin A 35% Vitamin C 161% Calcium    2% Iron 4%

basic chocolate chip cookies

as requested by my dear friend, i’m attempting a “printable link” to this recipe.  hopefully it works if not.  i’ll work on it some more.

speaking of requests, another dear friend asked if i’d put up a weekly meal plan.  i suspect this might be something i could do if i thought others would benefit from it.  it would probably be much like my already handwritten grocery list. anyone else interested (all two of you?)

back to cookies.  i tell you, do NOT eat this cookie dough unless you plan to eat A LOT of this cookie dough.  

plan ahead!  these cookies are delicious, chewy and “puffy” when the dough has time to rest in the fridge for awhile before baking.  the longer the better.  i’ve had great results letting the dough rest for only an hour but even better results when the dough rests overnight.

basically delicious chocolate chip cookies

printable recipe

1 cup + 2 tbsp butter, slightly softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

in a small bowl, stir together the flour and salt.  set aside.  in a medium bowl, beat the sugars and butter until smooth.  mix in the eggs, vanilla and baking soda.  mix in the flour and salt.  mix in the chocolate chips.

rest in fridge as mentioned above.

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

drop by large spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets.  

bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are nicely browned (my oven = 13 minutes).

store in an airtight container with a broken up slice of sandwich bread.  the bread will keep your cookies moist and chewy for longer.

makes 36 cookies

Nutrition Facts basic recipe chocolate chip cookie Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 179 Total Fat 8.7g       Saturated Fat 5.5g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 14mg Sodium 105mg Carbohydrate 24.9g       Dietary Fiber 0.9g       Sugars 16.8g Protein 1.7g Alcohol 0.1g Vitamin A 3% Vitamin C 0% Calcium    1% Iron 2%

whole wheat banana blueberry buttermilk bread

whole wheat banana blueberry buttermilk bread

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/4 cups blueberries

preheat oven to 375 degrees. lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray.

in a large bowl, mix buttermilk, brown sugar, apple sauce, vanilla, and eggs. stir in mashed bananas until well-mixed.

in a separate bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. fold in blueberries and pour batter into pan.

bake for 70 - 75 minutes until top is brown and inserted toothpick comes out clean (i covered the top with tinfoil at 50 minutes and then checked for doneness with a toothpick every 5 minutes until done at 70 minutes). cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and cooling completely on a wire rack.

12 slices

1 slice = serving

Nutrition Facts whole wheat banana blueberry bread Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 140 Total Fat 1.7g       Saturated Fat 0.4g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 31mg Sodium 238mg Carbohydrate 26.9g       Dietary Fiber 4g       Sugars 6.5g Protein 4.9g Alcohol 0.1g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 6% Calcium    5% Iron 5%