Diet Brownies---No Joke!!!

Last night, my husband and I were celebrating our first date 2 years ago.  We had a nice healthy dinner (because he's on board with WW now too!)  He grilled small round steak, I fixed us each a personal salad topped with either light or fatfree dressing, and steamed some potatoes and snap peas in the microwave (those Ziploc Steam Bags are AMAZING by the way.  If you don't have them, GET them.)

After such a nice dinner, we wanted something sweet to eat without ruining our entire effort.  I remembered I had blogged about Brownie Bites a LONG time ago.  I figured we didn't have a whole lot to lose, so I got in and made them.

Honestly, they were SUPER simple to put together.  They had a good chocolatey taste with a cake like texture.  I used light margarine and omitted the walnuts in my recipe -- hopefully I cut a calorie or two more with my substitutions and omission.  Also, instead of topping the brownies with powdered sugar, I added a tablespoon of Sugar Free Coolwhip when they came right out of the oven so it was like adding a small scoop of ice cream.   We both liked them and the brownies were only 2pts per brownie! Now onto the recipe with a few notes to start.

*PLEASE NOTE, in the recipe it does in fact say LOAF pan.  Do not use the standard 8x8 brownie pan.  Your brownies will be SO flat you can almost see through them.  
**ALSO PLEASE NOTE, that I have fully disclosed I am not the best cook therefore I did in face use the wrong pan. So here is a picture stolen from the sixsistersstuff blog to show you what they are actually supposed to look like.  :)


Weight Watchers Brownie Bites:

(Recipe from skinnytaste.com)

2 tbsp margarine

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tsp powdered sugar

In a small saucepan melt margarine, remove from heat. Stir in sugar, vanilla and water. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in chopped nuts.

Spray the bottom of a 8x4x2 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray coating. Pour batter into pan.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly. Remove from pan. Cut into 8 bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Old Points: 2 pt • Points+: 3 pt

Calories: 103.9 • Fat: 4.3 g • Protein: 1.3 g • Carb: 15.6 g • Fiber: 0.6 g
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Tonight, I might  use the left over brownies in a new dessert!  I am going to crumble up the brownies into a Chocolate Pudding Mousse.
1 Snack Pack cup of Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding
1-2 TBSP Sugar Free Coolwhip
Remove pudding from snackpack cup, add coolwhip, and blend together.
TADA!  2 point Mousse.

Add a crumbled brownie and BOOM---a delicious, individual sized, 4 point dessert with no leftovers to tempt you to eat more. 

Happy Eating!

Homemade Banana Softserve

If I make it...it MUST be easy.  I am no culinary artist.  I did not think of this all on my own.  HOWEVER, it works and it was delicious.  So try it at home and you can indulge in "ice cream" for just 1 point.

What you need:
BANANAS--Frozen Ripe Bananas.  Make sure you use REALLY ripe bananas to give this dessert more flavor.

What to do: 
--Cut your bananas into 1/2 inch discs. You can do this either before you freeze them or after they are frozen (they were super easy to cut when frozen).  **If you are cutting your bananas then freezing, it will take at least an hour for the bananas to freeze enough for this recipe. 

--Place Banana discs into a food processor or blender.

--Next, Turn processor or blender on.  Your bananas will go through many phases.  It will look like gravel, lumpy mashed potatoes, tapioca pudding, KEEP going.  You will need to stop and scrape the sides of the container several times.

--After just a few short minutes of blending and scraping, your bananas will magically turn into a seriously smooth, creamy soft serve "ice cream".

 

MY suggestions for toppings!!!  

This was good on it's own, but if you don't dig a straight up banana flavor here are some things you could add to it for 0-2 points more.

--Toppings

Fresh Fruit--Strawberries, Blueberries, Peaches, Pineapple
Fruit in Splenda--crush up your fresh fruit and mix in a packet of splenda.  let sit in the fridge for an hour or two to let a wonderful syrup evolve.

Peanut Butter--a tsp of peanut butter mixed in with this turned it into a dream.
Sugar Free Coolwhip--Add a tbsp to the top to make it creamy

Cinnamon and Splenda--mix up a packet of splenda with sprinkles of cinnamon.  Sprinkle on top or mix it in to your personal taste!

ENJOY!

 

On the menu: Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

Nutrition Data Yield: 4 servings (or 6 smaller servings)
Serving size: 1 cup (bun not included)

Calories: 167 (plus or minus depending on bbq sauce used)
Fat: 3.8 g
Carbs: 14 g
Fiber: 2.5 g 

Protein: 23 g

Ingredients

• 1 pound (454 grams) ground turkey breast (raw)
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup green pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup natural ketchup
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp BBQ sauce
• 1-2 packets stevia (optional, if you want to make it on the sweeter side)

Directions

Mist a skillet with oil and brown raw turkey, onions and green pepper over medium heat. (You could skip this step, but you will get a better flavor.)

Place turkey meat, onions & green pepper in the slow cooker. Add all the other ingredients and mix well.

Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. If you don't brown the meat first, then cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. 

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So honestly, I don't have the "recommended or approved" brands.  So I figure I may have a few added extra calories but only a 1tbsp or two won't hurt the recipe too much.  I will use Whole Wheat Bread instead of a bun (making the whole sloppy joe sandwich 4 pts/serving) and will be making Spicy Spiral Mac-n-Cheese (using 2 tbsp Queso Cheese bringing 1c serving to 8pts) and a serving of frozen peas (0 pts).  

Dinner Total WW Points: 12

Chicken Stroganoff

Makes 6 servings, 4 points each.

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken
• 1 container (16 oz) fat free sour cream
• 1 packet powdered onion soup mix
• 1 can fat free cream of chicken soup
• 1 small can mushrooms

Instructions

Add all ingredients to crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours.

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This is in my crockpot now.  Smelled good as I was mixing it and I am looking forward to eating it later!  I am planning on pairing it with Green beans, carrots, and a serving of egg noodles.  

Dinner Total:  8 points.

McMuffins for LESS

I have been hooked on McMuffins lately.  But not the "300" calories or less McDonalds kind.  I have been creating my very own McMuffins that are EVEN less calories and adds a little bit of nutrients.

Here are the ingredients.

Here is what to do:
*You can split the english muffin up and toast if desired or just rock it plain if your muffin doesn't split quite right.

*Take two egg whites, scramble together in a very small bowl (I found some at Dollar Tree that were in a 3pack for $1) then microwave for 1 minute.  WATCH THEM---they can EXPLODE.

*Meanwhile, cut a nice slice of tomato (can add any vegetable you see worthy or even add some salsa) and add any salt or pepper to taste.

TO ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICH--this is key in getting the right combination
*Put 1/2 slice of the Fat Free Cheese on the bottom half of the muffin.  Top with Egg, salt and pepper to taste, and the other 1/2 slice of cheese (*By layering your cheese you don't feel "cheated").  Add the tomato and muffin top. 

Calories Intake:  164
Fat Intake: 1.1grams

WW Points (Old school system):  3

From beginning to end this should take 3-5 minutes total.  So don't say you don't have time!  You feel full all morning and you start your day with protein, whole grains, calcium, and Vitamins A and C.
ENJOY!

Pinterest

Most everyone I know uses pinterest (and if you aren't, it's time to come out of the cave).

Most everyone I know wants to lose a few pounds (and if you don't, I am jealous of you).

Check out my pinterest boards called Dieting Drama Queen Inspirations and Dieting Drama Queen Eats!

http://pinterest.com/mrschristyb/

You will find lots of pins with motivational sayings, websites with simple workouts, other aspiring weight loss "experts", and LOTS of "skinny" recipes.

Life Happens

Life happened as it always does and the all the "stuff" I had going on re-prioritized itself.  My life took a turn that made me ditch the dieting and the counting and the junk that consumed my thoughts.  The only thing on my mind was the health of my uncle.  I devoted all my time and energy into my family not my food. Nothing else seemed to matter when he was struggling to live.  My uncle was given a miracle and taken off his ventilator and quickly transitioned to a rehab floor for physical therapy, but continued his hospital stay for 40 days.

After weeks of nothing but vending machines and fast food containers, my mind was able to process the junk I had been putting in my body and how it was making me feel.  I felt tired, sluggish, bloated, and unhealthy.  I was able to realize all of these things but didn't go back to weight watchers system, because I still didn't have time to devote to tracking, counting, and calculating.

The evolution of stress allowed my body to get back on track naturally without specifically having to diet or exercise.  I was able to drop 7 pounds in a month and I was able to control that weight loss even with continued trips back and forth between hospitals, trips to fast food joints, and a sedentary life style.

My Uncle and I had several conversations about his health and how he had already over come so many health challenges.  In 1996, he survived a massive heart attack that required a quadruple bi-pass surgery.  After that he quit smoking, a habit he had since age 14.  He avoided diabetes, a disease that runs heavily in our family, by eating well and staying active.  He worked at a rock quarry for over 30 years--right up until he was hospitalized in March.  He lived his life fully with traveling, and spending time with his family.

We spoke candidly about his health and wellness as well as what I needed to do to avoid some of the health challenges my genes predisposed me with (heart disease, diabetes, etc).  What we never really discussed was the elephant in the room---his cancer.  I think we didn't want to think about it.

My uncle passed on May 17th at age 71.  The man that LOVED life is gone.
 I must say I still feel shock when that phrase is said out loud.

So this summer I am going to make sure that LIFE HAPPENS but in the right way.  I want to be active, travel, eat right, and love my family.

In memory of Uncle Joe---make life happen <3