While I like to think of myself as a minimalist, someone who doesn’t have a whole lot of stuff, the truth is, I just don’t have as much stuff as the majority of people, and the reason for this is mainly do to moving internationally three times in three years and living in a tiny apartment that doesn’t allow me space to store stuff.
Despite this, I have now lived in the same apartment for over two years (This may not seem like a lot, but I haven’t lived in any one place for longer than a year since I went away to college), and it’s funny how the longer you live in one place, the more stuff you accumulate. Not just that, but you don’t even realize you’re accumulating large quantities of things until the time comes to move, and you start pulling things out of cabinets and closets and *gasp* the garage and realize just how much stuff you have.
Fortunately, I don’t have a garage, so that’s one less storage nightmare to worry about. I do have clothes though. Lots of clothes.
Honestly, I didn’t think I had so many clothes you see. I hardly ever buy clothes here in Japan, as most of the clothes look like they were made for children (that’s how I say “They don’t fit me” in a way that doesn’t damage my self-esteem), and I don’t buy so many clothes when I go back to the U.S. to visit…I think.
Yet when I started going through my closet last week to find clothes I don’t need anymore and can get rid of, I ended up with a whole box. That may not seem like a lot, but I already had two other boxes full of clothes to get rid of.
How did I accumulate so many clothes? Where did they all come from? It’s very mysterious and perplexing…
So last weekend, when Hisa and I went to get rid of the clothes at a donation place, I told my Hisa how I thought it was terribly mysterious and perplexing that I had all these clothes, and I couldn’t figure out how I had accumulated them all, thinking that, he too, would find it mysterious and perplexing. Instead he just rolled his eyes and guffawed at me. He then told me that he wanted me to remember that moment every time I walked into a clothing store.
….I can’t imagine what he meant by that. *cough*
At least I thought it was perplexing.
I recently found myself craving some yummy quick bread for breakfast, however, I wanted it to be healthy, not too sweet, and I wanted to use some of my sourdough starter in it.
After some playing around in my kitchen, I came up with this bread. It’s made with whole-wheat flour, applesauce, honey, sourdough starter, 1 egg, a little salt, and some spices. I put nuts and raisins in mine, but any dried fruit or even chocolate chips would work well. Hisa and I ate it with my homemade apple butter on it, but it would also be good with butter, honey, or jam on it. It was slightly sweet, but not overly sweet like some quick breads. All in all, it’s a very yummy bread, but healthy enough that it won’t make you feel guilty to eat it for breakfast or for a snack. Next time I think I’ll add banana to make it a sourdough banana-nut bread.
Sourdough Applesauce Bread
- 1 c. whole wheat flour
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 c. sourdough starter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. apple sauce
- 1/2 c. honey (more if you want a sweeter bread)
- optional: 1/2 c. raisins, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips. etc.
- Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C (355 degrees F), and butter or spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.
- In a medium bowl, mix sourdough starter, vanilla, egg, and apple sauce together.
- Pour starter mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Add any add ins, such as nuts and raisins. Mix everything just until ingredients are incorporated. Try not to over mix.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
