Ingredients

3/4 cup marshmallow cream
1 cup low fat strawberry yogurt
2 tbsp. frozen orange juice, thawed
6 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened

Directions

In medium bowl, blend together the marshmallow cream and cream cheese until smooth. Mix well. Add yogurt and orange juice, stirring until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Serve with your favorite fruits.

I used fresh strawberries, sliced red and green apples, and grapes. It was delicious!

Enjoy!

Thought I’d post another progress report. I have lost 18 pounds! Amazing.

I’m now starting to dig my way through some clothes that I have not been able to wear in awhile. It feels good. I’m not going to stop this time, Going to keep on going!

This recipe turned out really, really good.

Ingredients

4 grilled (skinless) chicken breasts, chopped
2 cups steamed frozen green beans
1 1/2 cup cooked long grain white rice
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 tsp sugar
8 oz low fat cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Grill chicken breast about 40 minutes or until done. Let cool. Chop chicken up into bite sized pieces.
Cook rice according to package. You can use instant if desired. Steam green beans in a steamer or cook in microwave according to package.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

You can top with canned french fried onions if desired. (I didn’t have any on hand)

Enjoy!

Hello there,

Well I’ve managed to get through the holidays without gaining any weight. I call that a miracle in itself!

However, I have not lost much either. But I’m to blame on that. I’ve not followed my own advice about working out as of late. I’m not perfect, and I too make mistakes.

But I’m back at it again. I feel good today because I worked out. And I’ll continue. I have lost 4 more pounds as well since my last update here on the blog . So, that makes it 13 pounds that I’ve lost. No not much, but at least it’s something.

I’m thinking about some more healthy recipes too.

Ingredients

1 package yellow/butter cake mix
1 package of cream cheese (8 ounces)
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 egg
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup almonds slivered (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and egg with hands. (don’t use mixer)
Add cake mix, powdered sugar, and almonds. Mix well.

Coat hands with flour and roll into 1 inch balls and place onto (ungreased) cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar.

There are many fortunate people that don’t have a concern in the world about gaining weight during the holidays, or at anytime for that matter. Then we have the unfortunate people that seem to gain weight from just looking at all the festive treats.

For most families the holiday season bring lots of family get-togethers and festivities to attend. Of course these times are quite the challenge for those individuals who have weight issues. Let’s face it when you’re watching your waistline, it’s hard to resist when you’re presented with all your culinary favorites. But there are many simple things you can do to help prevent yourself from gaining weight this time of year.

Below are a few tips I’d like to share with you about striving to stay as healthy as possible throughout the holidays. Hopefully they will be of some help.

1. Exercise daily. Make sure you do some type of exercise everyday. Walking is ideal, weather permitting of course. Some people power walk and others just walk normally. Either way is good for you as long as you do it consistently. To make it more enjoyable, get a walking buddy to go walking with you. You may also find it helpful to bring along a cd player or a Mp3 player. When the weather does not cooperate, maybe try out some videos or a treadmill.

2. Make water your best friend. Drinking water daily is healthy for a number of reasons. The main rule about drinking water is it keeps you hydrated of course. But it also aids with weight loss and maintenance. Before sitting down to a lavish holiday meal, drink a full glass of water. You’ll be surprised by how less you will consume at each meal. It’s a good idea to do this before every meal you eat, not just at holiday time.

3. Raw veggies and low fat dips. While out at holiday parties always look for those decorative raw veggie trays. Often times these type of gatherings have them. Opt for healthy veggies over high calorie and high fat foods. Chex mixes are also healthful choices.

4. Small meal or snack before going out. If you’re planning to go out to eat or to a party, eat a very small meal or snack before you leave. This will discourage overeating and will also help to speed up your body’s metabolism.

5. Say “no” to alcohol. Drinking alcoholic beverages is not a good choice if you’re watching your weight. They are loaded with fat and calories. Bottled water or low fat green tea is a much better choice. Also low fat smoothies are always good for you.

6. Baking with unsweetened applesauce. If you love to bake during the holiday season, try substituting applesauce for sugar, butter, or eggs in those recipes. It cuts down considerably on fat and calories. Recently I used unsweetened applesauce in a brownie recipe and both my husband and I really liked them. Try it for yourself in a few of your favorites.

Please Note: Substituting applesauce in some recipes may not work out well. You will need to do some experimenting and maybe some research.

Just by following the simple tips above, you can lower your risk of reading those unwanted higher digits on your scale at the end of holiday time.

Article Written By Tammy Embrich

You can find more articles, recipes, tips, and more at Free Recipes Cooking At Home

Tammy also offers free job leads, work at home articles, business tips, and more at Work At Home Jobs

By Tammy Embrich

If you have a passion for cooking and you spend lots of time in your kitchen, then most likely you have a considerable amount of recipes on hand. Some cooks have an orderly organization system and some do not. If you find yourself often shuffling through mounds of recipes and not finding what you’re looking for, then you need to do some organizing.

There are various ways you can organize all your favorites so you can find them at a moment’s notice.

Below are 7 suggestions on how you can effectively organize recipes

1) The most popular organizing system is handwritten or typed index cards. I have quite a few written on these types of cards myself. The index cards are relatively reasonable, versatile, and they often come in a kit that includes a box for storage. They also come in a wide array of sizes, not just the normal 3 x 5 size.

2) Another idea would be to make a 3 ring binder recipe notebook with categorized tabs. If the recipes are not too long, you can fit 2 or maybe 3 on one page. You can also laminate the pages. Laminating would safeguard them from any messes while cooking. If you spill any ingredients on the laminated pages, simply wipe them off with a damp cloth or paper towel.

3) Some cooks that have a very large number of recipes have a file drawer/cabinet in their kitchen. If you cater foods for your business, then a file cabinet or drawer would be ideal. You can also store them in a file cabinet in your home office.

4) If you’re fortunate enough to own a laptop computer, this would be an excellent solution for storing recipes. You can keep a laptop on your kitchen counter for easy access.

5) You can also purchase some recipe organizing software that you install on your computer. There are many available on the market today.

6) If you happen to have various cookbooks and a good sized shelf in your kitchen, you could neatly display your cookbooks on it. They can also easily be stored in a kitchen cabinet.

7) Many recipe lovers use Google docs. Google docs have a lot of good advantages. For one, the recipes can easily be found and sent to family and friends.

Choose the best solution from the options listed above according to your recipe needs.

Article Written By Tammy Embrich

You can find more articles, cooking tips, and recipes at Free Recipes – Cooking At Home.

You can also visit Tammy at her Work At Home Articles blog where she offers work at home articles, home business and work at home tips, and more.

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet) – I used the standard size, I didn’t have any of the mini sized on hand.
Butter-flavored cooking spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8×8 inch non-stick cake pan with spray.
In a medium mixing bowl, using a sturdy whisk or spatula, mix the applesauce, vanilla, egg whites and sugar until they are well combined.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir the mixture until it is just combined and no lumps remain. Pour it into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chips evenly over the top. Bake the brownies for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry (a few crumbs are okay).

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow them to cool 5 minutes. Cut into 12 equal brownies. Makes 12 (1 brownie) servings.

Each brownie has: 88 calories, 2 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 133 mg sodium

Traditional Double Chocolate Brownies have: 260 calories, 3 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 165 mg sodium

From Devin Alexander Recipes

This was so yummy, but without the guilt!

Enjoy!

I’ve lost a total of 9 pounds. I’ve stayed the same this week. This could be due to many factors…water weight maybe for one. Staying the same for a week sure is not motivating, however I have to look at it from another perspective. I did not gain any. That’s a good thing.

I’ve been trying to drink more water and no soda. The no-soda part is hard. I enjoy my 7UP or sprite. And I have to admit, I do splurge on soda on Friday night. :p lol

My Workouts…

It’s really hard to get out of bed at 5AM in the morning. And yes, it has to be at 5AM due to staying on task with my work onlline. If I got up at say…6:30 or 7:00 AM and worked out, I would definitely fall behind.

I’ve accepted the fact that the weight is not going to come off fast, not whole heartedly mind you. LOL! It’s been somewhat of a rude awakening for me. I’m in for a long journey with lots of set backs. But, I WILL get there. And I WILL be thin again.

When my son was a young child, his favorite dish for lunch was macaroni and cheese. Everyday I’d ask him “what would you like for lunch?” He’d always respond with a smile “mac and cheese.” I always knew what his answer would be.

I think mac and cheese is on top of a lot of kid’s favorite foods list. I remember it was on mine. Macaroni and cheese has never been boring just by itself because I love it so much. But there is so much that you can do with it to make it more fun and tasty. You can add a variety of meats, vegetables, sauces, dips, and more to change up the texture and taste and just to make something different for a change for your family.

Below are a few ideas to get you started

* hot dogs
* ground beef
* ground turkey
* chicken
* tuna
* veal
* onions
* green, yellow, and red peppers
* broccoli
* beans
* peas
* spinach
* mushrooms
* tomatoes
* bacon
* parsley
* garlic
* sour cream
* potatoes
* eggs
* carrots
* cauliflower
* ham
* chili
* shrimp
* crab
* salsa

Here is a recipe that I recently tried and enjoyed

Beef And Broccoli Macaroni And Cheese

Ingredients

2 1/2 uncooked cups whole wheat spiral noodles
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
2 cups frozen/fresh broccoli
1 cup fat free milk
3 ounces light cheddar cheese, shredded
3 ounces light swiss cheese, shredded
2 tbs flour
1 tbs I can’t believe it’s not butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook the pasta following the package directions. Cook the beef in a skillet and drain well. Microwave the broccoli until tender.

Meanwhile in a medium sauce pan, add the flour and slowly add the milk to form a paste, using whisk. Make sure you get out all the lumps. Keep stirring over medium heat and add both cheeses. Stir until creamy and slightly thickens.

Add butter to cooked spiral noodles. Then add all ingredients together and mix well. Serve immediately.

Try adding your favorite food items to the ordinary macaroni and cheese dish. Go against the norm and add something totally off the beaten path. Try something new. You never know, you may find a unique combination that will exhilarate those taste buds and also end up being a new family favorite.

Article Written By Tammy Embrich

For some fabulous recipes, visit Cooking With Betty Crocker, featuring over 1000 recipes, tips, and more.

Also Tammy has more free recipes, and more articles and tips at Free Recipes – Cooking At Home. Come on over and get some free recipes and even submit your own.