Childbirth Preparation Class Recipes

For the past 6 weeks, I have been volunteering at a local childbirth class to get involved in working with expecting couples and midwifery. My main job is to bring a healthy snack for class participants to enjoy during the class. I've been enjoying this responsibility because it allows me to get my baking urge out of my system, but Steve and I don't have to eat all of my (perhaps) not-so-healthy baked goods. I'm going to post most of these recipes, though I forgot to take pictures while baking. I apologize, but this is going to be a monster post. :)

Week 2
Carrot Bread
I got a lot of compliments on this bread. A day after it has been baked, the flavors are more defined.

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 oil
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
pinch salt
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease loaf pan. In large bowl, beat sugars and oil. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl while stirring continuously. Beat eggs, gradually add to batter until combined. Mix in carrots, pecans, and vanilla. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 60 minutes until done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out on rack to cool completely.

Week 3
Yogurt Fruit Dip
Or, as one of the women at the class called it, "Ambrosia, food of the gods."

1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients. Beat until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Makes 2 cups of dip. For dipping, I supplied oranges, apples, and grapes.

Week 4
Apple Butter and Baguettes
This was a big hit, which I appreciated, since I spent an hour and a half stirring it while talking on the phone to my mom. It turned out to be worth it. The baguette recipe is also on this blog, so I won't put it up twice.

4 lbs. of good cooking apples (Granny Smith, Gravenstein, etc.)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
about 4 cups sugar (see instructions)
salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Juice of one lemon

Cut apples into quarters without peeling or coring (much of the pectin is in the core and flavor in the peels), cut out damaged parts. Put into large pot, add water and vinegar. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Ladle apple mixture into chinois sieve, food mill, or potato ricer, forcing the pulp into a bowl below. Measure resulting puree; add half cup sugar for each cup resulting pulp. Stir to dissolve sugar, add dash of salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and lemon juice. Cook uncovered in large, thick-bottomed pot on medium-low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Cook til thick and smooth when spooned out onto a cold plate and allowed to cool (about 1-2 hours). Makes about 3 pints.

Week 5
Orange-Spice Granola Bars
I think these were a class favorite -- people requested the recipe and one woman said she may have them as a snack while she's in labor. That seems like an endorsement to me. First you make the Crunchy Granola, then you use the Crunchy Granola to make the granola bars.

Crunchy Granola (from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman)

6 cups rolled oats

2 cups mixed nuts and seeds (i.e. sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash salt

½ to 1 cup honey

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Put a 9 x 13-inch roasting pan over medium-low heat (over two burners if convenient). Add the oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to change color and become fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Add the nuts and seeds and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the coconut and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add the cinnamon, salt, and sweetener, stir, and put in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. Cool on a rack, continuing to stir once in a while until the granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container.

Orange-Spice Granola Bars (also from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman)

¾ cup honey

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup oil

3 cups Crunchy Granola (see above recipe)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 tablespoon chopped orange zest

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon cloves

Put the honey, brown sugar, oil, orange zest, and spices in a small pot and bring to a boil. Put the granola in a large bowl and pour the sugar mixture over the top while mixing; stir until granola is well coated. Add chocolate chips and mix well. Press into an 8- or 9-inch square pan and let cool in the fridge. Cut into squares or rectangles and serve. Yields a dozen bars.

Week 6
Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
The glaze is the best part!

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 oil
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1/2 powdered sugar
2 teaspoons skim milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pan. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. In small bowl, combine egg, oil, and milk. Pour liquid ingredients into dry. Mix until just moistened. Fold in cinnamon and raisins. Pour batter into muffin cups and bake 20 minutes. Mix powdered sugar and milk. Let glaze thicken. Drizzle over muffins when cooled.

Homemade Apple Pie

It's cliche, I know, but sometimes you just get a craving for a childhood favorite, like my Grandma's homemade apple pie. It's a fairly simple recipe, though it does involve some manual labor in peeling and slicing apples (the thinner the slices, the better it is!). But, it's well worth it when you taste how much better it is than store bought pie.



Ingredients:

-5-6 tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
-lemon juice (optional)
-1 deep dish pie crust
-1 cup sugar (divided)
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-3/4 cup flour
-1/3 cup butter

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Make a simple pie crust or take out your store-bought one from the freezer :)

Peel, core, and slice apples thinly. (Since this takes a while, I sprinkle a little lemon juice over the sliced apples so they don't oxidize and turn brown as quickly.) Arrange apples inside pie crust. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over apples.

In a separate bowl, make the topping. Stir together the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the flour and cut in the butter. (Make sure the butter is cold, or this will be difficult.) Sprinkle the topping on the pie. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream-- yum!

Note-- this pie will be heaping with apples, even in a deep dish pie plate. They will cook down some, but you might want to put a sheet pan or foil under your pie plate in the oven to catch any juice that spills over.