Diet Soda Birthday Cake

I love cake! It is one of my weaknesses when it comes to staying on a diet.  Every once in a while I just need a piece of cake or a cupcake! When my daughter celebrated her birthday this month she wanted a low-cal cake that was low in Weight Watcher points as well.  I found a couple of different options online and so I combined a couple of the recipes to come up with a yummy birthday cake.

Ingredients:

1 box strawberry cake mix
10 oz. lemon lime diet soda
2 egg whites (lightly beaten)
1 container Cool Whip
1 small box sugar-free/fat-free cheesecake pudding mix
1 1/2 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup finely chopped strawberries
8-10 strawberries for decoration

Directions:

1. Mix cake mix, diet soda, and 2 egg whites together until well blended - batter should be smooth.
2. Spray bundt pan, or 9x13 pan, with cooking spray.  Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Follow the directions on the box for baking times.
4. Let cake cool before frosting the cake. If using a bundt pan, invert the cake onto a plate or platter.

Frosting:

1. Combine pudding mix and milk until well blended.
2. Add Cool Whip and strawberries to pudding.
3. If you want more of a "pink" color to the frosting just add a drop of red food coloring and fold into the mixture.

Serving size: 1/12th of the cake
Weight Watcher points: 4.5pts

Nutritional info:

Calories 213, 1.5g fat, 0 fiber


Note:  You could make this cake with any combination of cake/soda:  diet cherry coke and chocolate cake; diet lemon lime and lemon cake; diet root beer and spice cake; etc. :)


Positive thought for the day:

Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.  –Victor Kiam

Chicken 'n Biscuits

Chicken 'n Biscuits doesn't sound very healthy does it? Well, this recipe is so yummy that my husband didn't even know that the chicken nuggets were low-cal and homemade!

My daughter shared this recipe with me from one of the Weight Watcher sites she likes. She is very into keeping track of her Weight Watcher points so I'm trying to add the WW points on each of my recipes as well. Whatever I can do to help everyone along on their efforts to eat healthy is worth it.  So far everyone in the family has been losing weight ever since January when we really started trying to eat healthier - yeah!!

In addition to eating healthy my husband has also been walking 5 miles everyday, so not only has he been losing weight, but he has been able to cut back on some of his diabetes medicine.  My daughter, who doesn't like to "exercise", has been finding more ways to be active -- volleyball, softball, frisbee, anything with a game is good for her.  My other daughter, who does like to exercise, uses the treadmill, does pilates or exercises at home in order to get her exercise in during the week.  It's great to see that there is more than one way to lose weight and stay healthy...one size doesn't always fit all!

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

2 tbsp butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 cups Heart Smart Bisquick
3.5 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used fat -free)
2/3 cup fat free milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Melt butter in a small frying pan, add half the garlic and saute on low heat about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add parsley.
3. In a large bowl, combine biscuit mix, cheddar cheese, and remaining garlic. Stir in milk and mix (do not over mix). Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Brush or drizzle biscuits with melted butter mixture.

Makes 14 servings.

Nutrition: (1 biscuit)

97.3 calories, 3.9g fat, 13g carbs, 0g fiber, 3.7g protein

Weight Watcher points = 2pts

Chicken Nuggets

2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bite sized pieces
salt and pepper
2 tsp olive oil
6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp panko
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko, and parmesan cheese in another.
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then put in the bowl with the olive oil and mix well so the olive oil evenly coats the chicken.
4. Roll the chicken pieces in the breadcrumbs a few pieces at a time. Place chicken nuggets on baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray.  Bakes for 8-10 minutes then turnover and bake an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

Serving size = 4 (1/4th of nuggets)

Nutrition Info:

165 calories; 4.6g fat; 22.1g protein; 7.7g carbs; 0.9g fiber

Weight Watcher points:  4 pts

Positive Thought for the Day:

"Just keep swimming."  – Dory in Finding Nemo

Frozen S'Mores

It seems that now that Summer is here I have even less time than I used to when I was going to work everyday. I thought that once school let out I would be able to have all this time to work on my special projects, but it seems that doctor appointments, the laundry, and a broken dishwasher have gotten in the way!  I also have both my daughters here so we've spent a lot of time going to the movies, the beach, shopping, playing games, etc. -- which is all good!!

I've been a little remiss in keeping up with my blog as well, but I'm hoping to make up for that in posting several  recipes this week.  The first is an easy, cool little dessert that is great for Family Home Evening.  You can whip it up in less than 10 minutes, stick it in the freezer for an hour while you're having FHE, and then it's ready for dessert by the time you're done!

I adapted this recipe from a Hungry Girl recipe I had on hand.

Frozen S'mores

12 sheets (48 crackers) honey graham crackers
3 cups Cool Whip Free, thawed
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Directions:

1. Lightly stir together Cool Whip, chocolate chips, and marshmallows.
2. Break graham cracker into two squares. Place one square on plate and put approximately 1/4 cup of the Cool Whip mixture on top of cracker. Place another graham cracker square on top. Make 12 s'mores.
3. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour.  You can store these in the freezer until ready to serve -- they're even better the next day!

Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition Info: (one sandwich)

124 calories, 4g fat, 99mg sodium, 26g carbs, 0.5g fiber

Note:  You can make these lower in fat if you use low-fat graham crackers. It would then be 2.5g fat.

Weight Watcher points:  3 points each

Positive thought for the day:
"We often spend so much time coping with problems along our path that we only have a dim or even inaccurate view of what’s really important to us."  –Peter Senge

Mashed Red Potatoes with Chives

Okay, I'll just fess up right now -- this is not my picture. When I made this recipe I forgot to take a picture, so I snagged this from www.cookinglight.com

This recipe was so easy that I had to post it on my blog. I had never heard of making mashed potatoes this way -- so super fast and easy. Who knew you could use a microwave to make mashed potatoes?!

I served this side dish with barbecued flank steak and a green salad.

With summer here I'd like my posts to focus on healthy side dishes and desserts. Does anyone have any low-cal/low-fat side dishes or desserts they'd like to share? Just leave the recipe in the comment section and I'll choose some of my favorites to spotlight on my blog.

Mashed Red Potatoes with Chives

1 red potato (about 1/2 pound)

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

1 1/2 tablespoons fat-free milk

1 tablespoon yogurt-based spread (such as Brummel and Brown)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1. Scrub potato; place in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl (do not pierce potato with a fork). cover bowl with plastic wrap (do not allow plastic wrap to touch food); vent. Microwave at HIGH 8 minutes or until tender.
2. Add garlic and next 5 ingredients to potatoes. Mash to desired consistency. Stir in chives. Yield: 2 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup).

Nutrition:

Calories 120; fat 4g; protein 3.0g; carb 20g; fiber 2g; chol 4mg; iron 1mg; sodium 208mg

My Notes:

1. I quadrupled this recipe since we needed more than two servings.
2. I only added 2 cloves of garlic to our quadrupled recipe, but it seemed like a little too much garlic so I might try it with less garlic next time.
3. I didn't have chives so I added a little parsley to give it the green color that it needed.

Positive thought for the day:

"I keep my mind focused on peace, harmony, health, love and abundance. Then, I can’t be

distracted by doubt, anxiety, or fear." –Edith Armstrong

(I needed this one today!)

Don't forget to leave your favorite recipe for a low-cal side dish or dessert. (Just post the recipe in the comments section.)  Over the summer I'll choose a few to spotlight on my blog!

Orange Beef and Broccoli

I almost called this one "Irritable People Making My Life Crazy Beef and Broccoli" in the tradition of the movie Waitress, starring Keri Russell. It's just been one of those weeks. It seems everywhere I went I was running into irritable, grouchy people. Cooking is good therapy though, so I've let go of all that negative energy!

This recipe was found in the cookbook Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast, pg. 267.

Orange Beef and Broccoli

1 (12 oz.) package refrigerated broccoli

1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

1/3 cup low-sugar orange marmalade

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 (1 pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut into thin slices

Cooking spray

1. Microwave broccoli according to package directions.
2. While broccoli cooks, combine broth and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Place cornstarch in a shallow dish. Dredge steak in cornstarch.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; saute 5 minutes or until browned on all sides. Add broth mixture; cook 1 minute or until thick. Stir in broccoli. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

Nutrition info:

Calories 238; fat 7g; protein 27.7g; carb 16.6g; fiber 2.5g; chol 37mg; iron 2.6mg; sodium 570mg; calc 68mg

My Notes:

1. I couldn't find low-sugar orange marmalade, so I used sugar-free orange marmalade.
2. I used my ceramic knife to cut the beef, which made that part go smoothly -- since none of my other knives are ever sharp enough!
3. We served this with steamed brown rice.
4. If I were to make this again I would double the sauce mixture because it needed more sauce.

Positive thought for the day: "No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an unchartered land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit." –Helen Keller