Breakfast Pumpkin Bread

I came up with this pumpkin bread recipe so that I could eat it in the morning and not feel guilty for eating dessert so early! It has wheat flour, wheat germ, flax seed, applesauce, pumpkin... So it's very good for you. And it has just the right amount of healthy sweetness to make it perfect for breakfast.  Great toasted with a little butter or yogurt spread!  And only 123 calories a slice!  So really, great anytime of day, or night.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup fat free milk
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites
• 1 TBS flaxseed meal mixed with 3 TBS water, allow to sit 2 minutes
• 1 15 oz can pure pumpkin
• cooking spray
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 2 loaf pans or 2 muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine first 11 dry ingredients (flour through ginger) in a large bowl and mix well.

In another bowl whisk together the rest of the ingredients (brown sugar through pumpkin) until smooth.  

Make a well in the center of dry mix and add wet mix to dry mix and stir until just combined, don't over-stir. 

Pour batter into 2 loaf pans equally (or 2 muffin tins) and top with walnuts if desired.  Bake loaves for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.  If baking as muffins, bake for 45 minutes then check for doneness.

Nutritional facts: 123 calories, 1 g fat, 12 g sugar, 98 g sodium, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein. 

(Based on 2 loaves cut into 11 slices each)