Friday, December 12, 2008

Hmm it smells like cookies in here!

With Christmas just around the corner I am well into my baking frenzy. I won't lie, I love to bake. I do like to make any changes to a recipe that I can to make it healthier. So here are some tips that I have used. Use organic if you can. Wheat flour instead of white flour, if you sift the wheat flour it becomes lighter in texture(however I'm not sure if this removes any or all of the nutrients) I have also read it's good to add more liquid when cooking with wheat, but be careful when baking because some recipes are not forgiving when you mess with them! I replace shortening or margarine with butter to remove any trans fat. Or Pumpkin and applesauce can both be used to substitute the fat(butter or oil) in a recipe. I've only tried this in cakes and breads. Both work but I preferred the results from the pumpkin. It was dense and moist. I also have added ground flaxseed in place of some of the flour. Another tip I use for cookies is that I make them pretty small so that if you want to try more than one kind you aren't blowing your entire calorie budget for the day. This year I am thinking about making some spiced nuts with some dried fruit as a healthier option to the cookies.

1 comment:

Fit Mommy said...

Hi,
Thanks for the comment on my site. I don't really know anything about purchasing spin bikes, sorry. I do know people who have bought them used from gyms. I think the gyms were closing or upgrading and they bought the old ones. I use my road bike hooked up to a trainer. I also know you could find them on Ebay or Craig's list.