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!

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Food...and lots of it.

This post is going to be all about food because I have a million pictures to show you. I have been pretty busy lately, so as a result, my blog posts have become more sporadic. I have eaten some delicious things, so lets try to catch up!

Last Saturday, myself and a few other bridesmaids threw our friend, Erica, a bridal shower. I think it turned out delicious. :)

Favors for each guest - a bottle of red wine with a customized label.

Cheese/Crackers/Apples

Baked Brie wrapped in crescent dough w/ Pecans and Brown Sugar

Shrimp Wontons

Fresh Fruit

Fresh veggies and dill dip

Chicken Salad (Served in lettuce wraps and sprinkled with cashews)

Bongo Bongo Dip (This was a staple at one of the restaurants in our college town, basically a cheesy spinach dip)

Cookies (Chocolate chip and Oatmeal-Almond Butter)

The Cake!

There were people at the shower too. The bride-to-be is front and center.

Saturday night, Kevin and I took his sister out to dinner at Canton Dockside restaurant. I have had steamed crabs here a few times - and they are OUTSTANDING - but tonight we stuck with the regular dinner menu.

House Salad w/ Apple Cider Vinaigrette. This salad dressing was incredible - light, but full of flavor.

I ordered Rockfish in a beurre blanc sauce w/ a side of green beans for my main meal. The fish was fresh and cooked perfectly, but the sauce was just OK.

After dinner, we headed over to Harbor East to catch a movie - Gran Torino. We were early, so we stopped by James Joyce Irish Pub and I got a Irish Coffee. Warmed me right up.

Sunday, I made a quick and simple Butternut Squash soup using my Vitamix!

• 1.5 T light butter
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled & chopped
• half butternut squash, peeled & chopped
• chicken stock
• salt, black pepper, red pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pot and mix in all vegetables. Saute over medium-high heat for 5-10 mins. Pour chicken stock in same pot until it covers all vegetables. Add seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer until all vegetables are soft - about 15 mins.

Transfer contents of pot to Vitamix blender (I am sure another blender or food processor would work) and mix on HIGH for 1-2 mins.Check out that color and consistency! super creamy.

I served the soup with sauteed broccoli, baked tofu, and a slice of whole wheat toast w/ smart balance.

Monday, we had a "major" snow storm in Maryland, so I decided to stay home from work. I made a great bowl of oatmeal. (oats, raspberries, walnuts, bananas, spoonful of barney butter)

Had a sandwich for lunch. Sliced granny smith apples, white cheddar cheese, smart balance, and a drizzle of honey on toasted wheat bread.

Played with Oscar in the snow. He loves it.

Made a nice dinner. Salmon w/ herb and garlic butter from Let's Dish, green beans, and Near East Mediterranean Curry Flavor couscous.

Whew! Are you hungry from checking out all those eats? I know I am.

I promise I have been keeping up with my workouts, but more on that later because this post is long enough. Have a great day!

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Dishing

First of all, thank you to everyone who has commented on my Hunger Takes No Holiday post - and for everyone who has helped me spread the word! Please keep it up and comment if you haven't already. :)

Workouts

Last night, I intended to take the 6pm spin class, but when I arrived at 5:55pm - all 40 of the bikes were taken!

I was lucky enough to score an Arc Trainer, which I did for 45 mins. Then I did 2000m on the rowing machine which was probably around 10 mins. I figure that I have to start doing some rowing to prepare for the Adventure Race in April. Rowing is tough and makes my back ache.

Food

I mentioned in a previous post that my mom, sister and I went to Let's Dish last Friday. I am not sure if everyone has a Let's Dish around them, so to give you a little background...

• There are different stations set up with the ingredients you need to prep meals on the monthly menu.
• Everything you need is set out for you with directions on how to do each step and what equipment to use.
• The menu changes each month and it is such a fun thing to do with others.
• You take home your meals and freeze them to cook at a later time. (bring a cooler with you)
• The meals are portioned for a family of 6, but you can split the meals if there are only two of you.
• They bake fresh scones and encourage you to bring your own wine to have during breaks.

I use these meals as a supplement to the things I cook myself. I haven't been in awhile - not sure if I have been since I've had this blog actually. They work well for nights when I have no desire to cook or don't have much time.

Funny Story - the first time we ever did it - I thought they were providing FREE wine for everyone and just went up to help myself. This one lady started asking me about my "multiples" and I had no idea what she was talking about. I think I just "smiled and laughed" - the normal response when you have no clue what someone is talking about. I guess a group, "Mothers of Multiples", was there "dishing" and had brought wine for their group. oopsie. ;)

Last night, I made one of the Let's Dish meals - Mandarin Breeze Shrimp with Jasmine Rice.

Tender shrimp marinate with huge chunks of green pepper, onion, whole button mushrooms and mandarin oranges in a delectable sauce that includes a touch of sesame, garlic and hoisin. Sautéed until sizzling, then served on fragrant Jasmine rice.

It was delicious because the mandarin oranges broke apart and became part of the sauce. It was even better leftover today for lunch when all the flavors had more time to hang out.

Nutrition Facts, Servings: 6

*They said sugar content wasn't available, so that makes me think it might be bad. call me a pessimist.

A picture of what is becoming my standard dinner drink. Equal parts of Mango Nectar and Sparkling Water. More mango than sparkle going on last night though.
The following is becoming Kevin's standard drink - Skim Milk and Peanut Butter Puffins. ;)

Breakfast this morning (Tuesday) was a throwback to an old favorite before I got hooked on oatmeal. I am all out of oatmeal. (gasp)

Grilled corn tortillas topped w/ 2% shredded cheddar, scrambled eggs (liquid egg whites and 1 egg), and chipotle hot sauce. A tiny bit of turkey bacon in the background that needed to be used up.

Question for Ya

What is your go-to simple and easy dinner?

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