source: Flickr Creative Commons via eyeliam

Usually when I try to clean/be housewifely at all, it goes something like it did today.

I was going to bake Oat Bran Cranberry Bread for breakfasts. But my feet were really cold, so I went upstairs to find some socks. All my socks were sitting on the bed from being unloaded from the dryer. So I matched them up and put them away. Then I unloaded the next load from the dryer and started a new one in the washer. I wondered how it is I either have lots of hangers or none. Right now it was none. So I hung up and folded what I had hangers for. What was I doing? I looked longingly at my book laying open on the bed and considered jumping under the covers and reading for a while.

Oh, bread! So I went downstairs but the TV was on football and Mr. V had left so I needed to find something else to watch. Since none of my normal stations (TLC, Food, Bravo, Style) were playing anything I liked, I settled for the showtunes music channel.

Why are all my Christmas decorations still up? Ugh. I want to take them down but that would be a lot of work. But maybe I could at least put away the dishes that I left in the drying rack before we went to Pennsylvania.

BREAD. Yes. So I start mixing everything together and pause halfway through to remember to turn on the oven, and then when I get to the end I realize I forgot to put in the oat bran. Hmm. Hopefully adding it at the end will not throw off delicate bread balance.

So the bread is finally in the oven. Now to tackle the next task.

Do I know you?

Oat Bran Cranberry Bread

1 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c oat bran
1/3 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 c applesauce
1/2 c egg substitute or 2 eggs plus 1 egg white
1/4 c canola oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 c chopped nuts, optional

Mix flour, oat bran, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix applesauce, egg, canola oil, and vanilla and mix well. Combine with dry ingredients. Stir in cranberries and nuts.

Pour into a greased 8×4 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.