Attempts to be sweet and healthy...

...are futile!  Especially when there are birthdays!  I mean, who wants to eat a healthy, low-sugar, whole wheat excuse for a cake for your birthday?

NOBODY!

Okay, it wasn't my birthday.  It was my mother-in-law's birthday and I, as her first and *cough* favorite *cough* daughter-in-law had to make her a wonderful, sinfully delicious birthday cake.

This cake was not healthy.

But boy, was it good!  Totally worth the deduction of points I got for that day having indulged in one piece of this chocolate cake.  (I had already used up my two "indulgences" for the week, so I lost two points by eating one slice of this cake.)

Still... I only had ONE slice!  It was super hard not to go back for another slice, but I DID IT!

So, that counts for two extra points in my challenge, right???

Chocolate Sheet Cake (aka Texas Sheet Cake)

• 2 c flour 
• 1 c sugar
• 1 t baking soda
• dash of salt
• 1 c butter
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 c water
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c buttermilk
• 1/2 T vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13 cake pan.
2. Stir together flour, sugar, soda, & salt in a medium bowl.
3. Combine butter, cocoa powder, & water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat & add to flour mixture.  Beat with electric mixer until well-combined.
5. Add eggs, buttermilk & vanilla.  Beat batter for 1 minute.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes until a knife/toothpick comes out clean from the center.

While cake is cooking, prepare Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting as follows:

Combine 1/4 c butter, 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder, & 3 T buttermilk in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and add 2 c powdered sugar & 1/2 t vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Pour warm frosting over warm cake & spread evenly.  Cool completely before serving.

Take that, diet!

Blueberries are sweet...

It's hard to make healthy food when you are a sweets addict.

I am currently participating in a "Feel Great in 8" challenge.  I am not supposed to eat more than 2 servings of "forbidden foods" per week (including chips, fries, fatty meats, white breads, sugary cereals, and sugary desserts).

It's not easy for me.

Like I said, we usually have a special Sunday breakfast that is loaded with sweets.  Chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate muffins, cinnamon pull-aparts, bubble bread, crepes, and cinnamon rolls are common Sunday breakfast items.  So it's difficult to find a good Sunday breakfast that doesn't violate all the rules for the challenge.  I could just cook something different for the rest of my family, but where's the fun in that?  If I'm cooking something sugary, I better be able to enjoy some of it for myself, right???

So, I attempted a new recipe: Whole wheat blueberry coffee cake with honey and applesauce.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Coffee Cake

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/3 c honey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c plain yogurt (or flavored yogurt, depending on your preference)
• 1 T oil
• 1 T applesauce
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 c blueberries (fresh or frozen, raspberries would work too)
• 1 T almonds (I was out, so I used oatmeal instead)
• optional: 2 T brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease an 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt in a medium bowl.  Make a well in the center.  Add wet ingredients (honey, egg, yogurt, oil, applesauce & vanilla) and mix into dry ingredients just until combined.  
3. Spread 2/3 of the batter on the greased pan.  (Batter will be thick!)
4. Toss berries with almonds (or oatmeal) and sugar (if desired) in a small bowl.  Sprinkler over 2/3 of the batter in the pan.
5. Spread the remaining batter over the berries.
6. Bake in preheated oven 20-30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched.

If you need it a little more sugary (and aren't doing some stupid challenge that forbids sugary foods), add a glaze.  A good glaze only takes powdered sugar, a little bit of milk, and an even smaller bit of vanilla.  Stir to the consistency and pour over cooled cake before serving.  Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

Blueberry Pancakes

I have seriously been neglecting this blog, but am hoping now to post a recipe once a week!  We shall see how this goes...

I love Sunday mornings.  We always have a big breakfast with lots of sugary goodness.  Today's breakfast was extra special because I was able to include a special something that I don't often have:

My parents went to Canada last week and I begged them to bring me back some authentic, Canadian maple syrup.  My awesome parents obliged and brought me back this beautiful bottle of pure maple syrup.  In honor of this special guest, I had to make pancakes, of course!  (Yes, I know I can get this stuff here, but it just seems a little extra special to have some brought from Canada, eh?)

Homemade pancakes can be wonderful things, but quite often, they turn into flat & disgusting discs that are only edible beneath a river of good syrup.  Not wanting to waste this special syrup, I knew I had to pull out my finest pancake recipe.  I first discovered the power of yogurt in pancakes when I found the recipe in a Sesame Street cookbook.  Yes, I'm serious.  Who knew such yummy recipes could come of puppets?

Now, these pancakes are really to my taste (since I am the one cooking!), but they can be modified.  I personally love how thick and hearty these are, but if you want them thinner, use less yogurt and more buttermilk.  I love using all whole wheat flour, but have also used a combo (1 cup of each, 1 1/2 cups of white/wheat and 1/2 cup of the other).  Also, I do often make these as chocolate chip pancakes to satisfy my sweet tooth (and my kids).

Yogurt Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 T honey
• 1 T olive oil (or other oil)
• 2 cups wheat flour (or combo white/wheat)
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 cup blueberries (or other fruit/chocolate chips)

1. Preheat griddle/pan to medium and coat with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix the egg, buttermilk, yogurt, honey, and oil until well blended.  Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Pour dry ingredients into wet and stir just until combined.  Fold in blueberries.
3. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter and pour onto preheated griddle/pan.  Cook for 5-8 minutes and flip.  Cook 5 minutes on the other side (or until golden brown).  Serve with or without syrup and enjoy!