My son loves breadsticks, especially the ones from Domino's pizza. I am not so keen on the pizza place's variety because they are higher in fat, sodium, and cost compared to the ones I can make at home, which are whole grain.

Here is a recipe that is very easy to make and yields great results that are kid tested! These were the hit of a spring break pool party the other night here with teenage boys. It is easy to make the dough in a bread machine using the "dough" setting. The dough setting enables you to mix dough but the machine does not go through the proofing and baking process. You can allow it to rise and then bake it off on your own. The trick is to use white whole wheat flour that tastes almost identical to all-purpose flour.

Whole Wheat Breadsticks

• 1 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F)

• 1 packet of dry yeast

• 3 cups white whole wheat flour (I order this from King Arthur Flour or get it from Whole Foods)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• pinch brown sugar

• dash garlic powder

• vegetable oil spray

1. Mix the warm water and yeast until the yeast dissolves. Add the flour, oil, and sugar and kneed well by hand or on a mixing machine until the dough is very elastic. I like the paddle of a mixing machine because I think the hook is too thin on a home version and it tends to tear the dough apart. You may want to add a bit more flour if necessary in case it is too wet.

2. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for about one hour.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide into 12 small sections. Roll each section until it is the size of a large thumb. Arrange on a baking pan. Lightly spray the tops with the vegetable oil cooking spray and sprinkle with garlic powder and a little Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F. When finished, you can serve it warm with salt-free tomato/pasta sauce or keep at room temperature until ready to serve. You can also wrap and freeze them for later use. We like them for after school snacks or weekend socializing, too.

This recipe goes great with soup, salad, pasta, stew, or anything else you want to serve.

Here is a preview of an Italian dinner that is easy using Celentano's Light Cheese Raviolis - one of the few frozen foods that are low in fat AND sodium:

We used Celentano Light Cheese Ravioli, no-salt-added Pomodoro tomato puree, and fresh steamed broccoli. This dinner cooks in 12 minutes or less. Having the whole grain breadsticks on hand made it very festive.

Here is a printable recipe card for the bread sticks.