MomAdvise Notebook Experiement-Who Bread: White vs.Wheat

Bread 1: Bread Flour

Bread 2: All-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour

So, I decided to give the Mom Advise Notebook Experiments a try. Amy has a notebook where she list all kinds of great ideas she finds online. Many of them are projects that I really want to do. I've looked through her past notebooks and have booked marked lots of things to try. So, I'll be back for the weekly experiments. I really like how Amy makes them look like an experiment when she post them, so hopefully she won't mind if I do mine the same. I got a bread machine with our income tax refund this year and I love it. Although I still have a lot to learn! This is the first recipe we tried and really love, Low-Fat Bread Machine Italian Bread . I was really excited to try a different one.

Experiment: Can I make Who (pronounced hooo, like an owl) bread and will my kids and husband will still like it if I substitute 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the bread flour?

Experiment taken from: Notebook Entry 02.14.07

Materials needed: Here's the recipe that I used from SouleMama.

WHO Bread
(makes 1.5 lb loaf, set to 'basic' with medium crust)
1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter @ room temperature
1 tsp salt
3 cups of flour (we do 2 cups unbleached white, 1 cup whole wheat pastry)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or, one package)
Add ingredients to pan in order listed according to bread machine instructions.

Makes 1.5 lb loaf, set to medium crust and basic.

Makes 10 servings

Results:
Part 1: The first loaf we made was with just the bread flour. This bread rose quite a bit in my machine and looked more like a 2 lb loaf. I was worried that my lid would come off of the top of my machine, but it did not. I thought maybe I did something wrong, but I followed the instructions exactly! So, I thought? After rereading the recipe, it called for plain flour and not the bread flour, which is probably what made it rise more. My kids ate the bread fine and said they liked it okay. I liked it.

Part 2: The second loaf I made was the one that I substituted 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the white flour. Now why would I want to do this? Well, first it is healthier for my kids and second since being on Weight Watchers, I noticed that using the whole wheat flour lowered my points sometimes and after running the recipe through the recipe builder (you have to be an e-tools subscriber to get this service) on the Weight Watchers Website, I found that it did indeed lower it by one point. If it tasted just as good, that was the one I wanted to use. The bread rose more like it was suppose too since I used the all-purpose flour. (I did not have any unbleached white.) The top fell, but the results were that my bread's crust was crispier and the bread really did taste better to me than the first one I tried. But how did my kids like it? Well, my oldest one said it's okay. I asked him what he did not like about it and he said it taste like wheat. The others are 4 years old and 2 years old and basically they will eat warm bread with butter on it.


Conclusion: Well, I guess my kids will eat the bread with the wheat in it, although they seem to like the white flour bread better. My dh and my 9 year old refuse to eat wheat bread. I don't have any other answers as to how to get them to eat healthier and to eat wheat. Personally, I liked the second one and if I make this bread again, that will be the one I choose. This however is not my first pick for my favorite bread.
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For more experiments go here.

Low-Fat Bread Machine Italian Bread

Well, my dh bought me a bread maker with our income tax money. I have really wanted one forever! But, with Weight Watchers, I wondered if I was going to be able to use it. So, I have been on the search for recipes I could still eat and stay on plan. My kids love the bread! I do too. I love the ease that the bread maker gives me! So, here is one that I made that I really like! I make it with my Spaghetti Casserole that we eat weekly. My dh wants us to try to use this as a pizza crust dough or even bread sticks. I think it would be fabulous as either! I have learned though that with a bread maker, you really have to deal with portion control, luckily I have a large family and usually there is not a lot left over!

Low-Fat Bread Machine Italian Bread

1 1/8 cups water
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried onions
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
2 tablespoons butter
Add ingredients to pan in order listed according to bread machine instructions. Program as desired.
Per serving: Calories, 184; Fat 3g; Fiber 1.3g

Note: Whoops! I left off the serving size: 10 pieces

Flatout Pizzas

I have really had a craving for pizza lately! Since pizza is a higher point food, I went looking for something with a lot less points and Flatout Pizzas were what I found!

Here is what the flatout bread looks like. I find it at the end the bread isle on an end cap at Walmart. They also have different types and flavors so check them all out and see what goes best with what you are making. The ones I bought were the orginal light and they were one point each.

First, I lay out the bread on a cookie sheet if you make two at a time or a pizza sheet if you are only making one.

Nest I add 1/4 cup pizza sauce. I used a Walmart brand in the jar and it was 1 point.

Next I added some low fat cheese, about 1/4 cup. That was 1 point.

Then I added my toppings. The one on the right is mine. I added mushrooms chopped onions and green peppers which added no points. Dh's pizza is on the left and he added turkey pepperoni, chopped onions, and green peppers. You will have to count your points for the ingredients you use. My pizza did not have any extra points. Try to remember to add filling foods(this is a weight watchers term) to your pizza to keep you filled up.



Then I add another 1/4 cup low fat cheese. This adds another point.

Here were our final products ready for the oven. Don't you love my helper!

Cook at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.

Going in the oven!

The final product oh so yummy! My pizza was 4 points and it is so much bigger than a pizza from a pizza chain!

Menu Plan Monday April 27- May 3

Here's my menu for this week

Dinners

Spaghetti Casserole, salad, Low-fat Bread Machine Italian Bread

Corn Dog Casserole, salad

Crispy Chicken Drumsticks, green beans, Featherlite Dinner Rolls

Soup and Sandwiches

Rehearsal dinner for my brother-in-laws wedding

Breakfast for dinner

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chili, Cornbread (Jiffy mixed with creamed corn)

My Birthday and thoughts for the week

Well, today is my birthday. I have so many things I need to do around the house, but I don't want to! LOL! It is so pretty out today, not very warm, but pretty! So I think this morning I am taking my 2 year old and going to the track to walk. It's what I really want to do today. (I would have never said that before I starting losing weight!) So, I'm going to go do it. Tonight I am going to a book club, its our first meeting and I am really excited about it. We don't get paid until Friday so I really do not think that we will be doing anything special until this weekend!


I went to my meeting last night. I did not even write about my meeting last week. I gained 6 pounds and was a little mad at myself for not doing so well during Easter. I decided to do really good last week and I lost 3.8 pounds, not too bad! So, this week I want to do good too! We talked about the power of a pencil. You probably get where this is going. We need to track. Our leader said if we kind of track, we will kind of see result, but if we really track we will really see results! I want to see results, so I plan to do a good job of tracking this week. I also want to continue my walking so I can prepare for the 5k race. So, that's my goals for this week.

Peep Cupcakes

I had to bring a dessert to the family Easter dinner. Great for a girl watching what she is eating. Right? Well, I saw some cupcakes that inspired me in this post because I thought my kids would love them. I wanted to make those cute little cupcakes a little more Weight Watchers friendly for me too. So, I made Diet Soda Cake Cupcakes and used the new Reduced Sugar frosting, I think it is made by Pilsbury, because they were going to be outside and I could not refrigerate. Then, I added the colored sugars and the Peeps with a toothpick. The kids loved them and they were really good! I like the chocolate cake with a Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry! Yum! I also gave you the recipe I usually use for frosting. The orginal post also has a great recipe for cupcakes and icing.

Diet soda cake

1 box cake mix(I used Pilsbury Reduced Sugar Devil's Food)

1 12-oz diet soda

2 egg whites for better texture

(Can make into cupcakes)

Points will depend on the cake mix, the frosting, and the decorations you use.

Frosting

1 (8 oz) package fat free cream cheese

1 (8 oz) tub fat free whipped topping

1/2 cup Splenda

1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add whipped topping, Splenda, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Makes 12 servings

Here are popular combos:

- spice cake mix w/ diet orange

- Banana cake mix w/ diet root beer

- lemon cake mix w/ diet 7-up

- Chocolate cake w/ Diet coke

- Lemon cake w/ Diet ginger ale

- orange cake w/diet Mountain Dew

- cherry chip cake w/ A& W diet Cream

- Lemon cake w/ Diet Lemon lime

- angel w/ Diet Orange

- White w/ Diet Orange

- yellow cake w/ Diet orange

- white cake w/ Diet Peach

- spice cake w/ diet lemon-lime

- White w/ diet ginger ale

- chocolate cake w/ Diet cherry coke

- devils food w/ diet vanilla coke

- chocolate cake w/ rootbeer

- marble cake w/ diet cream soda

- lemon with tangerine diet rite

- white cake mix w/ diet sprite

- Red Velvet w/ Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper

- Banana cake w/ diet root beer

- Pineapple cake w/ diet Squirt

- orange cake /diet Mountain Dew

- cherry chip cake / A& W diet Cream soda

- diet lemon + lemon;

- angel or yellow cake/orange diet pop

- diet peach with white cake - spice cake/ diet lemon-lime pop

- diet ginger ale + white

- diet cherry sodas in chocolate cake

- Diet cola + devils food or chocolate mix

- diet vanilla coke in chocolate cake

- devils food cake with diet Vanilla coke

- diet root beer with chocolate cake

- diet cherry coke with chocolate cake - marble cake + diet cream soda

See more Mom Advise Notebook Experiements HERE!

Easter Bunny Butter Cake

I was suppose to bring some desserts to our family Easter dinner. I wanted to do a bunny cake like this one, but I wanted to make it a little more Weight Watcher friendly. So, here's the recipe I used. I added the coconut and decorations, so you would have to add those in when figuring out your points.This cake was very moist and really good. It will go in my keeper file!
Butter Cake

3 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups water

18 ounces white cake mix (I used a reduced sugar one)

1 teaspoon butter flavoring / extract

Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, blend all ingredients on low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Bake in 13x9 pan sprayed with Pam for 25 to 30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Serves 12

Source: McCormick.com

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 186 Calories; 5g Fat (22.4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 297mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Lean Meat; 1 Fat; 2 Other Carbohydrates.

Family Easter Picture

My Camera

I lost my camera after taking pictures of all the Easter stuff. I have lots of recipes I used for our Easter dinner that I will be sharing with you soon. So, stay tuned!

5K Walk

Well at my meeting last week we talked about One Step at a time. We were encouraged to sign up for a 5k walk/run. I think I will stick to walking. I am signing up for the Relay for Life 5k Walk. I am really excited because I NEVER would have been able to do something like this before losing this weight. Right now I can walk 1 1/2 miles and I am working up to being able to do more. I'm just so excited!

Crispy Chicken Drumsticks

Crispy Chicken Drumsticks
1/2 cup regular oats
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash of garlic powder
8 chicken drumsticks (about 1 3/4 pounds), skinned
2 tablespoons honey
Parsley sprigs (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°. Combine first 6 ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Brush the drumsticks lightly with honey, and dredge drumsticks in oat mixture. Place drumsticks on a broiler pan. Bake drumsticks at 400° for 15 minutes. Turn drumsticks over, and bake an additional 20 minutes or until drumsticks are tender and golden. Garnish drumsticks with parsley, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 drumsticks)
CALORIES 268 FAT 6.4g FIBER 0.1g

These were really good and we will be having them again!

Crockpot Peking Pork

Crockpot Peking Pork Chops
24 ounces of lean boneless pork chops
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 garlic cloves mashed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Trim excess from six, 4 ounce pork chops. Place pork chops in crock pot. Combine sugar, ginger, soy sauce, ketchup and mashed garlic and pour over pork chops. Cook on low for 6 hours or until tender. About 10 minutes before serving, turn crock pot to high, mix cornstarch with a little water and stir into sauce to thicken. Serve when thick. Servings: 6

I thought these were too gingery for my taste, but everyone ate them. They probably will not go in my keepers section of my recipes.

Menu Plan Monday- April 6- April 12

Here it is a little late...sorry. I'm still doing Weight Watchers. If you see a recipe not listed, come back. I post recipes as I try them.

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Dinners:

Monday: Spaghetti Casserole, salad, toast

Tuesday: Velvetta Pasta Primivara, salad

Wednesday: Crockpot Taco Junk with tortillas, salad

Thursday: General Tso's Chicken, Easy Baked Egg Rolls

Friday: Corn Dog Casserole, salad

Saturday: Breakfast for dinner

Sunday: Eat with family, I'm bringing Impossibly Easy Coconut Pie, Ricotta Rice Pie, and Green Bean Dressing

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Breakfast:

Special K Waffles, sugar free syrup, banana, hot herbal tea (2 days)

Cinnamon French Toast, fruit, hot herbal tea

Omelet with onions, mushrooms, and cheese, banana, hot herbal tea (2 days)

Hungry Girl's Laughing Cow Cheese Microwave Eggs, banana, hot herbal tea

Special K cereal with milk , strawberries, hot herbal tea

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Lunch:

Weight Watcher 0 Point Vegetable Soup- 2 days

Cheesy Vegetable Soup (2 days)

sandwiches

leftovers

Smart ones

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Go here to see more plans.