Chocolate Cake In A Cup - Oh Yes, You Can!

Oh yes, you can make chocolate cake in a coffee cup in the microwave!  The kids were wanting something chocolately and sweet, but I was not in much of a baking mood this afternoon.  I have heard rumors that you could actually make individual chocolate cakes in the microwave, so it was off to Google I went, searching for the tasty treat.  I did happen to find one, so we tried it out today.  In place of the plain flour, I used whole wheat flour instead.  We made ours with the optional chocolate chips, because my motto is more chocolate is always better!  This was a really easy to make, and the kids said it was really yummy.  If you want some chocolate cake, but don't want to make a whole one, or don't want the temptation of a whole one sitting around (hey, it's great portion control!), this is the recipe for you.  I adapted the recipe from here, and each mug is about two servings of cake.

Microwave Chocolate Cake in A Coffee Cup

1 large coffee cup
4 tbsp whole wheat flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp chocolate chips

In coffee cup, add whole wheat flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder.  Stir until well blended.  Add egg and mix together well, then stir in the milk and oil. Stir until mixture is the consistency of cake batter.  Mix in chocolate chips.  Place coffee cup in the microwave and cook on high setting for approximately 3 minutes.  Cake may rise over the top of the cup (kind of like a muffin top).  Remove cup from microwave, let cool, then dig in!

Homemade Hamburger Helper

I haven't bought Hamburger Helper in quite a while because of how unhealthy it is. I can always find it on sale for about a dollar a box, but since trying to feed my family healthier meals, I refuse to buy the stuff anymore. I like the convenience and ease of making it, but the high sodium content, MSG, and preservatives are a no-go for our family anymore. I came across this blog post on making your own homemade Hamburger Helper with real ingredients. I thought I would pass it along for anyone else who might be interested. Here's the link: http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper/ .

Plan Ahead and Bring Your Own Snacks

We just got back from a short weekend roadtrip. One of the things that we regularly do when we know we will be out of the house for a while is to plan ahead by packing some snacks and drinks. This saves lots of money when you're on the road. Convenience store snack and drink prices are outrageous! Multiply that times 5 people, and it adds up even more quickly. Plus, by packing your own, you can make sure there are plenty of healthy snack and drink choices available. Convenience store really don't have a whole lot of that available. On one stop at a gas station this weekend, one small apple was $1.09! Holy cow! I can get a whole pound of apples for that at the grocery store!

When traveling with children, inevetitably someone is going to start saying, "I'm hungry" or "I'm thirsty". With snacks already packed and with you in the vehicle, these problems are solved immediately, and we don't have to stop anywhere and pay outrageous prices for a small snack.

We usually take a cooler along, packed with drinks and snacks that need to be kept cooler. Some ideas of quick snacks to pack are granola bars, string cheese, fruit, crackers, etc. For drinks, we usually pack some bottled water, juice boxes, etc.

Packing our own snacks and drinks on outings saves both time and money, and it keeps people's needs easily met as we travel along.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bisquick Mix Recipe

I have avoided buying Bisquick for years now because it doesn't come in whole wheat (at least not where I live), contains bleached flour, and it also contains hydrogenated oils (which is where trans-fats come from). Not exactly a healthy food product! I try to avoid these types of food products if at all possible. The downside of avoiding Bisquick is that there are lots of yummy recipes that call for Bisquick. I found an alternative, though! I can make my own Bisquick! And another added bonus is that by making my own, I will also save money over buying it at the store. I tweaked it slightly, but I got this recipe from http://www.grouprecipes.com/25102/homemade-bisquick.html .

Whole Wheat Bisquick Mix

4 Cups unbleached flour
4 Cups whole wheat flour
1/4 Cup baking powder
4 Teaspoons salt
1 Cup shortening or oil
1 1/3 Cups dry powdered milk

In large bowl, blend unbleached flour, salt, and baking powder. Add shortening (or oil) and mix until crumbly. Stir in powdered milk, and then the whole wheat flour. Store in an airtight container, refrigerate if made with the oil.

I made mine using oil instead of shortening. My reasoning for this is that shortenings are usually a hydrogenated oil, and they are REALLY bad for you! I tried this mixture out in a recipe I made for dinner, and it turned out great!

Cheap, Healthy, Convenient Waffles

I love convenience foods because they are quick and easy. What I hate about them, however, is the cost and the fact that usually they are rather unhealthy and very processed. One solution that our family has come up with is to make some of our own convenience food. I am sharing with you today a recipe that I tweaked to make it even healthier. My family loves these whole grain waffles! I usually triple the recipe and then freeze the waffles in large ziploc baggies. We have a family of 5, so tripling the recipe works well for us. If you have a larger or smaller family, adjust accordingly. We use these waffles the same way that you would use a store-bought frozen waffle. We just pop the homemade frozen waffles in the toaster ~ they come out still tasting great! They're great for breakfast, but my kids also like to eat them plain as a snack.

Whole Grain Waffles
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ground flax seed
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cup milk (more if needed to get the right batter consistency)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup oil

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, mix the liquid ingredients together. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir until well blended. Add more milk in small amounts, if needed, to obtain the right consistency. Then you are ready for the waffle iron! (Don't forget to grease your waffle iron...that always helps the waffles come out perfectly and makes less of a mess of your iron).

thethriftyhousewife