Delicious Desserts For Dieters

I know you have all been waiting for this! The true meal we ever really want to eat but sometimes halt ourselves from indulging! The meals that are the cherry to our dinners; the jelly to our peanut butter; the kiss to our romantic movie! Here it is dear readers. The blog entry and the lovely, grand section of what sweets you can eat that is A-OKAY with both your health and your taste buds!!

The Glee without the Guilt
        The Relish without the Remorse
                The Satisfaction without the Shame

Pumpkin Pie For Dieters

Health Details:
Calories: 110 kcal
Cholesterol: <1mg
Fiber: 2.2 g
Sodium: 394 mg
Carbohydrates: 23 g
Fat: 0.3 g
Protein: 1.5 g

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup skim milk
1 (1 ounce) package instant sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 (8 ounce) container

Directions

• In a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin, milk, and instant pudding mix. Stir in the pumpkin pie spice, and fold in half of the whipped topping.
• Pour into an 8-inch pie plate, and spread remaining whipped topping over the top. Chill for 1 hour or until set.

Tips and Ideas

• For the low carbers: Use fat free evaporated milk and sguar free cheesecake pudding
• Layer it like a parfait and add lowfat graham crackers or crushed gingersnaps.

Banana Custard Scrunch

Health Details:
Calories: 267 kcal
Cholesterol: 9mg
Fiber: 3.5 g
Sodium: 110 mg
Carbohydrates: 51.8 g
Fat: 5.4 g
Protein: 5.8 g

Ingredients
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup prepared vanilla pudding
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons honey
3 small bananas, sliced

Directions

• In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and vanilla pudding. Set aside.
• Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Measure in the oats, and toast for about 1 minutes, until hot. Drizzle honey over the oats, and continue to stir over medium heat until the oats are crispy at the edges.
• Remove the oats from the heat, and spoon most of them into the bottom of 4 glasses or small bowls. Reserve the res for topping. Using about half of the banana slices, place a layer of sliced bananas over the oats in each glass or bowl. Pour custard over the banana slices. Top with the rest of the banana slices, and sprinkle with the rest of the toasted oats.



Plum Flummery

Health Details:
Calories: 148 kcal
Cholesterol: 7mg
Fiber: 0.9 g
Sodium: 30 mg
Carbohydrates: 30.6 g
Fat: 2.1 g
Protein: 3.4 g

Ingredients
2 cups plums, pitted and sliced
1 tablespoon water
1 (.25 ounce) package unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Directions

• Place the plums into a saucepan over medium-low heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the plums are soft, 5 to 10 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick or starts to burn, add a tablespoon of water. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Dissolve the gelatin in 1/2 cup of hot water in a bowl, and stir in the cooled plums, sugar, and lemon juice.
• Mix until the gelatin and sugar have dissolved.
• Chill the plum mixture in refrigerator until it begins to thicken, about 30 minutes.
• Whip the evaporated milk in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until thick, then gently spoon the whipped milk into the plum mixture.
• Beat again with electric mixter until the dessert is fluffy and well combined. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

Scrumptious Lunches

This week let’s take a look at some lunch recipes that are healthy yet tasty! I hope you’ve been sampling some of the dinner and snack recipes. Please let me know what you like! If you are looking for more chicken, seafood, beef, vegetarian recipes or maybe you need more breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack ideas? Let me know!! I will find some delicious recipes for you to absolutely relish in yet not feel guilty about eating!

California Melt: QUICK AND EASY FOR THE DAY OF

Servings: 4 open faced sandwiches

Calories: 335 kcal

Cholesterol: 26 mg

Fiber: 7.2 g

Sodium: 170 mg

Carbohydrates: 21.1 g

Fat: 22.5 g

Protein: 15.6

Ingredients:

4 slices whole-grain bread, lightly toasted

1 avocado, sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds

1 tomato, sliced

4 slices Swiss Cheese

Directions:

• Preheat the oven broiler

• Lay the toasted bread out on a baking sheet. Top each slice of bread with ¼ avocado, mushrooms, almonds and tomato slices. Top each with a slice of Swiss cheese.

• Broil the open-face sandwiches until the cheese melts and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Serve the sandwiches warm.

Other Ideas To Enhance Flavor:

If you’re looking for a little more protein, add a fairly thick slice of your favorite lunchmeat (e.g. ham, turkey, chicken).

Mexican Ceviche-PREPARE THE NIGHT BEFORE

Servings: 8

Calories: 387 kcal

Cholesterol: 86 mg

Fiber: 7.5g

Sodium: 733 mg

Carbohydrates: 57.6 g

Fat: 12.4 g

Protein: 17.7 g

Ingredients:

5 large lemons, juiced

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste

tomato and clam juice cocktail

2 white onions, finely chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped

1 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 bunch radishes, finely diced

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

tortilla chips

Directions:

• Place shrimp in a bowl (You may either coarsely chop the shrimp, or leave them whole, depending on your preference.) Add lemon, covering shrimp completely. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until opaque and slightly firm.

• Add tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, radishes and garlic; toss to combine. Gradually add cilantro and jalapenos to desired taste (jalapeno will grow stronger while marinating). Stir in tomato and clam juice to desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve chilled with tortilla chips.

Caribbean Crabmeat Salad-IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING LIGHT AND REFRESHING!

Calories: 304 kcal

Cholesterol: 11 mg

Fiber: 3.3 g

Sodium: 629 mg

Carbohydrates: 50.1 g

Fat: 7.9 g

Protein: 9.8 g

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked rotini pasta

1 (8 ounce) package imitation crabmeat, flaked

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 mango – peeled, seeded and cubed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon lime zest

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse under cold water.

• Place pasta, crabmeat, red pepper, mango, cilantro and jalapeno in a large bowl and set aside.

• In a small bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, honey, cumin, ginger and salt. Pour over salad, toss to coat and let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. 

Week 2: Nutritional Yet Delicious Dinners

Welcome back to Week 2 of our How To Eat Better blogs. So just to review the tips that were presented last week:

Tip #1: Prepare your meal plan ahead of time!

Preparing your snacks and meal plans a head of time will help portion control and will help us make sure that we are eating all the necessary vitamins and nutrients.

Tip #2: Physically prepare the food the day before (if you can).

It is imperative to take 10-15 minutes the night before preparing our food for the next day-whether this is chopping the vegetables and herbs or pre-slicing and marinating the meat for the next day’s meal.

Tip #3: Don’t forget to indulge yourself once in awhile.

Plan a treat once in awhile and include a scrumptious dessert to spoil yourself.

Tip #4: Find foods that you like.

Find a recipe that includes items you like, and not so much the food products you don’t like. If you don’t like Spinach, you don’t have to eat it. There are other food items that will supply you with the nutrients that Spinach gives.

Now onto our main course! Literally :)

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken (6 servings. Calories: 281 per serving, Fat: 10.8g, Cholesterol: 75mg)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup dry bread crumbs

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a bowl, blend the olive oil and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.

Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Side Dishes: Add steamed red potatoes and zucchini drizzled with dried parsley, garlic salt, and pepper to taste.

  

Heavenly Halibut (Servings: 8. Calories: 235 per serving; Fat: 13.9g; Cholesterol: 58mg)

Ingredients

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 dash hot pepper sauce

2 pounds skinless halibut fillets

Directions

Preheat the oven broiler. Grease a baking dish.

In a bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onions, salt, and hot pepper sauce.

Arrange the halibut fillets in the prepared baking dish.

Broil halibut fillets 8 minutes in the prepared oven, or until easily flaked with a fork. Spread with the Parmesan cheese mixture, and continue broiling 2 minutes, or until topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

Side Dishes: Steam asparagus or green beans as a side. Drizzle with herbs to taste.

And for my vegetarians. I have not forgotten about you. I will be writing an all vegetarian meal plan in a later article but thought to include a nice dinner that is both healthy, delicious, and vegan! And for those who aren’t living the vegan lifestyle, take a chance and try this one out! It’s super yummy!

 

 

 

 

Unsloppy Joes (Servings: 8. Calories: 204; Fat: 3.9g; Cholesterol: 0mg)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

8 kaiser rolls

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, green pepper, and garlic: saute until tender. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, tomato paste, vinegar, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in kidney beans, and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Cut a 1/4 inch slice off the top of each kaiser roll; set aside. Hollow out the center of each roll, leaving about 1/2 inch thick shells; reserve the inside of rolls for other uses.

Spoon bean mixture evenly into rolls and replace tops. Serve immediately.

NOTE: This is a perfect meal to double and freeze half! Warms up quite nicely!

 

Side Dish: Brugandy Mushrooms (NOM NOM NOM!!!) (Servings: 4. Calories: 59; Fat: 0.5g; Cholesterol: 0mg)

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced onion

1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth

2 (8 ounce) cans whole mushrooms, drained, liquid reserved from one can

1/3 cup Burgundy wine

Recipes compliments of allrecipes.com

Week 1 of Healthier Eating

Welcome to a new feature we are adding onto our blogosphere! In an attempt to help you (and us!) reach your goal of healthier living, we are now writing articles that provide food tips and ideas!

My very first tips that are essential to actually following healthy eating is:

Tip #1: Prepare your snacks and meal plan ahead of time!

When we don’t have a plan on what we are going to eat, we tend to just grab whatever sounds good. This is folly because when we just grab and go we either do not grab food that is nutritious or we grab too much and snack on food that we don’t need. Preparing your snacks and meal plans a head of time will help portion control and will help us make sure that we are eating all the necessary vitamins and nutrients.

Tip #2: Physically prepare the food the day before.

This tip is essential! The morning before work or school or any other form of activity that has us rushing out the door, preparing a healthy salad, snack or meal is the last thing on our mind. That is why the junk food and candy industry is such a success. They have made their food products easy to access and grab. It is imperative to take 10-15 minutes the night before preparing our food for the next day.

Tip #3: Don’t forget to indulge yourself once in awhile.

No, you do not have to stay away from chocolate. And no, you do not have to give up ice cream. Eating them is totally fine! Believe me, my chocolate covered sundae is being appreciated right now. But the key is to eat it in moderation. Yes you can eat it, no you probably shouldn’t scoop out half the container of ice cream or eat 2 bars of chocolate every day. You’ll find that eating fruits and vegetables can actually help deter your sweet tooth since there are natural sugars in fruit.

Tip #4: Find foods that you like.

The worst part of dieting is finding recipes that absolutely do not appeal to you. This is a deterrent. If you don’t like spinach don’t eat it! Find a substitute that can give you the necessary nutrients but without having to eat the icky, or find a recipe that masks that food taste. You’ll find that a lot of the time, vegetables take on the flavor of the food it is being cooked in.

Now you have the prep work all completed, let’s look at a couple of snacks that can help fill the day!

Cinnamon Yogurt Dip

Yields 4 servings (101 calories, .8g fat, 3 mg cholesterol)

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon brown sugar

½ or 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Choose your poison: Precut apples, melons, bananas, grapes, and berries

All you need to do is mix all these ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour (which you should have done the night before so it should be refrigerated for almost 7 hours!). If you have any spare time before bed, make sure to distribute the yogurt into individual containers and baggy up your dippable fruit to grab and go the following morning.

Sweetened Frozen Grapes

Yields 4 servings (105 calories, .5g fat, 0 mg cholesterol)

1 cup seedless green grapes

1 cup seedless red grapes

¼ cup white sugar

Wash all grapes and place within a ziplock gallon sized bag.

Pour the sugar onto the grapes and gently shake the bag to evenly coat the grapes with sugar.

Arrange grapes on a paper towel to air-dry any remaining water (approximately 15 minutes).

Place grapes in a single layer on a shallow pan or baking sheet. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Once frozen, baggy them up into different containers to take with you the next day.

Caramelized Apple Bites

Yields 4 servings (123 calories, 1.3g fat, 1 mg cholesterol)

6 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped and chopped

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 apples – pelled, cored and diced

Place the caramel and light corn syrup in a microwave safe bowl (approximately 30 seconds or until melted).

Place the apples in the bowl and toss until coated.

Allow to cool.

Once cooled, be sure to baggy them up into individual containers or baggies to take with you the next day.

Recipes compliments of allrecipes.com

What Dieting Really Means

In today’s society where we are bombarded with images of thin, very thin and extremely thin celebrities and models, we pressure ourselves to look a certain way and to change the number on that darn scale. This pressure to be a certain way has caused many people to diet, but not diet in the correct definition and form that it should be.

The term diet has warped dramatically from its intention. Diets today mean consuming only 800 calories per day whereas the minimum recommended caloric intake should be no less than 1200 calories; drinking several glasses of water before consuming any food and then finding themselves too full to eat; eating a pill containing tapeworm eggs that will later hatch and consume food within the intestines; or chewing the same lump of food for minutes and then spitting it out. These, and many others, are unhealthy and not recommended methods to diet.

Many people live by the number of calories they consume. While keeping track of what you are eating and how much calories you consume is smart, calorie counting can only help so much. Maintain these smart methods for trimming your waistline while consuming your daily nutrition to stay healthy.

Watch What You Drink

The easiest way to help lower your calorie and sugar intake is to reduce the amount of soda and sugars that you drink. While coffee can be beneficial for your body, the amount of sugars, creams, extra whip cream and caramel that we add only increase the amount of unhealthy items we consume. Attempt to limit this amount and replace these drinks with water. Tip #1: Purchase a 20oz water bottle with straw and refill, refill, refill. If you keep this at your desk, you will find yourself sipping at that water bottle rather than that soda can.

Replace Some Sugary Foods

Chocolate is actually healthy for you, although in moderation. A few pieces of chocolate a day is good for the body. However, when you feel the need to snack and you’re feeling low on sugar, fill it with your favorite fruit. Fruits are filled with natural sugars that will help ease that sugar craving while still providing you with beneficial vitamins and nutrients. Win win for everyone involved!!! Tip #2: Fruits and vegetables (even popcorn) are also a great snack between meals. Rather than letting your stomach grumble and ache until the next meal (therefore lowering your metabolic rate), snack on some healthy choices.

Be Active

After a long day of work, maybe you have kids and on top of that you have to make dinner, exercise is the last thing on your mind. If you can manage to be active everyday, all power to you. For those who cannot dedicate that much time, try to be active at least 30 minutes for 3 times a week. Active includes cleaning, walking, running, yoga, chasing the kids, playing catch, anything! Try to find that activity that is enjoyable. Tip #3: Invite a friend! A friend will help make you accountable to that yoga class that you really don’t want to go to but end up feeling great after!

Photo complements of FreeDigitalPhotos.net