I found a great way to increase the fiber in my diet- a far easier to swallow alternative to those those horrid fiber drinks! I figure I'd share for those that might find this helpful.

So what was my solution? Baking. Baking bread. Yes, I know- sounds great, but who in the world has the time nowadays?!! Problem #2 solved as well, thanks to my mother-in-law. She had given me an old breadmaker a while ago, but lost the instructions for it. For weeks I stared at the contraption trying to figure out how in the world it worked since it seemed impossible to find the instruction manual anywhere! Finally, I found a few recipes online and got a general idea of how much of what to use in my breadmaker and just dove into a few trial and errors. I can safely tell you it was worth the effort! I was shocked at how this thing worked- just dump in the ingredients and it does everything else. Takes about 5 minutes of my time and best of all there was no sink-full of bowls and baking pans to wash after!

For anyone concerned about eating healthy or increasing fiber in your diet I highly recommend you try this and make a nice whole wheat bread! Absolutely nothing beats knowing exactly what's in your food and the pride you feel because you made it. After doing a search around the net I found breadmakers typically range from $40-$100. Matter of fact, I think I'll consider getting another one...

I spent a little while trying to perfect a recipe that was as healthy as I could possibly get it without tasting like I was chewing on sawdust batter, and I finally got one together I'm pretty happy with it. Actually I think it's pretty darn tasty and I look forward to the mornings with a slice with a tad of cream cheese on it. (drool...) Anyway, here it is- enjoy!

• 1 and 1/4 cups milk

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon safflower oil or sunflower oil

• 1/2 cup ground milled flax seed

• 1/2 cup oatmeal

• 1 and 3/4 cups wheat flour

• one package of active dried yeast (.25 oz)

I just dump this all in on the wheat bread setting with a light crust on my breadmaker. After it mixes for a minutes or so I add about a tablespoon bread flour, only to help with the consistency. Then I walk away and let the breadmaker do it's magic!