Creative & Healthy Baking Ideas

~Back to School Edition~

It’s back-to-school but in an uncertain time with the COVID-19 pandemic. Without a doubt, the world has changed along with our baking ideas. For the first time, baking has become a pastime like never before! Similarly, flour was rivaled toilet paper as one of the hardest items to find at the beginning of the pandemic. Who knew flour would become a hot commodity and baking supplies would be in high demand? 

Nevertheless, it’s comforting that in a world often too busy for cooking and baking from scratch, we are now taking time to get back to the basics! Therefore, if you are interested in jumping on this baking bandwagon (or perhaps remaining on the baking bandwagon) this blog will inspire creative and healthy baking ideas. Additionally, this blog has meal prep strategies to incorporate into back-to-school lunches for you and the kids. Remember, when items are prepared in advance, this helps to decrease stress and make healthy eating easier. 

This post was sponsored by the Egg Farmers of Ontario, as always, all opinions are genuine.

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What is Baking? 

Before we rise into this topic, let’s clarify the definition of baking. It’s not just about cakes and cookies! Baking is a form of cooking and there are many different types of foods you can bake – beyond sweet treats (which are fine to bake as well)! 

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What is Dry Heat Cooking?

• Cooking technique using hot air to conduct heat, typically at 300°F or higher. 
• Roasting and baking are both dry heat cooking methods. 
• Both methods brown the exterior of the food, adding delicious flavor (example: crispy chicken skin and crusty bread). 

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Is Baking Different Than Roasting?

	Baking	Roasting
Temperature	Lower oven temperature (up to 375°F)	Above 400°F
Fat	Added within recipe	Coated on outside – vegetables or meat brushed with oil
Covered Pan?	Sometimes covered	No, uncovered

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Isn’t Baking Unhealthy? 

I’ve heard this one before. In a world of carb-phobia and diet-culture restriction, baking (along with many other food pleasures) can be lumped into the ever-expanding “unhealthy category.” This is NOT the case. Baking is simply a method of cooking (and a delicious one at that!) 

Nothing beats warm, fresh-baked foods. The smell of fresh bread out of the oven is spectacular. Do you agree? Same with the smell of cinnamon baked muffins, oatmeal cookies, or blueberry scones! They just smell and taste so darn good. Enjoying food and savouring are paramount not sinful. 

So no knead to think of “diet deprivation,” but instead think SATISFACTION and granting yourself permission to enjoy. This is an important element of intuitive eating and actually leads to fewer binge episodes long-term. When we have permission to enjoy foods, we are (finally) able to savour and enjoy them. This leads to a better food relationship and less emotional eating than when faced with rules and restrictions. For more info on this controversial topic, see my blog, why parents should NOT restrict Halloween candy. 

Looking for back-to-school #Baking Ideas? We have you covered with #dietitian top tips! #bakinginspo #mealprep Click To Tweet

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3 Creative and Healthy Baking Ideas 

1. Batch Bake Baby!

Batch baking is an awesome way to utilize a hot oven to prepare extras. As a general healthy eating principle, ALWAYS prep extras because they will (eventually) come in handy. By preparing extras, you’re practicing ‘meal prep.’ Planning ahead makes options convenient. Therefore, batch-baking is a way to facilitate healthy eating by having wholesome foods available (in the fridge or freezer) that can be made into delicious meals.

For example, if you’re making homemade muffins or fresh bread, why not double batch? You can freeze the extras. A loaf (or two) of bread will come in handy in a month for homemade sandwiches. I love a good curry egg salad sandwich with sliced apples and parsley. Add extra veggies on the side and it’s a tasty lunch or meal option.

Doesn’t Batch-Baking Take Too Much Time?

When it comes to batch-baking, remember that you already have all the ingredients out and the oven is already hot. Therefore, it’s NOT (much) extra time to make twice as much. Try baking batches and freezing extras – freshly-baked muffins, high-fibre waffles, oat bran pancakes, a no-yeast high fibre bread, or baked oatmeal cups. 

As mentioned above, simply get into the routine of batch baking. It’s a form of meal planning and can be utilized for quick and easy meals. This means lunch boxes can be packed quicker and with exciting options. For example, if you are baking a quiche, why not make two? Freeze the leftovers into lunch-sized containers. 

Baking Ideas: How to Boost Fibre?

When it comes to baking, I recommend emphasizing nutrition – this means quality ingredients with more vitamins and minerals along with fibre. These options are heart-healthy and promote bowel regularity.  

Add the following to your favourite baking recipes:

• Ground flax seeds
• Oat bran
• High fibre cereal like Bran Buds (I love adding buds to homemade pancakes and waffles)
• Chia seeds (ground or whole)
• Whole wheat flour 
• Fresh fruits

Baking Idea: Bento Box with Muffins 

Bento boxes are Japanese-style lunch containers that are ideal for kids’ or adults’ lunches. Think of assembling all the components of a balanced meal. This includes a source of carbohydrate which is important for energy and blood sugar control, a protein to slow digestion and of course some veggies!

Making bento boxes with freezer muffins is one of my fave’s for quick and easy lunches. (Need more meal ideas? Here are two blog posts that are perfect for you: 15 Favourite Packed Lunches and Reinventing Dinners into Unique Lunches). 

Protein – Greek yogurt, lupini beans, cheese, etc.

Vegetable – Cucumber, carrots, pepper sticks, cherry tomatoes, etc.

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2. Savoury Balanced Meals

As a meal prep fan, I try my best to streamline healthy eating so that we can have healthy and wholesome items available without tons of prep. This includes prepping ingredients in advance and preparing extras that can be frozen and enjoyed later (like my portioned quiche, mini egg muffins or lunch-portions of chili). Plan to make extras of balanced meals to use in the future when too busy to cook.

The Egg Bake Casserole 

One of my favourite make-ahead, nutritionally balanced baking ideas (that can even be frozen) is this Ham, Veggie & Cheese Egg Casserole. It has diced potatoes for the carbohydrate (also fantastic source of potassium) and eggs for our protein along with 14 essential minerals such as choline for the brain and lutein for the eyes. This completely flexible recipe uses leftover veggies or pre-chopped ones in your freezer. I used tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic and onions. 

Lunch Prep Tip:

• Batch prepare this Egg Casserole and enjoy cold or re-heated leftovers for lunches. 
• Be sure to use lunch containers that are microwave safe. 
• Remember: You can freeze cooked egg for three to six months!

Why I Love Baking With Eggs

First, eggs are an awesome source of complete protein with 6 grams per egg and only 70 calories. Additionally, Ontario eggs go from the farm to the grocery store in only 4 to 7 days – delicious and always fresh! If you thought it couldn’t get much better, they are also an extremely affordable protein – about $0.25 an egg! 

Eggs serve many specific purposes in baking:

• Create structure and stability within a batter
• Add moisture and velvety texture
• Help to thicken and emulsify (stabilize) sauces and custards
• The fat in egg yolks provides an extra-rich flavour
• Provide structure to the baked products when they firm up and solidify 

Go ‘Oven Wild!’

We spoke above about batch-baking when the oven is hot. Now, we can move this a little forward by using a hot oven to cook more! For example, when your oven is already hot, why not also toss in a tray of peppers to roast? You can then store roasted peppers in the fridge (or freezer) and use them in omelettes, sandwiches, quesadillas, soups or pasta sauces. You might also choose to crank up the oven and cook extra chicken to add to buddha bowls or have ready to add to your dinners during a busy workweek. 

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3. Freeze Your Baking Ideas

This final tip refers to literally freezing leftovers as well as figuratively freezing (or remembering) your favourite baking ideas. When batch-baking and preparing nutritionally balanced meals, it is crucial to have a system to preserve these for future meals. 

As a general principle, homemade baked goods can be stored in an air-tight container for up to five days at room temperature. My preference is to move baked items to the freezer and thaw as needed. This is ideal when assembling lunches the night before (or the morning of). And importantly, a well-stocked freezer leads to more intentional eating with nutritious options that have been prepared ahead of time.  

Tips for Freezing Your Baking:

1. Place baked good in a resealable plastic bag or air-tight glass container. 
2. Clearly label with masking tape and Sharpie specifying recipe and date made.
3. Use foods up in time! Depending on the item, baked goods last in the freezer for up to four months. 

Freezer Inventory Sheet

Now that you have your freezer stocked with batch-baked goods or nutritionally balanced meals that can be used for lunches, it is crucial to have a system to utilize them. Try a Freezer Inventory to keep track of what you have. Plus, you’ll want to mark down when to use up the food by. 

Haven’t done a Freezer Inventory? Here’s a blog on how to do it which will help you along and provide you with templates to track the items you have on hand so that you can meal plan and use frozen food up for lunches or meals (click here to read more)!

What to Consider with Baking Ideas:

1. What do you enjoy? Breads, casseroles, muffins, pastry? (This will help in focusing your baking ideas.)
2. How much time do you have to spend? (This will determine recipe you choose.)
3. Do you need any special equipment – mixing bowls, stand mixer, etc.? 
4. Do you have freezer space to store leftovers?
5. Are all ingredients ready or is a grocery trip needed? 
6. Do you have extra mouths to feed or people you can gift your baking to? 
7. Sources of inspiration – blogs (like Dietetic Directions, perhaps), Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, magazines, cookbooks, etc.
8. Can you utilize a hot oven to cook other foods while you bake? This is a fun part of batch-cooking, meal prep, or meal planning. 

7 Oven Baking Ideas   

When you planning on baking, ask yourself if there’s another food you can put in the oven immediately after so that you’ll have extra foods prepped. It’s simple to kick up the temperature from baking (around 375 degrees F) to roasting (above 400 degrees F). 

Here are some meal ideas to whip up while you’re baking: 

Sheet Pan Gnocchi

Mini Egg Muffins 

Coconut Granola 

Rosemary Roasted Chickpeas 

Kale Chips

Speedy Naan Pizzas 

Classic Tuna Melt

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Bottom Line:

Numerous baking ideas and strategies can definitely help meal prepping (and meal planning) so lunches can be convenient and stress-free. Remember, baking is a great way to incorporate home cooking into your weekly routine of healthy eating. It also allows you to prepare foods in advance and freeze them for later.

Now it’s your turn! Are you on the baking bandwagon? Are you a batch-baker and/or do you prepare batches of nutritionally balanced meals? Is your freezer being utilized to store leftovers for quick and easy options?