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!!!

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.