Sunday, February 14, 2010

back to baking

okay, guys. i'm almost done with my 14-day 'no sugar' challenge.

last weekend, i was miserable. this weekend, doing much, much better.

now, for the good part. i am not considering myself on a diet. i am considering it a changed lifestyle. one of the things that made me really miserable in the beginning was the feeling that i could no longer bake. i love to bake. i am not a huge COOK. when i was younger, my mom did absolutely 100% of the family cooking. she allowed me the job of baking. i pretty much got to bake whatever, whenever. thus, the obsession began.

so, this morning, i woke up resolved to figure out how to get this favorite pastime back into my life, in a good way. i looked in my fridge, and saw a half-full jar of organic applesauce. okay. that's a start. a quick google search found a recipe for applesauce waffles (waffles are a fave for me. i love making them). the one thing i was looking for was a recipe with no added fat. my 'normal' waffle recipe uses canola oil. but since applesauce is a substitute for oil in some recipes, i was in luck.

a few modifications later, i was set to go. i substituted whole wheat flour for some of the regular flour, and added cinnamon because i thought that sounded good. things looked pretty good at this point.


wow, did these smell delish while they were cooking. i am pretty sure the smell alone will attract your family members to the kitchen when you are making these.


they looked good, too. i would like to show you a pic of a lovely plate with all sorts of toppings, but i actually ate mine, standing at the kitchen sink, straight from the waffle iron. no topping at all. call me crazy, i just love waffles. i don't really need anything on them.

then came the fun part! i decided to try the recipe portion of fat secret. it was really fun to enter the recipe ingredients, and very easy to plug it into the site. here is what came out:


this will go into my online cookbook, and i can easily add it into my daily calories, whenever i eat these waffles. since i have 5 leftovers, it will be a quick breakfast to pop one of these into the toaster. yum.



i think the neatest part for me was seeing the nutritional chart that the program makes for you. this recipe is actually more healthy than my oatmeal standard - less fat; more protein. i don't know, i just think the whole thing is so fun!!! i am sure i will be adding more recipes to my cookbook as time goes on. and i am one step closer to being healthier, without being restrictive. that's the thing i'm aiming for!!

happy valentine's day :)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Bobbi,
Been following your lifestyle change. I have a thought, though not sugarless, have you ever thought of checking out a vegan cookbook? You seem to fine with the creativity, I need guidance. I had to cook vegan when I was involved with a 30 week program at church with a vegan member, and I have to say it was a revelation. I'm starting a detox on Wed.and apparently green tea is supposed to help with sugar and alcohol cravings (I do enjoy a glass of Red in the evenings-It's good for the heart). I told the person making it for me that I want my tea to taste like coffee. I don't know if that instruction will hold
Lisa

bobbione8y said...

hi Lisa, yes, i don't really know much about the vegan lifestyle. i know i found recipes for black bean burgers and sweet potato soup this weekend, so i might be able to have a vegan over for dinner :)

good luck with the caffeine thing. when i tried this a few years back, i did try this stuff called teecino (http://www.teeccino.com/) - not great, but doable. i have heard that caffeine increases sugar cravings. protein is supposed to lower them - not a big protein fan, so i think it's kind of a challenge no matter what :) keep me posted on the detox.

Anonymous said...

I'll let you know. I'm also combining it with my lenten sacrifices. I believe that caffeine is an appetite stimulant, and we all know booze is (Taco Johns in Brookings wouldn't have survived without nickle night). I'm a knitter with a love for wool and silk, so I'm not an endorser of a vegan lifestyle,but considering vegan alternatives as really increased variety, and if you love to bake it may be a good option. Different ingredients, so it tastes different, but good

bobbione8y said...

yeah. i also think the Safari in Brookings made a killing because of their taco bar ;+) wonder if they still do that kind of thing.

i am finding a decrease in appetite for junk...already! i will explore some vegan recipes online, you never know. i think being open to trying new things is a good way to view this. plus, i am kind of hoping not to have a gut ache for the rest of my life :)

Unknown said...

you have motivated me to pray about giving up sugar. Man, that is really hard...Can I use splenda still? or is that cheating. How can I drink coffee with out the sweet?

I want to do it, I really do, but EVERYTHING has sugar in it.

bobbione8y said...

rani, i'm NOT giving up sugar! but it is a really, really addictive substance. it causes a lot of damage, if we cannot find a way to eat it in healthy balance with things that actually have nutritional value.

i guess i have been saying this wrong ;) the 2-week thing was just an attempt to break some of the addiction.

bobbione8y said...

ps. if you do the reading about sugar and it's effects on the body, it becomes pretty clear that FAKE sugar can also have negative effects...it's still addictive, and keeps the cravings strong. i am more in favor of small doses of natural sugars instead of a lot of artificial sweeteners...that is probably just me :)

Unknown said...

Yes, it seems so logical that if I just tone it down and use it appropriately that I could actually get more benefits out of it. I really do agree that the more natural it is the better it is for me. I wish I could grow the dang cane and just grind it myself...

I just want to LOSE 15 LBS! I can't seem to do the right things in the right order, but I am not gaining, so I guess that's a good thing.

bobbione8y said...

yep. it's not what's on the scale that counts. hardest thing for women to get thru their noggins :)

Karen said...

Wow. Great discussion! I would try some vegan recipes, Lisa. I WILL NOT give up coffee. Just sayin'.

I want to try this waffle recipe (the compromise in our house is to mix low-fat Bisquick half-and-half with organic flax pancake mix), but I need to know the waffle consistency. I'm a big fan of slightly crunchy.

Karen said...

Also, you can double or even triple the eggs in any waffle/pancake recipe without affecting the taste. We do it regularly, to increase the protein for people who are always hungry.

Karen said...

I'm making these right.now.