Chocolate + Vanilla = Yummy

I Can't Believe It's Not Mousse

1 1/2 cups cold skim milk
1 package Fat Free/Sugar Free Chocolate Fudge Jello Instant Pudding Mix (4 serving size)

1 package Fat Free/Sugar Free Vanilla Jello Instant Pudding Mix (4 serving size)
1 8 oz. Tub Fat Free Cool Whip

Pour milk into large bowl and add pudding mixes. Beat with electric whip 1 minute or until well blended (mixture will be thick). Gently fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

8 servings.

About 100 calories, 2 points per serving.

A Treat, Not A Binge

We all allow ourselves treats now and then; denying ourselves everything but chicken breasts and steamed broccoli is a recipe for failure. But if we're not careful, a treat can turn into a binge, which brings a whole set of problems with it. Succeeding at safe "treating" can be incredibly empowering. If you can treat yourself and still remain true to your overall eating plan, you know you're in control.

Some tips for "safe" treating:

Always plan your treat -- what, when, and how much. A spur of the moment treat is more like a slip up, and given its hazy parameters, could end up being more like a binge.

Work your treat into your plan. If you've planned to have dessert at your favorite restaurant tonight, go a bit lighter on breakfast and lunch. (This can be tricky, though. Don't go so light that you're compelled to overeat at dinner.) Add an extra exercise session if you can fit it in your day.

Indulge in your treat in public. You're far more apt to keep it under control at the food court than in your kitchen.

Indulge in your treat during a regular meal, and especially not late at night.

If you are constantly fighting the urge to binge, take another look at your diet. Make sure you're taking in enough calories, protein, and fiber to feel nourished and satisfied.

A treat now and then is okay; a binge never is. Repeated binges stunt your metabolism and thwart your sense of self-control. Allow yourself a treat periodically, but consciously and carefully. Savor it, enjoy it, then hustle yourself back to your healthy eating routine.

Easy, Easy Fish and Veggies

Easy, Easy Fish and Veggies*

2 lbs fish fillets (use Orange Roughy, Halibut, or Flounder for mild flavor)
2 cups frozen corn, broccoli, sweet red pepper combination, thawed 4 tsp lemon herb seasoning
2 tsp olive oil

Arrange each fillet on an 18" x 12" piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Spoon approximately 1/2 cup vegetable mixture onto each fillet. Sprinkle each with 1 tsp seasoning and drizzle each with oil.

Fold foil around fillets; crimping and sealing edges securely. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake at 450º for about 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork.

Serves 6

170 calories, 3.5 points per serving.

*Two "Easy's" because it's easy to make and easy to clean up -- no pots and pans!

The Finishing Touch

2 tablespoons of fat-free Reddi-Wip (not Cool Whip, which is the one you dip out of the carton with a spoon, [which is 15 calories per 2 tablespoons, by the way]; Reddi Whip is the kind you hold up to your mouth and squirt) is just 5 little calories.

Two tablespoons is not really much, just a garnish, so you need to be careful not to let the squirts get away from you. But worst case scenario -- the entire can is only 200 calories. Have a squirt on your Pumpkin Mousse (11/16) or Really Good Hot Chocolate (10/24).

Tiny Tip -- It's About More Than Just How We Look

According to Victor Stevens, Ph.D., losing as little as 5 pounds can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure by 20 percent. How's that for motivation to stay on track during the holidays?

Chocolate Almond Chewies

Certainly not a "diet food" or diet ingredients, but if you can stick to just one or two, it's a do-able goodie for the holidays. If you think it will be too hard to limit yourself, it's probably best to pass this one by.





Chocolate Almond Chewies
(modified from a Cooking Light recipe)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place semisweet and white chocolate chips in a medium glass bowl; microwave at HIGH 45 seconds. Stir, and microwave an additional 45 seconds or until almost melted. Stir until smooth.

Add cereal and remaining ingredients; stir quickly to combine. Drop mixture by tablespoonfuls (36) onto baking sheet covered with wax paper or evenly press mixture into 9 x 9 pan coated with cooking spray. Cool until firm. Cut into 36 squares if using baking pan.

36 servings
About 50 calories, 1 point per serving.

Be A Food Snob

The holidays are just around the corner and it's time to start planning how to get through them with minimal damage. Here's a good one -- be a food snob!

When attending cocktail parties or holiday dinners, only eat the special stuff. That is, if you make it at home or eat it regularly at restaurants, skip it at the party. Leave the baked potato on your plate and concentrate on the pear and gorgonzola salad. Pass up the chips and dip and have a stuffed mushroom instead.

And, remember, even with the "special stuff," a taste or two will usually do the trick.

Plan Ahead With This Low Point Lunch

Going to a holiday party tomorrow night? How about this for a satisfying, filling, 3 point lunch tomorrow to save points for later?

A "BLT" made from 3 slices of Canadian bacon (any kind that is 3 or more slices per point; I get mine at Costco), tomatoes, lettuce, and a whisper of lf or ff mayo on 2 slices of toasted light bread or a light bun (2 points for the whole sandwich), a cup of Progresso Light Vegetable and Noodle soup (0 points, as long as you stick to 1 serving), and an apple or a cup of unsweetened applesauce (1 point; sweeten the applesauce with with a bit of Splenda if you like).

3 points for a pretty filling lunch that should last you till your special night out.

Converted to calories, the lunch is 250 calories. The 2-point savings is the result of the fiber in the bread and the soup.

Just Call Me Punkin' Head

As you've surely noticed, I love cooking with pumpkin during the holiday season. While you can't actually call this "cooking," here's a quick snack that's filling because of the fiber in the pumpkin.

Stir together 1/2 cup prepared ff, sf vanilla (or caramel, if you can find it, yum) yogurt, 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin, and a dash of cinnamon or other spices of your choice. That's it -- punkin puddin'!

1 serving

100 calories (4 grams fiber), 1 point.

Tiny Tip -- Taming the Buffet

At a buffet, eating even just a little of everything guarantees high calories. Instead, decide on three or four items, only one of which is a "treat." Save that for last.

Make Your Salad Your Friend

It's no secret that salads can be a dieter's best friend or worst enemy, depending on what you put on them. The problem is, once you take all the "worst enemy" stuff off your salad, you're left with a pretty boring bowl of lettuce and tomatoes. But there are plenty of add-ons that can make your salad more interesting without a calorie explosion. Here are a few ideas:

--Carrots, celery, cucumbers, radishes, onions almost go without saying, but sometimes we don't take the time to bother with them. They're worth it, and they make your salad crunchier, healthier, and less boring. The more the better.

--Mushrooms, as many as you want.

--Fat-Free feta cheese. It doesn't taste much different than regular feta and you can have 1 ounce (a 1-inch cube, and when you crumble it, it seems like more) for about 30 calories.

--Diced Apple. I love apples in salad. They're so crunchy and add a nice sweetness. Half of a small apple would be about 35 calories.

--Pineapple tidbits. Not crunchy like apples, but still adds a fresh sweetness. 1/3 cup of pineapple in its own juice is about 30 calories.

--Broccoli and Cauliflower. Lots of crunch and lots of fiber, vitamin C, and phytochemicals. Have as much as you want.

--Parmesan cheese. Lots of flavor in a small quantity. Have a Tablespoon of shredded parmesan for 20 points.

--Jicama. My favorite salad crunchie. (See 7/13/09). As much as you want.

--Mandarin oranges in juice. Sweet and fresh, 1/2 cup is about 50 calories.

--Artichoke hearts. Get the kind packed in water and halve or quarter them. 1/2 cup is about 40 calories.

--Snow Peas, blanched green beans or asparagus, steamed zuchinni, beets, lightly steamed bok choy. Again, the more the better.

--Olives for a blast of flavor. You can have 5 small green or black olives for about 20 calories.

--Sliced water chestnuts. Lots of crunch at 30 calories per quarter cup.

--Baby corn. 25 calories per 1/2 cup.

--Bacon. You can have a slice of well-drained, thin, crisply cooked bacon crumbled on your salad for about 25 calories.

--Sunflower seeds. Need to be careful with these, but you can have a Tbsp. for about 50 calories.

--Protein. Shrimp, fish, and grilled chicken are your best calorie bargains.

--As far as lettuce goes, the darker the leaf, the richer it is in nutrients. Try to include spinach in the mix.

Of course even when using the above ingredients, you still have to pick and choose wisely so your calories don't get out of hand. But even if you used everything on the list, your salad would be around 350 calories (not including the protein or dressing, and not adding the calories of the "free" vegetables). A bit pricey calorie-wise for a salad, but it would be a big one, very filling, and not boring at all!

Comfort Food For A Chilly Day

You can't get much more comfortable than this.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 lb of cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cans of Healthy request cream of chicken soup
1 cup bisquick
1 10 oz thawed mixed vegatables
1/2 cup skim milk
1 egg

Thaw frozen vegetables. Mix vegetables and soup. Add chicken to the vegetable/soup mixture and pour into medium casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

In another bowl, mix together egg, bisquick and milk. Pour over chicken/vegetables/soup. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

6 servings

About 250 calories, 5 points per serving.

Reverse Journaling

Okay, we're always talking about journaling what we eat, but how about journaling what we don't eat?

Everytime you pass up junk food or seconds or something you know you shouldn't eat, make a note of it and how many calories/points you've avoided. There's nothing more motivating than watching your weight loss efforts add up!

If You've Fallen Off The Wagon ...

Since there's the slightest, tiniest possibility that some of us may have fallen off the diet wagon yesterday, I'm going to offer a few tips for climbing back on.

--First of all, don't beat yourself up. One day doesn't a diet failure make and in the scheme of it, it's just a blip in the radar. Rather that being discouraged, feel encouraged that you're ready to start again and not let things get out of hand. (However, do not be tempted to allow yourself "just another day" off the wagon. This is how things do get out of hand and before you know it, that wagon is too far down the road to catch up with it.)

--Learn from your mistake. Okay, you had every intention of not overeating on Thanksgiving Day. Figure out what happened to make you do exactly what you didn't want to do, and how to deal with it next time. Other holiday dinners are less than a month away and you don't want to make the same mistakes twice.

--Reaffirm your goals and why it's so important for you to lose weight. Give it some time; sit down and think it through.

--Plan your next week in detail, from what you'll eat each meal to what time and how long you'll exercise. Don't eat less calories than you usually do, that's just setting yourself up for another fall, but do try to exercise more than usual for the next 7 days.

--Remember, you can only gain so many pounds in one day. If you're up 7 or 8 pounds, chances are it was caused more from sodium than overeating. Drink extra water and try to avoid foods high in sodium for a few days.

--If you accomplish all of the above, pat yourself on the back. You're doing all the right things and you'll survive the holidays with flying colors.

Tiny Tip -- If You Do Indulge ...

If you do indulge, for goodness sakes, enjoy it!

(Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate the holiday. And Happy Thursday to the rest of you!)

Lighter Mashed Potatoes

There are several healthy ways to prepare mashed potatoes, but many lack the creamy texture of "real" mashed potatoes. The fat-free half-and-half in this recipe provides the creaminess without the extra calories of cream.

Lighter Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoons margarine or butter
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cups fat-free half-and-half, warmed

Cook potatoes as you normally do for mashing until fork tender. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water, drain, and return potatoes to saucepan. Mash with butter or margarine and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Gradually add warm half-and-half, continuing to mash potatoes until smooth and well blended; add reserved cooking water if necessary. Transfer to serving dish. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.

6 servings.
145 calories, 2.5 points per serving.

Prevent Calorie Meltdown

You can't control the menu when you're a guest, but you can when you're the host. The next time you have a holiday get together, have a selection of healthy foods available for your guests and prepare old favorites in a healthier way.

Just as you're trying to watch your diet through the holidays, many of your guests are, too, and they'll be grateful that, because of you're thoughtfulness, they can enjoy the party, and the food, without the fear of a calorie meltdown.

Healthier Thanksgiving Stuffing

Healthier Thanksgiving Stufffing

12 slices whole grain bread

2 medium stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

Cut the bread into small cubes, spread on a cookie sheet, and allow to dry for a few hours until they feel 'stale.' Combine the bread cubes, onion, and celery in a medium bowl and toss to mix. Add the remaining ingredients and mixed thoroughly until the the stuffing is moist. Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray and add stuffing mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

8 servings

About 175 calories, 2.4 gr. fat, 3.5 points per serving.

Note: I thought this still seemed a little high in calories, but after a random check of "regular" stuffing recipes, this one is a calorie bargain. I found recipes that ran from about 350 calories per serving to over 700 calories per serving, and the average fat content ranged from about 10 grams to over 30 grams per serving. So enjoy this stuffing with good conscience.

Restaurant Strategy #6,200,322

Yes, there are a lot of restaurant strategies, but as life gets more hectic, we eat out more, and we need ways to cope with not being able to control what goes in our mouths like we can when we're preparing our own meals.

So on to #6,200,322.

The next time you're at at a restaurant, if your entree includes a salad, ask if it's mostly iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce, while low in calories, has a high water content and isn't as nutrient-rich as most leafy greens. If it is mostly iceberg, ask to trade it in for a vegetable, applesauce or fruit cup to get a bigger veggie payoff. (And you'll be skipping the salad dressing, too, so probably saving points/calories in the long run.)

If You Can't Grow It ...

If you can't grow it, don't eat it. Apples come from trees, tomatoes come from the ground, eggs come from chickens, beef comes from cows. But where do Twinkies come from?

Mother Nature is no dummy. She adds vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and fiber, and many more goodies to our food. But processing takes most of the goodies out and even when they're added back to "enrich" the food, seldom (never?) are they as healthy as the real thing. Many processed foods are made with trans fats, saturated fats, and large amounts of sodium and sugar. You won't find Mother Nature relying on those ingredients.

Face it -- processed foods are junk food. While it's impossible to avoid all processed foods, limiting them is definitely a way of improving our health. And since most processed foods contain a lot of sugar and sodium, avoiding them also aids in weight loss.

Stick with the real thing. Mother Nature will thank you for it.

Lower Calorie Cranberry Relish

For many people, the holiday turkey is darned near naked without cranberry sauce or relish. But because cranberries are so sour, canned cranberry sauce is quite high in calories. Make your own this year and dress up that holiday turkey!

This is a cranberry relish I "invented" several years ago. I don't usually use a recipe, I go more by taste, but it's easy to throw together. The general idea is this:




1 12 oz. bag of cranberries, cleaned and picked over
1 orange, seeded, but with rind still on
1 apple, cored and seeded but with skin still on
1 cup of pineapple tidbits in juice, including juice
1 small package sugar free cranberry gelatin (use cherry if you can't find cranberry)
1 cup cup fruit juice or water (I use orange juice but apple juice would be good, too)
Splenda or other sweetener, to taste.

Pulse the cranberries, orange, and apple in a food processor to a medium grind. Add pineapple, gelatin, and juice or water, and stir well. Add sweetener to taste and refrigerate. Can be molded, if desired, or just put in a pretty serving bowl. Best if refrigerated for a day or so before serving.

Estimated serving size: 10
About 50 calories, 1 point per serving.

This is modified from last year's version and will probably be modified again next year because it's versatile and ever-changing!

Tiny Tip -- Reconsider

If sweets makes you crave sweets, but you think it's harmless to eat one little sweet at one special meal, reconsider. Eating even the smallest treat can set you back for days, weeks, or even months, because sugar cravings are difficult to ignore.

Radish Salad

More interesting than a green salad and colorful for the holidays.








Radish Salad

20 radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced
12 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbs. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4 servings
16 calories, 0 points per serving.

Tinkerbell? Glitterball? What the Heck is That Thing?

Do you ring it? Cook in it? Throw it?

Am I the only person in the world who wasn't quite sure what a kettlebell is? If you're stuck back here in the Dark Ages with me, let me tell you about them.

Kettlebells are a kind of weight (as in weight lifting) that looks somewhat like a cannon ball (in its most rustic and authentic form; the more "modern" ones are grooved or colorful and plastic-coated). It "harkens" from Russia and is being embraced by celebrities and athletes as a way to boost strength and flexibility, break through plateaus, blast fat, and increase balance and endurance.

You can find them at any sporting goods store or on Amazon.com, along with DVDs that show you just how to use them. Or go here:

Online Kettlebell Training Video Gallery

It's worth a look. They're portable, burn fat, and make you stronger. If they really do everything that's claimed (and there's a lot of enthusiasm about them in gyms and online), these little exercise weights really are a true wonder.

Pumpkin Mousse

The perfect low point/calorie/fat pumpkin pie substitute.

Pumpkin "Mousse"

1 box (3.4 oz.) vanilla sugar-free instant pudding and pie filling mix
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) Evaporated Fat Free Milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups thawed fat-free Cool Whip

Blend pudding mix and pie spice in medium bowl. Add evaporated milk and whisk until well blended. Add pumpkin; mix well. Gently fold whipped topping into mixture. Spoon into 6 individual serving dished. Top with additional Cool Whip, if desired.

Refrigerate until serving.

6 servings

75 calories, about 1 point per serving.

Plan To Give Yourself An After-Christmas Present

Planning and setting goals will help insure you make it through the holidays without abandoning your healthy eating routine.

Plan now how you're going to approach the holidays and set that as your goal. You may decide you want to lose weight, maintain you weigh, or even gain "only" 3 pounds. Write your goal on a piece of paper.

Now decide on a non-food reward for yourself and put a picture of it on the same paper with your goal. Put the paper in a prominent place where you'll see it everyday.

After the holidays are over and you’ve met your goal, present yourself with your reward. And feel darned proud of yourself, too.

Tiny Tip -- Little Things Mean a Lot

Have an orange for breakfast rather than orange juice. A medium orange has 60 calories, while a cup of orange juice contains 110 calories. Over the course of a year you'll save yourself 18,250 calories, or over 5 pounds!

Not For Human Consumption

I'm going to post a different kind of recipe today. It's not a low calorie recipe but it will help keep you healthy all the same.

With all the talk of flu, hand sanitizer seems almost mandatory. Several months ago when accounts of the "swine flu" (as they were calling H1N1 then) first started flooding the news, hand sanitizer was impossible to find in my area. If that should happen to you, or if you'd like to make your own to save money and keep track of the ingredients you're using, here's a recipe for Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer.

I know it's stating the obvious, but do not eat this! This is for using on your hands to keep them germ-free.

Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

--6 parts rubbing alcohol
--4 parts aloe vera gel
--a few drops of scented oil, if desired (purely cosmetic, to mask the medicinal smell)

(Broken down into measurements, it comes to 1.5 cups of alcohol to 1 cups of aloe vera, multipled or divided as you choose to make the amount you want.) Pour into a bottle and shake until well-mixed.

This will not be as thick as store bought sanitizer. If desired, you can add up 5 drops of tea tree oil per 1/2 cup sanitizer to increase effectiveness even further, but be aware that tea tree oil can be toxic to cats and other pets, so if there is any chance they'll be licking your hands, don't use it.

You'll find many hand sanitizer recipes on the internet, but the only ones that effectively kill germs are the ones that have at least the '6 parts alcohol/4 parts other liquid' ratio.

And how much sanitizer should you use? According to the New York Times, "Vigorously rub all sides of your hands with enough gel or foam to get them wet, and rub them together until they are dry. If your hands are dry within 10 or 15 seconds, according to the C.D.C. guidelines for health care workers, you haven't used enough."

Feta Chicken

"Diet" food doesn't have to be bland. Pair healthy whole foods with intense flavors -- cravings will subside and you'll feel more full and satisfied after meals. Case in point:






Feta Chicken


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. fat-free Italian salad dressing
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 scallion, chopped

Brush chicken breasts with dressing and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and pepper; let stand for 10 minutes.

Grill or broil the chicken for 10-15 minutes, turning once, until chicken is almost done. Remove chicken from grill or oven and arrange tomato and cheese on each chicken breast. Return to grill or oven and grill or broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with chopped scallion.

Serves 4
150 calories, 3 points per serving.

Speaking of Seconds, or, Peaking of Econds

Speaking of "seconds," I was reading about the "No S" diet the other day. I guess there's a whole book covering it, but I'm pretty sure if I only followed the very simple main rules of the diet, I'd lose weight fast.

Simply put, take the letter "S" out of your eating vocabulary:

No snacks in between meals
No sweets
No second helpings

The book has other tips and suggestions and rules to follow, but this is the backbone of the diet. If one could follow these rules to perfection, and eat healthy, reasonable meals, I think the weight would fall off. This could easily be incorporated into your WW plan, too.

Of course, snacks, sweets, and seconds, aren't small problems, and if they were easy to give up, "one" wouldn't have a weight problem in the first place! But I'm keeping this one in mind because of the straightforward simplicity of it. I just may give it a try sometime.