Day 71...

Day 71, cause we all know I can't post on a nice round number day.  I think 71 has a nice ring.  Isn't it strange that "good" things measure time in week, months and finally years?  Take a baby for instance, you go through the period of "he's 2 weeks old", followed by "today is 10 months", then it becomes "wow three years already" (yup that is where I am)!!  Yet when it is something hard/difficult it is measured in days past.  Not normally weeks or months, we like to see that GIANT "days" number.  I could have just as easily said 10 weeks, but that doesn't seem as much to me.  And 2.5 months certainly isn't a big enough number.  I will stick with days for now - 71.

So I finally broke down and posted a "stuck" rant about a week ago.  I hadn't moved for a week and I was a little annoyed - SORRY!  I honestly have to say I felt better almost as soon as I posted the rant.  I certainly felt better after I visited my doc for a flu shot and quarterly visit - sometimes I swear my doctor is a vampire; with the amount of blood she requires it's a good thing I have no problem with needles! ** I am going to go off on a tangent right now about my medical team.  They are AWESOME!  Through many crazy mixed up things they have supported me.  From my PCP to my liver doc they all rock!  I love the fact that I can talk to them without censoring myself and they do the same.  I don't get the "doctor's speak", I get the sarcastic or tell it like it is conversation that works best for me!  **

Anyway, after a visit to my doctor's office - which has the BEST SCALE EVER seeing it said I had lost 3.5 pounds more than mine did - I was feeling very good.  I ran the MFP program and my current journey by my doc and she gave me her thoughts.  She feels that it is obviously working for me and she is happy about that.  She did give me some "Amy Lectures" (read: sarcastic jabs) about a few days where I didn't eat enough calories.  Apparently muscle is a lot easier to break down than fat so those days I did more harm than good.  She rattled off the warning signs of not getting the right amounts of vitamins - the same ones we all know.  And then she gave me a piece of advice that astounded me.  Have a splurge day.  I must have made her say it about 12 times.  (Which she did in the typical sarcastic fashion that is our relationship.)  She said that if I find I am not loosing, and my exercise/food consumption has been steady/the same then you need to shake things up.  She said that a splurge day is what is needed.  Your body becomes complacent and slows your metabolism to the calorie count you are eating.  She said you want to remind it to work faster.  Now a splurge day doesn't mean to go out and eat an entire cake by yourself, but perhaps have that piece you have been wanting.  She also suggested NOT establishing an exercise routine.  Again, your body anticipates the exercise, shake it up.  Don't do the same thing every day at the same time.  Finally she informed me that I needed to be sure to eat my calories.  If, for example, I have 1300 calories for the day - eat 1300 calories.  Eating your calories helps you loose weight faster and better. All in all she was happy with my progress - YAY seal of approval from the doc! I took her advice to heart - seeing I had been stuck for almost a week - and decided to treat myself to that hunk of bread that had been calling my name.  For the next few days I ate at my calorie count, where as previously I have been aiming to come in 100-200 below the goal.  POOF - within a couple of days I started losing again.  Within a week of that conversation, following her added guidelines, I have lost 3.1 pounds.  My doctor is a genius!

In other journey news, I have recently cracked out the Wii Fit.  I had used it pretty regularly prior to Linc being born, but had completely ignored my Mii since his birth.  After dealing with the boards little jabs of not seeing me for a LONG time, I realized I enjoy using it.  I set up a yoga/strength routine that I do, if not daily than at least every other.  The days I give the routine the night off, I spend an caloric equivalent amount of time hula hooping, skateboarding or having snowball fights.

And now for the numbers.  71 days, as we discussed earlier, and 32.4 pounds lost.  (Not that I am really missing them, but you know what I mean.)  That is .456 pounds lost per day.  3.24 pounds lost per week.  And finally 12.96 pounds lost per month.  I am happy with that.  I was stuck and I complained.  I did something about it and now I am back on my journey.  All in all I am happy.  This is working and I can't wait to see what the next months bring!

Someone be sure to remind me about my doc's advice the next time I whine about being stuck!!  (Sorry about the incredible length of this post - not having power has left me chatty!)

Lemony Crinkle Cookies

I had such high hopes for these cookies.  I am posting this recipe as is because Brian said they were good.  In my opinion they lack lemon.  I will need to double the lemon juice and adjust the flour the next time I make these.  Now I am not normally a fan of crinkle cookies cause, well, they make a HUGE mess!  My mother (or an aunt) always seems to make chocolate crinkle cookies for our christmas cookie swap, more power to them.  Eight dozen crinkle cookies, I can only imagine the chocolate and powdered sugar mess that I would make.  Anyway, as I told you all with the lemon bars, I love lemon so I was willing to deal with a crinkle cookie if it meant wonderful lemony goodness.  To me these taste more like a sugar crinkle cookie with a SLIGHT lemon undertone.  I will have to jazz them up a bit.

Lemony Crinkle Cookies

• 1 c Butter or Margarine, softened
• 2 c Sugar
• 1 t Vanilla
• 2 Egg
• 2 t Lemon Zest
• 2 T Lemon Juice
• 1/2 t Baking Powder
• 1/4 t Baking Soda
• 3 c Flour
• Confectioner's Sugar for dusting

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and lightly grease your cookie sheets.
2. Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  
3. Add in the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Mix until well blended and slightly fluffy again.
4. Slowly add the remaining ingredients.  Dough will be sticky.  
5. Roll heaping teaspoons of the dough into the confectioners sugar to coat and drop them on the greased cookie sheets.  
6. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are barely brown and the cookies have lost their sheen.  
7. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.  This is important cause if you try to move them too soon they will crumble.
8. ENJOY!

The recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies (on the smaller size).  They are good, they just seem to lack the lemon kick I was looking for.  I haven't given up on them yet.

The cookies come in around 55-60 calories/ cookie.  Not bad all things considered.  If you like lemon, not strong lemon but lemon, then give them a try.

Brown Sugar Glazed Apple Cake

This weekend was a weekend of Halloween parties.  Now I am sure most people think candy and pumpkins when it comes to Halloween, I think apples.  It is probably cause Halloween means fall and fall means fresh delicious apples, at least in my crazy head.  That being said, I set out to make a new apple recipe for one of the parties.  *I do so like it when I get to combine things in a satisfactory way*  I came across a brown sugar glazed cake in one of my many cook books and thought - PERFECT! (The recipe was from a version of Southern Cakes if you are interested.)  Make it an apple cake and we are in business!  I must say I am pretty pleased with the results!  The cake was moist and the brown sugar glaze gave it just the perfect amount of "caramel" flavoring without actually being caramel (you know for people like myself that are not a fan of caramel).

Brown Sugar Glazed Apple Cake

• 1 1/2 c Flour
• 1 c Sugar
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 1/2 t Cinnamon
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 c Oil
• 1/4 c Applesauce
• 1 t Vanilla
• 1 1/2 c Apples, peeled and chopped

• 1/2 c Brown Sugar
• 3 T Butter or Margarine
• 1 T Whole Milk
• 1/2 t Vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease an 8 x 8 pan (or use a round pie dish - that it what I normally use).
2. Combine the flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, eggs, oil, applesauce, 1 t of vanilla and apples in your mixer and blend well.
3. Pour mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 35- 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Once the cake is out of the oven, place the brown sugar, butter, whole milk, and 1/2 t of vanilla in a sauce pan and bring to a slow boil.  Cook the miture for 3-5 minutes (you will notice it thickens).  Remove from heat and let sit until it is no longer bubbling.  Spoon the brown sugar mixture over the still warm cake.  
5. Set the cake aside until the brown sugar mixture cools. 
6. ENJOY!

I am VERY sorry for not having any pictures.  It completely escaped my mind to snap a few before the party.  I am sure I will be making this again in the near future so I will update with some pictures at that time.

Calorie-wise it comes in as expected.  I played around a little with the recipe (read: oil/applesauce and eggs) but it is still an apple cake - which never creates a 100 calorie snack!  The cake is easily cut into 16 pieces no matter what baking pan you use and therefore I base the calorie count on 16 pieces.  One piece of the cake will run you about 175-180 calories - not great but not horrible either and completely yummy!

PB&J Muffins

It's muffin day here at the ranch.  With the threat of Sandy looming over our afternoon I decided to get some quick cooking in this morning.  I am a big fan of peanut butter and jelly!  Skippy or JIF peanut butter and Welch's "Natural Concord Grape Spread" - yum!  I make PB&J cookies but I have never tried muffins, well today is the day.  I adapted a recipe that had a LOT of oil, butter and eggs in it so I am hoping they come out ok - why so much butter and eggs when you have the oily/yummy goodness of peanut butter in your mix?

PB&J Muffins

• 2 c Flour
• 1T Baking Powder
• 1 c Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 2/3 c Sugar
• 1 c Peanut Butter (I use creamy but use what you have)
• 1/3 c Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/2 c Jam or Jelly

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F and grease your muffin tin.
2. Mix together the applesauce, sugar, eggs and peanut butter.  Add in the powder and mix well.
3. Alternate one cup of flour with the cup of milk and finally the last cup of flour.  Mix well until there are no lumps.
4. Spoon the mixture into your muffin tins until they are about half full.  Top each muffin with 2 teaspoons of jam/jelly.  Divide the remaining batter between the the muffins to "close off" the jam/jelly.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes.  
6. ALLOW TO COOL BEFORE EATING.  The muffin might taste wonderful right out of the oven but the jam/jelly inside the muffin is steaming hot and you do NOT want to burn your mouth/tongue on that - trust me!  
7. Enjoy!

The original recipe claims to have made 12 muffins - I did adapt the recipe and my first time making them I just made 12 muffins.  Twelve VERY LARGE muffins, which isn't a bad thing but not everyone likes a huge muffin!  I think the next time I make these I will shoot for 18-24 muffins instead.

These are NOT calorie friendly at all - but let's be honest what with peanut butter is?  If you only make 12 muffins they come in at around 400 calories a piece (which is still less than a REDUCED FAT blueberry muffin from Dunkin Donuts - so I guess perspective).  Obviously, if you make 24 muffins you are looking at a more doable 200 calories/muffin.

Seeing I am such a fan of PB&J, I am more than willing to spend the 200 (or even 400) calories on one of these beauties.  If you are the same, try them out.  Be sure to let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

In keeping with the spirit of fall, and the fact that this weekend we have multiple Halloween parties to attend, I have decided to make pumpkin and apple treats this weekend.  The original thought was pumpkin bars, but I didn't feel like cooking with cream cheese today - yes I know I am weird.  So I transfered my attention to cookies.  Now I have already made some wonderful pumpkin spice cookies but they were missing the one ingredient I DID want to work with  - chocolate.  And so, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies were created!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 c Butter or Margarine, softened
• 3 c Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 c Pumpkin Purée
• 2 t Vanilla
• 2 t Cinnamon
• 1 t Nutmeg
• 1/2 t Cloves
• 4 1/4 c + 2T Flour *
• 2 t Baking Powder
• 2 T Baking Soda
• 1 c Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease your cookie sheets and set aside.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
3. Add the powder and soda to the mix and blend well.
4. Slowly add in the flour 1 c at a time until all the flour is added and mixed well.
5. Finally add in your chocolate chips - I never actually measure chocolate chips, I just pour :-D.
6. Drop the batter by rounded spoonfuls onto your greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
7. ENJOY

This recipe makes a LOT of cookies.  If you make them on the smaller side you could easily get 8 dozen.  I got just shy of 7 dozen and they were fairly large.  The calorie count obviously depends on how many cookies you make.  For my 80 cookies the calories came in at 79/cookie.  Not all that bad considering they are a COOKIE made with butter, sugar, flour and CHOCOLATE.  They are pretty good and I will be bringing them to the first of the Halloween parties this weekend.

This is a THIRD of the batch!

*I have starred this ingredient due to the "crazy" quantity.  The recipe that I adapted for this cookie required "cake flour".  I only buy all purpose flour (and the occasional graham).  The difference between pastry, bread, all purpose, etc flours is the amount of gluten present in the flour.  I have a conversion chart that I reference when something like this comes up and I have decided it might be a nice thing to share:

When the recipe calls for:	Substitute:
1 cup sifted cake flour	1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup pastry flour	1 cup minus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup self-rising flour	1 cup minus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour plus 11/2teaspoons baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour	1 cup plus 1 tablespoon pastry flour

I hope that will help you all as much as it helps me - I just don't have room to keep all the different types of flour in my house!

As always if you give these cookies a try let me know your thoughts!!

Taco Pizza

Brian requested taco pizza for dinner.  I was all for it until I did the math for a homemade pizza dough taco pizza - 460+ calories for 2 slices?  Heck if I wanted that amount of calories used up I would have gone to Papa Gino's (my personal pizza guilty pleasure)!  That just wasn't going to work - I needed to find a way to reduce the calories.

Have I ever introduced you wonderful people to the amazing Top This! Pizza crusts?  They are wonderful!  I first found them at Dave's Marketplace, and have since discovered that our wonderful milk man will deliver them right to our door!  They are beautiful fire grilled pizza crusts that come in white and wheat.  (I have had both, yet in our house we prefer the white - plus it is less calories.)  The white pizza crust 1s 600 calories for the ENTIRE THING - compared to the 1000 calories for a homemade pizza dough I would say that is a significant reduction!  If you live in New England (or "Old New England" - read: Florida) check them out!  They are delicious and a wonderful alternative to a higher calorie pizza dough.

So I discovered a means to lower the calorie count and taco pizza was again feasible for dinner.  I would say it came out pretty good.  I only ended up having one piece, 1/8th of the pizza.  This was originally due to the fact that I wasted all my calories for the day on chocolate - it was one of those days.  After eating that once piece, and a salad, I am happy to say I was very full.  So I didn't actually miss out on anything!

Taco Pizza

• 1 Top This! Pizza Crust
• 1 c Refried Beans (I used fat free)
• 1/2 lb Ground Beef
• 2 T Taco Seasoning
• 1 c Corn (I used frozen)
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• 1/4 c Black Olives, sliced
• ~10 Grape Tomatoes, chopped
• 1/3 c Mexican Cheese

Check out those layers!!  YUM

1. Brown the ground beef in a pan and season with the taco seasoning.  
2. Mix the corn into the ground beef and set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 F and place your pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven while preheating.
4. While the oven is preheating put the refried beans in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.  When done spread the beans out in and even layer on the pizza crust.
5. Top the refried beans with the meat/corn mixture.  
6. Top the meat/corn mixture with the peppers, onions, olives, and tomatoes.
7. Finally sprinkle the cheese on top of everything.
8. Slide the prepared pizza onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the crust has reached your personal crispiness.  
9. Remove from oven, cut into 8 slices and ENJOY!

Brian topped his pizza with salsa.  You can also add avocado slices, sour cream, or even lettuce.  The pizza is thick and messy, but let's be honest - all the best types of pizza are!

Sorry for the crappy pictures - I really need to start using an
actual camera instead of my phone for these posts!

Now for the calories:  For one slice of pizza (1/8th of the pizza) the calorie count comes to 180.  But let's be honest, who actually east ONE slice of pizza (unless you accompany it with a SUPER LARGE salad).  So for 1/4 of the pizza the calorie count is 360.  Simple math I know, but I wanted to put it out there so you could SEE that it came in a whole 100 calorie less than the homemade pizza dough.

Cheesy Veggie Soup

I am back on my soup kick.  I really don't understand this, I have never been a huge soup fan but I can't seem to get enough lately.

Today's challenge was creating a nice broccoli/cheese soup that isn't 300+ calories.  If you are looking for a straight broccoli and cheese soup, however, this one is not for you.  I have added in carrots, onions and celery to round out the soup (read: more substance for less calories).  Seeing I have only made this soup once I am going to post the recipe with the changes that I plan on making next time - don't be scared.  I ate it as is, I just have a few tweaks for future batches.  I also apologize in advance, I have a tendency to just pour my water without measuring.  Therefore you will notice I give you a range - I normally air on the high side of the range, but create to your personal tastes!

Cheesy Veggie Soup

• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 2-3 Carrots, chopped
• 2 Celery Stalks, chopped
• 1/2 T Garlic, minced (originally I used 1T - I LOVE garlic and it was too much!)
• 4-5 c Water
• 4-5 Chicken Bouillon Cubes (you can use Veggie as well)
• 1 T Cornstarch
• 1/4-1/2 c Water
• 2/3 c Milk
• 5 c Broccoli, chopped (I originally used whole florets - they need to be chopped!)
• 2 c Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 2 Potatoes, cubed (** I did NOT put potatoes in my original recipe, I plan on adding them in future ones.)

I used a hunk of our aged cheddar from Harman's.
If you are ever in Sugar Hill, NH you have to check them out!

1. In a large pot, sprayed with non-stick spray, sauté the onion, carrot, garlic and celery until onion is soft.
2. Add the water, bouillon cubes and cubed potatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook till potatoes are just shy of tender.
3. Create a slurry with the cornstarch and water.  Pour the slurry into the soup and bring to a rapid boil while stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to simmer until soup thickens.
4. Once the soup thickens add in the milk and chopped broccoli.  Heat until broccoli is warmed through.
5. Finally stir in the cheese until melted.  (Serve with a hunk of crusty bread or turn the crusty bread into bread bowls!  I had mine with a piece of crusty bread - perfect for dipping!)
6. ENJOY

The soup is REALLY easy to make and it creates a LOT.  My pot produced 13+ cups of soup (again remember that I don't actually measure).  I calculated the calories based upon 12 cups being made into 8 servings.  For a cup and a half serving the calories come in around 183/serving.  If you want to omit the potatoes the calories per serving come in at about 177.  I think it is pretty good - very flavorful!  it isn't as thick as, say, Panera's Broccoli Cheese but it is half the calories so I can ok with a thinner soup.  I will post an update the next time I make it so I can tell you how the changes turned out.  In the meantime, if you make it, let me know what you think!

Hawaiian Chicken

Blue Pool on Maui, the ocean side - most beautiful place I
have ever been in my life!!

Hawaii, how I love you!  Brian and I spent our honeymoon on Maui and fell in love with the island.  Not only is it a beautiful place, but the general atmosphere is food for the soul.  Between the gorgeous views everywhere you look to the wonderful foods, Maui is a wonderful place to be.

Now, how a trip to Florida is never complete without an orange, a trip to Hawaii isn't complete without a pineapple. Therefore, when I decided on making Hawaiian chicken I new it was going to need pineapple to go along as well.  I remember the luau's having all this wonderful food - purple taro bread, macadamia nuts in all variations, kalua pua (roasted pork straight from an imu), or nice purple sweet potatoes.  Everything, to me, had a rich sweet taste - and that is what I was trying to recreate.

This recipe definitely has a sweet taste.  Brian enjoyed it, but I thought it needed to be dialed back a bit.  Even though, every bite reminded me of being on that beautiful island!! - a three year old can handle a 12 hour flight right?!

Hawaiian Chicken

• 12-16 oz Chicken Breast, boneless/skinless and cut into tenders
• 1/2-3/4 c BBQ Sauce (I used Smokehouse Sweet and Tangy)
• 1 c Pineapple Chunks
• 1/2 c Pineapple Juice (from the can of chunks if you used canned)
• 15-20 Maraschino Cherries, de-stemmed
• 1 T Cornstarch 

1. Spray your crock pot with non-stick spray and lay the chicken tenders on the bottom.  
2. In a bowl, combine the BBQ sauce and pineapple juice.  Pour the mixture over the chicken.
3. Add the pineapple chunks and cherries on top and cover.
4. Cook on high for 1.5 - 2.5 hours or low for 3-4 hours.  (I almost always cook on low and check them at the 3 hour mark.)
5. Remove the chicken from the crockpot and set aside to cut into pieces. 
6. Add the cornstarch into the watery BBQ sauce mix and mix well until all the cornstarch is dissolved.  Turn the crockpot back on high for 10 minutes.
7. While the sauce is thickening cut the chicken into pieces.  
8. Once the sauce has thickened - about ten minutes - add the chicken back in and stir to coat the pieces evenly.  Serve right away or leave your crockpot on warm until ready to serve.
9. Enjoy!

As I said earlier, I think the sweetness in this is a little overpowering.  I think the next time I will try "making my own" BBQ like consistency.  If you try it let me know your thoughts!

STUCK DARN IT

**I apologize in advance for my annoyed and probably whiny post - I need to get it out of my system.  The good thing about a blog is that if my writing is annoying you too much you can just stop reading :-D**

It has been a ROUGH week on the yellow brick road to "journey"-ville.  About a week ago I posted how I have been following my journey for 60 days and that I am down 29.3 pounds.  I had wanted to delay that post in the hopes that at the official two month mark I lost the .7 pounds and I could say I was down a solid 30.  Well that was the HOPE.  It has been a week and I haven't moved at all! AT ALL!

I know I need to step away from my scale, but I enjoy seeing the numbers go down - WHEN THEY GO DOWN.  I step on the scale at night and do the math for the morning (yes, I am female and yes I can fluctuate 2-3 pounds between my morning weight and my end of day weight - why do you think I always try to get the earliest appointment at the doctors office?).  I think "tomorrow it will go down", then the morning comes and that damn scale laughs at me.  It is stuck - the same number staring back at me for a week - I want to scream!  I have been doing my 2-3 miles a day and in the past week I have even added 20 minutes of yoga every night.  I am staying within my calorie/fat/sodium/carbs/protein goals.  What gives?!

Ok so in the midst of my pity party I have to admit that I am still feeling great.  I notice clothes fitting better (or way too loosely).  I am definitely slimming in areas and my energy level has been great.  I know that these are all results of my continued commitment to my journey.  Part of me is berating myself for writing the above drivel.  Trust me I know.  The fact that I know doesn't make it any easier to stomach.  I am working hard at this.  It doesn't come naturally to walk away from food I want, it is hard and I want the results to show.  I know I am being impatient.

I will end this with a focus on the positive.  I now crave my 2-3 mile jaunts on the treadmill.  I look forward to my yoga every night.  I positively ENJOY researching and creating all the wonderful recipes to fit in with my journey.  I am still loving MFP.  I should have posted this rant there, it would have gotten a lot of feedback.  Brian is still super supportive and I am proud of the progress I have made so far.  I want to keep going.  I knew it wasn't always going to keep up at the pace it was (though I was hoping I would see at least a LITTLE change in the course of a week).  I am in this for the long haul and I have my mind wrapped around that.  I walked away from the plate full of lemon squares today.  I knew that if I ate more my night would be full of regret.  I can't even complain that this is a setback - it isn't.  It's a stalemate.  I will continue and progress will happen.

Lemon Bars

Lemon - YUM!  I have found that people are hot/cold when it comes to lemon, hardly ever do I come across a warm.  I am a HOT lemon-er!!  I love anything and everything lemon related!  From lemonade to actual lemons, to candied lemon peels, love it all!  Therefore I always like to try new lemon recipes.  Now I have a lemon bar recipe, it was probably a from someone in my family, and it is good but it is NOT low calorie! It has lots of butter, flour and eggs.  It is delicious, but it has the calorie content of an entire meal (275+ for 1 bar).  Enter the new lemon bars.  The recipe still make 16 bars (an 8x8 pan), but it uses less butter, less flour, less sugar and less eggs.  All things that will bring the calorie count down!

Lemon Bars

• 3 T Butter or Margarine
• 1 c Sugar, divided
• 1/4 t Baking Powder
• 1 3/4 c Flour, divided
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Egg White
• 1 T Water
• 1 T Lemon Zest
• 1/2 c Lemon Juice
• Pinch of Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Prepare your 8x8 baking pan by lining with foil and spraying with non-stick spray.
2. In a small bowl beat together the eggs and egg white.  
3. CRUST:  Combine the butter, 1/4 c of sugar, 1 T of the egg mixture, and 1 T of water in your mixer.  Cream together.  Slowly add in 1 cup of flour and 1/4 t of baking powder until a dough forms.  Press the dough into the prepared pan, be sure to press a little up the sides of the pan as well, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are browned.  Remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool.  Reduce the oven temp to 300 F.
4. Filling:  While the crust is slightly cooling combine the remaining 1/3 c of flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, the rest of the egg mixture, the zest and the lemon juice.  Mix well.  Pour over the crust and bake in a 300 F oven for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is set. 
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Once room temperature is achieved, place in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.  
6. Dust with confectioner's sugar, if desired, and cut into 16 bars.  
7. ENJOY

Im comparison to my original recipe, these lemon bars are about 150 calories less per bar.  They come in at about 108 calories per bar and are wonderfully lemony.  If you like lemon, or just like lemon bars, give them a try!  I promise you won't notice the missing butter, flour and sugar!  (Caution: they are just as addictive as any other lemon bar - I had to stop myself from eating the whole batch!)

MMM... yummy goodness!!!!

Lasagna Soup

Paula Deen makes a soup called Tastes Like Lasagna, I have never had it as it is over 600 calories for ONE CUP of soup - crazy huh?  The Deen Brothers made a lighter version of the soup that I have tasted and it is on that, which I based my recipe.  The very first time I made this soup I overloaded the meat and I was NOT a fan.  I cut it back - decided on either chicken sausage OR ground beef, instead of both.  It made a huge difference.  I am now a big fan of this soup, it will most likely become a staple during the cold winter months.

Lasagna Soup

• 3 links Chicken Sausage (I used Italian flavored) -OR- 1/2 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 Pepper, Chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic (or equivalent in minced/powder)
• 4-5 c Water
• 4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes (or enough to make 4 cups of broth)
• 1 can (15 oz) Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (14 oz) Diced Tomatoes
• 4 oz Lasagna Noodles, broken
• 4 T Parmesan Cheese, shredded
• 1/2 c Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• Basil, to taste
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

I sautéd my meat and veggies in a separate pan only to
ensure I would get an OK picture, I normally sauté right
in the pot

1. Spray a large pot with non-stick spray.  Combine the meat of your choice (if you are using chicken sausage be sure to remove the casing so you will be able to crumble it) with the onion, pepper and garlic.  Sauté until meat is browned and vegetables are cooked through.
2. Add the tomato sauce, water, bouillon cubes and tomatoes to the pot.  Bring to a boil.
3. Once you have brought the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the flavors combine.
4. Add the broken noodles and bring to a boil again.  
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the noodles are soft and the soup thickens.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and basil.  
7. ENJOY!

It is one of the more step intensive soups but I promise that the result is completely worth it.  Serve it up with some crusty bread and you have a wonderful meal!  The recipe, as is, makes 8-9 cups.  You can either have 6 servings of 1 1/4 c each for 240 calories/serving OR you can have 8 servings of 1 cup each for 180 calories/serving.  Either way you choose it is a big difference to the 600+ of the original Paula Deen recipe.

Adding in the yummy cheese!

The finished product!!  

I have made this soup with both sausage and ground beef, with just ground beef, and with just sausage. I prefer it with just sausage.  As a matter of fact that is why I am posting the recipe now, I have decided it is wonderful with the sausage and I will be proud to share!!  If you try it out let me know what configuration you prefer!

Peanut Butter (Corn Flake) Bars

As I am sure you have read by now I am constantly on the prowl for "yummy" sweets that agree with my journey.  Some of the things I was certain to have to relegate to the once-a-year-treat pile were any form of my peanut butter bars or balls.  It was a very very depressing thought.  Peanut butter is meant to be eaten in large quantities and often - preferably right out of the jar with a spoon or mixed with some form of chocolate!!  So the search is constant - I head to Pinterest for some of these searches, though like anything you find online, it is always a good idea to recheck any calorie count you find - they aren't always truthful!  This time I found a recipe with potential.  As always, prior to attempting a recipe or even adapting one, I plug the original into my calorie counter - yup it had potential!!  So I sat down and racked my brain on how I could make it just that much friendlier to my daily caloric intake, not to mention my fat and protein intake.  (I would normally say my sugar intake as well, but let's face it I was looking for a recipe with chocolate!)  Here are the results:

Peanut Butter (Corn Flake) Bars

• 3 c Corn Flakes, crushed
• 1 c + 1T Peanut Butter (I use creamy but you can use what you want/have)
• 1/2 c Sugar
• 1/2 c Corn Syrup 
• 6 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Prepare a 9 x 13 dish by foiling and greasing.
2. In a microwave safe bowl combine  1 cup of peanut butter, the sugar and the corn syrup.  Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring between, until melted and combined.
3. Mix the corn flakes into the peanut butter mix and press into the prepared pan.
4. In the same microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and 1 T of peanut butter.  Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring between, until the chocolate is melted.  Pour over the corn flake mix in the pan.  
5. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm and cut into pieces.
6. Enjoy!

Now these bars may not be as sweet as the "Gold Bars" I normally make, but they are HALF the calories!  I cut the bars into 32 pieces resulting in a calorie count of 111/bar.  I know it doesn't seem like a low calorie snack, but it will satisfy my peanut butter chocolate craving so it is great in my book!

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

I am unable to cook meatloaf.  I feel like it is a staple that I am somehow fundamentally unable to recreate.  I have no problem making meatballs.  Whom, in my opinion, are just mini-meatloaves.  Yet the meatloaf itself is always just beyond my reach.  Now I am not saying that what I create is inedible.  Normally my "loaves" have a perfectly fine meatloaf taste.  They sometimes stay in loaf formation and other times form a nice "breadcrumb" consistency.  It is a flaw, inability to cook a good meatloaf.  I always wonder if my issue with meatloaf stems from the fact that I didn't even eat ground beef until I was in my 20's.  Whatever the cause, I am still looking for that "to die for" meatloaf recipe that will fix my quandary.

This recipe doesn't solve my problem :-D  The loaf came out fine and it tasted as it should, but I was not blown away and therefore still consider this a meatloaf failure.  Which, given the response to dinner, is anything but.  Seconds were requested and devoured.  It just didn't strike my fancy - it was good but not mouthwatering, willing-to-do-an-extra-mile-on-the-treadmill-for-another-piece good.   Give it a whirl and let me know your opinion.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 Celery Stalk, Diced
• 4-8 oz Mushrooms, Diced
• 1 Zucchini, shredded
• 1/2 c Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• 1/4 c Breadcrumbs
• 1 Egg
• 4 T Bacon Crumbles *
• 3 slices Wheat Bread, chunked
• 1/4 c Milk
• 4 T Ketchup
• 1 t Mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Foil and grease a roasting pan and set aside.
2. Place the bread chunks in a large bowl and pour the milk over them.  Set the bowl aside.
3. In a non-stick skillet sauté the onion, celery, and mushrooms until soft and slightly transparent.  
4. Add the shredded zucchini and toss until warmed through.  Remove from heat and set aside to slightly cool. 
5. Add the beef, bacon, breadcrumbs, egg and cheese to the bread and milk mixture.  Mix/combine well.
6. Once the vegetables have cooled sufficiently, add them to the bowl as well.
7. In a small bowl combine the ketchup and mustard.  Pour 1/4 of the mix into the meat/veggie bowl and mix well.
8. Transfer the mixture to the roasting pan and form a loaf.
9. Spread the remaining ketchup mixture on top of the loaf and bake for about 60 minutes, or until cooked through.
10. Enjoy

I know that it seems like a lot of instructions, but it really is a simple process. I am not sure if you NEED to sauté the veggies prior to adding them, but I do know that it gives the loaf a nice robust flavor.  I should also point out that you don't really taste the bacon over the other flavors in this loaf, so if that is your aim you might want to increase the amount of bacon used.

Calorie-wise this is a pleasing meal.  The loaf, cut into 6 slices, comes to about 250 calories per slice.  Now those are BIG slices so I guess it all depends on what you will be serving with your meatloaf.  For dinner tonight I accompanied mine with oven roasted potatoes (a hubby favorite) and a large salad.

*Bacon Crumbles - I can't believe I have never shared this little find on my blog before: Hormel Real Bacon Crumbles.  I am sure there are those of you that already know of this wonderful food, however for those that don't I felt the need to share.  I buy a bag of Hormel Real Bacon Crumbles from BJ's or Sam's Club.  The bag is the equivalent of approximately 5 pounds of uncooked bacon.  I think it is $6-7, though don't quote me on that.  I use these crumbles in EVERYTHING that requires bacon.  It goes on Brian's pizza, in the Corn Chowder, and in the twice-baked cauliflower - heck I use it in a LOT of recipes.  Brian likes bacon - show me a man that doesn't - and this is an easy way to bring that bacon taste into my recipes.  Not only is it convenient, but one tablespoon of these crumbles is only 25 calories - and let me tell you a tablespoon goes a LONG way.  I have found that a lot of "low cal" recipes call for canadian bacon, something that I like though am not a fan of mixed with things.  I have substituted the caloric equivalent of these crumbles in those recipes many a time.  OK I will stop with the product plug now, I just wanted to share one of our enjoyable finds.

I wasn't planning on posting the meatloaf here so I didn't take any pictures.  (The hubby convinced me that it was good and I should share.)  Seeing it seems to be a hit I am sure I will be making it again and will post pictures at that time.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I don't know about you guys but I LOVE peanut butter and bananas.  The only thing peanut butter goes better with is cheese - yes I am that person and don't knock it till you have tried it!  When I stumbled upon this recipe I knew it needed to be made as soon as possible.  As usual, I tweaked the recipe a little for my own preferences and this is what turned out:



Peanut Butter Banana Bread

• 3 RIPE Bananas, mashed
• 1/2 c Peanut Butter (I use creamy but use what you have)
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 2 T Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 c White Sugar
• 1/4 c Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 c Flour
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 t Baking Powder
• 1 c Peanut Butter Chips 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Prepare one or two loaf pans (depending on your preference for two small loaves or one giant loaf) by greasing them and set aside.
2. Combine sugars, peanut butter, oil, applesauce, and egg.  
3. Add in flour, soda, and powder.  Follow with the mashed bananas
4. Finally stir in peanut butter chips. Keep in mind that the batter is supposed to be lumpy, don't over mix.  
5. Scoop batter into pan(s) and cook for 30-40 minutes for 2 loaves or 50-60 minutes for one, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Allow the bread(s) to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack for complete cooling.
7. ENJOY

This is one of those recipes that is dangerous.  It goes together extremely easily and tastes wonderful - which of course makes it something that can be made often.  The original recipe calls for mini reese's peanut butter cups in the cake, for some reason that didn't sit well with me.  I am a fan of chocolate and peanut butter, but I didn't like the thought of that in my bread.  If you are inclined to introduce chocolate, you can always substitute semi-sweet chips for the peanut butter chips.  You can also omit the peanut butter chips all together.  Make the recipe your own!

Nutritionally the bread comes in right where one would expect.  I made two short loaves (for some reason that makes me feel like I have more bread - I know, weird) that I cut into 22 pieces.  With that in mind, the calories came in at about 150 calories per slice.  Lower than that of the apple bread (and the slices are a bit larger), but obviously the taste is very different.  I would say all in all I am happy with this recipe.  I am not sure I will abandon my regular banana bread recipe all together, but I will most likely be inserting this one into the banana bread cycle!

Baked Pizza Egg Rolls

I woke up this morning wanting to cook.  I love being in my kitchen, making a mess, creating something yummy.  Today I knew I wanted to cook but I couldn't figure out just what it was I wanted to create.  I spent a good deal of time this morning trying to define what I was after.  It never did come to me.  I knew I wanted to "cook" as opposed to "bake" so most of my stand-by's were out.  I contemplated whipping up pot pie soup, but Brian is more of a fan of "Tastes Like Lasagna" (which apparently I have never shared here so be prepared for that post in the very near future).  Then I thought  pizza casserole sounded good, but I wasn't in the mood for pasta (yes I took my temperature to make sure I wasn't running a super high fever causing delusion).

So no pasta, but the pizza idea seemed to stick.  These were supposed to be wonton bites; however I didn't have any wonton wrappers in my house and I was too lazy to cut the egg roll wrappers down to size.  Hey, don't judge my laziness, I at least made something!

Baked Pizza Egg Rolls

• 12 Egg Roll Wrappers
• 1/2 c Mozzarella Cheese*, shredded
• 2 T Pizza Sauce (I used Contadina - yum - but any tomato sauce will do)
• 4 T (heaping) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 T Mushroom, diced
• 1 T Minced Onion
• 1 oz Pepperoni, chopped
• Garlic, to taste
• Italian Seasoning, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Foil line a baking sheet and place a cooling rack on the sheet.  Spray the rack with non-stick spray.
2. Mix all the ingredients, save the wrappers, together.
3. Spoon about one heaping tablespoon onto each wrapper and roll.  (To get the wrappers to stick brush the edges with water or a beaten egg.)
4. place the prepared egg rolls on the rack, be sure to leave space so they are not touching, and spray the tops of the egg rolls lightly with oil.  
5. Bake  in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. ENJOY

By placing the rolls on a rack in the pan it allows them to
crisp on both sides without having to worry about flipping.  

Now being me, I garnished the egg rolls with a little fresh grated parmesan cheese (cause who doesn't like parmesan cheese?).  They are actually pretty good.  I always have to stress this when making baked egg rolls - THEY ARE BAKED.  If you are going into this thinking you will get that oily crunch out of your egg roll wrappers then you will be disappointed.  There is a crunch, but it is a different kind of crunch.  That being said, you can definitely deep fry these if you so desire - I just try to avoid high temperature vats of oil!

The egg rolls come in at around 90 calories a piece.  Not that bad in my opinion.  The recipe makes 12, we had them for lunch with some cucumbers (obviously) and avocado (another obvious choice).  I also supplied extra dipping pizza sauce - you never know when the need to dip will strike.  I ended up eating three for lunch.  I probably could have gotten away with just two, but I ate a skimpy breakfast this morning.  So for 270 calories I had three good sized pizza egg rolls and I am feeling plenty full!

This is another one of those recipes, like the muffin bites that you can do pretty much anything with!  Keep them pizza-like yet add different ingredients (i.e. peppers, bacon, zucchini) or completely change them into buffalo chicken egg rolls.  Slap on your chef hat and decide what you feel like that day!

Give them a shot if you are so inclined - and don't forget to let me know your thoughts!

*I am a HUGE fan of FRESH mozzarella.  I know many of you will think I am jumping on some sort of bandwagon (cause I am sure there is a "fresh cheese" bandwagon out there somewhere).  Whatever you think, try it.  I promise you, once you use fresh mozzarella in your recipes you will never go back to those pre-shredded bags hanging in refrigerated section at the grocery store.  I feel so strongly about this that I am currently buying the materials to make my own mozzarella.  That being said - use whatever cheese you like, the egg rolls are for you to eat and therefore should be made with ingredients you prefer.

New Ink Day!

"The only people that used to get tattoo's were sailors that got drunk in port."   - I LOVE my Grandfather :-D.

I have posted on this before - anti-ink versus pro-ink.  Seems like it could be a debated matter.  I recently had someone ask me why I would turn my hair blue and "why oh why" would I permanently "disfigure" my body.  My response was "exactly, it is MY body".

As pertains to my hair:  No I am not doing it to piss my mother off.  I am an almost thirty year old woman.  My relationship with my mother is NOT dependent on the color of my hair and to just burst that bubble - she liked it, it was her favorite color.  My parents might not "understand" why portions of my hair are now the color of a melted grape popsicle, but their opinion of my person would never be changed based on my outward appearance.  I placed the word understand in "'s due to the fact that I do not think it is the best word for the situation.  The reticence concerning my hair does not come from disapproval, it stems from the fact that it is not something they (my parents) would do for themselves.  It would be like me saying I don't approve of wearing lipstick - not true, it is just not something I would do for myself.  I will close out this "hair portion" by saying - I like it.  Brian likes it.  Linc likes it.  <- This is what matters.  The larger population might not "understand" why an almost 30 year old with a 3 year old son decided to dye her hair blue (or a nice bright purple now that it has faded), but that is the larger population's issue - not mine.  I didn't do it cause I want to shock people.  I did it because I have always wanted to, I like it, and I have a very loving and supporting family.  I was confident enough to dye my hair blue - celebrate it, don't dissect.

Now for the ink :-D  I am a fan of tattoos.  I would never be able to sleeve my arm, but that is just me.  I know plenty of people with sleeves and they look fabulous.  I am just not a sleeve person.  I prefer to pick smallish (compared to come) symbols with a purpose.  As I have stated before, my tattoos are thought out decisions of significance.

I have a very small shamrock on my ankle - a symbol that I have loved since I can remember.

I got this shamrock nine years ago.  (The picture is from today though!)
I love it!

On the inside of the same ankle there is a Claddagh symbol that Brian and I used in our wedding - it is even red and black, our wedding colors.  (If you got a pen from our wedding then you have seen the symbol!)

Sorry for the old picture, but it is not the easiest place to take a picture
of on your own.  So I grabbed a picture from when it was freshly done.

On the opposite foot is my favorite tattoo - Linc's footprint with his name.  The detail on my footprint tattoo STILL astounds me 2 years later.  I love looking at it an remembering how far Linc has come in the past three years.

Linc's footprint - don't mind the cut on my foot, a stick attacked me
while we were apple picking last weekend!!

Finally my new ink - a motherhood symbol on my upper back.  The symbol fades from black to green - which is Linc's birthstone color.  I was, originally, going to get a Dara (Tree) Knot on my upper back and the motherhood knot was going to be placed on my leg, however due to the size and detail I determined that the motherhood knot would look best in that placement.  I love it - which is good seeing it is permanent :-D.  It is still new - not even 24 hours old - so the colors aren't set yet but the placement and size are all I could have wanted.  The green color is coming in nicely and I am sure I will be just as thrilled with this tattoo as I am with my others.

Sorry for the redness in the picture - the tattoo was only
3 hours old when this picture was taken.  That is
also the reason for the green color not being highly apparent.

For the "permanent disfigurement", I am very happy with mine.  How is my decision to tattoo meaningful symbols on my body any different than a person's decision to pierce their ears? Or wear contact lenses instead of glasses? Or wear the color orange?  OK, I know I am generalizing and I am sure my naysayers will have a LOT of arguments for my examples, but if you boil everything down I really don't see a great difference.  My tattoos are important to me.  They represent great events, feelings, or aims in my life.  They are ME.  I don't look at them as disfigurements, I look upon them with pride.  Again, it might not be something a person would do for themselves, but that doesn't make it the wrong thing for me.  I am not you, I am me, tattoos and all.  

Again, please excuse the picture.  This is about 18 hours
into the healing process.  The green is starting to pop!
This picture shows you the placement - and my purple hair!!

60 Days....

Today is my 60th day using MFP.  I would say all in all it is going fairly well.  I wanted to wait until the "official" two month mark on Saturday to post, but I am impatient.

The numbers right now stand as follows:  60 days and 29.3 pounds lost.  I wish I could have said thirty pounds, but I guess I will take the 29.3 and just keep plugging along.  So let's do out the math - that is my favorite part - 60 days = 8.5 weeks.  So, "subtract two, carry the one", I am losing about 3.5 lbs per week.  There is NO WAY that can keep up, but I will take it while it is offering :-D

It isn't just about weight though - I have noticed a LOT more energy, I generally feel much better (even with the horrible allergy attacks), I even look forward to my workouts.  I would say all in all the past 60 days have brought me into a healthier way of living - not that I was a slob/sloth prior to the past 60 days, but you know what I mean.

I have recently added in 20 minutes of yoga/strength training (via the Wii) every night.  I am not a yoga person - am not/never have been/probably never will be a bendy flexible person - but with the Wii I am allowed to pick and choose what poses and stretches I want.  I then intersperse them with lunges, twists, and lifts and have a nice 21 minute workout that is perfect for right before bed.  I can do it within the comfy confines of my own house and can switch up the routine at any point.

All in all I would say I am happy with my journey so far.  I definitely have those days where I think it is not going well and when I question my continuance.  Then I think about about all I have accomplished in such a short period of time:  29.3 pounds down, can run 1/4 mile (seriously that is a BIG thing for me), I no longer huff and puff when running around outside with Linc, I don't get that horribly gross feeling every night when I go to bed, I feel much more rested, seriously the list goes on and on - COMPLETELY WORTH ANY EFFORT I MIGHT PUT FORTH.

As always I would like to thank you all.  It helps knowing that people not only support you, but are also paying attention.  Thanks!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

One of my absolute FAVORITE ways to prepare and eat chicken.  This is a standard recipe in every house I am sure, but I love it so much that it needed it's own blog post.  Add the chicken to pasta with pesto or just a salad and you have a wonderful meal!

YUM - not only did we have crusted chicken, but avocado as well
Tonight's dinner was all about ME!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

• 1/2 c Flour
• 1 Egg + 1 T Water, beaten
• 1/2 c Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 12 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, flattened
• 2 T Butter or Oil

1. Place butter or oil in a large nonstick fry pan over medium/high heat.
2. Be sure you flattened your chicken to roughly the same thickness to ensure even cooking.
3. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour till coated.  Then dip the floured breasts into the egg and press into parmesan cheese.  
4. Transfer the prepared breasts to the heated fry pan and cook, flipping once to ensure cook through.  
5. Remove from pan and ENJOY!

See nothing to it!  if you haven't made this recipe before, and are a fan of chicken, I implore you to try it.  You won't be let down!  I would say in our house this chicken makes it's way into the menu every couple of weeks, in some incarnation or another.  It is quick, easy, and I always have the ingredients on hand.  Not to mention that I seem to crave it every couple of weeks.  You can pretty much make this with any hard cheese, as exampled by Cheesecake Factory's Romano Crusted Chicken dinner :-D.

As prepared, cooked in margarine instead of oil, I divide this recipe into three servings of 4 oz of chicken each.  Each serving comes in at about 250 calories - an all in all very respectable number for such a yummy dish!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Let's jump on the bandwagon of all things pumpkin - at least for a short ride.  I don't drink coffee, so I don't prescribe to the crazy Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks pumpkin extravaganzas.  I do, however, love pumpkin pastries.  I am a huge fan of pumpkin pie - with homemade graham cracker crust.  This year I decided to try my hand at a new pumpkin cookie recipe.  The pumpkin cookie recipes piled up and I needed to choose one to try.  My requirements were simple: lower calorie then pumpkin bars and makes at least 48 light and fluffy pumpkin cookies.  No flat crunchy pumpkin cookies for me.  None of the recipes I had seemed to fit into those simple guidelines.  So I set out and modified one on my own.  The result is wonderfully delicious! 

YUM - If the batter is good,
the cookie normally is!

Pumpkin Spice (Cake) Cookies

• 2 1/2 c Flour
• 1 t Baking Powder
• 1 t Baking Soda
• 2 t Cinnamon
• 1/2 t Nutmeg
• 1/2 t Cloves
• 1/2 c Butter or Margarine, softened
• 1 1/2 c Sugar
• 1 c Pumpkin Purée
• 1 Egg
• 1 t Vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  
2. Cream together margarine, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin and egg.  
3. Add in cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, powder and soda.
4. Blend in flour slowly and mix well.
5. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a cookies sheet (I did not grease my sheet, though you probably could if you felt the need) and bake for about 10 minutes.  The time really depends on how "gooey" you like your cookies.  When it comes to pumpkin cookies I am big fan of "goo".
6. Remove from pan and allow to cool (or eat them warm right off the pan like we do in my house).
7. ENJOY

The recipe made 50 good size cookies.  They came in at 58 calories a piece - I would say that is pretty darn good for a cookie.  If you wanted you could easily top these with some cream cheese frosting, but your calorie count will go up significantly.  For additional sweetness, you could just do a simple glaze.  though if you are thinking about frosting the cookies you may want to flatten your dough drops prior to cooking.  I should also say that these cookies are really more the consistency of cake than that of a cookie, hence the (cake) in the title.  If you want to add a little kick, think about adding cinnamon chips or chocolate chips to the cookie dough.

Quick, Easy and Yummy

For something a little different today I have decided to share my go-to, quick, easy and yummy vegetables.  Normally I am all about fresh vegetables, however there are times when I just want something easy as a side dish. Something quick, to grab for a lunch that isn't a yogurt and that will take me 4 minutes or less to create a hot delicious small meal.  Now for those of you that will condemn me for using frozen vegetables, I encourage you to come spend a day in my life.  I do try, on as many occasions as possible, to stick with fresh (and even local) produce and dairy, however at times it is just not feasible; or I would prefer to spend the time playing Angry Birds with Linc.  I would also like to point out that at least we are still eating vegetables and not Big Macs!!  In my opinion these are a win-win!

What are they you ask?  I just like to build the suspense :-) (over vegetables no less).  Green Giant boxes!  Specifically the Teriyaki Vegetables and the Antioxidant Blend.

The third box is Brian's Vegetable Medley - contains potatoes and comes
in around 150 calories for the box.  Also yummy!

I have a membership to both Sam's Club and BJ's, which is the best place to buy things such as frozen vegetables.  I have to admit that I have never purchased these particular blends from Sam's Club, I seem to get them exclusively at BJ's.  Now don't let the front of the box fool you - as it did me the first time around - they are 40-50 calories PER SERVING, not box.  That being said, in both cases the entire box - if you are eating one as a meal - is only 100 calories.  

Antioxidant Blend on the left and the Teriyaki Vegetables on the right.
(Who is proud of me that I got the left/right correct?! - first try and all!!)

The antioxidant blend is a nice mixture of broccoli, peppers and carrots in a garlic-herb infused olive oil seasoning.  It is not to heavy, as some olive oil infusions can be, and is the perfect accompaniment to virtually any meal - at least in my opinion.  It also tastes well with the addition of some chicken breast.  I mix 4 oz of precooked boneless skinless chicken breast into the vegetables when they come out of the microwave and I have a very filling 210 calorie lunch!  

The teriyaki vegetables is a blend of broccoli, carrots and cauliflower in a teriyaki sauce.  Again the sauce is not to heavy, though I do find that at times there is too much sauce.  I have found that this box goes wonderfully with rice (where that extra sauce might just come in handy).  One cup of brown rice, drop the veggies on it and poof - instant 250 calorie DELICIOUS meal.  

I use frozen broccoli florets in a lot of recipes, but these boxes come out of the microwave ready to eat and perfectly seasoned.  At about $0.92 per box I can't go wrong!  (We buy them at BJ's.  There are 6 boxes per pack and they are $5.49/pack.)  

Now I have certainly tried to "make my own" frozen veggie packs.  I either do not have the flash freeze down, or they come out WAY to sauce heavy.  Until I perfect my own vegetable packs, I will be purchasing these for a quick, easy and yummy side or lunch!  

What do you guys think?  Anyone else have a favorite "quick, easy and yummy"?