whole wheat Archives • New Nostalgia

RECIPES/ Sweets

Streusel Topped Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

My girls come home from their Grandma’s raving about Grandma’s blueberry muffins and begging me to make them. Grandma’s muffins are from a mix, so I’ve had it in the back of my brain to find a hearty, healthy blueberry muffin that my kids will love just as much as they love Grandma’s blueberry muffins.

Well, guess what?

I found one!

We had 2 snow days last week, and having my girls home from school with snow falling outside always puts me in the mood to bake. I scoured the web and my bread/muffins pinterest board for a healthy, hearty blueberry muffin recipe and found this one from Heavenly Homemakers.

I kept the recipe pretty close to the original, but I used oatmeal instead of nuts for the streusel topping. My youngest girl does not like nuts.

These muffins were really delicious. They are moist and filling. They do not have too much sugar, and the streusel topping gives it just enough sweetness. I doubled the recipe and they were still gone within 2 days!

…………………………

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar, or sucanat, or honey)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg (or chia egg substitute)
1/4 cup melted butter (I used coconut oil)
3/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Mix dry ingredients together well. Add egg, butter and milk, stirring until all ingredients are mixed. Gently stir in blueberries. Scoop batter into 12 paper lined muffin tins. Sprinkle with Streusel Topping and bake in a 400° for 20 minutes.

Streusel Topping:

3 T. brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar, or sucanat, or honey)
1 T. butter, softened (or coconut oil)
2 T. oats (or chopped nuts)

…………………………..

To learn more about coconut oil, click here.
To learn more about coconut palm sugar, click here.
To learn more about sucanat click here.

RECIPES/ Sides

Easiest Homemade Whole Wheat Bread–A Guest Post

Easiest Homemade Whole Wheat Bread — A guest post from Kendra at Our Homemade Happiness

I’ve been making 1-2 loaves of homemade whole wheat bread every week for over a year now. I was tired of the preservatives and chemicals in store-bought bread and the taste was definitely lacking.

But my handy dandy bread machine should get all the credit. I would never go to all the trouble of making my own bread without one. It’s so awesome because it takes less than 5 minutes to throw the ingredients into the pan and the machine does the rest. After it’s all said and done, I’m left with amazing bread and only one dirty pan. And it’s super easy to clean because it’s non-stick. I’ve included my favorite whole wheat bread recipe below.

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD FOR THE BREAD MACHINE RECIPE

1 cup water
1/8 cup milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine/fast rising yeast (or 2 teaspoons active dry yeast)

Add ingredients according to the directions that came with your bread machine. Use the wheat bread cycle and light color setting. This recipe makes a 1 1/2 pound loaf.

BREAD MACHINE TIPS:
Follow the directions that came with your bread machine carefully. I first got a bread maker eleven years ago. I didn’t follow the instructions and my bread never turned out. Now I make sure my water is at the right temp (my directions recommend 80°F). I spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping so I don’t use too much flour. My previous bread maker recommended using bread machine/fast rising yeast so I still use that, although my new bread maker says active dry yeast can be used. I keep my yeast in the fridge so it doesn’t go bad.

If your bread doesn’t rise, try adding 2 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten and 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Not all recipes work the same in different areas. I live at sea level. For high altitude areas, reduce the amount of yeast by 1/4 teaspoon and reduce liquid by 1-2 teaspoons until you find the right amount.

This is my rockin’ bread machine that I bought last year to replace my previous Black & Decker model. I was debating between this West Bend Breadmaker for $60 and theZojirushi Virtuoso Breadmaker for $270. Big diff in price! I read all the user reviews for each bread maker and I finally chose the less inexpensive West Bend bread maker. I’ve been very happy with it and I’m glad I didn’t fork over the extra $210 for the Zojiushi model.

HOMEMADE BREAD SAVES ME MONEY
$0.03 – Milk ($3.50/1 gallon)
$0.37 – Extra-Virgin Olive Oil ($9.44/25.4 oz.)
$0.35 – Honey ($7.48/32 oz.)
$0.01 – Sea Salt ($1.50/26.5 oz.)
$0.58 – White Whole Wheat Flour ($3.64/5 pounds)
$0.27 – Bread Machine Yeast ($4.24/16 envelopes)
$1.61 – Grand Total for 1 1/2 pound loaf
$4.75 – Whole Wheat Bread of Comparable Taste/Freshness from Bread Store

After making homemade bread in my bread maker 20 times, I saved the $60 I spent on it. I also make homemade pizza dough and french bread dough in it. I love that I get fresh, delicious, nutritious homemade bread without hardly lifting a finger!

Do you have a bread maker? What kind do you have and how do you like it? Do you have a favorite bread machine recipe to share?

Hi, I’m Kendra! I blog about all things homemade, especially cleaners, skincare, and healthy eating. I started my blog, Our Homemade Happiness, after my husband suffered from mono symptoms for over two years and his blood results showed some liver disease. Since the liver is responsible for filtering out chemicals and toxins from the bloodstream, I started to realize how many chemicals are in everything we buy, from processed food to household cleaners, lotion, and even air freshener. I’ve become inspired to rid my home of as many chemicals as I can, one product at a time, and blog about it along the way.

RECIPES/ Sides

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins With Homemade Coconut Butter

~this is a guest post from Sheena @ The Little Red House

Coconut Butter.

I had never heard of such a thing until I stumbled upon this easy how-to.

And that, my friends, is why I sometimes really love the internet.
I always think about housewives back in “the day” and wonder what they did without new recipes at their finger tips every day.

I love trying new things, I love coconut, and who DOESN’T love anything with “butter” in the title, so I just had to whip this up.
All you need….
is….
drumroll……
COCONUT.

That’s it.

Unsweetened shredded coconut, which you can find in the bulk section of health food stores.
You can use any amount you like–for this I used 2 cups.

Dump it into your food processor
and go and go and go.
Every few minutes you’ll want to stop and scrape down the sides.
After about 10 minutes you’ll have silky smooth coconut butter!

Coconut butter sets up quickly and is solid at room temperature.
It can be flaked off easily, or microwaved for just a few seconds for the perfect drizzle.

And what better to drizzle it on, than muffins.

I don’t make a lot of muffins…..
you see, when I think about muffins, they remind me of cupcakes, and I would much rather make cupcakes than muffins–wouldn’t you? So I usually get distracted while thinking about cupcakes and forget I ever wanted to make muffins.
That was a long explanation, but it is all very true.

But these muffins are a great little snack, and one hundred times better for you
than a cupcake at snack time.
They are lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and nice and filling with whole wheat flour and oats.

Whole Wheat Banana and Oat Muffins
makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2c pure maple syrup

2 eggs

4 very ripe bananas

3/4c buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

2c whole wheat flour

1c whole oats (not instant)

1/4 c ground flax seed

1/4 almond meal (you can make your own after you make your almond milk)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

in separate bowl mix together flour, oats, flax, almond meal, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.

mix coconut oil and maple syrup on high speed for a few minutes.

add eggs, one at a time until mixed in.

add vanilla, bananas, and buttermilk until well mixed.

slowly add in flour mixture, mix just until blended.

don’t overmix.

spoon batter into muffin tins lined with wrappers or greased.

place on bottom rack in oven and bake at 350° for 22-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

remove from pan and cool on cooling rack.

top with your homemade coconut butter

enjoy!

Sheena @ The Little Red House

“I live in a little red house with my best friend (aaaahhhh), a little boy, a little girl, and a crazy yellow dog. I like to eat, I like to trail run, I like to yoga, I like old things, I like to explore mountains, I like to play, I like to laugh, I like to create, and I photograph it all.”

RECIPES/ Sides

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread

I posted this Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread recipe about a year ago. It is still a favorite and I’m making it tonight, so I thought I would repost. I needed some easy, hearty bread to go along with our easy, hearty roast & vegetable meal.

I threw Trader Joes Tri Tip Roast in the oven, dumped a bag of Trader Joes Fresh Roasting Vegetables on top (it is a bag of red potatoes, carrots, garlic cloves, onion, sprig of fresh thyme, sprig of fresh rosemary). Way too convenient!! I added a bit of red wine and Worcestershire sauce to the roast.

Of Course, salt and pepper to taste.

I am trying to get back into the swing of making dinner again! I have been so spoiled with my church providing meals for us the last 4 months!! I do enjoy cooking– very much– but I have found I need to stick with meals that are EASY until my energy level is back to normal.

Got any easy recipes for me?

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread

1 cup rolled oats
11/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Grind oatmeal in a food processor or blender. In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, dissolve honey in oil, then stir in the milk. (I mixed the milk, coconut oil and honey in a one-cup glass measure and microwaved it until the coconut oil melted (the cold milk made it into a solid-state, so I needed to liquefy it). Combine both mixtures and stir until a soft dough is formed. Form the dough into a ball (I had to add a bit more flour) and place it on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped

RECIPES/ Sides

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread

I’m super happy about this recipe. We were having spaghetti for dinner and I really wanted some bread to go with it, but only had about 30 minutes. I found this recipe and it was so easy and really tasty! I will be making it often!

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread
1 cup rolled oats
11/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Grind oatmeal in a food processor or blender. In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, dissolve honey in oil, then stir in the milk. (I mixed the milk, coconut oil and honey in a one cup glass measure and microwaved it until the coconut oil melted (the cold milk made it into a solid state, so I needed to liquify it). Combine both mixtures and stir until a soft dough is formed. Form the dough into a ball (I had to add a bit more flour) and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
This post is linked to:
Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies & Jellybeans
Make It From Scratch

Brunch/ RECIPES

Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins

These muffins are GOOD! They are moist, have great texture and are 100% healthy, with no refined flour or sugars. To make the muffins lower in fat, replace half of the oil with unsweetened applesauce. I used whole wheat pastry flour, which is ground more fine and makes for a lighter, fluffier muffin.
The recipe was originally posted on Recipezaar, and given to me by my friend Joy (who is also responsible for passing on the waffle recipe on my blog–she knows how to find the good ones!)
This recipe makes a lot of muffins, which I love, but can be halved easily. The recipe states that it makes 24 regular sized muffins. I was able to get 4 mini loaves and 120 mini muffins out of one recipe. The muffins freeze well, and are great for breakfast or a quick snack. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp wheat germ (optional)
2/3 cup olive oil (I’d like to try coconut oil)
1 cup honey
4 eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (I used 6)
1/2 cup hot water

1. Stir together dry ingredients
2. Beat oil and honey together; add eggs and beat well.
3. Add bananas and beat to combine.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with hot water; mix well after each addition.
5. Spoon batter into 24 greased muffin cups; bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and test done.
6. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

{*thanks, Joy!}

RECIPES/ Sweets

Whole Wheat Brownies

Boy, oh boy I’m excited about this recipe. I found it at Heavenly Homemakers. I have made it 3 times in that last 3 weeks:). It truly is just as easy for me to make as a boxed brownie mix, and tastes very good! I love that it is made with just a few ingredients that I feel good about feeding my family.

Why do I consider these healthy? They are made with whole foods- there is nothing artificial in them. They should still be eaten in moderation (don’t consume the whole pan in one sitting:)), because they are not low calorie, but DO feel good about feeding them to your family because the ingredients in them provide nutrients that benefit the body, instead of harming it.

I am a firm believer that even treats can be beneficial. When it comes to foods in my home, I do not want my family consuming EMPTY calories. I want to be purposeful in making foods that will do the body some “good.” These brownies are an example of that.

Here are a few of the good things that are in this recipe:

Whole wheat flour- provides maganese, dietary fiber, tryptophan, magnesium, vitamins B1, B2, B3, E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and iron.
Eggs- source of protein
Butter-vitamins A, E, K and D, anti-oxidants, and selenium.(post coming soon on why I am at peace about eating butter, despite the saturated fat)
Cocoa-antioxidants (flavanols)
Rapadura-used in place of white processed sugar. Rapadura is the pure juice extracted from the sugar cane and evaporated to dry it into granules. Low heat is used so vitamins and minerals are retained. It has a natural balance of sucrose, glucose and fructose. Your body metabolizes it more slowly than white sugar, so it will not affect your blood sugar levels as much as refined sugars, so no crazy sugar rush! Remember, the more refined the sugar, the more it raises your blood sugar. Rapadura can be found at your local health food store. I use it in many baked goods in place of white sugar. If you want to read more about the different types of natural sugars, click here.

If I were to buy boxed brownies from the store, they would be made with white refined flour (the processing removes nutrients, vitamins and fiber), white processed sugar (empty calories, makes blood sugar spike), and oils. Not to mention anti-caking ingredients and preservatives. I think making them homemade takes little extra time with a whole lot of benefit!

If you still are set on buying boxed, Hodgson Mill Brownie Mix is a brand I highly recommend and have used. They are yummy! The ingredient list is: Turbinado sugar, whole wheat pastry flour, cocoa, milled flax seed, salt. Now that is what I’m talking about!!

If you go to Heavenly Homemakers website, she shows you how to make homemade chocolate chips to put into these brownies. I am so not there when it comes to being motivated to do that, maybe someday. I use some AMAZING milk chocolate chips from my local health food market. I like the ingredients they choose to use in them, ones I know and trust. They are on the pricey side, so that may get me motivated to make my own!

Whole Wheat Brownies
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup rapadura
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Stir together butter, rapadura and cocoa. Mix in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour into 8×8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until toothpick in center comes out clean.

I recently tried these out on some extended family members that were a bit apprehensive about the word healthy and brownie in the same sentence. I am pleased to announce they liked them! Pleased, but not surprised..

Foodie Friday @ Designs By Gallum
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Challenge @ The Grocery Cart Challenge
Made It Mondays @ The Persimmon Perch

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