And now for my most favorite...

Strawberry Shortcake recipe

2 C Biscuit mix
2/3 C milk
2 T butter
2 T sugar

Mix above ingredients together. Form into 12 mounds on a greased cookie sheet. (They will flatten as they bake...if you want them taller...add a little more flour...they are great either way) Bake for 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees.

I used two biscuits per person and topped them with sliced strawberries mixed with sugar. I use 2-4 T sugar for 1 lb. strawberries...you can just add sugar to taste. Let it sit for about 20 minutes or so to let the strawberry juice form. Then top with home-made whipped cream. To make whipping cream, simply whip cream until it begins to thicken and add sugar to taste. Continue whipping until cream is stiff and sugar is dissolved. You can also use store-bought whipped cream...but home-made is always better!!!

Note: Once again, if you want your biscuits a little puffier, add a little more flour. Start with 2 T and then go up to the consistency you want.

And yet another...

Garlic Cheese Biscuits 2 C Whole Wheat Make-Ahead Biscuit Mix

2/3 C milk

2/3 C cheddar cheese, shredded

1⁄4 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix above ingredients. Form into 12 mounds on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with garlic butter. Makes 12 biscuits.

Another recipe with the biscuit mix...

Whole Wheat Make-Ahead Biscuits

2 C Whole Wheat Make-Ahead Biscuit Mix

2/3 C milk

2 T butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix above ingredients. Form into 12 mounds on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush hot biscuits with softened butter. Makes 12 biscuits.

MIA

Sorry, I know I've been a bit MIA recently. I've been working on a bunch of other stuff and not getting around to my blog too much. I have still been cooking with whole grains, but I haven't been as diligent with my posting.

This weekend a friend of mine said she made the "whole wheat biscuit mix" (similar to bisquick) in my cookbook and didn't know what to do with all of it. Well, I'm going to give out the biscuit recipe and the recipes that I love that go along with it.

Recipe for Biscuit mix

4 C sifted whole wheat flour (you can add a little more to make them puffier)
2 T + 2 tsp sugar
2 T baking powder
1 C shortening (I use butter-flavored crisco)
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 C powdered milk
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, powdered milk, cream of tartar and baking soda. Add shortening and cut with two knives until crumbly, similar to cornmeal. You can also use your hands to combine shortening evenly...that is my favorite way to do it. Store in refrigerator and use to make biscuits quickly.

Delicious Honey Whole Wheat Bread...mmmmm

So, for a nice slice of warm Honey Whole Wheat Bread, there are only 100 calories. There are 21 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fat and 3 grams of protein. I love warm, whole wheat bread...and now I know it is a healthy snack as well. This recipe is found on page 52 of the cookbook. So, just jot it down in the margin and now you know what to calculate each time you eat a slice of bread.

Delicious Honey Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe came from Kitchen Kneads in Ogden Utah and it is THE BEST whole wheat bread recipe!

6 C lukewarm water

1 C honey (I sometimes use 11⁄4 C)

1⁄4 C vegetable oil

1Tsalt

2 T dough enhancer

3 T gluten

15-18 C whole wheat flour

2 T yeast

Pour water and honey into mixer and add vegetable oil and salt. Add dough enhancer, gluten, ground flax and 14 C whole wheat flour. Add yeast on top of the flour and then add one more cup of whole wheat flour to cover the yeast. Mix and add flour until dough is not sticky and no longer sticking to the bowl. Knead for 12 minutes. Turn dough onto counter and roll into 5-6 loaves of bread. Let rise for about 30 min. to an hour. Don't let it get over 1 inch over your bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. This bread is great for the whole family and my kids LOVE it!

You can easily half this recipe to make just 2-3 loaves of bread, if your mixer is smaller.

This bread also freezes EXTREMELY well. I freeze it in a freezer bag every time I make it and get it out the night before I need more bread and slice it up and it tastes freshly baked!

Eclair Dessert that is UNIVERSALLY loved

I've NEVER, NEVER, EVER had someone NOT rave over this dessert. In fact, I've never NOT been contacted and asked for the recipe after taking this dessert somewhere. It is incredible. My friend Stacey first made it when we were all going through graduate school in Denver. This dessert is a dreamy concoction of creamy pudding, light and fluffy pastry and chocolate, need I say more? Now, if you aren't already sold, let me seal the deal. It is EASY and WHOLE WHEAT!!! I know...sounds impossible, huh. Well, this is the impossible that just became possible.

Oh, and it only has 209 calories per slice (If you make 20 slices...it is a whole cookie sheet, so that is a nice-sized piece!!!)

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

1 C water

1⁄2 C butter

3⁄4 C + 2 T sifted whole wheat flour (sift 2 times)

4 eggs

About an hour before making this dessert, get the cream cheese out and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour to soften. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring water and butter to a boil in a sauce pan. Remove from heat and add whole wheat flour and stir until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Spoon mixture onto a greased cookie sheet and spread very thin and evenly throughout the surface of the cookie sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes, watching carefully, until crust is golden brown. Cool.

Mix the following: 8 oz. cream cheese (beat this until smooth then add the rest) 2 small (3.4 oz.) pkgs. instant vanilla pudding 3 C cold milk

Beat cream cheese/pudding mixture until the mixture thickens (about 2 minutes) and spread over cooled pastry crust. Top with: 12 oz. whipped topping

chocolate syrup (drizzle over the whole surface...over the whipped topping.) Refrigerate this dessert until ready to eat.

Whole Wheat Waffle Calorie Count

So, for the Deliciously Light Whole Wheat Waffles, found on page 21 of my cookbook, the calorie count per waffle (if you make six with the recipe) is only 244. If you use 2 T of light maple syrup (Great Value brand) it is only 50 calories. If you really want to splurge and use 1/4 C, it is 100 calories. So, for a waffle with 2 T syrup (a breakfast I would have thought was outside the realms of my dieting scope,) there are only 294...about 300 calories...hmmm, that is something I can handle!!! Knowing how many calories are in the food sure does help make healthy decisions. If you have my cookbook, be sure to scribble in the calories in the margins on the page. Yum...

P.S. this recipe is also found under Breakfast Foods on this blog...

Oh, by the way...I am 2 pounds down...getting rid of that holiday padding!!!

Here is a vegetable dish your kids might just think is dessert...

Puffy Sweet Potatoes

3 C cooked sweet potatoes

4 egg whites

1⁄4 C sugar

2 T whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sweet potatoes, egg whites, sugar and flour until thoroughly combined. Pour into greased casserole dish.

Top with:

1⁄2 C brown sugar

3 T whole wheat flour

2 T butter

cinnamon (to taste)

optional: 1⁄2 C chopped pecans

Mix brown sugar, flour and butter together (and pecans if using them). sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle cinnamon over the brown sugar layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until topping is golden-brown. Serves 8.

Calories: Only 168 for an eighth of the dish...AND it is sweet so it satisfies your sweet tooth!!!

All Together Now...

Okay, I'm totally motivated to shed my holiday pounds...we did NOT eat healthy in the month of December and I managed to gain about five pounds...sound familiar? I had very few whole grains, lots of sugar, etc., etc. Well, we are back to whole grains and tonight, we're having Taco Soup (vegetarian) with wheat berries and Quick and Easy Whole Wheat Rolls. The taco soup recipe is found below (I have this one already posted on my blog under soups). The roll recipe is an "insider" recipe...sorry. I do post it from time to time, but you have to check a lot to find it. Anyway, I thought I'd reveal the caloric information I just learned about the soup and rolls because this is what we'll be eating tonight and I was surprised to find that it is surprisingly light!!! So...if you want to join me...I'll be posting the calories of some of my favorite recipe. For the "insiders" you can jot these in your book...for the rest of you, just record them as you see them. For those of you who managed to avoid the sweets over the holidays...refer to my last two posts, eat those...then come back to this one!!!

Taco Soup (CR) **V**

1 large can of concentrated crushed tomatoes

1 can corn, undrained 1 can kidney beans, undrained

2 cans black beans, undrained (The original recipe has one can, but for vegetarian, I add 2 cans)

1 C cooked and cooled wheat berries

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet ranch seasoning

Pour all ingredients in crockpot and cook for 2 hours until spices are blended. Serves 8

For 1/8 amount of this entire crockpot of soup...it is only 189 calories, 30 carbohydrates and 11 grams of protein!!!! That is a pretty good meal and a nice-sized serving of soup!!!

For my "insiders" the Quick and Easy Butter Rolls are only 120 calories per roll...not too bad, huh!!!

So...for a bowl of soup and a whole wheat roll...your total caloric intake is only 309 calories!!!!! Remember...it is loaded with fiber, too, which on the Weight Watcher scale dramatically lowers the points...ahhh...satisfaction.

A warm, yummy treat for a bitter cold winter

These were a big hit in our family. They were SO easy and very delicious. If you are trying to shed those holiday pounds, like I am, I suggest taking them to a get-together or party of some kind, because these are almost impossible to resist.

M&M Chocolate Chip Bars

First, you need to mix the dough for Grandma Patty’s Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

3½ C whole wheat flour (make sure it is sifted or freshly and finely ground

¾ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 C butter, softened

1 C packed brown sugar

¾ C white sugar

1 T vanilla extract

2 eggs

1½ C semisweet chocolate chips

Lastly, you will add these:

M&M’s (as many as you want) You can also use Reese’s Pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugars and butter together. Add vanilla extract and eggs. Beat for three minutes. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Pat down into ungreased 13X9 pan. Sprinkle M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces over the dough and press down lightly into the dough. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until very light brown. Let cool for at least 20 minutes. Cut and serve. Serves about 24.

Baby, It's Cold Out There!!!

Wow...January brings with it some icy, freezing conditions that just bite at your skin, huh. My family went skiing the other day and it was so cold, the face of one of my children was swollen from the low temperatures. Is anyone out there missing warmer temperatures??? Well, I can't bring warm weather, but I can offer a summer treat that will remind you of campfires, swimming and the heat of summer. NOTHING says summer like S'MORES.

Indoor S'mores

½ C brown sugar

½ C butter, softened

1 large egg

¾ tsp vanilla extract

¾ C graham cracker crumbs

¾ C whole wheat flour

¾ tsp salt

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

1 ½ C chocolate chips ( I like semi-sweet, but if you prefer, you can use milk chocolate)

1-7 oz. jar of marshmallow cream

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds. Add in graham cracker crumbs, flour, salt and baking powder and beat for one minute. Take half of the dough and spoon it into a greased 8X8 square pan. Use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly over the pan. Evenly coat dough with chocolate chips making sure to cover the dough. Spoon marshmallow cream over the chocolate and spread to cover chocolate. Take the rest of the dough by small handfuls and flatten them out and lay them over the marshmallow cream. You will have to use your fingers to spread the dough over the marshmallow, but it should cover almost all of it. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.