Food Friday - Dessert Anyone?

from Kris B.

A month into our mindful eating journey and we are doing pretty well.  Yes, we both succumbed to dessert last weekend, but starting on Monday we were right on track.  What we learned from our mutual experience last weekend was that we are never going to be able to do without desserts every now and then.  Call it weakness.  Call it reality.  It is what it is.  Rather than beat ourselves up over our seemingly disparate desires to lose weight and eat desserts, we decided to look for calorie friendly desserts, foods that will satisfy that inevitable sweet tooth, but also satisfy our SparkPeople food logs.  This week's recipes do both as well as passed the taste test with our families.

Keep in mind that we are trying to eat regular everyday foods so no artificial sweeteners, etc.  As with everything else here at Pixels, Plates, and LOLs, it is only the real deal!  Lol!  The key to success is everything in moderation.  I headed to the Internet in search of a cookie, my personal downfall, that tastes like a real cookie, but won't reside on my hips for eternity.  I am very happy with these Cinnamon Pecan Wafers that Eating Well (November/December 2010)  offered.  Sweet, crisp, nutty - this 63 calorie cookie is perfect as dessert or a snack.  I enjoy mine with a nice hot cup of black coffee.  Lol!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup unsalted butter
3/4 Cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 *light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
 1 1/4 Cups *whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
1 Cup finely chopped pecans
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

* The original recipe calls for light brown sugar and whole wheat pastry flour.  I used dark brown sugar and white whole wheat flour.  

1.  Beat the butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar in bowl of an electric mixer on medium high until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla and beat well.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt then add to the butter mixture.  I sifted the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.  Beat at low speed until combined.  Stir in pecans by hand.

2.  Divide the dough in half and use lightly floured hands to shape each portion into a 6-inch log.  Wrap each log in wax paper and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4.  Unwrap the dough and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.  Combine the remaining 1/4 of granulated sugar and the cinnamon on a shallow plate.  Roll the log in the sugar mixture, then slice into 24 1/4' thick cookies.  Place the cookies about 2 1/2' apart on an uncreased cookie sheet.

5. Bake one batch at a time, until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes.  Transfer to wire racks to cool.

The uncooked dough or the cooked cookies may frozen for up to three months.  Store cooked cookies at room temperature in layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container for up to five days.

Nutrition information: per cookie; 63 calories; 4g fat; 7g carbohydrates; 1g protein; 1g fiber; 26 mg sodium; 13 potassium


from Tracey G.

In this effort to eat better and more mindfully, I've been in pursuit of some easy alternative recipes for desserts and snacks. I don't always have dessert, but there are times when that "gotta-have-something-sweet" hits and I'd rather not throw away all my hard work over something like that, or I've made a special dinner and would like a special treat - that's reasonable but still yummy - to go along with it.

 A few years ago Taste of Home put out a "Comfort Food Diet" cookbook, where they compiled a bunch of recipes, from snacks through dessert, that are reasonable in calories and so forth. They are all organized according to type of food (snack, breakfast, dinner etc) and then, in that, they are organized by calories. It's a pretty nice set up and all "normal" foods, some light on their own and  some that have been smartly lightened up. They of course have newer incarnations of it now, I just bought myself a couple digital versions recently and am looking forward to using them as much as I've enjoyed using the one I got this recipe from - my original! It's been a great tool in eating healthier without sacrificing a thing and without feeling like I'm dieting - because that is not my goal. I don't want to go on a diet - that's too restrictive sounding and that's where I fail. Tell me I can't have something and it becomes number one on my list to have! 

This cheesecake version comes in at 163 calories as written, I added one more graham cracker and that bumped it up to 172 calories per serving. And the serving size is nice too - not skimpy in the least. I thought that it would be cut into 10 or 12 slices, and I was wrong - it's cut into only 8. A very nice serving! The cherry topping is a light pie filling - and that's another item I had no issues with it tasting "diet" etc. It was a nice addition - and honestly, I liked the cheesecake just as much without the topping. 

This was another surprisingly simple recipe to pull together - I even double checked my recipe thinking that I must have missed something somewhere, but nope, it was just that easy!

No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake

courtesy of Taste Of Home; can be found here: No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake

1 whole reduced fat graham cracker, finely crushed, divided

1 package (.3 oz.) sugar-free lemon gelatin

2/3 cup boiling water

1 package (8 oz.) reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed

1 cup (8 oz.) 1% cottage cheese

2 cups reduced-fat whipped topping

1 cup reduced-sugar cherry pie filling

1. Coat a 9-in. springform pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle half of the graham cracker crumbs on the bottom and 1 in up the sides of pan; set aside. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water; cool to room temperature.

2. In a blender, combine the gelatin mixture, cream cheese and cottage cheese; cover and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl; fold in whipped topping. Pour into prepared pan. 

3. Sprinkle with remaining graham cracker crumbs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen, then remove sides of pan. Garnish with pie filling. 

Yield: 8 servings

Nutritional Information: 1 piece equals 163 calories; 8 g fat (5 g saturated fat); 17 mg cholesterol; 240 mg sodium; 15 g carbohydrate; .55 g fiber; 7 g protein