Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate Eclair Cake

Check out this YUMMY and very simple Weight Watchers dessert.  Believe it or not,  even the people not doing WW (formerly Weight Watchers) love it.

Just a few simply ingredients and you have a yummy dessert for any party.  Bet you might even have all of the supplies in your pantry already….

Ingredients:

• 121 Box Reduced Fat Graham Crackers
• 2- 3 oz boxes sugar-free instant vanilla pudding
• 4 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 container fat-free cool whip
• 1 -3 oz box sugar-free instant chocolate pudding

Directions:

1. Mix vanilla pudding with 3 cups of milk as per directions.
2. Stir in 1 cool whip.
3. Place 1 package of graham crackers in the bottom of 13 x9 pan.
4. Top with half of the pudding, more Grahams, rest of pudding.
5. Top with last of Grahams.
6. Mix chocolate pudding with 1 1/2 cups of milk.
7. Spread on top of graham crackers.
8. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories – 48; Sodium – 61mg; Fat – 0.53g; Protein – 3g; Carbs – 7g; Fiber – 1.0g

Headed for a pool party?  Want to take this to a family BBQ?  Pack it up in a Thirty One Family Picnic Thermal.  Make the most of the picnic season with this structured and spacious thermal. The Family Picnic Thermal’s Leak Lock^® lining means you can add ice to this cooler bag to keep food and drinks cold. The frame around the top opening allows for easy access to food and drinks and even lets you turn this tote into a beverage bucket. Bring it with you to family gatherings, tailgates, trips to the beach, days on the boat, potlucks or camping. The hard bottom adds stability, and the exterior zipper pocket can hold utensils, napkins, sunscreen or other small items.

Share your favorite recipe with us and receive some “happy mail” from me!  If you try one of our recipes, let us know what you think….

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Pumpkin Blender Cookies

Thank you to abeautifulmess.com for this YUMMY grain-free cookie recipe.

I LOVE pumpkin.  I LOVE easy quick recipes. I LOVE gluten-fee.  Baking was never one of my strong points.  I would rather cook a HUGE meal then bake BUT these make it really easy.

Hopefully the weather will cool off a little so I won’t have to run the air conditioner when I have the oven on.  I know it is CRAZY BUT a girl has to do what a girl has to do, right?

Yes, this is a grain-free, gluten free, dairy-free, and no sugar added blender cookie recipe.  They are more like little snack cakes because they are a fairly soft, sort of a mix between a pancake and a cookie. They are totally delicious and make a great afternoon snack or even warmed up and topped with fruit for a morning sort-of pancake option.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Blender Cookies, makes 6
Adapted from Detoxinista’s Almond Butter Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2 banana* (approx. 2 oz.)
1/4 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt

If you don’t keep a bag of frozen, sliced banana in your freezer for smoothies then make sure you use a fresh, ripe banana instead, but only use about 2 oz. (roughly half a medium-sized banana) or else the texture will be off.

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend just until smooth. Spoon the batter in 1/4 cup increments onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.

Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Place them in a ziplock bag, seal, and refrigerate until you want to eat them. They will be fine in the refrigerator for up to a full week. If you make a bigger batch and save them for longer, consider freezing them.

Can’t wait to hear what you think?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Kicking Sugar to the Curb

Hello, Monday morning.  You have just had your coffee.  Maybe you had a little bit of coffee with that cream and sugar.  Maybe you had some Frosted Flakes (used to be my favorite breakfast cereal because I could eat it dry!).    Chances are you had SUGAR in whatever you had for breakfast and before long that sugar crash will happen, right?

I have been struggling with health issues and after kicking dairy, I moved on to being gluten free.  A little bit harder and I’m still not 100%.  Now it is time to move to

I never thought of myself as a “sweet eater”.  More of a stress eater or even a “secret eater”.  This weekend, I really had to evaluate where I was in “Giving sugar the boot!”

Hubby is trying to kick refined sugar so I figure if the sweet eater himself can do it, so can I.  Refined sugar is one of many factors in a yucky, unhealthy lifestyle. So I’m going to try it!

I kicked cigarettes “cold turkey” so I am thinking that is the way to go.  I am going with the “one day at a time” theme which at any given moment can be “one minute at a time”.

Sugar pros: YUM.
Sugar cons: Goodbye nutrients, minerals, vitamins. Hello high blood sugar, energy crashes, high cholesterol, diabetes and weight gain.. to name a few.

Sugar is hiding EVERYWHERE — from your morning oatmeal, to the sauce on your pasta and packed into my favorite drink – WINE!  Let’s be honest, are we going to give up the occasional glass of wine (or your favorite drink)?  Probably not  but I’m going to do my best to limit it the best I can.  The keys is reading labels, so be prepared for your next trip to the grocery store to take awhile.

Did you know that 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon?  YIKES! No, ladies, should try sticking to six teaspoons daily, tops. Men can have nine.  It figures!

First stop is to clean out your pantry! Now, I know this is tough with kids but move it out of your sight.  If you are like me, if it’s nearby, I’m going to be tempted!

FP Madisyn has some tips for us:

• Try cutting sugar out your own way, on your terms. If you want to ease into it, nothing is wrong with that!
• If you need something sweet, nibble on some dark dark chocolate.  This is bitter to me so I don’t want to eat much.
• Replace processed sugars with natural sweeteners. Find one that works for you.
• Drink tea! Rumor has it that drinking something warm, like pomegranate green tea, helps mellow out your sweet tooth and calms cravings.

Don’t beat yourself up. Your friend’s birthday? Eat cake! Need a treat? Treat yourself!  Just don’t let it lead to a downward spiral to eating more sugar.

The best advice is to be aware and do the best you can. Whatever steps you take to kiss sugar goodbye are positive ones.

Not sure how this will go but I am hoping that it will help with my weight loss AND help with the MS symptoms.

So, how do you kick sugar’s butt? Let me know your secret!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

 

Tasty Tuesday – Cauliflower Fried Rice

Today’s recipe is courtesy of allrecipes.com.  You can view the video on how to make this tasty meal by clicking the link.  For health reasons, it has been suggested that I go dairy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free.  I am doing my best but it isn’t easy.  So here is a recipe that I am going to try.

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sesame oil, divided
• 4 cups cubed pork loin (I will substitute shrimp since I don’t eat meat)
• 6 green onions, sliced
• 1 large carrot, cubed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 20 ounces shredded cauliflower
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Stir peas and water together in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook and stir until peas are tender and heated through, about 5 minutes. Drain and discard water.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Cook and stir pork in hot oil until lightly browned on all sides and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil the wok. Saute green onions, carrot, and garlic in hot oil until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower; cook and stir until cauliflower had a tender but firm to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir pork, peas, and and soy sauce into cauliflower mixture and stir-fry until mixture is hot and slightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Move pork-cauliflower mixture to one side of the wok; pour beaten eggs onto empty side. Scramble eggs until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes; stir cooked eggs into the pork-cauliflower mixture, breaking up any large chunks.

Hope you have a ThirtyOne-derful day!