Friday, February 18, 2011

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

The first time I attempted to make homemade pita bread was a failure.  They tasted great, but there was no pocket in the middle.  I wanted to try again, but was a little gun-shy.  Finally, I decided to try again.

These turned out great!  I don't remember exactly what I did the first time, but I think I had the oven hotter for this second attempt.  Plus, I kept them warm like I do with homemade tortillas, with a warm, damp towel.

Now that I have mastered the technique, I'm going to experiment with different flavors. First up, rosemary & garlic!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread (for the bread machine)

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup gluten*
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Add ingredients to your bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.  Set on Dough setting.

After the dough has finished, use floured hands to punch dough down and turn out onto floured surface. Lightly dust with flour. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls.  Flatten each dough ball and roll into a 6 or 7 inch round. Lay the rounds on a floured surface and cover with a towel.  Allow to rest for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lay a metal cookie cooling rack over the oven rack; you will bake the pitas on the rack.

Bake two pitas at a time for 4-5 minutes.  You don't not want to overbake, as they will get brittle. Remove from oven, cover with a warm, damp towel so they will soften & stay warm while you are baking the others.

Cut pita rounds in half and open the inside pocket.  Fill with whatever sandwich fixin's you have!

* If you don't gluten, you can use whole wheat pastry flour or a combination of half whole wheat/half all purpose flour.  Gluten helps to soften the whole wheat texture and the result is a less dense bread.



Don't forget to visit my main blog, Not a DIY Life, to follow my journey of healthy living!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Cabbage Sloppy Joes

This has become a family favorite.  We served it open-face style with a slice of cheddar cheese and a dill pickle. 


Cabbage Sloppy Joes
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3 T brown sugar
2 T lemon juice
1 T vinegar
1 T mustard
1 t salt

Brown ground beef in large skillet with onion, green pepper, and cabbage. When thoroughly browned, added remaining ingredients. Simmer on medium low for 10 minutes.

Number of Servings: 6
Nutritional Info:
Calories 266; Fat 16 grams; Total Carbs 19 gram; Fiber 2 grams; Protein 15 grams
Exchanges: 1 Starch, 2 Medium-Fat Meat, 1 Vegetable

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Menu Plan 2/13

I didn't realize what a crazy week this is going to be until I sat down to menu plan ...


Sunday - going to a friend's for dinner

Monday - Savory Slow Cooker Chicken, barley, side salad

Tuesday - Three-Grain Flapjacks topped with cooked apples, sausage

Wednesday - dinner at church/small group, I'm taking Hot Fruit Salad & Crockpot Granola to share as dessert

Thursday - grilled chicken salads

Friday - I'm running an evening 5k, so I'll have a green smoothie as my pre-race meal.  Family will be eating with the in-laws.

Saturday - pork & veggie stir fry, whole grain rice

Savory Slow Cooker Chicken

from the Fix-It and Forget-It Diabetic Cookbook

2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces, skinned
1 lb. fresh tomatoes, chopped or 15-oz. can stewed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. white wine
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. Combine all ingredients except broccoli in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.
3. Add broccoli 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-5 quart

Per serving:
Calories - 230, Total Fat - 7g; Sodium - 427mg, Carbs - 3g, Sugars - 7g, Protein - 30g

Exchange list values: Vegetable 2, Meat, lean, 3

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Menu Plan 1/16

Lots of extra activities this week!

Sunday - dinner at the in-laws

Monday - open-face hamburgers, steamed veggies

Tuesday - Brinner!

Wednesday - dinner at church/small group

Thursday - pasta & veggies for the girl-child, Hubby & I will eat at a wedding rehearsal dinner

Friday - wedding & wedding reception food

Saturday - veggie lasagna, salad

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Menu Plan 1/9

Sunday - FIFI (Find It, Fix It)

Monday - chicken and veggie stir fry, brown rice

Tuesday - pasta, steamed veggies

Wednesday - dinner at church/small group

Thursday - Brinner! (Why is breakfast for dinner so exciting?)

Friday - soup and salad

Saturday - baked chicken, quinoa pilaf, steamed veggies

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Menu Plan 1/2

The holidays are over, time to get back to "normal!"

Sunday - turkey/barley soup, assorted leftovers

Monday - Thanksgiving in a Crockpot, collards

Tuesday -salad, FIFI (Find It, Fix It)

Wednesday - Brinner (breakfast for dinner)

Thursday - grilled cheese sandwiches, veggies

Friday - church staff party

Saturday - veggie stir fry with brown rice