Easy Whole Grain Bread

I've recently stumbled upon a fabulous whole grain bread recipe using Bob's Red Mill brand whole grain cereals. This bread is very hardy and once baked, can be stored in the freezer for up to six months, but I'm sure you'll use it before then.

Ingredients:

2 cups 10-grain hot cereal, uncooked (Bob's Red Mill Brand)

2 cups barley (wheat-free) or spelt flour

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tbsp sea salt

1 1/2 tbsp (2 packets) granulated yeast
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
3 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1 to 2 tbsp seed mixture for sprinkling on top of the crust (sesame, flax, chia, sunflower, and/or poppy seeds)

Directions:

1. Whisk together the cereal, flours, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten in a large bowl.

2. Add water and mix without kneading, using a spoon or a heavy duty stand mixer with a dough hook or paddle attachment.

3. Cover and allow dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (approximately 2 hours).

4. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes so it will be easier to work with.

5. Dust the surface of the dough with flour and cut off a large piece (about the size of a grapefruit). Dust the counter top surface and shape the dough into a ball and then stretch it into an oval.

6. Place the loaf on a greased cookie sheet and let it sit for 60 minutes.

Baking Time:

1. 30 minutes before baking time preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Paint the top of the bread with water and sprinkle seed mixture on bread.

3. Slice the stop of the bread with a 1/4 inch-deep cuts across using a serrated knife.

4. Fill a broiler tray or muffin tins with water and place on the bottom rack.

5. Slide the cookie sheet in oven and quickly close the door.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the loaf is brown and firm.

7. Allow to cool on rack before slicing.

Enjoy!! :)

Healthy Pizza Crust

Who doesn't LOVE pizza? We eat pizza loaded with veggies about two times per week and I have to say, I have finally developed a healthier crust after tons of trial and error. I'm not a fan of whole wheat pizza crusts, so I still use white flour. The trick to making this crust healthier is to add 1/2 cup of added whole grains and some ground flax seed. For whole grains, I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cereal, but you can replace that with 1/2 cup of any of the following whole grain options,uncooked: whole cornmeal, brown rice ground in a food processor, and mostly any other unsweetend Bob's Red Mill Hot Cereals.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 cups unbleached white organic flour
1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal or other whole grains suggested above
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2 Tbsp olive or other vegetable oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Combine flour, hot cereal or other suggested whole grain, flax seeds, salt and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, dissolve yeast in water.
3. Add oil and dry ingredients to the yeast and water mixture. Stir dough until tough, then knead on lightly floured board until smooth and elastic.
4. Form dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover bowl and let dough rise until doubled. If you like a thinner crust, divide dough in half and pat with floured fingers or use a rolling pin to form two 12-inch circles.
5. Pinch an edge around the crust and place on cornmeal dusted baking sheets. Poke the crust with a fork and lightly spray crust with olive oil.
6. Bake crust without any toppings on 450 degrees for 5 minutes.
7. Pull crust out of oven, top with lots of veggies, sauce, and some organic mozzarella. Then bake for another 10-15 minutes!

Transforming the Traditional Waffle

Do you love waffles and pancakes? So do I, so it was in my nature to find a way to make them more nutritious using whole grains and ground flax seeds.

Most of my baked goods do not contain wheat because I have a sensitivity, so I try to encorporate other grains to accomodate that sensitiviy and to expose you to new foods. Sometimes it can be challenging to find whole grains in a traditional grocery store, so check out the Bob's Redmill website: www.bobsredmill.com. Bob's has great whole grain recipes and it's so convenient to order them online.

There are so many whole grains besides wheat. Just be sure to check the nutrition facts panel, otherwise known as the "food label" to make sure one of the first ingredients is a whole grain. Unbleached white flour is not whole grain. Look for ingredients such as rolled oats, whole corn meal, whole wheat, quinoa, brown rice, and whole wheat berries, whole wheat bulgar, whole wheat couscous, and other strains of wheat such as spelt and kamut.

Whole grains contain a great deal of dietary fiber, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and selenium. Consuming foods rich in fiber as part of a healthy diet helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and lower risk of heart disease, may reduce constipation and potentially help with weight management.

For more information on whole grains, check out the link below:
www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/health-gains-from-whole-grains/index.html

Whole Grain Flax Waffles

Dry Ingredients
1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole rolled oats (NOT instant)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ground flax seeds*
1/4 cup whole cornmeal

Wet Ingredients
1 1/2 cups soy, almond, or skim milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 eggs or 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

To make the waffles:
*Grind the flax seeds in a coffee or spice grinder to release the beneficial oils (Plant based Omega 3 fatty acids). Flax seeds can be purchased in seed form or ground. I usually keep them in my freezer to extend their shelf life.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix. Spray your waffle iron with olive oil or canola spray and there you have it. The best whole grain waffles I've ever made. This recipe makes about 3-4 waffles so you may want to keep your oven on warm and place each waffle in there as they finish cooking.


Heart Healthy Waffle Toppings
*1 cup frozen or fresh berries and 1/2 cup pure maple syrup heated about 5 minutes
*drizzle maple syrup with sliced bananas
*add pecans or walnuts
*1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup maple syrup heated about 5 minutes

Quick Tip: Make the dry portion of these waffles ahead of time and keep them in storage containers labeled - whole grain flax waffle mix. That way, you'll save money by NOT buying commercial waffle mixes and you'll have an amazing whole grain breakfast ready in minutes. Oh and they make great gifts in glass mason jars with the recipe attached.

Holiday Party Survival Tips Simplified!

Holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends, so naturally, food plays a major role. This is the case in every culture, and we should embrace good food prepared by the people we love. Many times I hear friends and clients complaining they feel guilty after eating at holiday parties or they are stressing out about what they can and should eat. My main message is “relax and enjoy with awareness. As a culture, we tend to make life complicated, especially when it comes to nutrition and it doesn't have to be that way. Below are some of my personal practices I hope you can incorporate into your lifestyle.

1. Eat before you leave and be particular about what you eat. Most parties are in the afternoon or evening, so most likely you’ll need to eat a light breakfast. If you skip eating breakfast, you’ll ravage that holiday party like you have never eaten before, trust me. Think about having a whole grain and piece of fruit because most party throwers do not cook with whole grains or offer fruit for dessert. Some options can include: yogurt with a handful of whole grain cereal and ground flax seed or oatmeal with berries. Not too much, but just enough to keep you satisfied.
2. Always bring a dish, preferably an appetizer. This one is the key for me and the number one way to make sure you know what you are eating. Most people during the holidays don’t worry about throwing a stick or two of butter in their mashed potatoes or a cup of sugar in their sweet potatoes. I usually bring an appetizer so I can snack before the meal on a healthier option. You never know how long you’ll need to wait before dinner is ready.

This year, I brought a spinach artichoke dip (see recipe below) with Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. Yogurt with live active cultures offers many benefits over sour cream. Check out this link from WEBMD for more information on the benefits of yogurt: www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-yogurt.

1 box frozen spinach, thawed
1 cup Greek yogurt, preferably reduced fat or non-fat
½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
½ cup skim motzerella cheese
1- 15oz can artichoke hearts, drained and squeezed to remove all extra juices
Olive oil spray
Sliced carrots and red peppers or whole grain crackers such as Tris cuts.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spay a casserole dish with olive oil spray. Place the first four ingredients in a food processor and blend. Pull apart the artichoke hearts by hand and mix them into the spinach mixture. I just pull my blade out to do this. Pour dip into sprayed casserole dish and bake on 350 for 20 minutes. If you would like the dip to brown on top, just broil for about 3 minutes.

3. Split dessert with a family member. You will save yourself a tummy ache and a ton of extra calories. Notice I said split dessert, not SKIP. Again, embrace the fact that someone prepared an amazaing holiday dessert, just keep it to a smaller portion.

What's for breakfast?

Have you heard "eating breakfast can help you lose weight"?
I'm a huge fan of making time to eat breakfast because it keeps your blood sugar levels regulated until your next meal and can offer many valuable nutrients!

If you are starving by the time lunch comes, you'll most likely eat more and be tempted to hit the fast food chains with co-workers. For all those corporate employees, you know what hides in the break room! Non nutritious foods! Having breakfast may leave you less tempted for that cookie in the break room or those chips at the vending machine. WEBMD is a very reliable health site; click on the link below to learn more about the benefits of eating breakfast.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast

Now, onto the good part. I love oatmeal for the extra fiber and because it can be prepared in so many ways! I used rolled oats and added some of my own special ingredients. I plan to post a future blog focusing on how to identify whole grains, but for right now, trust me, rolled oats are a whole grain. :)

Strawberry Coconut Oatmeal:
Makes one serving
3/4 cup skim milk or other milk substitute (soy, almond, hemp, or rice milk)
1/4 cup coconut milk (you can find light version to reduce saturated fat in the grocery store)
1/2 cup oats
5-6 frozen strawberries
handful of crushed pecans
tsp honey (*optional)

Place milk in a saucepan on high and bring to boil. Add oatmeal and turn heat to medium or maybe a bit higher (medium high) depending on your stove top. Wait a minute before adding strawberries. Cook down until most of the liquid is gone; about 5-6 minutes. Serve with crushed pecans and honey.

You can play with this recipe using bananas, maple syrup, or even blueberries! The alternatives are endless. I try to use sugar in its most natural form such as fruit, maple syrup, and honey. I do not use artificial sugars and will post more on that later. I just try to keep life simple without any magic pills. The ultimate goal is to reduce sugar intake all together, no matter what source it is coming from.

Enjoy!!

My First Post

So this is my first post and I'm pretty excited about starting this blog. I've worked in the wellness field for over 10 years helping individuals become healthier via lifestyle changes (fitness and nutrition). My Masters is in Exercise Science and I'm just finishing up my second Masters in Nutrition - thank God! I am also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). I love the education I've received because I feel confident with my food choices! Don't get me wrong, sometimes I get fooled when reading food labels, but not very often.

I plan to be pretty informal in my blogs and would love to hear about your experiences with food and physical activity. I love learning from others, so please share!! I'm mostly going to share recipes and good, credible nutrition and physical activity resources, and maybe even some teaching moments. There is a ton of misinformation floating around the health and wellness scene and my ultimate goal is for you to feel confident with your own knowledge and not have to rely on others to make decisions.

The good thing, is that there is a TON of nutrition and exercise info we can blog about!
Happy blogging!