I forgot that I promised a few of my friends that I would post this recipe. It is very yummy!
The crust recipe is from a good friend - who might be reading this! ha ha and it is in our church cookbook. I modified it to work with my new eating 'rules'.
Makes 2 large pizza crusts:
2 Tbl. yeast
2 cups water
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cups whole wheat flour
Mix by hand or mixer. Then let rest for 5 minutes while preparing your pans. Grease pans and divide dough into 2 globs of dough. Add sauce and toppings. Bake at 375-400 until golden brown.
Toppings for Pizza Margherita:
Pizza Sauce ( I use Ragu homestyle because it has no added sugar)
Fresh Mozzarella sliced thin
Tomatoes sliced thin
Fresh basil leaves coarsely chopped
Spread sauce onto unbaked crust. Layer top with tomatoes and fresh cheese slices. Sprinkle with basil.
Bake as directed above
I always make one of these for me and add my families favorite toppings to the other. Then everyone is happy!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Reality Wake Up Call
Okay so my friend and I rode our bikes form Moscow to Troy today. Well almost, we had to stop about 2 miles short because there was too much ice on the bike trail. We think it was about 20 miles- but since we couldn't get the bike computer to work we aren't sure. It was a HUGE reality check for me. Thank goodness I have such an awesome, positive and great friend! She kept me going. So some things I learned about myself today.... My bike needs some serious help. I need to work harder in spin class, I need A LOT more biking outside time and this 75 mile bike ride will be the hardest thing I have ever done.
Do I feel in over my head? oh yes, but I also feel empowered and good about myself. It was a tough ride for me, but we did it. We started our training. I am just glad that I registered for the ride BEFORE today! It is going to be an adventure.
But 2 hours of biking and 2000 calories makes for a pretty good day. Now for a hot shower and some lunch! I wonder how my legs will feel tomorrow??
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Wheat Grinding Maniac
I can't believe that I have used almost 100 lbs of wheat since Jan 5th! All of the white winter wheat that I bought was ground today plus most of what was left of a 50 # bucket of red wheat. I guess that makes sense since that is all I am using, and I make all my own buns, rolls, etc.. It was just surprising to me. I guess when we were asked by church leaders to store hundreds of pounds of wheat for the future they knew what they were talking about! I took some time yesterday, since I was home with sick boys, to make a double batch of my hamburger buns. I turned half of it into hoagie rolls. We had french dip sandwiches on some of them last night! Yummy! This time I added 1/3 cup of gluten flour to the recipe and I can't believe how much bigger they got. Huge Buns! I froze them so I will have them when I need a quick meal. Well my timer is ringing, back to my bread making!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Making my own Greek Yogurt
Okay most of you know that I have this thing for Greek Yogurt. I LOVE IT! but it is expensive. I got to thinking there has GOT to be a way to make this sutff. So I got searching on the interent and also talked with some friends who tried a similar method. It sounded easy so I gave it a try. It is SO easy and super yummy. So here are the easy instructions.. You have got to try this out.
I have a huge crock-pot so I made a full recipe. You could easily make less, by using half the ingredients.
1 gal milk ( I used fat free but the more fat the creamier the yogurt)
1 cup of plain high quality yogurt with active bacteria ( I used Nancy's)
White 'flour sack' type of dish towel or Cheese Cloth
Colander
Big Bowl
Crock Pot
Pour the milk into the crockpot. Turn on to low. Let cook for 2 1/2 hours. Unplug crock pot. Wait 3 hours. Scoop out a cup of the warm milk into a small bowl. Mix in the plain yogurt until smooth. Stir this mixture back into the warm milk. Put lid back on crock pot. Wrap crock pot in 2 big bath towels. Go to bed. In about 8-12 hours you will have a crock pot full of plain yogurt! Now before it is ready to eat you have a few more easy steps to do.
On top of the yogurt will be this watery liquid that is slightly yellow. This has to be drained off. To drain the yogurt: Open the dish towel and place it in the colander, put the colander in a slightly larger bowl. Scoop out the yogurt from the crockpot and let drain. The more of the liquid you drain off the thicker the yogurt will be. You can just drain off a little and then whip it all up together. This will be about the consistency of plain store bought yogurt. The thick greek style that I like is about the consistency of sour cream I let mine drain about 4 hours and it was almost as thick as cream cheese! I mixed back in some of the drained water to make mine the way I prefer. Let the yogurt cool in the fridge. I let mine drain and cool at the same time. When it's cold it is ready to eat.
I like mine just plain with a little fruit (berries especially) and some of my homemade granola. But you can add jam, fruit spread, honey, whatever to make it how you like it. I read that the Greek's like it with honey and walnuts, that sounds yummy! You can also use the plain yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.
Now the difference between regular plain yogurt and the thick greek style aren't just the consistency. I did a nutritional comparison on both. They both have the same calories and fat per serving BUT the greek style has double the protein (23 grams per cup!) and also about half the sugar, the sugar that is naturally in milk- so therefore less carbohydrates. Both are great for you, but I like the higher protein content. Adding some fresh fruit and a little homemade low fat granola and you have a great breakfast!
I am sure I will be making this a lot. I am going to experiment with some flavor additions. I will let you know how they tun out. My kids are pretty willing guinea pigs! I might even stop buying yogurt all together. It's nice knowing I am making a product without any added sugar, preservatives or gelatin that is in most store brands. In fact look at the label next time you eat a small container of yogurt. Most brands have at least 27 grams of sugar per serving and most of those are from High Fructose Corn Syrup or chemical sugar substitutes. For 27 grams of sugar you might as well have a bowl of sugar cereal or a donut- not the healthy choice you were thinking it was, right? Okay off my soapbox for the moment.
Let me know if you try it out.
I have a huge crock-pot so I made a full recipe. You could easily make less, by using half the ingredients.
1 gal milk ( I used fat free but the more fat the creamier the yogurt)
1 cup of plain high quality yogurt with active bacteria ( I used Nancy's)
White 'flour sack' type of dish towel or Cheese Cloth
Colander
Big Bowl
Crock Pot
Pour the milk into the crockpot. Turn on to low. Let cook for 2 1/2 hours. Unplug crock pot. Wait 3 hours. Scoop out a cup of the warm milk into a small bowl. Mix in the plain yogurt until smooth. Stir this mixture back into the warm milk. Put lid back on crock pot. Wrap crock pot in 2 big bath towels. Go to bed. In about 8-12 hours you will have a crock pot full of plain yogurt! Now before it is ready to eat you have a few more easy steps to do.
On top of the yogurt will be this watery liquid that is slightly yellow. This has to be drained off. To drain the yogurt: Open the dish towel and place it in the colander, put the colander in a slightly larger bowl. Scoop out the yogurt from the crockpot and let drain. The more of the liquid you drain off the thicker the yogurt will be. You can just drain off a little and then whip it all up together. This will be about the consistency of plain store bought yogurt. The thick greek style that I like is about the consistency of sour cream I let mine drain about 4 hours and it was almost as thick as cream cheese! I mixed back in some of the drained water to make mine the way I prefer. Let the yogurt cool in the fridge. I let mine drain and cool at the same time. When it's cold it is ready to eat.
I like mine just plain with a little fruit (berries especially) and some of my homemade granola. But you can add jam, fruit spread, honey, whatever to make it how you like it. I read that the Greek's like it with honey and walnuts, that sounds yummy! You can also use the plain yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.
Now the difference between regular plain yogurt and the thick greek style aren't just the consistency. I did a nutritional comparison on both. They both have the same calories and fat per serving BUT the greek style has double the protein (23 grams per cup!) and also about half the sugar, the sugar that is naturally in milk- so therefore less carbohydrates. Both are great for you, but I like the higher protein content. Adding some fresh fruit and a little homemade low fat granola and you have a great breakfast!
I am sure I will be making this a lot. I am going to experiment with some flavor additions. I will let you know how they tun out. My kids are pretty willing guinea pigs! I might even stop buying yogurt all together. It's nice knowing I am making a product without any added sugar, preservatives or gelatin that is in most store brands. In fact look at the label next time you eat a small container of yogurt. Most brands have at least 27 grams of sugar per serving and most of those are from High Fructose Corn Syrup or chemical sugar substitutes. For 27 grams of sugar you might as well have a bowl of sugar cereal or a donut- not the healthy choice you were thinking it was, right? Okay off my soapbox for the moment.
Let me know if you try it out.
Super Decadent Chocolate Torte
Okay I must admit that during Valentines week I had a tough time not eating sweets. I was craving Chocolate Cheesecake or something so badly. So I got on one of my favorite websites and found an awesome recipe that would meet my eating requirements. It is NOT low Calorie (about 372 per piece) but very satisfying and my family loved it. So if you need something for a special occasion try this out...
www.thenourishinggourmet.com is one of my favorite sites for new ideas! This is where I got the recipe from, but of course I modified it- don't I always!
Super Decadent Chocolate Torte
Crust: Grease a springform pan with Pam, and set aside.
▪ 2 cups of almonds (or choice of nuts)
▪ 1/4 cup of cocoa powder
▪ 1/2 cup of oat flour (oatmeal blended in my blender until fine powder)
▪ 2/3 cup of real butter
▪ 1/4 cup of Agave Syrup
▪ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
▪ 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place almonds in a food processor, and process until a coarse flour, add the rest of the ingredients and process until it forms a uniform dough. I had to add a little bit of cream to make it mix well. Just a tablespoon or two. Press down into the greased pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the top is slightly browned.
Take out of the oven and cool. Once the crust is cool, making the filling.
▪ 8 ounces of quality dark chocolate ( I used Newman's Own organic Orange Dark Chocolate)
▪ 2 tablespoons butter
▪ 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
▪ Dash of salt
1-Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium size, heatproof bowl. Add the butter and mix it into the chopped chocolate a little.
2-Heat the cream on the stove until very hot. Pour over the chocolate and tap the bowl on the counter to settle the chocolate. Let this sit for about one minute to start melting the chocolate. Using a rubber spatula (heatproof), slowly stir in a circular motion, starting from the center of the bowl. Stir for about two minutes or until melted.
3- Pour this over the crust and carefully place it in the fridge to set. It will take about an hour to set. Cover with plastic wrap once all the way cool. Will keep at least three days in the fridge (if you can resist that long!).
www.thenourishinggourmet.com is one of my favorite sites for new ideas! This is where I got the recipe from, but of course I modified it- don't I always!
Super Decadent Chocolate Torte
Crust: Grease a springform pan with Pam, and set aside.
▪ 2 cups of almonds (or choice of nuts)
▪ 1/4 cup of cocoa powder
▪ 1/2 cup of oat flour (oatmeal blended in my blender until fine powder)
▪ 2/3 cup of real butter
▪ 1/4 cup of Agave Syrup
▪ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
▪ 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place almonds in a food processor, and process until a coarse flour, add the rest of the ingredients and process until it forms a uniform dough. I had to add a little bit of cream to make it mix well. Just a tablespoon or two. Press down into the greased pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the top is slightly browned.
Take out of the oven and cool. Once the crust is cool, making the filling.
▪ 8 ounces of quality dark chocolate ( I used Newman's Own organic Orange Dark Chocolate)
▪ 2 tablespoons butter
▪ 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
▪ Dash of salt
1-Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium size, heatproof bowl. Add the butter and mix it into the chopped chocolate a little.
2-Heat the cream on the stove until very hot. Pour over the chocolate and tap the bowl on the counter to settle the chocolate. Let this sit for about one minute to start melting the chocolate. Using a rubber spatula (heatproof), slowly stir in a circular motion, starting from the center of the bowl. Stir for about two minutes or until melted.
3- Pour this over the crust and carefully place it in the fridge to set. It will take about an hour to set. Cover with plastic wrap once all the way cool. Will keep at least three days in the fridge (if you can resist that long!).
Back on track with my plan....
Okay I must be honest. NO, I didn't eat any sugar or white flour BUT I have really slipped the past few days with my plans. Life just got in the way.... some things were out of my control (like Ashton accidently breaking Isaac's arm and me not really clueing in to that for 2 days!) and lots of other little things not in my control that threw me off base a little. Anyway I took a few days to re-group and now I am feeling on top of my game again. I won't make my fitness or eating goals for the month or get my monthly reward that I chose for myself BUT I am not going to give up. I feel too good when I am doing the right things for that to happen. Plus I have paid and registered for my bike ride in June so I can't stop now! Funny thing about that... I got my race number. I am #3, which means that there was NO reason to stay up and register at midnight last week, BUT apparently having a single digit race number is cool. Just hope I don't come in dead last on the day of the race! :0)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sugar Cookies? Are you kidding me!
Okay Valentine's Day was getting to me. So I found this recipe for Sugar Cookies made with White Whole Wheat flour and Agave Syrup. They are amazing. Of course they are about 80 calories a cookie. But one, okay two plus a little dough sample! :0) and my craving is cured. Better give the rest of these away, any takers? I found this recipe on a blog called myyearwithout.blogspot.com (or otherwise my year without sugar) it is a very inspiring blog and has tons of great recipes and information!!
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup White Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Agave Nectar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Directions
Combine butter and flour in food processor until combined. Add vanilla and agave syrup slowly. Form into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap. Refridgerate until firm. Roll out. Cut, Bake at 300 for 6-8 minutues
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup White Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Agave Nectar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Directions
Combine butter and flour in food processor until combined. Add vanilla and agave syrup slowly. Form into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap. Refridgerate until firm. Roll out. Cut, Bake at 300 for 6-8 minutues
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