Apple Butterscotch Squares

Serves: 20 

Ingredients: 

2 large Golden Delicious apples

1 cup all-purpose flour 

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup canola oil

1/3 cup butterscotch chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat a 9 X 13-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Cut the unpeeled apples into quarters, core them, and shred on the large holes of a box grater (the yield will be about 2 cups). Set aside.

3. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, flaxseed, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, applesauce, and oil until well blended. Stir in the apples.

5. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in the butterscotch chips.

6. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan, and bake about 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and cut into 2¼ x2½-inch pieces.

Nutrition:    

120 calories, 8g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat),23 g carbohydrate,  3g protein,2 g dietary fiber, 120mg sodium.

Source: www.mealmakovermoms.com 

Food and Drugs Cause Similar Brain Responses

Beware of the Office Candy Dish!

Does your office have the DESK with the DISH? The candy dish, that is! The office candy dish is always lurking, waiting for your afternoon snack craving to strike. While these sweets may seem innocent enough, they can really damage your best intentions to lose or maintain a healthy weight. In a four-week study of 40 secretaries, researchers found that the secretaries ate 3.1 candies when they were in the office in an opaque container and 5.6 pieces when the candy was in a clear container. Seeing the candy, more than just knowing it was there, made it a lot more appealing and harder to resist.

It is easy to think of the office candy jar as "free", meaning it won't really contribute to your caloric bottom line, but when you consider that all these little "freebies" can add 200 (or more) calories to your day, they can look a little less appealing. It would take walking about two miles to burn off this seemingly small dietary indiscretion.

Bottom Line: An occasional treat is fine, and can even help you feel less deprived, but it's important to define occasional. Occasional means once a week, not once an hour. When faced with the candy dish at work, remember that it may taste pretty good, but it's really not worth it.

Source:http://online.wsj.com