blame it on the applesauce.

With the new addition of the lovely stand mixer to my arsenal of kitchen appliances, I've had the strong desire to bake every.single.day since it blessed our apartment with its presence. I don't think I've baked every day, but I'm pretty sure the number of things I've made could be spread out over the last week and a half to average one item per day. When I arrived at my parents' last night for dinner, armed with my latest creation (buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake), my mom thanked me and asked a very relevant question, the kind that she's so good at asking and typically make me shrink away and feel really guilty about whatever it is we're talking about, because generally when she's asking me a question like this she knows I'm probably not on the right track. This leads to a lot of back-peddling and defending myself and basically proving her right while trying to prove her wrong. 

Not today, mom!

 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The question: "And how does this fit into your diet?" 

Firstly, it's called a lifestyle, hello!*

Secondly, I don't plan on eating everything I make! Baking is only mostly partially about eating the fun things I make. That breakfast cake, as awesome as it would be eaten straight out of the pan and in its entirety, is just as tasty eaten in a small portion for breakfast. It's even better when you share it with other people!

Thirdly, I've learned a few tricks lately that I'm pretty excited about. Sure, I could sub out real sugar for fake sugar in a recipe and save a whole lot of points, but I just can't bring myself to do it. What's the point of baking something from scratch if I'm using overly processed ingredients? The latest trick I've learned is subbing out oil for applesauce. Applesauce? Yes! It actually works really well. I tried this last week with a cake I made for dessert one night, and last night I boldly added it to a quick bread recipe and came out unscathed. The recipe called for a little sugar, so I left out the sugar knowing the applesauce would make it a little sweet anyway. (sidenote: I realize store-bought applesauce - which I used this time - is processed too, but I make homemade from time to time, so I'll probably have some handy for the next recipe. Bonus - I don't add sugar to mine! Hello 0PP addition!)

 

Now that I know I can easily deduct 10-15PP from my recipes, I'm excited to try more things! I've been taking pictures and such, so stay tuned for recipes. I just need to plug the camera into the dang computer.

*love you, mom!