It’s that time of year again where all the goodies and deserts are being made for the holidays. I try to pick things that are a bit healthier or can be made healthier with comparable substitutes. There are great pies, cookies, and breads. Breads are my favorite. Whole wheat as an ingredient reduces carbs and provides a good dose of fiber for your diet.

Below you will find a scrumptious holiday recipe for Whole Wheat Nutty Pumpkin Bread.

1 cup of whole wheat flower
1 cup of sweetener (sugar, honey, turbinado sugar, splenda)
2/3 cup all-purpose flower
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
½ cup egg substitute or egg whites (3 whole eggs)
1/3 cup of water
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup chopped walnuts

You can substitute raisins for the walnuts. If you are not counting calories and would like to splurge, then try substituting chocolate chips for the walnuts.

Directions:

Combine the first eight ingredients in a bowl. In a second bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, water, and oil. Mix these well. Next, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until moist and then gently fold in walnuts. Coat a 9 x 5 x 3 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray or oil and pour in mixture. Bake for 60-65 minutes at 350 degrees or until center comes out clean after inserting a toothpick. Make sure you cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from baking pan.

Yield: 12 slices (1 loaf)

One slice equals:
208 calories
8 g fat
4 g sat fat
49 mg of cholesterol
224 mg sodium
41 g carb
3 g fiber
5 g protein