better baking

There is nothing I love more than baking but learning to use healthy recipes instead of the yummy treats I was used to making (ex: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chocolate-gooey-butter-cookies-recipe/index.html) has been really hard for me.  So with the help of this informative website

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00585 

I have learned you can make health changes that not only increase nutrition value but decrease calories and fat. 🙂 Yeah, your same old goodies with less calories. 

 

Other tips to help you bake with out gaining 300lbs:

Learn that you don’t have to taste test every chocolate chip.  While baking just BAKE don’t nibble your way through the recipe. 

Once you have finished the complete product put a piece of your finished product on a plate and sit down to enjoy it.  Make it a special occasion. 

DON’T GO BACK FOR 3^RD OR 4^TH SERVINGS!!  (*OR eat until you get physically sick…literally)

Save a few servings for you and your family and then give the rest of it away to neighbors, coworkers, distant family or soup kitchens.  So you don’t have a whole container full of cookies haunting you. 

Think of baking as an art form.  Think about all the time and effort you put into baking your goods, there is just no sense in stuffing yourself with all the beautiful goodies you made.  When you think of it in terms of creating a masterpiece the last thing you want to do is devour it.  You want to enjoy it, sample it and taste test the end product so you can make adequate adjustments in the future.  Don’t just eat it because its there.  Savor it.

Think baby bites.  The smaller the better.  You are not an ogre don’t take monster bites.  A great idea is to eat your desserts on an appetizer plate and use baby or Appetizer utensils

The key point is everything in moderation.  Enjoy the goods you make but don’t go overboard.

I think it’s very important to allow yourself to indulge every once in awhile.  I feel for most of us if we are very strict in our diets it usually ends disastrously.   Finding the right balance between eating healthy and indulging every once in awhile can be so hard and can take time figure out if you are used to a different style of eating.  Be patient.  If you really want to be health find it within yourself to change your eating habits.  Baking is a wonderful hobby, a great way to spend quality time with your children and a great form of therapy.  There is a way to make baking apart of your lifestyle without altering your weight or health. 

Lighten up Gma’s Banana Bread

Serves 1 loaf

 

1 1/3 Cup AP flour or WW flour (I used ½ and ½ because I didn’t have anymore WW flour)

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

2 ¼ Tablespoons butter

2 ¼ Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

½ Cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 Cup mashed bananas

 

1. Preheat oven 350* prepare loaf pan
2. Whisk flour, salt, baking soda and powder – set aside
3. Beat sugar and butter on high for 2-3 min. Add in applesauce and vanilla
4. Beat in flour mixture just until combined (do not over blend here)
5. Add eggs one at a time until just combined
6. Fold in bananas
7. Spread mixture evenly into loaf pan.
8. Bake 50 min or until a toothpick comes out clean
9. Let cool on wire rack for 10 min

Read Full Post »