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

Food Friday - High In Goodness, Low In Calories

from Kris B.

We are two and half weeks in to our “weight reduction plan.”  With encouragement from another, both of us are doing pretty well staying within our allowed calorie range each day and not feeling hungry.  There does, however, come a time when we want a sweet snack, not a reward necessarily, but a sweet something that we can eat and enjoy and not feel guilty about having had.  It is from this place that we bring you this week’s recipes.

I like cake, but I am not a big fan of frosting.  Even though I have a powerful sweet tooth, most frosting is even too sweet for me.  I often scrape all but a thin layer of the frosting from cake and cupcakes.  I know.  It sounds like a waste; however, often there is someone nearby that has the exact opposite preferences - they love the frosting but not the cake.  It works out for all involved!  Lol!  When I make cake at home, I don’t go to the trouble of making frosting  unless I have to.

A favorite cake at our house is angel food cake.  No one expects it to have frosting.  Perhaps a dollop of whipped cream, and some kind of fruit and it is perfectly dressed and good to go.  Angel food cake is also low in calories abd fat free!  This recipe weighs in at 146 calories per (naked) slice.  Adding fruit and a little whipped cream ups that at little, but this treat still comes in far below the average for most desserts.

INGREDIENTS

12 eggs, whites only) or 1 1/2 cups egg whites)

1 Cup flour

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

1 TBS lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and half (3/4 cup) of the sugar.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until  foamy..  Add the salt and cream of tartar.  Continue to whisk until soft peaks form.  Add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar a little at a time.  Once stiff peaks have formed, beat in the vanilla, almond extract, and the lemon juice.  

Using a spatula, stir the sifted flour and sugar into the egg white mixture 1/4 cup at a time until all is incorporated.  Evenly spread the batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan (tube pan).

Bake for 50 minutes or until cakes feels slightly springy to the touch and is golden brown.  Remove from oven and invert the pan on a glass bottle to cool.  Once cooled, loosen the cake from the pan with a metal spatula and invert cake onto a plate.

Eat the cake as is, with a little non-dairy whipped cream (if you are watching calories) and fruit.  Or, if you must, drizzle with a glaze or sauce of your choice.

Makes 12 servings

146 calories; 5g protein; 39g carbohydrates; 2g fiber; 29g sugar; 0 fat; 0 cholesterol; 100mg sodium


From Tracey G.

As we come to the end of Week 3 (I've rounded up, lol) in the new Mindful Eating challenge as I like to call it, it's occurred to me that we need some healthy sweets as well occasionally. I'm not a big sweet eater, but sometimes I just gotta have it! Cupcakes, cakes, frosting and so forth. I want to be prepared for such things and have a few healthier alternatives in my bag of tricks. Not that that means I'm not going to enjoy the real deal occasionally, after all there's nothing off limits, it's all about moderation. I would just like a few healthier alternatives to old favorites and some new just-because-they-sound-good healthier things at my disposal.

Recently, I bought myself a subscription to Eating Well magazine, if their magazine is half as informative and helpful as their website, it will be deemed a good move on part! I just got my first issue this past week and this was one of a few recipes in it I decided I was going to try. I did a bit of a hunt around the internet for blueberry pound cake recipes - wanting to see how much this one might differ, and from most of the ones I ran across, this had about half the calories of most, as this comes in at about 303 calories per serving according to the recipe notes. And the 1-inch thick slice - as pictured in my photo, that is considered a serving, is really a pretty good size!

Aside from it being really yummy, it's also a one-bowl recipe - nice! It came together easily, which is always a bonus. I also know it was a hit with my boys - Harry told me that I deserved 63 kisses for it, where he came up with that number as being a good rating is beyond me, but I'll take the kisses and he took a second slice! Hubby asked me if it was easy to put together, which I've come to learn is code for "so, will you make this again because it's really good!"!

I did have to make one major change because I realized I didn't have the ingredient - it calls for 1.5 cups of white whole-wheat flour, I didn't have any, so used unbleached all-purpose. And a minor change was I used frozen blueberries - they aren't the greatest in the stores this time of year fresh, so frozen are always a staple I have on hand. 

Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

Courtesy of Eating Well Magazine and can be found here: Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

8 Servings

3/4 cup granulated sugar

5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs, at room temperature (see tip below*)

3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

2 tbsp lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice plus 1 tsp, divided

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 c white whole-wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen)

2 tbsp packed confectioner's sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x5-in. loaf pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until creamy**. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and beat in ricotta, lemon zest, 2 tbsp lemon juice and vanilla until just combined. Sprinkle flour on top, then evenly sprinkle baking powder and salt over the flour. With the mixer on low speed, beat until almost combined. Add blueberries and  gently fold into the batter. Transfer to prepared pan.

3. Bake the cake until starting to brown around the edges and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake, then invert it onto the rack. Carefully turn it right-side up. Let cool completely.

4. Clean the bowl, add confectioner's sugar and whisk in the remaining 1 tsp lemon juice until smooth. Brush the glaze on the cake.

Serves 8: One 1-inch thick slice each

Nutritional information: Calories 303, Fat 11g (Saturated Fat 6g), Cholesterol 96mg, Carbohydrates 45g, Total Sugars 25g (added 21g), Protein 8g, Fiber 3g, Sodium 319 mg, Potassium 124mg

*This is a trick I've used for ages to get eggs right out of the refrigerator to room temperature quickly, that they suggest as well: Place the eggs (in the shell) in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 5 minutes. I usually do that first when I start a recipe that needs room temp eggs, so that by the time I'm ready for them, they are ready for me!

**They do note that for best cake texture to make sure you beat it long enough together to look creamy, and the time it take can vary. I never really did see "creamy", but it still turned out well for me!