Grown Up Dessert

COFFEE JELLO

• Dissolve one packet of plain unflavored gelatin in 1/4 cup of cold liquid (water or coffee).  Let sit 5 minutes to soften.

• Add 1.5 cups of hot (boiling) coffee. 

• Stir in 1/4 cup sweetener of choice ( I used Splenda...you can use sugar if you wish) and a dash of salt.   Stir until dissolved.

•  Chill until set.

• Serve spooned into coffee cups, top with whipped cream.

A nice addition would be a drizzle of Chocolate Magic Shell for a mocha flavor.  You might add some chocolate syrup too as part of the liquid, reducing the added sweetener to taste.

In the future I'm going to try making this using green tea in place of the coffee.

One More Dessert--Easy Breezy Chocolate Mousse

Combine 1/4 tub of Fat Free Cool Whip with 2-3 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder.

Tastes like chocolate mousse.  Only 160 calories for the whole thing.

Yum.  Simple as pie.

As an alternative, if you like coffee, omit the chocolate powder and stir in some instant coffee powder.  Sprinkle with a half tablespoon of mini sized semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Calorie count would be 190.

Weightloss Update

Down 15 pounds.  Yay me.

I feel like I've found the magic bullet.  Of course there is no magic bullet.  But when one struggles to achieve a goal-- falling down, it seems, a million times-- to finally 'walk' feels like a miracle.

The take away is this:

When you try to lose and can't, you have to figure out why and what.  Why aren't you losing.  What is going on?

Our individual bodies are unique.  What works best for one may not work for another.  And different stages of life require different approaches too.

For me eating 'small' several times a day; eating less fat; not restricting any food--instead putting it on the 'eat once in awhile'  list;  eating adequate protein and fiber at mealtime and snack time; those are the strategies that have worked for me.

If you think it is hopeless, that nothing works, don't give up.  Keep trying.  Eventually you will discover what does work and experience your own miracle.

Note:  If you've been dieting for years with little success and much frustration it may be time to take a break from dieting and read the book Intuitive Eating.  Reading that book helped me begin to unravel the lifelong muddle of  lose and regain.

Baby Steps: One Thing I Am Doing

Last post I mentioned setting myself a four week goal to make some changes and discover the net--if any-- effect.  I've made several changes, but bottom line--I'm not on a diet.  There is nothing to 'go off of'.  I'm incorporating some things into my life that I plan to stick with routinely.  It remains to be seen what benefits, if any, I will net.  I will share more at the end of the 4 weeks.

One thing I changed is what I put into my morning coffee.  I love good coffee in the a.m. with half and half, sans sweetening of any kind--unless it's iced coffee, which I also love.

Now I don't think fat in food is evil.  I did the whole very low fat/no fat thing back in the late 1990's.  More realistically it was a fast carb (versus slow carbs) diet which elevated my body weight and my cholesterol.  Good fats are good for us.  But too many calories-- including healthy ones-- will make us over fat, so we need to consider that aspect.

As well, I've read that when you eat fat, your body will utilize that fat before it utilizes your stored body fat.  If that is true--don't know if it is or isn't--then to get rid of my fat I need to reduce my total fat intake.  Meaning, I eat good fat, in modest amounts--that being what is optimal for good health--and use non-fat substitutes elsewhere as needed to balance my calorie intake.

So...my bright idea was to use skim milk in my coffee.  Yuk.  Not good.  One issue is the amount I need made it too cool.  My solution was to nuke the milk, then add the coffee.  But I still hated the taste, or lack of to be more exact.

All the creamer substitutes--which do a better job  than skim milk in my book--I have issues with.  They are usually sweetened or they have partially hydrogenated oils.  I can't abide sweet hot coffee, though I love sweet cold coffee, and I avoid routine use of trans fat foods.  And the  dairy fat free half and half is tasteless to me and overpriced.  I may as well save my money and use skim milk.

I was ready to call the skim milk in my coffee quits and go back to half and half --because it is not a change I can live with forever--when I hit on the idea of trying 1% milk in my coffee.  Who'd have thought it would make such a big difference???  Well, not me, but guess what?..it is 100% better.  So much so that I may just be able to live with it for life, saying bye bye to half and half forever.

I'll see how it goes.  I could always try 2% milk, and even whole milk.  I need to do the fat math and the calorie math since I use about 1/4 cup per 12 ounce coffee mug.

This one little thing won't make a big difference.  But a lot of little things, a lot of little changes might add up to one big change--me seeing the number on the scale diminish.

If I have learned anything, I have learned this: the thing that gets you to your weight loss is the thing that keeps you there.  The coffee change is a baby step, but perhaps a step in the right direction.  We'll see.

Mocha Punch

Before you know it Valentine's day will be upon us-- a great excuse to eat chocolate!

In a previous post I shared a recipe for Mistletoe Punch which was a big hit at my house. Here's my take on it for Valentines.

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Mocha Punch

Scoop into a bowl 8 cups of chocolate ice cream. Allow to soften somewhat and stir in 16 ounces of Cool Whip.

Now, add 8 cups of double strength cafe latte (how to make this to follow).

You can put this into a punch bowl or a nice pitcher. Optional: sprinkle with cocoa powder. You could also float some dollops of Cool Whip or whipped cream on the top.

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Here's the easy woman's version of double strength cafe latte.

For each cup of coffee add 2 teaspoons of instant coffee to enough boiling water to dissolve the coffee powder. Now add cold water to make a half cup, followed by a half cup of cold milk.

If you don't like coffee, omit it and replace with milk.

If you're not a chocolate lover, strawberry would be nice for Valentines--I'd suggest using strawberry ice cream, the pink kind, and milk, possibly add some strawberry Nestle's Quick.

The variations are endless...I'm thinking chocolate mint would be yummy too..the green mint ice cream should give you a nice creamy pastel green color.

Note: I use the light Cool Whip with great results. Also, in this version it's important to incorporate the whipped topping before you add the liquid..otherwise you'll end up with tiny white clumps in your chocolate punch.

Granted this isn't 'health food...but it is fun. A punch sized portion of this won't ruin your food plan. Fun foods are, well fun, and I for one, am all for having a fun filled 2010.

Tea Time Raisin Bars

I've had this recipe for years and oft enjoyed it. These bars are the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea or coffee on a cold blustery day--and quickly mixed up from the staples in your pantry. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. In a sauce pan mix:

1 cup raisins
1 cup water

Bring to a boil, then add:

1/2 cup oil or melted shortening or butter

Let cool. Now add the rest:

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
optional: 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 cup nuts

Mix together, pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake until done--careful not to over bake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy. Hint: if you are not using oil, add the butter or shortening to the boiled raisin water mixture when you take it off the heat-- so it will melt. It saves on washing up. Also, all you need is a spoon to mix this. Quick, easy, economical, tasty.

COFFEE AND CREAM DESSERT

This is one serving. It uses some fat free and sugar free products and it is surprisingly good. I’m not a fan of most engineered fat free foods and I use sugar free sparingly. But having a sweet tooth I had to come up with some desserts I can truly enjoy.

For this one, use a coffee mug. Way cute.

You’ll need these ingredients per serving.

One vanilla pudding cup, sugar free
Two tablespoons of fat free cream cheese
Four tablespoons of light Cool Whip
One serving of vanilla wafers, broken
One teaspoon of instant coffee plus water, or leftover coffee
Rum flavoring
A little milk
A little unsweetened cocoa powder
Lite Whipped cream in a can (the aerosol kind--it‘s prettier)

First off --I fold some vanilla flavoring into my Cool Whip before I use it--a tip I saw on Sandra Lee’s cooking show--the name escapes me.

In a small bowl mix the instant coffee with a tablespoon of water, a tablespoon of milk and about a half teaspoon of rum flavoring. To this add the broken vanilla wafers and toss. Let this sit to absorb the liquid while you mix up the rest. You can add a little more milk or water if it’s too dry--though you don’t want to add so much liquid that the cookies disintegrate…just enough to soften and flavor them.

In another bowl combine the cream cheese and pudding cup until it is smooth, then fold in the whipped topping.

To assemble, place half the cookie mixture in the coffee mug, top with half the pudding mixture. Repeat. Sprinkle this with the cocoa powder. Then top it with a single ring of whipped cream around the perimeter of the cup.

This will taste similar to Tiramisu. If you don’t like coffee, use Oreo cookies and milk, omitting the coffee and rum flavoring…and you’ll have Cookies and Milk Dessert. You might want to put it in a glass. Enjoy!

Vacation time! Off to visit my mom…be back in about 10 days. Thought I’d leave you with these coffee treats. If you’ve yet to try iced coffee, I say go for it. Being a person who can’t abide her coffee lukewarm---it must be very hot---the thought of cold coffee was a turn off. But…once I tried it I was hooked. I drink hot coffee without sweetener, but I usually add some sweetener to my iced coffee unless it accompanies a sweet food item.

ICED COFFEE
I’ve loved iced coffee for a long time and now that it is available at McD’s seems a lot of other folks do too. Here’s how I make it at home.

Instant Version
In a 16-20 oz glass add 2 teaspoons of instant coffee plus about ¼ cup of very hot water to dissolve the coffee. Add sweetener now so it dissolves if using. You can add flavoring too, if desired. I use a teaspoon of raspberry flavoring, vanilla, or butter pecan--the same ones you use in baking. You could use some flavored non-dairy creamer too. Now fill the glass with ice and add very cold water, about ¾ full which leaves room for adding milk the rest of the way (¼). Voila! Iced coffee. And it tastes good too.

Planned Ahead Version
When you make your morning coffee, make extra. Place it in the fridge---I put my coffee carafe right in the fridge after it’s cooled a bit. When the iced coffee craving hits, fill a glass with ice, add coffee ¾ of the way, sweetener and flavoring if desired, followed by milk the rest of the way . Stir and enjoy.

EASY COFFEE DESSERT
Dice one fun size Snickers candy bar into “bits”---chocolate chip size. Stir into 1 serving of Breyer’s Coffee Ice Cream. Top with a couple tablespoons of whipped cream or topping. Calories: approximately 230 Caution: this is sooooo good!

STARBUCKS: WAY TO GO!!!!!

My coupons came in the mail pronto. They sent me 4---yes 4!---coupons for any beverage of my choice. Nice. You can be sure I will be choosing the most expensive drinks on the menu---no plain coffee or tea---and none will be the skinny version.

Starbucks does seem to be a conscientious company and I'd say they did right by me.

Starbucks Update and: Brussel Sprouts!

One thing I love about the Internet is the ease with which a person can contact almost any organization.

Deciding I'd let Starbucks know about my disappointing latte I shot them an email. To my pleasure they sent me a response within 24 hours, apologized and said they were sending me a couple of coupons. They said they would be doing some follow up with the store where I purchased my beverage. I wanted to give them their due for following through with my complaint. I plan to use my coupons once I receive them on a full fat real deal drink. I'll just chose a smaller size and save calories that way.

Now...bussel sprouts. Who among us, if any, are the brussel sprout lovers? I haven't run into many who are. I serve them periodically but not too often. Steaming and adding some butter, salt and pepper has been my usual method of preparation.

Having read about roasting them and how tasty they are, I decided to give roasting a try. They turned out really well and my husband and I really enjoyed eating them. The didn't have that "cabbagey" strong taste. I threw in a couple carrots with them and they had some nice eye appeal.

And, take note, I used frozen brussel sprouts, which are available year round and a bargain to boot.

Here is what I did, if you'd like to try roasting them.

Once you've decided how many portions to prepare, remove them from the package and put the sprouts on a plate at room temperature allowing them to thaw. Once they are thawed, cut them in half through the stem end. Make sure they're thawed enough so the knife doesn't slip---you don't want to cut yourself. Leave them on the counter until you're ready to roast them. I left mine out a couple hours...mainly you want them completely thawed out. Mine didn't have any excess water, but if you find yours do, pat them dry.

On to the roasting part......

Set your oven to 400 degrees and let it preheat. In the meantime grease a Pyrex type baking dish with your preferred vegetable oil. I used olive oil. Next add the sprouts in a single layer---and don't crowd the pan too much...you want them to brown and get golden.

If you want to add some carrots, wash and trim your carrots---I use organic carrots so I leave the peel on. If the carrots are big in diameter slice them in half long ways...if not skip this step. Now cut the carrot on the diagonal into pieces---maybe an inch to an inch and a half. Basically, you want the carrots to cook in the same amount of time as the brussel sprouts.

Now lightly drizzle the veg with some oil and toss. Alternatively you can spray the oil on. Be fairly generous with the oil. I also salted my veg, but left the pepper off. I find that sometimes roasting makes the pepper almost too hot and can overpower the veg.

Put the pan of veg in the oven and roast anywhere from 30-45 minutes. The time will depend on the size of the brussel sprouts and your carrots if you added them. They are done when they are tender without being mushy and are golden brown and caramelized.

Take note---I strongly suggest you use a Pyrex type baking pan. For some reason the glass makes the veg get brown and golden---the veg caramelizes. I've roasted veg in metal pans and ended up with soggy limp vegetables...even using a 500 degree oven.

Give this a try. You may find you really like brussel sprouts prepared this way.

SKIM MILK POWDER

As I sit here and type this post I have a hot mug of Yorkshire Tea by Taylors of Harrogate. It has a rich amber color with a rich full flavor. The box says "blended in the Yorkshire Dales". This tea is blended by the same family who blends for Bettys Tea Rooms in Yorkshire (that's in England--you probably knew that :-D). I found this tea at T J Maxx and decided to purchase it because I love the comedy series "Last of the Summer Wine" which is set---and I hear filmed on location---in Yorkshire.

My tea is accompanied by a snack of Bhel Puri, which is an Indian "chaat" (snack) and is one of my favorites. It is apropos since Indian food is popular with many Brits. I assume it has something to do with the British ruling and occupying India for several years. I'm not that familiar with the history, so not wanting to step on any toes in ignorance, will say no more. If you're unfamiliar with Bhel Puri you can go here for the recipe and a video demonstration. Note: I use boiled potato instead of mango---I learned to make Bhel Puri from a friend who is a native of India.

When I was adding my skim milk powder to my tea I thought "now there's a post---skim milk powder". Mind you I drink and cook with 2% organic milk and for my morning coffee I use 1/2 and 1/2, which I limit to an ounce or 2 tablespoons. It costs me 40 calories, and is pretty high in fat, but I compensate for those "losses" in other ways. And my cereal gets 4 ounces of unsweetened Almond Breeze (almond milk) which is just 20 calories.

In my tea I've taken to using skim milk powder because it does save calories and fat grams that I can use elsewhere and it doesn't cool my tea down too fast---I like my beverages quite hot. If I do find it too hot, I can add an ice cube---problem solved. The skim milk powder in the tea is every bit as good as full fat milk---whereas the skim milk powder in my coffee was a no go---it tasted chalky to me.

And when it comes to frothing milk for your hot beverages, skim milk powder works fantastically. I generally put 4 teaspoons in my cup with approximately 4 tablespoons of boiling water then whip to a huge heady froth with my battery operated hand frother. I've posted about it before---here. It is one gadget I truly enjoy and use often and well worth the $20 I spent on it---mind you, that price included the good battery packaged with the frother. Once I have the froth in my cup, then I add my coffee and cream, or tea bag and water or whatever I might be drinking at the moment.

To make the skim milk handy, I put it in a small tin--a pretty one--and place a measuring spoon right in the tin. I've found that the plastic disposable spoons measure approximately 1 teaspoon (when fairly level) and if need be you can break the handle off to shorten it so it'll fit right in your tin. Just be sure that any loose plastic is knocked off so you don't end up drinking it---not good.

To make it easy, I've done the math and share it here. Noting that my box says a serving of milk is 1/3 cup dry powder, I calculated that 1/3 cup is 5 and 1/3 tablespoons, which is 16 teaspoons. With 1/3 cup being 80 calories, that makes one teaspoon 5 calories.

This is another one of those seemingly to me obvious things. But perhaps you haven't thought of it. Who knew so much could be said about skim milk powder? Well--I confess---I am verbose, so I don't find it all that difficult.

My Favorite New Toy

I'm not huge on kitchen gadgets. But this current one is the best fun. It's the Aerolatte battery operated milk frother.

Generally I like my coffee with half and half...I just don't like it with milk unless it's part of a latte or cappuccino...but froth some milk and put it on top of some good black coffee, give it sprinkle of cinnamon and a dash of Splenda granules and you've got yourself a winner and a special treat...at least it feels like a treat to me.

I found this goodie, which comes with it's own carrying case, at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $19.95 plus tax. If you watch you can often find a coupon for BB&B for 20% off which saves almost $4.00.

The frother uses 2 AA batteries, which are included and the information states they will last for 150 uses, which is about 5 months if used daily. Not too shabby and you won't spend a fortune on batteries.

I have a frother that is the pump type, but by the time you wash the thing you've washed the pump, the glass container, and the lid, and all by hand...so not worth the bother for one cup of coffee. But clean up with the automatic frother is just a matter of giving it a whirl under some running water, and then a whirl to shed the water to facilitate drying. When dry, pop it into it's case and stick in a drawer until next time.

It is so unlike me to buy something so totally frivolous that costs more than a couple dollars...this was a splurge for me, given my frugality. But worth every penny. If you'd like more information go to the product website here.