White Whole Wheat Bread

I used to make bread on the regular, but I’ve been slacking lately. When we headed over to Josh’s parents house for dinner last week, I decided to bake up a couple loaves. I tried this recipe and was happy with the result! Its not a super exciting loaf of bread, but I think it’s a great everyday kind of loaf. Instead of using the roll out, roll up method listed in the recipe, I just split the dough in half and tossed it in the bread dishes to bake up-turned out great!

Ingredients:

5-1/4  white whole wheat flour (more as needed)
2 envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast (or other rapid rise yeast)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt (original recipe recommends 2 teaspoons)
1-3/4 cups water
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in large mixer bowl. Heat water, milk and butter until very warm (120° to 130°F, I heated it up in the microwave and guessed…) and add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in 1 cup flour; beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Use dough hook to kneed until smooth and elastic (or do it by hand!). Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half. Place each half in a greased 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour (I totally missed this step and my bread still turned out great!).

Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pans; cool on wire rack.

Making bread is easy (I promise!). I have a few of my other favorite recipes on my favorites page.

Have you homemade bread?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful Mama! Hope you have a fantastic day! Can’t wait to celebrate with you this weekend!!

Chobani Chocolate Chunk Bread & Chick–fil-A Giveaway

mmm… Greek yogurt. Its totally delicious and protein packed- what could be better? Once I get this whole lactose issue figured out…I will find a way to get it BACK in my life!! The other day, I received an awesome package from Chobani. They now have 32 oz containers of their plain Chobani goodness (both 0 and 2% fat!):

I did a little dance when I opened the package (disclaimer: I received these products for free). Another great item in the package? This Chobani conversion magnet that shows how you can healthify your baking and cooking with Chobani.

Since Josh had a “mans day” coming up, I knew I could use the Chobani in a yummy & healthier baked good for the boys to enjoy. I decided to make a chocolate chunk bread based on this cinnamon chip bread recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or half WW half AP)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup Chobani yogurt
• 1/3 cup egg whites (or two eggs)
• 1 cup Chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with Pam.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, applesauce, butter, chobani and egg whites in large bowl. Beat on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Stir in chocolate chunks
• Pour into loaf pan and bake for approximately 1 hour (check it as cooking time varies by oven) or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Let loaf cool completely before cutting

Yum! Thanks Chobani!

On a side note- do you like Chick-fil-A? I’m not much for fast food, but Chick-fil-A is the exception. They recently added a fun widget to their facebook page. A little about the widget:

“The Cow Watches are coming to Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meals! During the holidays Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meals are featuring the never before seen Cow Watches to reach families with a simple and fun message: In your busy holiday season make sure to stop and take a few moments together as a family to spend quality “time” with one another. The Chick-fil-A Cow Watch widget is available now with fun and enriching activities, worksheets and quizzes so that your family (and readers!) can share in the holiday fun!”

And for more fun- one of you will win a Chick-fil-A calendar filled with awesome coupons (a $30 dollar value- disclaimer: this calendar will be provided for free from Chick-fil-A). Two ways to enter:

1. Check out the widget:

 

and leave a comment below letting me know you did so.

2. Leave me a comment telling me your favorite way to spend quality time with your family over the holidays.

Comments must be received by Wednesday, November 23 at noon. Good luck!

Lasts & Aluminum Free Baking Soda

Today is a day of lasts before all of the firsts begin. It is my last day of work before I begin maternity leave and the last pump class I will teach before the peanut arrives! Crazy, but exciting all at the same time! Whats going on with you this Wednesday?

Yesterday, I squeezed in some baking. I used Bob’s Red Mill Aluminum Free baking soda in both of the baked goods I made. I received this product to review from the nice people at Swanson Health Products (disclaimer: I received this product for free).

 

First up, I made Vegan Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I was making these cookies for Diana who placed the winning bid on my baked good through the auction for Susan.

 

The cookies baked up great! They raised up very nicely.

Since the Almond Butter recipe doesn’t make a ton of cookies, I decided to make a second baked good for Diana, Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip muffins. I made just a couple adjustments to the recipe: I added chocolate chunks and made muffins (baked for 30 minutes) instead of bread.

Do you have a favorite baking product? Are you interested in getting some free Swanson Health Products goodies to review on your own blog? Then check out the Swanson Health Blog for all the details.

Frank Reviews & Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yayyyy Friday! What are your weekend plans? I have the Body Pump launch tomorrow and other than that? Time with family and friends. Always wonderful!

My Friday is off to a great start! I taught pump this morning, went grocery shopping, baked up a batch of muffins for the other instructors at the launch tomorrow and now I’m working away! I’m also hoping to squeeze in a pedicure with my Mother in-law later today (I can’t give birth to this baby with my feet in the condition they’re in right now ).

For the muffins, I decided to try this recipe from Emily. I had seen Kerr make the loaf and knew I had to give it a go! I made a few adjustments: I added about 1/3 cup of oats to the mixture, used chocolate chips instead of berries (for health reasons of course ) and added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. I baked the muffins for ~ 30 minutes. The batter:

 

The muffins:

 

Delicious! Hope the other instructors enjoy them.

 

Recently, the nice people at Swanson Health Products contacted me asking if I wanted to review a few of their products (disclaimer: I received a gift certificate to purchase the items for free).  They have so many awesome products, it was hard to choose, but I ended up going with coconut flour, garbanzo bean flour, aluminum free baking soda (reviews to come), and Soothe Oatmeal Shampoo for Dogs and Cats.

Since Frank is an English Bulldog with all kinds of crazy wrinkles, he requires a good deal of bathing maintenance. I give him a bath at least once a week and we always make sure to keep his wrinkles and underneath his tail clean and dry. Yesterday, we tried out the new shampoo. Frank is really good in bath (since we’ve been bathing him regularly since he was a puppy), but he doesn’t always look very excited before bath time:

 

The product smells great! A nice light coconutty scent. It also products a nice lather:

And the post bath dry off:

 

Frank’s favorite part of bath day? The love he gets when he smells so good and feels so soft!

I really enjoyed this product and plan to purchase it in the future!

Are you interested in getting some free Swanson Health Products goodies to review on your own blog? Then check out the Swanson Health Blog for all the details.

Oat Banana Chocolate Chip Bread & Pregnancy Update/VLOG- Week 35

First, thank you all so much for the freezer friendly recipes! I got so many great ideas!! Check out the comments on this post if you’re interested.

Such a crazy/busy week (hence the lack of posting)! How has your weekend been treating you? Ours has been nice. Friday night, Josh and I enjoyed dinner and then I helped him tackle a car project. Despite the fact that I went to school for engineering, I’m not INCREDIBLY mechanically inclined, but I still think I was some help. Saturday included Body Step, weeding (ugh!), cleaning, baking & spending time with Josh’s family.  Before they arrived, I baked up this Oat Banana Bread and added chocolate chunks:

 

 

This was quickly gobbled up! I love oats in baked goods- they do so much for the texture! At night, we hit up La Pizzeria for some good eats.

Pregnancy Update- Week 35:

Please excuse the outfit . I’m not sure this belly can get much larger!! I really am feeling good. Sleeping has been a bit tough, as I’m having more braxton hicks contractions at night.

 

A big thank you to Ms. Lauren who sent the baby the most ADORABLE outfit (check out the matching hat):

 

And VLOG:

We are getting close! What do you have going on today? I am teaching pump this morning and then we may do brunch. After, we have to drop Josh’s Dad and brother off at the airport. Otherwise? Maybe prepping for the small portion of Body Step I’m teaching at our launch this week!

Garlic Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

We have a visitor staying with us! Josh’s friend Andrew will be staying with us for two weeks while he waits for his apartment to be ready. Given this, I decided I need to make Josh and Andrew more man friendly meals. For his first night here, I made a Southern-ish spread of sorts. I cooked up pulled pork and served it with a side of watermelon, garlic cheddar buttermilk biscuits (a semi-homemade version) and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (not shown):

 

 

For the biscuits, I used a Jiffy mix I had in the cabinet and doctored it up a bit:

Garlic Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits (Cheaters Version)

Ingredients:

• 1 package Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit Mix
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar- 2%
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning (or similar seasoning mix)
• 1/2 cup skim milk

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix together biscuit mix, cheddar cheese and seasoning. Add in milk and mix until just combined.

      

Drop biscuit mix onto a cookie sheet and form 6 biscuits.

Bake for 11-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

 

I have been very spoiled lately :) A HUGE thank you to Julie (fellow Bravo & peanut flour addict) for this adorable baby outfit! Perfect for the food bloggers baby!!

Love!

Do you use boxed mixes? I usually avoid them, but they’re fabulous in a pinch!

E: New Belgium Brewing Company Beer Bread & Steak Sandwich

Josh and I are both beer fans (well, my fan-age is being put on 100% hold during pregnancy- but NORMALLY, haha). Food Buzz and New Belgium Brewing Company recently gave me the opportunity to create a dish that either features or pairs well with a New Belgium beer (disclaimer: I received a stipend from Food Buzz and New Belgium to purchase the items to make this recipe).  I was super excited and instantly knew which beer I would use, Fat Tire:

 

Josh orders this beer on the regular when we go out, and I couldn’t wait to put together a recipe that both FEATURES and PAIRS WELL with Fat Tire. I got to thinking and decided on a beer bread and beer marinated steak sandwich.  For the bread, I looked to blog world. I found this amazing Easy & Cheesy Beer Bread from Farmgirl Fare.  I replaced the dill with chives and Fat Tire was my beer of choice. The dry mixture:

              

Adding in the Fat Tire:

The final dough:

 

The final product:

 

YUM! This bread is amazing.

Next, I put together the marinade based on a recipe I came up with:

Fat Tire Steak Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¾ cup Fat Tire beer
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon Montreal Steak seasoning
• 1 lb flank or sirloin steak (you can either marinade the whole steak or cut into strips, depending on how you’re going to cook the steak)

  

Directions:

Mix together first 5 ingredients.

 

Add steak, cover with plastic wrap, and allow steak to marinade for at least four hours (or longer!!). Prepare steak. Steak can be either grilled, broiled, or cut into strips and cooked in a skillet with just a touch of oil.

Printable Recipe

   

To assemble the final sandwich, I toasted up two slices of the beer bread. I then placed the marinated steak, chopped jalapenos and Monterrey jack cheese slices on top. I placed the bread under the broiler for just a minute to melt the cheese. The result:

 

Turned out great! Thank you Food Buzz and New Belgium for the opportunity to make this tasty meal ;).

Are you a beer fan?