Starting 2015 with a promise of loadshedding!

I have had a wonderful Christmas and ready for the New Year!  The shock is that from next week we are going to experience some serious load shedding..........we got to save electricity!!  Hopefully we can look at a few hints on how to be a power saver.   I have sung the microwave oven's praises for many years, that is one way of using less electricity.  

I seriously want to have a look at what is packed into the school lunch-box?  Children need more nutritious lunches, snacks and drinks.  Less sugars and fats so we going to look at some ideas for healthier lunch-boxes.

LOW-FAT  APPLE  MUFFINS

250ml (1 cup) flour, sifted
1 large Golden Delicious apple, peeled.
cored and grated
125ml (1/2 cup) wholewheat flour, sifted and husks replaced
45ml (3 tbs) soft brown sugar
10ml (2 tsps) baking-powder
25ml (1/2 tsp) ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
125ml (1/2 cup) skim milk
30ml (2 tbs) polyunsaturated oil
2 egg-whites, lightly beaten

1.   Combine flour and apple in a mixing bowl.
2    Add wholewheat flour, brown sugar, baking-powder, cinnamon and salt, mix well.
3.   Combine milk, oil and egg-whites, add to mixture.  Stir gently.
4.   Lightly grease a microwave muffin pan, fill with mixture three-quarters full.  Microwave on 50 percent (medium) power, three to four minutes.

Makes eight to 10

Hint:

If you don't have a muffin pan use paper cups and line the bases with absorbent paper towel.

To bake conventionally:
Three-quarters fill lightly greased muffin pans, bake at 190 degrees Celsius, 25 to 30 minutes.

Note:  The microwave oven saves electricity.