Strawberry Shortcakes

These are kind of my favorite types of recipe collections to post. From Health.com, here is a collection of desserts made healthier for us to enjoy without all of the calories and fat.

Strawberry Shortcakes

This traditional dessert can sometimes be loaded with fat. With ingredients like sugary cake and whipped cream, a strawberry shortcake may not fit into your eating plan.

But you won’t notice the difference if you whip up this healthier take on the original. You’ll love it just as much as the fattier version. Also, ours uses store-bought dessert shells to cut prep time.

Saturated fat: 0.3 g

You won't believe this delicious, classic dessert is low in calories and in fat. You even have wiggle room to add a scoop of fat-free vanilla ice cream to top it off.

Yields:

6 servings (serving size: 1 cake and 1/3 cup sauce)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon calorie-free sweetener
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (about 1 pint)
• 6 spongecake dessert shells (5-ounce package)

Preparation

Combine sweetener and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stir in orange juice. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in extract. Cool completely.

Combine orange juice mixture and strawberries in a bowl; stir gently. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

To serve, spoon sauce over dessert shells.

Tip: This luscious sauce is also good spooned over no-sugar-added ice cream, angel food cake, or fat-free pound cake.

Nutritional Info

CALORIES 113 (0.0% from fat)

FAT 0.9g (sat 0.3g, mono 0.0g, poly 0.0g)
PROTEIN 2g
CARBOHYDRATE 24.3g
FIBER 0.2g
CHOLESTEROL 33mg
IRON 0.0mg
SODIUM 169mg
CALCIUM 0.0mg

Vegetable Soft Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream

I love this! From Health.com, check out recipes for comfort food with a vegetarian spin. For those of us who don't eat meat or are sometimes in the mood for meat alternatives, this recipe collection has great recipes that are still filling and still taste great.

Vegetable Soft Tacos With Chipotle Sour Cream
The perfect vegetarian summer meal!

Serves 4

2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
2 limes, juiced
2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 red bell peppers, sliced thin
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed (or make your own!)
1 green cabbage, sliced thin
1 bunch fresh cilantro, minced
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 avocado
3 radishes, sliced thin
1 cup sour cream
2 canned chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and diced plus 2 tsp. of the adobo sauce
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Whole-wheat tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together corn, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, lime juice, 1 tsp. salt, cumin, bell peppers, and onion in a large bowl, then spread on half a baking sheet.

2. In a large bowl, toss together remaining olive oil, paprika, 1 tsp. salt, and black beans. Spread on the other half of the baking sheet.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing occasionally, until beans are crispy and veggies are cooked.

4. While that’s baking, combine cabbage, cilantro, vinegar, sugar, diced avocado, radishes, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

5. In a small bowl, mix together sour cream, chili peppers, and adobo sauce.

6. When veggies and beans are done, fill tortillas, then layer on cabbage mixture and a drizzle of sour cream. Sprinkle with cheese.

Almond Butter Brownies

I found out about this recipe for Almond Butter Brownies from Glamour's Vitamin G blog. They posted this recipe from Elena's Pantry for these brownies made with almond butter which are also gluten free. They say that they are amazing so I thought I'd share this alternative brownie recipe with yall.

Check it out here and check out The Fitnessista's slight adjustments to the recipe here

From Health.com, here is a great recipe for Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding; it's healthy but still has the comforting and delicious taste that bread pudding should have.

Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding

Try not to chop the chocolate too finely so you'll have good-sized chunks to bite into. Hawaiian bread pudding is a soft, sweet bread found in the bakery section of most grocery stores. Leftovers are good for ham and Swiss sandwiches.

Yield & Time
2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed Hawaiian sweet bread
• 2/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tablespoon Kahlúa (coffee-flavored liqueur)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove bread from oven; decrease oven temperature to 325°.

Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (milk through egg) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add bread, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Divide half of bread mixture evenly between 2 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with half of chocolate. Divide remaining bread mixture between ramekins; top with remaining chocolate.

Place ramekins in an 8-inch square baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until set. Serve each pudding warm with 1 tablespoon whipped topping.

Nutritional Info
CALORIES 319 (30% from fat)
FAT 10.6g (sat 5.2g, mono 3.6g, poly 0.8g)
PROTEIN 9.8g
CARBOHYDRATE 45.3g
FIBER 2.1g
CHOLESTEROL 121mg
IRON 1.8mg
SODIUM 141mg
CALCIUM 125mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2003

8 Energy Zappers—and How to Avoid Them

Oprah has great advice on how to keep yourself happy and keep yourself moving smoothly through life, being successful or trying successfully at everything you do. Here are some interested energy zappers that we come across and ways to beat them.

8 Energy Zappers—and How to Avoid Them

By Annie Gottlieb
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the January 2003 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

1. Energy drain: Other people's expectations
Are you living someone else's dream for you? You're putting out energy but starving emotionally. The other person gets all the satisfaction.

Energy move: Declare independence
You bought in; you can set yourself free. No confrontation needed, just "I don't have to expect that of myself." Worst-case scenario: Someone who's not you will be disappointed. You will feel wonderful.

2. Energy drain: Loss of self
As kids, we had to play by the rules; our unique energy got caged.

Energy move: Personalize your life
Ask yourself, If it were up to me, what would I...hang on my wall? Wear to work? Do for fun? Find the pockets of freedom where you can be more yourself.

3. Energy drain: Deprivation
Duties and responsibilities fill your days. You gain weight trying to get emotional energy from food.

Energy move: Add pleasure, beauty, fun
Satisfying experiences, large and small, are the real nourishment you crave. Plan a big treat to look forward to—and a little one every day.

4. Energy drain: Envy
We often don't feel envy directly—but we might find someone else's good fortune depressing.

Energy move: Count your blessings
Comparison is a loser's game. Look at what you have, and actively feel grateful. (P.S. That person you envy—you don't know how messy her life really is. Chances are you wouldn't want it if you had it.)

5. Energy drain: Worry
When you worry, you think you're dealing with things, but you're just suffering. Worry never comes up with good ideas. It torments and exhausts us.

Energy move: Get going
Action is the cure for worry. Do one thing that brings you a step closer to coping. If it's the middle of the night, get up and write a to-do list.

6. Energy drain: Unfinished business
Unmade decisions and postponed projects drain you.

Energy move: Do it or dump it
Forget the perfect decision—just trust yourself and make a choice. Put projects in an appointment book. If you can't find any good time, that's a signal you don't want to do it. So don't.

7. Energy drain: Overcommitment
You're always saying "yes"—to your boss, mother, kids, friends; to requests, favors, meetings.

Energy move: Say "yes" to yourself
Tell someone else "no" every once in a while, just to feel your own power. You'll gain a whole new sense of your ability to take care of yourself.

8. Energy drain: Holding on to loss
Fresh loss is an emergency. But old losses you can't let go of are dead weight.

Energy move: Cry all your tears
Indulge in big-time mourning. Take off from work, stay in bed, and do nothing but cry till you're dry—and bored. Then go out and embrace life.

From Health.com, here is a collection of recipes, perfect for the summer grill season. They have put together a list of delicious healthy burger recipes to satisfy the cravings without all of the calories.

Ground Sirloin Sliders

Prep: 5 minutes; Cook: 8 minutes,

Yield & Time
Makes 6 servings (serving size: 2 sliders)

Ingredients

• 12 miniature buns or dinner rolls
• 3/4 pound lean ground sirloin
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 2 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
• 24 small dill pickle slices

Preparation

1. Remove some of the fluffy center from the buns so that they will sit well on top of burgers; set aside.

2. Combine sirloin with Worcestershire and pepper, and form into 12 (2-inch) flat patties.

3. Preheat a lightly oiled grill pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Cook burgers over moderate heat, turning, and evenly top with cheese, about 2 minutes per side for medium or until cheese is melted. (Use a meat thermometer to check that burgers have reached 160°.) Transfer the burgers to a plate, and grill the buns, cut sides down, 1-2 minutes or until toasted.

4. Sandwich burgers between buns with about 2 pickles per slider.

Nutritional Info
CALORIES 283
FAT 7g (sat 2g, mono 2g, poly 2g)
PROTEIN 18g
CARBOHYDRATE 38g
FIBER 6g
CHOLESTEROL 27mg
IRON 3mg
SODIUM 697mg
CALCIUM 134mg

Health, JUNE 2010

Eating fish is a great way to get a healthy, filling protein fix with healthy fats and is a great alternative to eating meat. From Health.com, here is a recipe for Pan Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Salsa.

Pan-Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Salsa

Perfect for a summer night, this tropical salmon provides omega-3 fatty acids. Add fiber, which aids in digestion, with half a cup of whole-grain rice.

Yield & Time
serves 4 (serving size: 1 fillet and 1/3 cup salsa)

Ingredients
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1/2-inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a bowl; set aside.

Heat a nonstick grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt. Cook fish 4 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily when tested with a fork. Top with salsa.

Nutritional Info
CALORIES 294 (41% from fat)
FAT 13.2g (sat 3.1g, mono 5.7g, poly 3.2g)
PROTEIN 36.4g
CARBOHYDRATE 5.6g
FIBER 0.6g
CHOLESTEROL 87mg
IRON 0.8mg
SODIUM 375mg
CALCIUM 26mg



Health, APRIL 2002