Whole Wheat Beer Bread

But first, yoga and dinner...


After a number of you suggested yoga to help with my sore muscles, I decided to give it a whirl. I will admit that I have never been a huge yoga person and usually feel awkward when I am doing it.


I decided on the Sunset Yoga with Sara Ivanhoe through Exercise TV because it was described as, "...a calming sequence designed to wind the body down after a hard day."


She moved pretty slow and was very descriptive with each move, which was perfect for me since I am a beginner in every sense of the word. It was tough and I modified some moves since I am not very flexible, but it did feel great to stretch out.

Afterwards, I whipped up an orange & green dinner.
Let's Dish Garlic/Herb Salmon. Roasted Asparagus. Parsnip/Carrot Mash.


Asparagus: drizzled with a teensy bit of olive oil, sea salt, lots of pepper. Roasted at 425 for 10-15 mins. Topped w/ juice from 1/2 fresh lemon.


Parsnip/Carrot Mash: Peel and coarsely chop parsnips (2) and carrots (4). Steam until soft. Mash with spoonful of greek yogurt. Season to taste w/ sea salt, pepper, parsley. This was a spur of a moment creation and surprisingly - I think it worked.


Whole Wheat Beer Bread


I have been looking for a simple bread recipe and think I finally found it. I made a few slight tweaks to a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. (Original recipe can be found HERE)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can of Bud Light
• 3 tablespoons light butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan w/ non-stick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar.

Pour in beer (take a sip if you are thirsty) and stir until a stiff batter is formed. Scrape dough into prepared loaf pan. Melt butter and pour over dough.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

The top of the bread has a slight crunch, but the inside is dense and moist. The prep time for this bread took maybe 10 mins. Very easy!I plan to serve this bread with White Chicken Chili that is simmering in my crock pot as I type this. I have had a handwritten recipe for this chili since last fall. We had it at a party and I couldn't get enough, so I asked for the recipe.

The bread and chili are being delivered to my grandparents tonight after work. I know they wont mind I tested out the bread to make sure it was edible. I didn't mention it before, but Sunday afternoon, my grandmom fell and dislocated her shoulder pretty badly. After a loooong time spent in the ER (we got her home after midnight), she is resting comfortably, but will be recovering for awhile.

Will be sure to share the chili recipe with pictures later on!