Power up … on the cheap!

If you're anything like me, you sometimes find yourself needing sustenance while on the go. Hence, a problem: where to get something nutritious, yet convenient? (Tasty and economical don't hurt, either.)

A popular solution for athletes and hikers – heck, active folk of all persuasions – is the energy bar. It's often called a power bar, a name borrowed from a leading brand.

I'm not in the habit of downing this kind of processed item, but sometimes ready-made helps simplify a busy moment. For occasions where nuts and fresh fruit won't carry well or supplies run low, I find the Equate "High Protein" bar to be a reasonable choice.

(If you don’t recognize the name, Equate is Wal-Mart's house line of health and beauty products. Their Pharmacy Department is the place to look.)

A good feature of this particular bar is its protein count – 20 grams to be precise. As a post-workout snack, or for times when you are looking for something closer to a meal replacement than a light snack, it's an excellent choice.

Well, "excellent" is perhaps too strong a word. The Equate bar carries a few ingredients that are less than ideal (e.g. fructose, modified palm oil), but this holds for most of these sorts of products. It's convenient, but hey, it comes with trade-offs.

Another nice feature of this bar is that it often goes on sale at $1 apiece. Yup, $1. That's a heap less than you'll drop on name brands.

P.S. I find "Fudge Brownie" or "Chocolate Peanut Butter" flavors to be best bets.

P.P.S. I am in no way being compensated for the subject matter of this article. Really, I'm not. Just wanted to give the heads-up on a fine deal.

Location, location, location

For me, certain snacks are linked to certain places. They just go together. From force of habit, I suppose.

Count me peculiar, but as I see it, a good deal of the pleasure of any place where I spend time comes from what I tend to eat there. (Oh, the memories.)

Everybody has their favorite places for indulging. Here are mine:

Sarah's top 6 snacking spots

6) In my car

The trusty Toyota has been the site of plenty of good eating: while parked, on the fly, driver's seat, passenger's seat, you name it. To be prepared, I keep handwash in the glove compartment and a stash of trail mix (at the least) in the trunk.

5) On the sports field

I play a heap of ultimate frisbee — too much, it could be said — so staying energized is key. I stock my kit bag with protein bars, nuts and dried fruit, and will often tuck in a fresh banana, bagel or the like. Unsure what this says about my play, but I usually deem between-point bites as the highlight of any game.

4) At work

Without a mid-morning and mid-afternoon pick-me-up, I'd be dozing, face down in a file. Nothing chases away the zombie-lurking-within like a handful of almonds, preferably the kind frocked in dark chocolate.

3) While travelling

Stir-fried crocodile in Adelaide. Stewed fruit-bat in Port Vila. Weasel coffee in Hanoi. For me and Fred, food adventures are tops, and a great way to begin learning about a foreign locale.

2) In the woods

Don't get out there often enough, but when I do, I love it. With fresh air swirling and the miles rolling by, a woman can really work up an appetite. (A guilt-free appetite, at that. Bonus!) Nuts, jerky, dried fruits and veggies, hunks of fresh parmesan, and chocolate — Mmm — are all staples.

1) On my sofa

Ooh, just give me my red sofa, my blanket, a sappy movie, a coffee table laden with munchies ... and I'm home, sweet, home.

Feeling the knead

Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods on the planet. It is also the foundation of many a fine snack.

Beyond the eating, there's something thoroughly satisfying about the process of baking bread, in punching the dough, in running flour through one's fingers. I find it a great way of grounding myself, to help me connect with what is fundamental.

Unrelated factoid: I read recently in A History of the World in Six Glasses that bread is essentially beer in solid form. Perhaps that helps account for its appeal. ("Damn straight," yells Fred.)

Now, a confession: I'm hardly the bread-baking guru. When I make a batch — and that's rare — I usually resort to my breadmaking machine.

But this past weekend I felt the knead, so to speak, and went at it from scratch. My loaves turned out great.

Here's my recipe:

Multigrain bread

Ingredients:

• 1 package yeast (+ 1/4 cup water [lukewarm] + 1 tsp sugar)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 1/2 cups water (lukewarm)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 cups multigrain flour
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup 12-grain cereal
• handful of cornmeal

Directions:

1. In large bowl, dissolve teaspoon of sugar in 1/4 cup water. Stir in yeast and let stand 10 minutes. (Yeast mixture should double in size.)
2. Stir in remaining ingredients (as much as possible) with wooden spoon.
3. Knead about 5 min.
4. Form dough into ball. Place tea towel over bowl and let rise about one hour.
5. Punch down dough and reform into ball. Place tea towel over bowl and let rise another hour.
6. Punch down, tear into 4 equal pieces and shape into 4 balls. 
7. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and pour 2 small piles of cornmeal onto each sheet. Place dough ball on each cornmeal pile. Cover with tea towels and let rise about one hour.
8. Remove tea towels and bake at 350°F for approx 40 minutes. (Bread is done when tapping on bottomside of loaf produces a hollow sound.)
9. Place loaves on cooling racks.
10. Place a loaf on cutting board, slice, and paddle on the butter — or whatever suits your mood.
11. Cool thoroughly before storing. 

Tip A: Test water for correct temperature by running a little over your forearm. If you sense neither warm nor cold, the water is just right.

Tip B: For storage beyond one week, consider pre-slicing the loaves and storing in freezer bags. When you want a serving, simply open your freezer and remove a slice or two from the bag. Pop in the toaster and enjoy, slathered with your fave spread.

This time around, Fred and I devoured our bread warm from the oven, with a smear of butter and a piece of dark chocolate on the side. Amazing.

Eggsquisite

Eggsquisite

Consider the omelette. Do you think of it as breakfast? As lunch? As brunch?

My answer: all of the above. And more.

Yes, in my mind, omelettes are for anytime. Of all light meals or snacks, they are among the most perfect. I think of omelettes as snack velcro, the sort of thing that really sticks to your ribs.

Another virtue is how they are infinitely customizable. With an omelette, you can heap on as many — or as few — extras as you wish.

Eggs are a must and cheese tends to be standard, but don't settle. Mix-n-match the veggies and meats of your choice.

Here's what I tend to include:

Egg mixture

• easy on the yolks. For a one-serving omelette, I tend to use 5 egg whites and 1 yolk. 
• splashes of wine vinegar, canola oil, milk
• dashes of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, Tabasco sauce, etc.

Toppings

• strong cheeses are my preference (e.g. blue, parmesan, sharp cheddar)
• egg and cheese provide enough protein, so I skip the meats and go heavy on vegetables
• generally, I throw in whatever I have at hand. Often it's onion, garlic, green and red pepper, zucchini, tomato, spinach. But whatever. 

The How-To is easy:

• Saute vegetable toppings and remove from pan. (optional)
• Place egg mixture in a bowl. Stir. Pour into hot frying pan (non-stick works best). 
• Just before or after flipping the half-cooked egg mixture, sprinkle on the toppings. 

Quick to make and served piping hot — that's hard to beat. I'll often add a side of wholegrain toast, with nut butter and jam. (Yes, any time of the day.)

Whichever way you choose to go, an omelette is pure Mmm.

Give thanks ... for chocolate

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in the Great White North.

If you are needing a special dessert or holiday treat, look no further. My Chocolate-Orange Cake is time-tested and a breeze to bake.

No-flour Chocolate-Orange Cake

Ingredients:

• chocolate chips, dark, 4 oz
• canola oil, 1/2 cup
• sugar, 3/4 cup
• eggs, 3 large (less 1 yolk)
• cocoa powder, unsweetened, 1/2 cup
• orange essence, 1/2 tbsp

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease baking pan (round, 8-inch). Line with greased wax paper or parchment.
3. Add chocolate and canola oil to microwaveable glass dish. Nuke approx 2 min, at medium power.
4. Stir in sugar, then eggs, then cocoa powder.
5. Pour batter into pan. Bake 25 minutes (middle rack).
6. Cool 5 min. Invert onto serving plate.

Topping it off (optional):

• Dust with extra cocoa powder. Serve with fresh orange segments and/or creamy yoghurt (plain) or frozen yoghurt (vanilla).

Store in airtight container.

Variation:

Skip the orange essence. Instead of eggs, add 2 bananas, plus 1/3 cup sour cream. Bake 1 hour. Consistency will be more moist and pudding-like. But still delish.

Fruit + nuts = pretty awesome combo

A dessert-bread recipe recently came to my attention, so I tried it, post haste. T'was the fruit and nuts that initially caught my eye, along with the 'vegan' tag.

The bread was certainly easy to make. And despite the absence of eggs, it rises quite nicely.

Of course, I modified the original recipe somewhat. I used a 8x8” pan instead of a loaf pan (haven’t bought one of those since I last moved house). I chose multigrain flour. As for applesauce, I went with homemade (had plenty of old-ish apples lying around).

And how's this for a bold move? I added the apple peelings to the sauce. Heck, why not? Peels add a pleasant texture (softening during cooking and baking), as well as a dose of fibre and vitamins.

Here we go:

Fruit and walnut bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup lemon-ginger tea 
• 1/2 cup dried figs (chopped, discarding stems)
• 2 cups multi-grain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)

(Sourced from HuffPost.)

Directions

1. Make tea. Add figs and let sit while you prepare remainder of recipe.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, soda, spices and sugar.
3. Into dry ingredients, pour in (one by one, while stirring) oil, juice and applesauce. 
4. Drain figs (you can sip the remaining tea afterwards), and stir into batter. 
5. Stir in walnuts.
6. Line 8 x 8” pan with parchment paper. Scoop batter into pan. Even out batter surface.
7. Bake at 350°F for approx 50 minutes. (Trust the toothpick test: Poke toothpick into bread and remove. If it comes out dry, it’s done. If it's wet, return bread to oven for extra minutes.)
8. Place pan on cooling rack. Cool to room temperature, then remove from pan.

Nothing to do now but slice and enjoy.

Oh, leftovers may be stored in the fridge, in an air-tight container.

A love that never waffles

As you may have gathered, I kinda like waffles. Might have something to do with my obsession with the (alas, short-lived) TV series "Dead Like Me". Or it could just be the appeal of a solid flour-based goodie.

Indeed, waffles carry the aura of "treat", so I often make them on Saturday or Sunday. They're quick enough to prepare, so you can easily squeeze in brekkie before launching into an activity-filled morning. For me, at least this time of year, that means preparing my garden beds and sowing lettuce, peas, cilantro and any other veggie or herb that can hold its own against a spring frost. (Recall that my province, Newfoundland and Labrador, sits out in the North Atlantic Ocean.)

This recipe calls for spelt flour. As mentioned in an earlier post, while spelt is not gluten-free, it more easily mixes with water than does wheat flour, so spelt is a little easier to digest.

I include walnuts for taste, for omega-3 fatty acids and for protein. Protein is especially useful for maintaining consistent energy throughout the day.

Enjoy!

Chocolate-chip spelt waffles

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup plus 
• 2 Tbsp milk 
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup walnuts (chopped)

Directions

1. In medium bowl, use fork to lightly stir egg.
2. Measure spelt flour, then toss baking powder on top of flour. Stir lightly (with another fork), then add to egg.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Give 'er a stir.
4. Spritz* waffle maker with canola oil.
5. Heat waffle maker. Pour in batter. 
6. Cook for approx 5 minutes.

Serve with fresh fruit (like raspberries, one of my favorites), yoghurt, freshly-whipped cream or whatever else takes your fancy.

Leftovers may be cooled, then frozen in an airtight container. They can be readily re-heated in your toaster -- so they become crispy on the outside, with runny chocolate on the inside. Mmm ...

* Note: If your spritzer goes bust, like mine did, place a sandwich bag over your hand, pour a little canola oil on the bag, and rub the bag over the waffle-maker plates.