JennyCanCook

I love all desserts made with apples so I try to make them as healthy as I can and still be delicious. I did it with this easy homemade apple crisp. It’s made with 100% whole grains, no butter, and not too much sugar.  You can use butter if you like but you’ll be using a lot less butter than most other recipes.

There’s not much cleanup here either – basically just one bowl and a cutting board. I combine the apples in a plastic bag and you don’t even need a mixer. I use granny smith apples, which are always available, but make sure you slice them thinly so they cook up nice and soft.

Considering the ingredients (rolled oats, whole wheat pastry flour, lots of apples) I thought, “Why can’t I have this for breakfast?” If you can have oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, well that’s what’s in my apple crisp. I even put it in the breakfast category because compared to some breakfasts, like a bagel with cream cheese (no fiber/no fruit), this is a healthier choice. And more fun. Sometimes my breakfast is a hard boiled egg, toast, and apple crisp for dessert. Yum!

Oh, and you can add nuts to the topping if you like (more protein if it’s breakfast!). Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

The short answer is yes. Warm liquids, such as soup or tea do help relieve cold symptoms but chicken soup is a better choice. Here’s why:

1. A compound found in chicken soup (carnosine) helps the body’s immune system to fight the early stages of a cold or flu.
2. Soup contains anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce a cold’s miserable side effects.
3. The soup’s salt, steam and heat can also help thin mucus, making it easier to expel. The steam also soothes irritated passageways in your nose and throat.
4. Soups are also hydrating, which is particularly important when fighting off an infection. Staying hydrated is key to recovery and salty, chicken soup is packed with electrolytes that may help retain even more fluids than water or commercial electrolyte drinks.
5. Warm soup or other liquids can help open up sinuses, relieving congestion and shortening the time the virus is in contact with the lining of your nose. The faster you can move the mucus through you nose, the better.

Make chicken-noodle or chicken-rice soup or just sip it as a healing broth. If you would like my recipe for healthy, homemade chicken soup click here. – Jenny Jones

 I’m so excited to share this new recipe. It’s very similar to my hugely popular simple whole wheat bread recipe. I’ve been curious about baking with sprouted wheat flour and finally decided to give it a try. What a wonderful surprise!

This loaf is soft and delicious with a great texture, and definitely softer than the regular whole wheat version. The dough is a little softer too so I was afraid it might not turn out, but I love it not just for the great taste and texture but because I researched the benefits of sprouted whole wheat flour compared to whole wheat flour. Sprouted whole wheat flour has…

• More fiber
• More protein
• Less gluten
• More vitamins than regular whole wheat flour, like B, C & carotene
• More minerals than regular whole wheat flour, like calcium, iron, magnesium & zinc
• Enzymes that make it easier to digest
• More flavor because the grains are sprouted

WHAT IS SPROUTED WHEAT FLOUR? Wheat grains are allowed to sprout before milling, producing a living, nutrient-rich food because vitamins & minerals develop that enhance nutrition and digestibility. The major benefit is that those nutrients are in a state that can be more readily absorbed. (I find sprouted wheat flour at Whole Foods and it’s also available online. Once opened, be sure to keep it refrigerated.)

If you like my simple whole wheat bread, this sprouted wheat loaf is just as easy to make. I’m so glad I decided to experiment with sprouted wheat flour. This loaf is softer than the similar whole wheat loaf so if it’s too flimsy for you, try making it with half whole wheat flour and half sprouted whole wheat flour. It will have more body and a really great taste. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

Everybody loves getting my homemade caramel corn for Christmas but this batch is for me. Why shouldn’t I give myself a Christmas present? It’s not like I would eat it all in one day! I could. But I won’t. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. ?

I hope all of your baking turned out and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. – Jenny Jones

Most people know that my favorite place to be is in the kitchen and to show you how much I enjoy “playing” there, I thought I would share what I cooked all this month. On the days I didn’t cook, we usually had leftovers as I prefer to eat at home than go to a restaurant. I hope my joy of cooking and baking will spark a similar passion in others to cook more at home.  And now, here’s what I cooked this month…

Oct. 31 – Tortillas, salad, baked ziti, tapioca pudding with chocolate swirl. (photo below)

Oct. 30 – Asian salad, vegetable chicken soup

Oct. 29 – Granola, Greek salad, salmon patties, Greek spinach rice, dark chocolate almond clusters

Oct. 28 – No knead whole wheat bread, chicken noodle soup, my butter mix

Oct. 27 – Tuna salad, chicken stock, two bean turkey chili (photo below), whole wheat blondies

Oct. 26 – Granola bars, sesame seed breadsticks

Oct. 25 – Deviled eggs, tortillas, vegetable soup, pork fried rice

Oct. 24 – Pork loin with roasted vegetables

Oct. 22 – Multi grain no knead bread, Caesar salad, fast rice & beans, tapioca pudding

Oct. 21 – Eggs & hash browns, no knead raisin walnut bread

Oct. 20 – Granola, salad, pesto pasta with chicken

Oct. 19 – Egg salad, marinated beets, stuffed grape leaves (photo below)

Oct. 18 – Tortillas, chicken noodle soup, chocolate loaf cake

Oct. 16 – Beet & cabbage borscht, salad, skinless chicken drumsticks

Oct. 14 – Chocolate loaf cake (photo below), vegetable-bean soup

Oct. 13 – Wound healing soup, faster whole wheat no knead bread, biscotti (for a gift)

Oct. 12 – Granola bars, deviled eggs

Oct. 11 – Chicken and mushrooms with steamed broccollini

Oct. 10 – Granola, vegetable-bean soup

Oct. 9 – Chewy chocolate clusters, tuna salad

Oct. 8 – Deviled eggs, caesar salad, leftover turkey chili

Oct. 6 – Multi grain no knead bread (photo below) It’s one I make the most.

Oct. 5 – Whole wheat french toast, chicken soup, spicy cabbage salad, turkey chili, double chocolate biscotti

Oct. 4 – Hard boiled eggs, granola bars (photo below), tomato salad, cabbage soup, tortillas, leftover baked ziti

Oct. 3 – Simple whole wheat bread (photo below), whole wheat french toast, croutons, salad, leftover chicken pot pie, crispy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Oct. 2 – No knead bread, salad, baked ziti, chocolate loaf cake

Oct. 1 – Sesame seed breadsticks, salad, chicken pot pie, dark chocolate fudge brownies.

Easy desserts are my favorite thing and when they’re fast, it’s even better. My blondies, made from scratch,  are ready in 30 minutes. Most other recipes use a stick of butter and sometimes two but I only use 3 tablespoons of butter and they are delicious. Of course, the darker the chocolate chips the better for your health so I buy the darkest I can find but I have also made these blondie bars with a 70% chocolate bar. I just chop some of it up into pieces and they become my chocolate chunks.

My favorite nuts for blondies is pecans but you really must toast them first. Of all the nuts used in baking, pecans are the most fragrant after they are toasted. You can see my video on how to toast nuts under the Videos section. I always try to make my desserts as healthy as possible and this one works well with half whole wheat pastry flour and half all purpose flour. I wasn’t sure what to call them. The long name would be “Quick & Easy One Bowl Chocolate Chunk Toasted Pecan Blondies.” Too much? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

I made bran muffins today and was going to have one for breakfast. I had two. I’ve never been able to eat just one even thought they have a lot of fiber. There’s something so tasty about the combination of molasses, cinnamon, and vanilla, especially with a glass of cold milk. There are a lot of reasons to eat fiber. It can reduce blood pressure and inflammation, as well as the risk of type 2 diabetes. Fiber protects your heart, prevents constipation, and it keeps you feeling full so it helps with weight loss too.

But the best reason to eat these muffins is they are really delicious and easy to make. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

My mother used to slice up leftover potato pancakes and scramble them with eggs for breakfast. It’s still one of my favorite things to eat so I made it today. I had made the potato pancakes (placki in Polish) on Monday and had plenty left over so I treated myself to this delicious breakfast. I have actually made the pancakes just to use for this breakfast – that’s how much I love this dish.

So here’s my recipe:

1. Make potato pancakes.

2. Slice them into strips and place in a non-stick pan.

3. Start heating up the pan and while it heats up, beat the eggs with a little milk, salt & pepper.

4. When the pancake strips are not hot, add the egg mixture and cook until set.

Have a happy day. 🙂 – Jenny Jones

In response to the many people who either do not have a Dutch oven or find it difficult to lift such a heavy pot, I decided to try making my no knead bread on a baking pan. Well guess what? It works. It makes a great loaf that’s soft inside with a beautiful golden crust. It’s not quite as crispy of a crust as the Dutch oven method but it’s close. It’s important to find a way to create steam in the oven because steam is what makes a crispy crust. But even without steam, it still bakes up nicely but with a softer crust.

For my ciabatta bread, which needs steam, I used a disposable foil 6-cup muffin pan, which you can place beside or just below the bread.

But I also found a small 9 by 5-inch baking pan for $3.50 and a restaurant supply store and it works well too. It’s what I used for this loaf.

It’s important to add the hot water right when you put in the bread and close the oven door right away. The steam is most effective right at the beginning. I use a metal measuring cup with a handle to pour the hot water. I hope my photos are helpful and that now, anyone without a Dutch oven can make this super easy, delicious, artisan bread. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

This easy casserole just might become your new family favorite. I’ve been making it for years and everyone loves it. And I love it for two reasons. One: it’s delicious. Two: it’s easy to make. It takes just a few simple ingredients and less than an hour for some good homemade comfort food. By using lean ground beef and reduced fat cheese, I never feel stuffed after my second and third helping.

Much of the flavor comes from the sauce and you can use a homemade marinara but I use store-bought sauce. Two that I like, but can’t always find, are Silver Palate Low Sodium Marinara but this time I couldn’t find it so I used Terlato Kitchen Pomodoro, also lower in sodium and it was fantastic. Not all jarred sauces are the same so I encourage everyone to read the label for the least number of ingredients as well as sodium. Even with a low sodium sauce, this recipe doesn’t even need salt or pepper.

And don’t be tempted to use more pasta. It will seem like it’s not enough when you put it together but it’s just the right amount for this easy family casserole. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones