whole wheat flour

Buttery Garlic Parmesan Rolls

August 31, 2015 by Dana

I believe the name of these delicious rolls speaks for itself! These buttery, garlicky, parmesan cheesy, carb-o-licious rolls are perfect to eat with your next Italian dinner or just by themselves, because yes, they are that good. Slather on some extra butter, melt some provolone cheese on top, or just eat them plain, you can’t go wrong…I promise!

The real reason I baked these delicious babies up is because my son has a complex about his bread at school now. Yes, the 3rd grade pressure is really getting to him! I asked him if he wanted a sandwich in his lunchbox and his first question was “Well what bread are you using?” We pretty much only eat Food for Life Ezekiel bread because it is the best store bought bread I have found. I totally love the Ezekiel bread because it is loaded with natural nutrients and tastes great. It doesn’t include any ingredients that I can’t pronounce and it doesn’t contain any preservatives. My son is more of a processed, packaged bread lover (because I can’t shield him from everything!) so I’ve resorted to making my own breads and skipping the processed, unnecessary ingredients in store bought white breads and rolls (I also add in whole wheat flour).

Did you know that some brands of shelf stable breads can even include hidden trans fats??? I KNOW! Ridiculous! The hidden source will be labeled as mono-and-diglycerides, which can be found in a ton of processed foods. I’ve seen it in everything from dips, to ice creams, to most processed breads. I have even seen it in grocery store “bakery” breads, also know as “We are just pretending to bake this but in fact it came in frozen and isn’t really the fresh product you thought you were buying.” Those “bakery” breads can be super misleading because they look homemade but if you take a gander at the ingredients sometimes they are even worse then the pre-packaged stuff. I have looked and looked for a grocery store that carried a bread that doesn’t contain anything weird and I have only found ONE option at Wegman’s, their organic sourdough bread. I’ve noticed that it has been sold out every week so maybe Wegman’s will take the hint and come out with more options! That would be awesome!

With that being said, I wanted my son to be able to take something he wasn’t embarrassed about and would actually eat so here it is. 🙂 I settled for using mostly bread flour (King Arthur’s brand) and stone ground whole wheat flour which created a really nice end result. Bread flour has never failed me to create the perfect roll, so I highly recommend using it in this recipe. I baked the rolls in pie pans (10 per pan) right next to each other because I like that pull apart aspect I get from doing it like that, but you could certainly separate them and bake them on a sheet tray or in a rectangular pan.
*Recipe adapted from Almost Famous Breadsticks by Foodnetwork.com

Blueberry Crumble Bars

August 8, 2015 by Dana

What I love about these Blueberry Crumble Bars:

The color
They could be breakfast
They could also be dessert
They are 100% whole grain (whole wheat flour + rolled oats)
They just happen to be the perfect little lunchbox treat
You can totally dress them up by cutting them a bit smaller and serving them in a fancy cupcake liner
Blueberries just happen to be in season right now and are super cheap 🙂

As far as baked blueberry items go, these are a favorite of mine by a landslide! I used the same crumble dough last year with my Fresh and Easy Peach Preserves inside and I must say, the blueberry bars win! It might have been the fact that I used more filling but it also might be that I really dig the perfectly sweet/tart blueberries + cinnamon + big clumps of brown sugary dough. Who wouldn’t totally fall in love with these? Oh that’s right… my children. You know, the kids who will eat blueberries frozen or fresh but will not touch a Blueberry Crumble Bar?? Yeah. Them. Seriously.

Speaking of kids, I’m about to have another one very soon! If you’ve been wondering where the heck I’ve been let me just put it to you like this…. I’m huge. Massive. Pregnant as ever. And cooking as of late has been a little hectic. Heck… everything has been a little hectic. The other day I even Googled the phrase “Pregnant belly got hot while cooking” because opps, it was pressed up against the stove and it didn’t even cross my mind that maybe that was a bad thing until I was already done. Dr. Google told me that the amniotic fluid around the baby is temperature regulated and I should have no fear. Whew! Thank you amniotic fluid for saving me on that Mommy fail moment! What would I do without Dr. Google?

Notes About the Recipe

These bars are not overly, sickeningly sweet. Every. Single. Time. I eat a store bought fruit bar I end up with a stomach ache. Not the case here!
Do NOT… I recipe.. Do NOT try to cut the bars right out of the oven or you might end up with a purple colored disaster! I let the bars cool for a good 45 minutes-1 hour before even looking their way or thinking about cutting them. I know, it is tempting, but don’t do it! 🙂
Parchment paper is also a must here. I know, I hate it too because it always wants to roll up but press that parchment paper down and make it work!
The dough is a great base for various fruits. If you get creative and decide to try another variety, give me the deets in the comments. I’d love to hear what you did!
Recipe inspiration from Whole Grain Fruit Filled Bars, right out of the Weelicious Lunches cookbook by Catherine McCord of Weelicious. Thanks for the inspiration!

100 Days of Real Food Cookbook Review

August 28, 2014 by Dana

I’ve been a huge fan of Lisa Leake of 100 Days of Real Food for quite some time. Lisa’s blog was actually the first real blog that I followed, so I am honored to be reviewing her book today!

First, I’m going to have to bring out the warm fuzzies for a minute because like I said, Lisa is awesome! Not only is she super classy (because she doesn’t even bat an eye at the drama people bring to her peanut butter posts), she is what I would call a Real Food Pioneer. Before Lisa, I’m not sure that people were really throwing around the term “Real Food” as much as they are today. That speaks volumes about how much she has accomplished through her blog, and is super inspiring.

Now I’m going to fan-girl out a little because Lisa SIGNED my book. *insert teenage-girl-pitched scream here* Yes, I’m officially cool! Ok I’m not but please don’t burst my bubble while I’m fan-girling (and don’t get a restraining order either) 😉

So what makes Lisa’s book so awesome you ask? Everything! The book is broken up into two parts so I’m going to discuss my thoughts on both parts because… well I like to pretend like I’m organized sometimes. Just go with it. I promise I know what I’m doing, I’m a food blogger with a signed booked. That means I’ve got it together, right? Right.

Part One: The Plan

Although I love the recipes in Lisa’s cookbook, I find Part One to be the MOST important part of this book. Lisa goes through everything from how to read ingredient labels, to understanding the sugar content of packaged foods, to going through ingredient lists from popular products. The stuff she packed into part one is so valuable because it is a great tool for helping other people understand where you are coming from if you’d like to start changing the way you look at food. The information is also a great tool for beginners. One of the biggest questions I get is “Where do I Start” and Lisa’s cookbook goes over ALL of that. It even includes a 14 Week Mini-Pledge for those on the fence about Real Food in their life, and a tracking chart for progress. Lisa also talks about portion sizes, how to shop at Farmer’s Markets, and all of the tricky labeling companies use to confuse people about the ingredients in packaged foods. If you can think of a Real Food question, Lisa probably covers it in Part One.

I can’t tell you how many times I would have loved to have a “handbook” to show people what is actually in processed foods and why the ingredients aren’t what I want my family to consume. When people you know just don’t get it, this book is the perfect solution. Here are a few other highlights from Part One:

Identifying Artificial Sweeteners
Why Low-Fat Products are Not Real Food
How to Find “Real” Eggs
More Tips on Reading Labels
And MUCH, MUCH, more!

Even for someone like myself who is a food blogger already living an unprocessed life, I learned a lot from Part One and was reminded just how awesome it is to be eating real food. Believe me, when I looked at the pages that contained the ingredients in all the processed foods that a lot of people are still consuming on a daily basis, I was reminded of why I choose a Real Food, Unprocessed life.

Part Two: The Recipes

What I love most about the recipes in Lisa’s book is that they are all relatable to the everyday family. This isn’t the GOOP, or a super fancy and out of your league lifestyle book. It is a down to earth approach to making meals that your family will love. There wasn’t one recipe that I looked at and thought “What the heck is that ingredient?” There were a ton of recipes that I thought my kids would just gobble up (especially the Macaroni Casserole), and every recipe was accompanied by a beautiful picture. I mean seriously, there isn’t anything NOT to like about these recipes because… well… just take a look at a few of the recipes I will be adding to my Real Food Bucket list:

The Best Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker
Veggie Pancakes
Teriyaki Flank Steak Salad
Cinnamon Apple Chips
Southwest Chicken Wraps

I have already tried one of the recipes, which far exceeded my expectations. The recipe I went straight to was the Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread, which was pictured in one of the lunchbox idea pictures. Lisa spreads cream cheese in the middle of the bread and serves it as a sandwich, which goes perfectly with the bread. She also suggests using it to make French Toast which I might just have to try tomorrow morning!

I should admit, this recipe calls for applesauce and I have NEVER tried baking with applesauce. Boy, I must have missed the “Knowers That Applesauce Makes the Best Quick Bread” club because the bread was so light, fluffy, and texture-ific. I made the bread in both a loaf pan and muffin tins and of course I took pictures of the muffins because their tops were bangin’. You know how I feel about those muffin tops! Overall, I loved the recipe and am sending a muffin in my son’s lunchbox tomorrow. My husband also highly recommends the muffins slathered with sunflower butter (had to throw that in there just incase the peanut butter haters are upon us). 😉 😉 But really, he did slather it with sunflower butter immediately and proceeded to eat half of the loaf.

Of course you can also throw some raisins around and put two liners on your muffins. I did, and it was really fun. Not to mention, it made for a great picture to show off those muffin tops!

Everything Else You Need to Know About The 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook (From 100 Days of Real Food)

No white flour or any refined grains are used
No sugar or any refined (or artificial) sweeteners are used
No recipes call for packaged foods containing more than 5 ingredients
Familiar and easy-to-find ingredients are used (you probably already have most of them on hand!)
71 recipes are (or can easily be) Gluten-Free
79 recipes are (or can easily be) Vegetarian
49 recipes are (or can easily be) Dairy-Free
42 recipes are Freezer Friendly (my secret weapon when it comes to packing wholesome school lunches!)
A beautiful color photo is included with each and every recipe
70% new recipes – not previously published on the blog

If you are not familiar with who Lisa Leake is, this video describes her family’s journey and gives you a look into their life. Her book is also ON SALE NOW in stores and on Amazon.com. I’ve attached a link for your linking pleasure. Be sure to get one for yourself and gift one to a friend in need of some Real Food inspiration!

Thank you so much Lisa for inspiring all of us to change the way we think about the food we are eating, and a big congrats on your book dreams coming true! Make sure you check out the recipe for Lisa’s Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread as well!

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Whole Wheat Shortcakes with Blackberries and Fresh Whipped Cream

July 8, 2014 by Dana

My husband picked some wild blackberries at his parent’s house. Right in their yard they have a blackberry bush, and down the street at a vacant house he found another bush with a ton of wild blackberries on it, ready to be picked! For all of his efforts I knew he would love a dessert. I really wanted to choose a dessert that wouldn’t take away from the berries because it isn’t everyday we get to eat wild blackberries that we picked ourselves. I thought back to a bakery that I worked at, who had a lovely strawberry shortcake. I always loved the fresh whipped cream that they served in their shortcakes, and nothing beats fruit with fresh whipped cream!

I found a recipe for the cakes in a Cooking Light magazine I have. I adapted the recipe to use whole wheat flour and raw cane sugar instead of all-purpose flour and refined sugar. One thing that I keep in mind when making desserts is the fact that no, desserts aren’t necessary and sugar itself isn’t an ingredient to over-consume. However, you can still make desserts “better” by using real ingredients that aren’t as refined. Instead of dumping a cake out of box that is filled with dangerous fats and calls for GMO oils, you can use whole ingredients and yield a product that outshines the boxed stuff times 1000. If you are already used to making from-scratch desserts, just look for recipes that use whole ingredient instead of refined (they are out there). If all else fails, just make substitutions and tweak recipes to fit your own “healthy”.

When I was reaching for my flour I accidentally grabbed the stone ground whole wheat instead of my whole wheat pastry flour. Typically I would use the whole wheat pastry flour for a recipe like this one, but I was pleasantly surprised how nice they turned out with the stone ground whole wheat flour. The cakes themselves were biscuit-like, just like a typical shortcake. They are a bit dry to begin with, but with the addition of the cream and berries they are just the right texture. I have to say, this one was really a home-run!

Obviously my husband ate all of his shortcake, but just incase you wanted the proof here it is!

The best part about these babies is they can easily be served in mason jars to make them even more awesome! If you’d like to go the mason jar route, simply bake the cake part of this recipe on a parchment lined (or buttered and floured) sheet tray. Once the cake bakes and cools, use a circular Ateco cutter or the top of your mason jar to cut circles of cake.