Bake Outside the Box

One of the 6,832+ reasons that Jess and I are friends is that we both share a passion for health.  It's the reason we met, when you think about it.

Even though I knew about nutritional issues and healthy food from college, when I had Little Man, all of a sudden I was acutely aware of what I was eating and what I was feeding my family.  Jess' Cut the Junk Series is an amazing illustration of how you can feed your family healthy meals that are easy and so good for you.

I am a big believer in "family meal time" and I enjoy cooking for my family. I love knowing exactly what is going into our meals and having some control over how much sodium and fat we are eating.

As much as I enjoy cooking, I LOVE baking. I mean L-O-V-E! I have shared several healthilicious recipes with you all but, even if I'm not trying to make healthy substitutions, I still enjoy baking from scratch.

I used to just make cookies. They are easy and anytime I would buy cookie dough from the store I'd eat it before it made it's way to the oven. Yikes! It is a good thing I had a high metabolism in college...

After having a baby though, my view on baking changed. Now it wasn't just something I loved, it was something that was good for my family.

By by-passing boxed mixes or pre-made baked goods, I was able to simplify the ingredients list for the snacks and treats my family was eating.

Now, I'm not saying that I bake everything... we still have pop-tarts in our pantry and I haven't made homemade Cheese-It's yet. But I try to bake as much as I can. Some weeks I can do more than others. I'm not hard on myself when I can't bake our bread for the week. I know that store bought items are fine once in a while.

I think it is important not to put too much pressure on yourself when it comes to making the switch from store bought to homemade. Do what you can and know that even little switches are a big improvement!

I'm going to share a few of the things that I have gotten into the habit of baking on a consistent basis over the next couple of weeks. I hope that you find these things simple and beneficial!

This week: The one that started it all

One day at work, a co-worker brought in homemade honey wheat bread. She even brought butter and honey to have with it. The bread was still warm- I was amazed that she had time to bake this before work! Isn't baking bread supposed to be complicated? After discussing this with her, I realized it's not that hard, anyone can do it! No bread maker required.

Here's the recipe from Gold Medal Flour. It is super simple, doesn't take too long. And it makes 2 loaves!

My Mommy Machine Secret: after the first rise, when you divide the dough in two parts, place one half in a freezer bag that you have lightly sprayed with cooking spray and stick it in the freezer. When you are ready for loaf 2, take it out, let it thaw and rise and then bake as usual.

One loaf usually lasts us a week. I slice it thin because it is more dense than store bought stuff. It's great for sandwiches and with butter and honey.

This was the recipe that gave me faith that I could bake so much more than cookies. I saw the way it changed the health of our family {there is a more fiber in this than the store bought stuff, it makes a difference}.

I hope you enjoy it too!