Will Bake for Food - My Recap

I need to say again how honored I am to have been a part of last weekend's Will Bake for Food fund-raiser and food drive.  The Jennys of Purple House Dirt and Rainy Day Gal blogs did a phenomenal job of organizing things.  When all of us bloggers showed up Saturday morning they were able to get us right to our spots and give everyone jobs.  I haven't heard all of the final numbers but I did see that the cash collection was around $2500!

The room was bright and cheerfully decorated with tissue paper orbs.  Homemade cardboard signage marked off where the donations were being collected, the tickets for food were issued, and most importantly where the coffee was being served.  Before our start time of 11am there was a line out the door of people eager to make their donations of canned food or cash and get first choice of all the amazing pastry items.

Some of the other blogger/bakers

Amazing may not even be the right word to fully describe everything people made.  I was sharing my own table with Bacon Gingersnap Sandwich Cookies (yes it says bacon!) and Caramel Pecan Bars.  My good friend and owner/operator of Infamous Pastries brought Chai Snickerdoodles and Gingerbread Cakes.  There were also homemade marshmallows, mini chocolate cups filled with Nutella, mint, or peanut butter, Orange Fennel Seed Caramel Corn, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Espresso Brownies, Almond Butter Toffee, savory biscuits (more bacon here), packets of vanilla beans and star anise to take home, and so much more my brain could barely process it all!

Here was a moment that I could fully embrace the title of my blog.  Looking around the room at all of the buttery, chocolatey, gooey, and sweet baked treats I had to brace myself and think Our Lady of Second Helpings - Pray for Me!!!  I did wind up trying many of the things the other bakers brought and I really enjoyed a bite here and there but my palate was quickly overwhelmed.  We brought a lot of different goodies home and I sure hope they keep in the freezer because as much as I look forward to enjoying them all, it is going to happen only a little at a time.

Our Lady of Second Helpings'
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies and
Triple Chocolate Brownies

By the time the doors opened I was so excited to see if my healthy little treats would tempt anyone after walking around a room of 'real deal' baked goods.  At first the only attention I had was for those Bacon Gingersnap Cookies.  People literally did double takes.  After a few more minutes people actually looked at my little packets of brownies and cookies and before I knew it they were picking them up and handing me their tickets!  They also wanted to take a recipe card, my business card, and hear my story!


As I shared my story several people shared stories of their own journey with me.  First a woman told me that she had been a Weight Watchers member in the past and shed 80 pounds.  She continues to use the principles she learned to get back on track when she finds herself straying too far from her health goals.  Another of the bakers shared her story of overcoming an unhappy time in her life and choosing to put herself first. Her choices began a journey to better health and included loosing 100 pounds.  Late day a beautiful young woman was eyeing my Pumpkin cookies and perked up when I let her know they were low in Weight Watchers points.  She picked some out and told me she had lost 70 pounds.  


At the end of the day, tired as I was, my heart was overflowing.  The response to my treats was overwhelmingly positive. It was so encouraging to hear exclamations of surprise that my healthy items were "actually good!"  With all we hear in the media about the obesity epidemic this experience gave me hope.

Our Lady of Second Helpings - the blogger

My philosophy is: make foods with pleasing textures, that look familiar, fill them with flavor, and there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.  I am beginning to see the light and it is bright!






*Click here to see a list of the other bloggers who participated.  I know many have posted their own delicious recipes and recaps of last Saturday's event.


**Click here to jump to the post featuring the recipes for the Triple Chocolate Brownies and Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies!

Blogs Doing Good - Will Bake for Food Recipes

I have been looking forward to today for weeks.  I am going to join with around 50 or 60 other food bloggers from the Seattle area to put on a good old fashion bake sale.  I am really excited and totally nervous to be offering my treats alongside all of these creative and accomplished blogger bakers.  I hope my heathier cookies and brownies will look tempting next to the full fat versions.  Fingers crossed.

I am also very grateful to have a way to put back into the community.  This bake sale today is going to collect food and money to help provide hungry people with healthy food to nourish them body and soul this winter and beyond.  I find it incredibly frustrating that junk food is so cheap and available to low income families.  I sincerely hope that by participating in this event our local food programs will be able to access more healthy options for families in need.  Yes a large pizza for $5 can feed a family but a $5 pot of chili will go a lot farther and do their bodies so much more good.

In case you are in the area and need a little temptation to come out and support this event or perhaps you are further away and want to make my treats your self.  Here are the two items I will be bringing:

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies.  If you have been following me on twitter (@OurLadyof2nds) or like my facebook page (facebook.com/OurLadyofSecondHelpings) you may have seen me posting about searching for the best pumpkin oatmeal cookie recipe.  Well after a few weeks and many many cookies I think I found it.  I was looking for one that delivered on flavor, texture, and came in at 2 or less Weight Watchers Points Plus per cookie.  The recipe I put together was inspired by a few different cookies I came across online and tips from several friends who bake and eat healthily.  The edges have a nice crispness, the center is a little fluffy, and the flavors are a little sweet, a little spicy, and a little nutty.  I really like this cookie, it is a little fussier than I normally make, but the end result turned out to be well worth the extra ingredients.

My second treat is one that has become an old stand by in our house.  Triple Chocolate Mini Brownies!  I was forwarded the recipe by an online friend shortly after joining Weight Watchers.  These are the ultimate guilt free treat and taste the best if kept in the freezer and warmed in the microwave one of two at a time.  They come out warm, soft, fudgey after about 30 seconds of heating.  My one complaint about these would be their tendency to be sticky.  Something about the low fat content, I think, makes them quite moist on the outside.  Storing them in the freezer eliminates that issue and helps keeps them out of reach of impulse snacking.

I hope you try these yummy treats, they could be just the ticket to get through the coming holiday sugar fest.  Bring these to share at a party or turn down other treats knowing there is something waiting at home that you like and won't derail your efforts to be healthy.

Happy Baking!

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Pay no attention to the healthy ingredients in this recipe, these babies are all chocolate!

Ingredients

3 c. Kellogg’s Original All-Bran

2 1/2 c. water

1 box Betty Crocker Low Fat Fudge Brownie Mix

1/2 c. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

3 TB mini semi sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine bran cereal and water and let soften for 5 minutes.
3. Once the cereal has soften give it a couple stirs to turn it creamy and fold in the remaining ingredients being careful to mix well.
4. Fill regular sized muffin tins with a scant 1/4 cup of batter or approximately 1 tablespoon for mini muffins.
5. Bake for 16-20 minutes but do not over bake.

These little keep great in the freezer for a couple of months.  Take out one or two and microwave for about 20 seconds for an indulgent chocolatey treat!

Recipe yields approximately 30 regular or 50 mini brownies.

Nutrition per 1 large or 2 mini brownies: Calories: 77; Fat 2g; Carb 16.5; Fiber 3.5g; Protein 2g

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

The combination of pumpkin, cranberry, orange, and pecans makes these light little cookies a perfect autumn bite!

Ingredients

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp fresh orange zest, finely diced

1 3/4 c. old fashioned oats

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. Smart Balance 67%

1/2 c. unsalted, butter

1/2 c. nonfat, plain greek yogurt

1 large egg

1 c. canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c. chopped pecans

3/4 c. dried cranberries, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, zest, & salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and smart balance with sugars until light & fluffy. Mix in yogurt, egg, vanilla, & pumpkin.
4. Stir in dry ingredients until fully incorporated then fold in cranberries and pecans.
5. Drop scant tablespoonfuls of batter onto lined pans and bake 13-16 minutes until tops are lightly browned and edges are slightly crisp.
6. Let sit for 1 minute and then cool completely on a wire rack.  Cookies will keep for several days in an airtight container. Yield approx.: 60 cookies

Nutrition per cookie: Calories: 79; Fat 3.4g; Carb 13.5; Fiber 1g; Protein 1.3g

Our Lady of Second Helpings News and Events!

Hey everyone there are a couple of things that I would like to share with you, my readers.


First - If you haven't already, take a moment to "like" the Our Lady of Second Helpings Facebook Page.  You can link to it from here on the blog or type www.facebook.com/OurLadyofSecondHelpings into your web browser.  When you like the page you will get updates in your Facebook Newsfeed when there are new posts on the blog.  I will also be sharing recipes, photos, and twitter posts that may not appear here, on the blog itself.  When you try one of the recipes I talk about, I invite you to share your experience in words or photos on the Facebook page.  I like to think of the page as my kitchen table, a cozy place to chit-chat, share a cup of coffee, and enjoy each other's company.  Stop by anytime!

www.willbakeforfood.com

Next - I am so excited to be participating in this year's Will Bake for Food Event in Seattle.  On Saturday November 12th I will be joining many notable and accomplished Seattle food bloggers to raise money and collect non-perishable items to support, Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle and King County.  This is the second year for the event and judging by last year's turn out it is sure to be a rousing success!  The event will take place at University Heights Center, 5031 University Way NE Seattle 98105, from 11am-2pm - unless we run out earlier.


I haven't fully nailed down what my baked goodies will be but I assure you they will be both delicious and easy on the waist.  As for the other bloggers I am confident that their treats will be amazing but potentially sinful.  Please come and support this great cause and fun event.  Parking will be a little tight so plan to make walking your penance!


For more information click the cute little badge or visit www.willbakeforfood.com