Mary's Favorite Brownies!

Mary's Favorite Brownies!
(although she doesn't know what it's like as a single batch, she has only made it quadrupled)

½ cup butter or margarine
¼ cup cocoa

2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped walnuts (Mary only uses Pecans though - cuz' they're better - and from Oklahoma)
1/8 tsp salt

In small saucepan melt butter and cocoa, stirring as it melts. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar, flour, nuts and salt. Don’t stir yet. Then pour cocoa mixture over top and stir all together Scrape batter into greased 8 x 8 – inch pan. Bake in 350 F oven for about 30 minutes until the edges begin to show signs of pulling away from the sides of the pan. Cut into 25 squares when cool. Frost for a more festive occasion.


ICING

1 1/3 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
3 tbsp. butter or margarine
5 tsp hot water

Beat all together, adding more liquid if mixture is too firm to spread easily. Spread over baked brownies. Allow to set before cutting.

One more snack

Here's another snack to give the kids in the afternoon, or when you go to the park, etc...

--Fruit Snacks--

1 package Fruit Snacks (any flavor)

Directions:
1. Tear open plastic package. This can be difficult depending on the brand, and younger children will likely need help. If you are a boy scout who carries the ten essentials, you would of course use your pocketknife. Otherwise, you could use a knife, scissors, nail clippers, a sharp rock, a key, a pen, or anything else handy.

2. Eat fruit snacks one by one. Or stuff them all in your mouth. Either way, YUMMY!

--Dustin
(1 point per package or 2 points per individual fruit snack)

Awesome Healthy Banana Muffins

This recipe is adapted by Manya from Julie Fairbanks. It's WONDERFUL!!

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt, scant
4 very ripe medium size bananas
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup pecans

Cream together shortening, sugar and salt. Add mashed bananas, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, soda and powder. Stir. Add Flours and Oatmeal. Stir. Add pecans (if wanted - but I highly recommend it). Mix and put into muffin tins.

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy thoroughly - these truly are divine.

90 MINUTE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

I got this recipe from Mary, I just tasted it and it is a REALLY good recipe, especially health wise. It doesn't taste healthy.....it just is. Anyway, give it a try!

90 MINUTE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD (dense, not fluffy)

Mix and let stand 5 minutes:
1 c. warm water
2T. dry yeast
2T. brown sugar

Mix:
1/3 c. oil
1/3 c. honey
1T. salt
3 c. fairly warm water
1 c. instant powdered milk
(or 1/2 c. non-instant, mixed with flour to avoid lumping)

Add the yeast mixture to the 2nd mixture.
Add 8 c. whole wheat flour and stir well.

Grease (and flour?) 3 - 46 oz. tall bread tins. I use regular bread pans and use 3 per batch.
Fill (a little less than 1/2 way) and smooth the top a bit.

Place tins in oven. Turn on to 350 degrees F. for 1 minute. Turn off. Let the bread rise in the oven 15 minutes.

Then turn on the oven to 350 and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Remove bread from oven and let cool in tins for 10 minutes before turning out on a rack.

Snacktime!

It's been awhile, but I'm back! I think there are enough breakfast options, so I'm moving on to snacks. As a special first post on snacks, I'm including two recipes. Hope you enjoy them!

Bananas

1. Peel banana
2. Eat!


Raisins

1. Open container containing raisins
2. Eat!

For those of you keeping track of points, last time I checked the score was tied 31-31 at halftime.

--Dustin

Oatmeal

Next up in the exciting installment of breakfast choices: Instant Oatmeal! Whether you splurge and get Quaker instant oatmeal, or go for the generic no name brands, this is a quick, healthy option. See below for the recipe.

Instant Oatmeal
-1 packet instant oatmeal
-2/3 cup water

1. Open the packet of oatmeal, and empty into a microwave safe bowl. Be careful not to spill.
2. Add the water. There is no need to stir, but you overachievers can if you desire.
3. Place bowl (with the oatmeal and water mixture inside) in the microwave.
4. Cook for approximately 45 seconds on high power. The exact settings depend on your own microwave. Some might require a bit more, some a bit less. If it is still a little watery, you cook it for more. If it is burnt and smoking, you should have cooked it for less time. Remember that in the future.
4.5. Remove from the microwave.
5. Stir, as this will get the flavoring evenly distributed.
6. Eat with a spoon and enjoy! Do be careful as sometimes it is quite hot after removing from the microwave.

Number of points: 6.43

--Dustin

Roasted Thighs 'n' Peppers

8 chicken thigh (abut 1 1/2 lbs.)

4-6 garlic cloves, halved

3-4 new potatoes, quartered

1 red pepper, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2" strips

1 green pepper, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2" strips

1 onion, cut into wedges

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a 9 X 13" baking dish, lightly coated with cooking spray, toss all ingredients with oil and spread in a single layer.  Roast, uncovered, until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 30 minutes.  Turn chicken and vegetables and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center, 15-20 minutes longer.  Arrange on a heated platter and serve immediately.