Soft frosted sugar cookies…
big moist slices of dark chocolate cake…
gooey cinnamon rolls with caramelized sugar…
mmmmmmmm
Many Grandmas are known for their tempting homemade delights, recipes that pleased their children and now please their grandchildren. (Leave a comment and tell us yours!)
Unfortunately, none of these goodies are especially healthy, and grandparents are becoming increasing aware of their grandchildren’s nutritional needs.
Charlotte is a great city for finding nutritious store-bought snacks with stores like Trader Joe’s and Great Harvest Bread Company co-located on East Arbors Dr., Rea Road, or King’s Court Shopping Center. We’ll feature these stores in future articles, but now let’s talk about five easy ways to add nutrition to your favorite homemade recipes without damaging the “yum-factor”:
1. Add dry powdered milk to cookie, cake, muffin and biscuit recipes to improve the calcium and protein content. One fourth to one half cup can be added to most recipes without altering the taste. Add a little extra liquid if needed.
2. Replace one fourth to one half of the white flour in your recipe with whole-wheat flour. Some recipes like oatmeal cookies and carrot cakes are especially good at hiding the whole-wheat flavor. Start with one fourth cup and increase the amount of whole wheat flour as your grandchildren get used to the taste. They may end up liking the rich nutty flavor of whole wheat better than plain white flour.
3. If whole wheat is too strong, try whole-wheat pastry flour—it’s milled to a finer texture, still retaining some of the bran and germ. It's softer and milder than regular whole-wheat flour and only slightly heavier than white flour.
4. Even milder is white whole-wheat flour. This flour is made with “albino” wheat instead of the traditional red wheat. It’s only slightly heavier than white flour but has more nutrition.
5. Add wheat germ to your baked goods. The germ is the part of the grain highest in protein and rich in minerals, It speckles white dough but doesn't change the taste if you add one fourth cup or less.
For more on homemade goodies and grandchildren, read "Don't forget to add the love--cooking with grandchildren" and Resurrection rolls.
Leave a comment and let me know your tricks for adding nutrition to snacks and I’ll include them in a future article!
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