Strawberry Cake

Yep - still working with strawberries. We have a few more weeks - so just humor me.

I have a post almost ready to show about eating out. But, can't seem to get the photos right.

So, until then...

Picking with the kids was fun. Still planning on going back at least one more time.

I had the craving for strawberry cake. I found this recipe and thought I would try it. I decided to do half with my regular buttercream frosting for the kids and the other half with cream cheese frosting and some no sugar jam (for ME!!)

This is how it turned out. YUM.

Mine...

The kids...

I must say, next time, I think I will try without the jello - or maybe half the jello? I found the cake base to be a little too sweet.

Do you have a favorite strawberry cake recipe?

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin mini muffins - plain

 Large pumpkin muffins (not jumbo) with raisins and walnuts. YUM!

These are my FAVORITE muffins. Healthy? Well, partly. I use whole grains, pumpkin, reduced fat - but they still have plenty of fat and sugar. Don't make these too big (although the structure can handle it and the original recipe made these jumbo muffins). I just try to make them smaller to help control calories.

3 cups flour (I use 1 cup white flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup ground oatmeal - sometimes this varies depending on what I have on hand. If all you have is white and whole wheat flour, don't go less than 1/2 white flour or you will notice a difference in flavor and texture.)
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice

1 cup sugar
1 stick butter + 2 TBSP (cool room temp about 68deg)
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup fat free yogurt

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F.
Combine 1st 5 ingredients in a separate bowl.
In Mixer: Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Add eggs, one at a time until incorporated.
Add the pumpkin. It will look like this...

Add 1/3 the flour mixture.
Add 1/2 the yogurt.
Add 1/3 flour mixture.
Add remaining yogurt.
Add remaining flour mixture. It will look like a thick cookie dough...

Put liners in the muffin tins.
Fill cups 3/4 full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. You may need to rotate pans halfway through cooking (depending on your oven).
Makes 15-18 muffins.

You can add to these muffins - I like to mix in raisins, shredded carrots and nuts. Just don't add too much - they are healthy, but do add calories. My kids really like these with mini chocolate chips. If I eat those - they are for dessert!

This is a pick of raisins and walnuts added to the dough. Yes, it looks just like chocolate chip cookie dough.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Lesson 4: Reducing and Changing Cues

Why do we eat what we eat?

There are many reasons we eat.
1. Hunger. Yes, physical hunger is the obvious. We need to eat to nourish our bodies. BUT, there are also times we have a desire to eat without feeling physical hunger.
2. Thoughts and Feelings. Emotions can trigger eating. For example, I go to sugary treats when frustrated or bored.
3. What other people do. If a friend offers you some food, you may feel obligated to eat it - or just want to eat it.
4. Sights and Smells. Just seeing or smelling food can trigger the desire to eat.
5. Activities. Watching TV, going to a ballgame, going to the movies. How often do you NOT think of the foods you will eat when doing these (or other) activities? Never right? right? Yeah, me too.

So, how do we change our behaviors and habits?

1. Stay away or hide!

• Don't keep your 'trouble' foods in the house or at work. If you must, use single servings, or hide them. Don't keep them in plain sight.
• Use opaque containers.
• When you finish eating (at home or a restaurant), remove the plate or put a napkin on top.  If at a restaurant, ask for a to go container right away. Put any 'extra' in the box so you won't be tempted to eat 3 servings instead of one. 

2. Build a new healthier habit.

 

 

• Keep the healthy stuff in sight. Put the healthy stuff in prominent locations in the fridge, not so healthy stuff in the back.
• Set a designated eating place in the  house. Restrict your eating to this one place.
• Separate eating from other activities. No more watching TV while eating. :(
• Use smaller dishes - ones that better fit the correct portion size. You are less likely to feel 'cheated' if using smaller dishes with the correct portions. Correct portions and large dishes makes you feel like you are eating nothing.
• Don't eat while cooking/baking. (Ohhh, the calories I must consume before we are ready to eat!!)

Shopping: Yep, this can be troublesome for all of us. Make a list. Stick to it! Don't go to the store hungry. Don't be a slave to coupons. Just because it is on sale - doesn't mean it is good for you.

Examine your habits...

Make a plan. Figure out what your 'bad' habits are and make a plan to change them. Write it down. There is something about having something in writing that helps to stick to the plan!

So - what are your habits? How do you plan to change them?

Strawberries, Strawberries, and MORE Strawberries

I am VERY excited! It is Strawberry season in NC. My youngest BEGGED me this morning to go picking. How could I resist? So, away we went. We didn't pick a ton - as the others will want to pick as well.

Happy Dance!

First, we ate a few - because who can resist strawberries staring at you and calling your name?

Then we got home and washed a few to eat a few more.

Then, I decided they would be REALLY yummy with chocolate! Instead of dipping, I drizzled - in the interest of not going crazy on calories. But, you will see some are a bit heavy on the chocolate (the kids will get those - they don't have any problems running around outside!).

Then, I had a bit of chocolate left over - time to cover some bananas,

pretzel rods,

and since there was some bacon sitting left over from last night's dinner I put some chocolate on that. WHAT??? Yes, I decided to give it a go. A friend said it was AMAZING. I haven't tried it yet - I will have to update you on the result later.

Hope you all are enjoying your strawberries (or are starting to plan what you will do with yours once they are ready).

Jam making this weekend!!!

Addendum... Chocolate covered bacon - good, but not at all worth the calories. At least, not for me. Hubby liked it more than I did, but he loves bacon so much, he would prefer no chocolate. It was fun to experiment though!

Lesson 3: Healthy Eating

Yep, most of us just need to eat healthier and eat less. I am guessing we all know what that means. But, if you want a little refresher, here are some tips. And, remember, the definition of healthy can vary - a lot. I have to set the bar on the low side - otherwise I may just drive myself nuts! I am in LOVE with carbs. Any kind of carb. I have been trying to eat more foods I prepare and fewer prepackaged foods, more 'natural' foods (foods that come from the earth) fewer foods from a factory. I have nothing against pre-packaged foods. I still use them a lot. I just figure that fruits and vegetables are probably better for me than oreos. But, it is a work in progress.

That are lots of ways to change eating habits. Three main areas are:
1. How you eat
2. What you eat
3. How you prepare food

How You Eat

• Have a regular pattern of meals.  Stick to a schedule - this will help from getting too hungry and losing control. Try to set colorie goals for each meal. If you can plan your food for the day, you will be less likely to indulge and go crazy.
• Eat slowly.  This helps to better digest food and give your body time to feel full. You will also be more aware of what you are eating and when you feel full.
• Don't worry about cleaning your plate. (Do any of us worry about this?? Not me, I am usually more worried about seeing an empty plate and still feeling hungry! :) ) Serve yourself smaller portions. When eating, stop periodically, put your fork down and do a hunger test. If you do not feel hungry, push the plate aside.
• Veggies first. Fill up on all the veggies first, then eat the food on the rest of the plate.
• Smaller plate. Use a smaller plate than you normally would. This will help to decrease portions AND fool your body into thinking you have just as much as you did with the large plate. Weird, I know, but this DOES work.

What You Eat

• Everything in Moderation! Eat high fat/high calorie foods less often.

Less of this... 

• Eat smaller portions of the high fat/high calorie foods.
• Eat LARGER portions of low fat/low calorie foods.

More of this...

• Try substituting lower calorie options when possible  - use low fat margarine, mayonnaise, cheeses, salad dressing, etc. WARNING - 'low fat' options still have calories and often have MORE sugar than the 'regular' option. READ THE LABELS.
• Instead of flavoring foods with fat - try spices or other low fat options.
• Lower the fat content in the meat you eat. Buy lean cuts. Trim visible fat. Broil, roast, bake, grill - no frying. Remove skin from chicken and turkey. Choose a white meat. Drain off fat after cooking. Eat more FISH!

How You Prepare Food

• Avoid Frying food.
• Use vegetable spray instead of oil.
• Use 2 egg whites instead of a whole egg.
• Again - use more spices and less fat
• When baking, incorporate more whole grains. You can substitute up to half the regular flour in MOST baked goods without significant changes in flavor and texture. You can certainly use entire whole grains - BUT you are warned, you and your family WILL know the difference. I like to use a combination of whole wheat flour, oatmeal, and wheat germ. There are many other options, I just have never tried them.
• You can 'hide' pureed veggies into several meals as well.
• Substitute for fats. There are many options for removing fats from foods by substituting low fat yogurt, low fat sour cream, unsweetened applesauce, flax seed, etc. I like to substitute SOME of the fat. Again, you can substitute all of the fat, but the texture will suffer. I don't have a ratio here to stick to, but you can experiment a bit. Non-fat options tend to make the texture rubbery.

There are several blogs out there with healthy recipes. Just be careful - everyone's definition of healthy is different. Make sure to check the nutrition content. Calories, fat, carbs, fiber, sugar. It all counts. You just have to find the right balance. If you have a favorite site for recipes - please share.

Happy Eating!