Muffin/Quick Bread recipes

Here are the muffin/quick bread recipes:

Apple-Cranberry Wheat Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup (5 fluid-ounce can) Evaporated Fat Free Milk
1/3 cup Apple Juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups finely chopped baking apple
3/4 cup Sweetened Dried Cranberries
1 tablespoon cinnamon-sugar
Directions:PREHEAT oven to 400º F. Grease or paper-line 12 muffin cups.COMBINE all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, granulated sugar, wheat germ, baking powder and cinnamon in medium bowl.BEAT evaporated milk, Juice, oil and egg in small bowl until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in apple and cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.BAKE for 14 to 16 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) Pumpkin
2 large eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries
Directions:PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.BAKE for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Recipe makes two loaves.FOR THREE 8 x 4-INCH LOAF PANS:PREPARE as above. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

Banana Bread
¾ c. whole wheat flour
¾ c. all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
(I added 1tbsp of wheat germ – you could add more)

1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 medium smashed bananas
1 4 oz. jar butternut squash/carrot/sweet potato or prune w/pears baby food (use whatever variety you like)
3 tbsp. veg. oil.
¾ c. sugar (I mixed ½ c. brown with ¼ c. white)

Mix dry ingredients together…then mix wet ingredients…add wet to dry…mix until blended…bake at 350 for 45-55 min.

Spinach Smoothies - great for St Patrick's Day

This is my sister's recipe for spinach smoothies. You can really just add spinach to any smoothie recipe and it adds lots of vitamins without changing the flavor.

fresh spinach leaves
orange juice*
1/2 C frozen pineapple tidbits
2 frozen bananas
1/2 C plain yogurt
ice cubes

Fill blender with spinach leaves to the top, then mash down. Pour the orange juice to spinach level. Add pineapple and bananas, then add yogurt. Blend until smooth. Add ice cubes if it needs thickening. (*You can use other fruit juices).

Breakfast Cookies

So, I think these are worthy of a post...Mike and I tried one tonight. Very tasty! However DOUBLE the recipe if you want more than 9 cookies!! This recipe doesn't make a very big batch, especially if you want to freeze some for later. ( I got this recipe from foodnetwork.com)

3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I'm not sure what the difference is between pastry flour and regular flour -- I just used regular w-w flour)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil (I used veg oil)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
1/3 cup raisins (I used mixed fruit)
1/3 cup walnut pieces (I used peanuts, they were CHEAPER), lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Weight Watchers Lemon Tea Bread

This is a really good bread - even if you aren't watching your weight!

Bread
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened (I use smart balance)
1/2 cup milk (I use 2%)
1 cup granulated sugar (I use Splenda)
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Lemon Glaze
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 cup granulated sugar (again, I use Splenda)

Orange Cream Cheese
1 (8 oz.) package cream-cheese, softened (I use the fat free)
1 Tbs. orange juice
1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

Directions for Bread:
1. oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bottom and halfway up the sides of an bread loaf pan; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and the sugar together with electric mixer until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs and 1 tsp. lemon peel. Beat the mixture well.
4. Stir together the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add the flour-baking powder mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.
5. Stir in chopped pecans.
6. Spread the batter in the prepared loaf pan and bake in the 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center of the bread comes out clean.
7. If necessary, cover the bread with alum foil for the last 15 minutes to prevent over browning.
Directions for the Lemon Glaze:
8. Stir together 1/4 c. sugar, lemon juice and 1 tsp. lemon peel. Spoon the lemon glaze voer the hot bread. Let the bread cool in pan 10 minutes.
9. Remove bread from the pan and cool on wire rack.
Directions for the Orange Cream Cheese:
10. In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange peel until mixture is well blended. Serve orange cream cheese with the lemon tea bread.

It is supposed to make 16 servings but I think that depends on how thick or thin you slice the bread : - ) If you go with the thin slices and you are counting points it will be 6 points per slice with the orange cream cheese. This bread is good with or without the orange cream cheese. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do.