Well, it's confirmed! We are headed back to the Valley of the Sun.....a suburb of Phoenix, AZ! I'm still not sure how I feel about all of it but ready or not, here we come!
It's still quite summer-like in AZ, which I am none to thrilled about but hey, whatcha gonna do? It's going to be a quick transition. The hubby starts his new job on the 17th and we probably wont get out of here until the 14th!:/ Its alot of stress and worry over financial things and it will be difficult to keep up our good eating patterns.
I love Fall...the sights, smells and good recipes! I recently made a super-simple recipe for low-cal pumpkin muffins. All you do is take 1 box mix of spice cake and add a 15 oz can of pumpkin to it. I added one egg for texture but its still good without. I sprinkled glazed pecan pieces on top and baked at 350 degrees for about 18 min. They were AMAZING and only about 100 calories per muffin. Great snack or to go with a light breakfast! The recipe makes 12 good-sized muffins!
Pumpkin is one the so-called super foods!Superfoods are a special category of foods found in nature. By definition they are calorie sparse and nutrient dense meaning they pack a lot of punch for their weight as far as goodness goes. They are superior sources of anti-oxidants and essential nutrients - nutrients we need but cannot make ourselves. We all may be adding more salads and vegetables to our diets, but concern over the quality of foods grown on mineral depleted soils makes Superfoods an intelligent choice.
Eat your foods by color! As a rule, those foods with bright colors are better for you too eat! Any kind of berries, green leafy vegetable, pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes and the like and filled with nutrients and anti-oxidents. Small servings of nuts, whole grains and seed are also good choices.
Don't think I'm preaching at you or giving you lessons because that is the farthest thing from what I'm trying to do here! I'm adding all of this information so I can learn at the same time. By putting all of this info down, I'm also trying to reinforce the choices that I am making!
I had a new driver's license picture taken the other day and omg! Its amazing to see what you perceive yourself to look like as compared to what you really do! LOL Granted driver's license pics aren't high quality photos by any means but I think I looked like a shiny-faced, straw-haired cartoon character! I wanted to openly weep in public! Am I being delusional about my looks? My weight? What else am I delusional about? Don't answer that!>:( Sometimes things just come up and smack you right straight in the face and make you take a closer look at yourself.
For the most part, I don't care what people think about me. I do, however, care about how my actions, decisions and looks, affect those closest to me. I need to check myself before I wreck myself! )Ive always hated that saying and don't really know why I used it). When I spout off to someone in public, don't make myself presentable before going out and harbor a consistent, pessimistic, bad attitude, I hurt those around me as well. I don't want my son to grow up with the same negative self image and attitude that I did. I also find that when I am calm and collected and positive, it rubs off on my family as well. Its a big job to be a wife and mother! Moving in the next couple of weeks will test my ability to put these attitudes into action! My Mom sent me a scripture this morning that fit my situation to a T!
Philippians 4:6-7
New Living Translation (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
What a comforting and powerful verse! I will take it to heart:)
I probably wont be around too much the next couple of weeks as we get our new house picked out, set up and get settled in. Hopefully I will have nothing but good reports when I return, of how our eating habits stayed strong, the move was smooth and things are once again looking up! Enjoy the cooler weather my friends and try one of these recipes!:) Hugs to all!
I love cheesecake, but without any modification it's a very high fat dessert. This reduced fat pumpkin cheesecake uses light cream cheese, fat free cream cheese and egg substitute, making a more modest yet flavorful pumpkin cheesecake that's perfect for your holiday table.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Ginger wafer cookie crumbs (about 10-12 wafers)
- 1 8-ounce block of fat-free cream cheese, softened
- 1 8-ounce block of reduced fat creamcheese, softened
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup egg substitute
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of a 7-inch removable-bottomed tart pan with butter-flavored cooking spray. Sprinkle cookie crumbs on bottom of pan. Spray briefly with cooking spray and press crumbs down. Cook base for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.
Place cream cheeses, pumpkin, spices, vanilla and sugar in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer beat on medium until thoroughly blended. Add egg substitute and beat on low until blended.
Pour pumpkin cream cheese mixture on to ginger cookie crumb base. If you have a little left over, pour it into a ramekin to cook alongside the cheesecake.
Bake cheesecake for 40 minutes until just set.
Serves 6-8.
Per Serving: Calories 212, Calories from Fat 81, Total Fat 9g (sat fat 4.6g), Cholesterol 24mg, Sodium 317mg, Carbohydrate 23.1g, Fiber 1.3g, Protein 1.3g
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Hot Spiced Cranberry Cider
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Submitted By: Michele O'Sullivan
Photo By: What a Dish!
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"Make some memories with the aromas of cinnamon, clove and lemon, mingled with hot apple cranberry cider."
Ingredients:
2 quarts apple cider
6 cups cranberry juice
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
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4 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 lemon, thinly sliced
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Directions:
| 1. | In a large pot, combine apple cider, cranberry juice, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lemon slices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove cinnamon, cloves, and lemon slices. Serve hot. |
Nutrition
Information
Servings Per Recipe: 25
Calories: 79 |
Amount Per Serving
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Amount Per Serving
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Use light juices and Splenda brown sugar for even less calories and carbs!
