wellness wednesdays: whole wheat banana bread

...also known as the post where i justify eating baked goods.

i am not one for food rules. i feel like they give people unnecessary anxiety and guilt. but here is one rule that i can get behind: "eat as much junk food as you want, as long as you make it yourself." (michael pollan)

really? ok! here's the reasoning... could you (would you even want to?) make your own twinkie? or french fries? that sounds like a lot of work to me.

the theory is that as long as you're making your own junk food, you're taking the time to see where your food comes from. you're putting together whole ingredients, and you're avoiding preservatives. the bottom line: no person on this planet is going to whip out their deep fryer for every meal, every day. (ahem, i hope.) 

so, you're in the mood for banana bread? make one, but make it from scratch. as an added health bonus, throw in some whole wheat flour (go fiber!) instead of white flour, or apple sauce or plain, non-fat yogurt instead of canola or vegetable oil. 

easy, right?

without further ado, here is my delicious, wholesome, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside, i made it myself! banana bread:

ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe banana
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

• directions:
  preheat oven to 325°. combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. then combine banana and yogurt in a separate small bowl. add together until moist. spoon the batter into a 9 x 5–inch greased loaf pan. bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. cool on a wire rack, and remove from pan. slice and serve warm.voila!

* * *
now, i'd love to hear... what's your favorite home-made junk food? and do you have any other genius, healthy baking substitutes?

back to basics.

i learned how to crack my first egg while helping my mother bake chocolate chip cookies. 
at least, this is how i remember it.  maybe it was the first time i didn't drop a piece of shell into the dough. either way, it was a cause for celebration, and the celebration involved eating lots of cookies. 

i've been baking lots of new-to-me things in our house over the past few months, but yesterday's gloomy weather called for an old favorite.

here is the recipe i used:

3 2/3 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips (i used a mix of milk and semi-sweet)

preheat oven to 350. mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside. using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. add eggs. stir in vanilla. reduce to low speed and add dry ingredients slowly, mixing until just combined. fold in chocolate chips.  drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. bake for 10-12 minutes.

p.s. my next trick will be learning how to crack an egg with one hand.
p.p.s. i got my lovely little cake stand here. 

news flash.

on thursday, march 3, at approximately 6:00 p.m., i put on an apron and made my first vanilla bundt cake.

just a few hours later, simon, fresh back from a business trip, (hurray!) ate a big slice and declared it "tasty."

finally, at 10:00 p.m. with the scent of fresh-baked sweetness lingering in the air, i fell onto the couch with a perma-grin on my face and coaxed simon into rubbing my feet.

victory. the end.

p.s. gah! now that i type this out, i realize it sounds like an episode of mad men. let's either a) just go with it and pretend i was wearing an amazing dress or b) remember that i am a yoga-loving, organic-eating, hippy feminist. and occasionally, i crave bundt cake.

p.p.s. speaking of cake.

baking and making.

good morning, my friends! happy 1/11/11. :)

did you know, we're expecting a huge snow storm in boston tomorrow? my plan is to sit on my couch and eat sea salt brownies all day. (in fact, they're so good, i had one for breakfast with my coffee. shhh.)

yesterday, this idea came to me in the middle of making dinner. so, naturally, i stopped chopping vegetables and just made these little bunting cards instead. the vegetables waited patiently.

last night, i also made this birthday banner for a very special sister. please ignore the fact that the colors look like i'm throwing a baby shower. oops.

finally, i have a question for all of you: what are your favorite slow-cooker recipes? we got one for our wedding, and i am so excited to play around with this genius contraption. thank you. happy tuesday! xo.

my week, in photos.

hello! can you believe that the holiday season is over (sad face.) and that 2011 is here?! i don't know about you, but i'm already feeling like the new year is off to an impressive start (minus, of course, the fact that i spent the evening of january 1st eating a bag of doritos). but otherwise, it feels like it's going to be a big year. :)

the week leading into new year's i taught yoga at the studio three times, and also made time for my own practice at a great studio in colorado. i quickly noticed a theme emerge, both as a teacher and as a student. i really need to start taking better care of myself, (see above mention of doritos as an example). i'm having visions of fresh fruit smoothies for breakfast, and calming tea at night. and maybe, just maybe, i'll start eating a real dinner every day. ;)

i spent a lot of time in airports over the past week, so this is a snapshot of how i entertained myself. (p.s. secrets to happiness is a fun book.)

my sister and i baked a fantastic kransekake and i couldn't help but love the fact that it ended up looking a little like the leaning tower of pisa. perfection in imperfection, as they say.

we also decided in the eleventh hour that my mother needed new centerpieces for a big dinner party, (sorry, mom)... so we threw some dried juniper berries into a vase. i love how sweet and simple they turned out.

and last but not least, here i am with a lucky napkin on my head.

the story: dating back almost twenty years, we have a tradition in my family that as a participant of a board or card game, any of us can place a napkin on our head for good luck. (in this particular case, i was so beyond losing, the napkin didn't work. it was hopeless.)

here's to a fantastic year! xo.