Banana Apple Sultanas bread – quick in the bread machine

Im sooooooo sorry I havent been here in so long. I’ve just been so busy at work, plus I am doing a diet (A serious one this time) and so is Ben so cooking has been a little bit out of the loop.

Anyways, Ben likes to go cycling, and he does…pretty much every tuesday and thursday he wakes up at 5:30 and goes out for hour and half or more.
So usually they go to a cafe place and have banana bread, but since we started a diet I’ve been making him some, a much lighter version.
This version is 4 PROPOINTS (New Weight watchers system) per slice and here is the recipe:

You will need
2 cups of flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp apple sauce – no sugar
30g sultanas
1 banana large
1 apple or pear in small pieces, no skin

Method:
put everything in the bread maker and turn it on and let it stir for 5 minutes. you will get a sticky mixture. you dont really need more than 5 minutes.

Get a spatula and fix the top.

Choose the baking option from your machine and let it bake for around 1 hour (You will need to check if its cooked or need another 10 minutes in the end) and Ta dahhhh

If you slice it in 15 portions, 4 points each

BON APPETITE.

Multi Grain Bread Machine recipe – My best so far

Hiiii

Happy new year!!!
If you have a bread machine you know that sometimes the bread doesnt get fluffy as the one you buy in the supermarket right? At least mine doesnt. And then, gets a little bit crumbly…and Ben, my beloved hubby, complains.

I think I finally found the secret of making a perfect bread in the bread machine…kneading a little bit while the machine is doing its job. Sounds weird?
Well, its not even close to the work of really kneading a bread from scratch. I just opened the machine and used my fingers to break in the air a little bit (I think that’s what happens when you need). To be honest I didn’t even got my nails dirty.

Anyway: here is what I did (For a large Loaf, almost 2lb – 850 g)
1 1/8 cups warm water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon margerine
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
4 tablespoons flax seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 1/2 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Method: Put everything in the machine but the seeds. add them in the final kneading cycle. But before that, when the dough is already formed…use your fingers and knead it a little bit.

Here is the result:

Oh, have I mentioned I have an alarm clock in the kitchen? I love cook listening to music, and I use the clock itself to control my times. heheheheheh

DIY Health Check

Here are 5 simple health checks that you can do it at home and could actually alert to more serious things:


You will need:
 – A PAIR OF TWEEZERS – increased facial hair could mean one of the symptoms of PCOS  (Polycystic ovary syndrome). Apart from increased body hair, specifically around the chin, stomach and nipples, other symptoms could be disordered periods, weight gain and acne. 
 – NAIL CLIPPERS The way your nails look sometimes can reflect health issues. If your nails are pale, it may indicate an iron deficiency. Flanky and brittle nails can sometimes indicate that your thyroid is imbalanced and yellowfish nails can mean either a fungal infection or poor circulation. 
 – A MIRROR  Stick your tongue out and say: AAAHHHH. a healthy tongue should look pink, smooth and fairly moist. However, the tongue could become swollen, discouloured, white, painful…those are symptoms of stress, too much alcohol. vitamin deficiencies or even more serious illness.
 – A HAIRBRUSH – Hair loss in women is quite common, particularly during pregnancy or stress. however, hair loss can also indicate thyroid problems, iron deficiency and diabetes, and also, vitamin D deficiency. 
 – DENTAL FLOSS – A recent study has shown links between serious gum disease and risk of cardiovascular disease, so if you have bleeding gums, or mouth ulcers…see your doctor. 










(From Coles Beauty & Health magazine)