In the past few weeks, we have had two times that it has snowed! We have really enjoyed them! Last time, Jason was still at work and the icy roads made his travel time a lot longer than normal. He did finally make it home and then we got to spend the next day together playing in the snow and having fun. It was a very dry snow that time, so it froze very quickly. We had a blast!
Then, yesterday evening/this morning it started snowing again! We were thrilled! This time, since Jason didn't have to go in to work all, we played in it and built a snowman. We tossed snow balls back and forth at each other. We just enjoyed our time while the snow was here. (It still is here!) :)
While the cold had set in outside, I was thinking about what I could make to fill a craving I had for something sweet. Last week I had made some banana muffins. Jason suggested I make some more. There was one problem... we were out of bananas! Well, no bananas, no banana muffins. But I knew that we had apples and carrots. Carrot cake is good. Apple muffins are good. How about putting them together and making something even better?! So I did. The banana bread recipe I used is from an Amish cookbook called Wow! This is Low Cholesterol and Sugar free and is super simple! I love that I can make it with just a few basic ingredients and that it doesn't require a lot of time. Jason specifically loves that it is a moist muffin with just the right texture... not too moist and flaky, not too dense and heavy.
To create this recipe I simply substituted 1 cup of a small apple, cubed and 1/2 cup of 1 medium carrot, grated for the mashed banana. I love this series of cookbooks! They use as many fresh ingredients as possible to create a wonderful, wholesome diet that nourishes their families as well as possible. There is another cookbook for creating allergy free dishes as well as one for baking sugar free desserts for those with blood sugar issues. If I could, I would have each one on my shelf to reference when I cook. :)
I hope others are enjoying the snow!
Showing posts with label Low-Fat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Low-Fat. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Friday, June 28, 2013
"Un" Cheesecake
Hello Everyone!
Last week we celebrated Father's Day and Jason's Birthday. One of his favorite desserts is cheesecake. I can eat some good cheesecake, also, but for him, it is the best dessert ever! Most cheesecake recipes have a lot of fat and sugar in them, so they don't fit into the ideal of what Jason needs to eat, but because there are two special days so close together, I wanted to make him something special. I wondered if there is some way to up the protein content of cheesecake. I found it!! I was so thrilled! Instead of using cream cheese, this cheesecake uses plain greek yogurt. It calls for sugar, but I substituted sucanat. Sucanat is unrefined crystallized cane juice. It doesn't bother Jason's blood-sugar levels like regular white or even brown sugars do.
I used this recipe from A Baking Girl. (I will include it below with the nutritional information) I think I may have whipped it too long in the food processor so it had a texture more like a custard than creamy cheese cake, but the flavor was amazing! It wasn't tart or too "greek" tasting. I want to try it again and see if I can make it creamier.
For on top, we had some fresh strawberries we purchased a couple weeks ago. Strawberries go out of season here just about 2 weeks before Jason's birthday, so I froze some. I simply washed them, sliced them and put them in freezer bags in the freezer. The day before, I took them out of the freezer and set them in the fridge to thaw. They created their own juice and were tender and sweet tasting on top of our cheesecake! Mmmm.... So very good! And no sugar added! Woo hoo!
Un-Cheesecake Recipe
(Thanks to A Baking Girl! Slightly adapted for our needs.)
**Please note that this is the exact recipe as found at A Baking Girl. I have made notes in italics that have helped me and I thought might help others. The changes I made to the recipe have been noted in italics**
2 cups fat free plain Greek yogurt1/2 cup sugar (I used sucanat instead....1:1 ratio)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean (seeds scraped out)
pinch of salt
1 T cornstarch
optional: sliced strawberries for garnish (I used frozen)
Last week we celebrated Father's Day and Jason's Birthday. One of his favorite desserts is cheesecake. I can eat some good cheesecake, also, but for him, it is the best dessert ever! Most cheesecake recipes have a lot of fat and sugar in them, so they don't fit into the ideal of what Jason needs to eat, but because there are two special days so close together, I wanted to make him something special. I wondered if there is some way to up the protein content of cheesecake. I found it!! I was so thrilled! Instead of using cream cheese, this cheesecake uses plain greek yogurt. It calls for sugar, but I substituted sucanat. Sucanat is unrefined crystallized cane juice. It doesn't bother Jason's blood-sugar levels like regular white or even brown sugars do.
I used this recipe from A Baking Girl. (I will include it below with the nutritional information) I think I may have whipped it too long in the food processor so it had a texture more like a custard than creamy cheese cake, but the flavor was amazing! It wasn't tart or too "greek" tasting. I want to try it again and see if I can make it creamier.
For on top, we had some fresh strawberries we purchased a couple weeks ago. Strawberries go out of season here just about 2 weeks before Jason's birthday, so I froze some. I simply washed them, sliced them and put them in freezer bags in the freezer. The day before, I took them out of the freezer and set them in the fridge to thaw. They created their own juice and were tender and sweet tasting on top of our cheesecake! Mmmm.... So very good! And no sugar added! Woo hoo!
Un-Cheesecake Recipe
(Thanks to A Baking Girl! Slightly adapted for our needs.)
**Please note that this is the exact recipe as found at A Baking Girl. I have made notes in italics that have helped me and I thought might help others. The changes I made to the recipe have been noted in italics**
2 cups fat free plain Greek yogurt1/2 cup sugar (I used sucanat instead....1:1 ratio)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean (seeds scraped out)
pinch of salt
1 T cornstarch
optional: sliced strawberries for garnish (I used frozen)
Preheat oven to 350F. In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, sugar, yogurt and vanilla. Blend until smooth, then add cornstarch and pinch of salt and blend again. Pour filling into a 10 inch springform pan, and bake for 35 minutes. (I used a pie plate with some non-stick aluminum foil shaped to the pan. It worked just fine. I chose not to include a crust, though I am working on finding another crust that would work.)
When the cheesecake is done, it will still be jiggly in the center but will have a “done” look to it. The edges of the cake will start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Make sure you don’t overbake. It will continue to set up as it cools.
Let cool then chill for 2-3 hours in the fridge before releasing springform. (At this point, I turned the pie plate over and let the aluminum foil and cheesecake fall gently onto a plate. I then gently removed the foil. It stuck a few places, but generally came out beautifully!)
Arrange the sliced strawberries over top of the cooled cheesecake and serve. It will easily serve 8-10 people. This is a rather thin cheesecake at only about 1/2", but it is delicious and I didn't miss the extra thickness.
ENJOY!! :-)
Nutritional Info
- Servings Per Recipe: 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 95.3
- Total Fat: 1.2 g
- Cholesterol: 46.5 mg
- Sodium: 44.2 mg
- Total Carbs: 11.8 g
- Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
- Protein: 7.3 g
Friday, June 21, 2013
Alfredo, Healthy-fied (is that a word?) :-)
Welcome! Here is another of my Foodie Friday entries just for my own records. I hope you are enjoying seeing some of these as much as I am enjoying sharing them with other people!
One of my favorite dishes of all time is Spaghetti with Alfredo sauce. I think of it as comfort food! The only problem is that Jason's body can't handle Alfredo sauces that I would get out of the store or in restaurants. So I was searching for another way to use spaghetti one day and I found this recipe. I knew that some of the original ingredients might not work for Jason, but that I could tweak it to meet our needs. I was thrilled!
This is my variation of Rocco's Alfredo Sauce:
Prep. Time: 3 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Serves: 4 meal-sized portions
Ingredients:
1/2 pkg. whole grain thin spaghetti
salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. corn starch (or 2 Tbsp. flour, if you don't have corn starch)
1/2 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cloves fresh crushed garlic (more if needed. I also substitute 1/2 Tbsp of garlic powder, and it tastes just as good!)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated; plus more for on top
6-oz. plain greek yogurt
1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the thin spaghetti. Boil until desired tenderness is reached, then drain the water off.
2. Meanwhile, put the oil and the corn starch in a pan over low heat. Stir continuously while adding the broth a little bit at a time, until a nice sauce consistency has been reached. (You can use more or less broth, as you need to.) Stir in the spices (add any others that you like! Sometimes I add diced onion. It just tastes great!) Add the cheese and mix until completely incorporated and melted. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Fold in the yogurt until well incorporated. Dish up the spaghetti and spoon the alfredo sauce over top. Serve and enjoy!
What is your favorite pasta recipe?
According to the Spark People Recipe Calculator, this recipe has:
One of my favorite dishes of all time is Spaghetti with Alfredo sauce. I think of it as comfort food! The only problem is that Jason's body can't handle Alfredo sauces that I would get out of the store or in restaurants. So I was searching for another way to use spaghetti one day and I found this recipe. I knew that some of the original ingredients might not work for Jason, but that I could tweak it to meet our needs. I was thrilled!
This is my variation of Rocco's Alfredo Sauce:
Prep. Time: 3 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Serves: 4 meal-sized portions
Ingredients:
1/2 pkg. whole grain thin spaghetti
salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. corn starch (or 2 Tbsp. flour, if you don't have corn starch)
1/2 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cloves fresh crushed garlic (more if needed. I also substitute 1/2 Tbsp of garlic powder, and it tastes just as good!)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated; plus more for on top
6-oz. plain greek yogurt
1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the thin spaghetti. Boil until desired tenderness is reached, then drain the water off.
2. Meanwhile, put the oil and the corn starch in a pan over low heat. Stir continuously while adding the broth a little bit at a time, until a nice sauce consistency has been reached. (You can use more or less broth, as you need to.) Stir in the spices (add any others that you like! Sometimes I add diced onion. It just tastes great!) Add the cheese and mix until completely incorporated and melted. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Fold in the yogurt until well incorporated. Dish up the spaghetti and spoon the alfredo sauce over top. Serve and enjoy!
What is your favorite pasta recipe?
According to the Spark People Recipe Calculator, this recipe has:
| Calories | 546.0 | |
 | ||
| Total Fat | 10.9 g | |
| ||
| Saturated Fat | 5.2 g | |
| ||
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.4 g | |
| ||
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4.7 g | |
| ||
| Cholesterol | 19.8 mg | |
| ||
| Sodium | 557.1 mg | |
| ||
| Potassium | 26.9 mg | |
| ||
| Total Carbohydrate | 6.5 g | |
| ||
| Dietary Fiber | 0.0 g | |
| ||
| Sugars | 1.9 g | |
| ||
| Protein | 15.3 g | |
| ||
| Vitamin A | 3.5 % |
| |
| Vitamin B-12 | 5.8 % |
| |
| Vitamin B-6 | 1.3 % |
| |
| Vitamin C | 0.0 % |
| |
| Vitamin D | 0.0 % |
| |
| Vitamin E | 3.1 % |
| |
| Calcium | 39.4 % |
| |
| Copper | 0.5 % |
| |
| Folate | 0.5 % |
| |
| Iron | 1.5 % |
| |
| Magnesium | 3.2 % |
| |
| Manganese | 0.3 % |
| |
| Niacin | 0.4 % |
| |
| Pantothenic Acid | 1.3 % |
| |
| Phosphorus | 20.2 % |
| |
| Riboflavin | 5.7 % |
| |
| Selenium | 9.4 % |
| |
| Thiamin | 0.8 % |
| |
| Zinc | 5.4 % |
| |
|
|
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. |
Friday, June 7, 2013
Favorite Breakfast... Whole Grain Pancakes!!
Hello all!
I am going to try to share my favorite recipes on Fridays.This will provide others with an idea of how we eat, but it may also help others who struggle with hypoglycemia to find options that work for them. This pancake recipe is not mine. I found it in a Reader's Digest cook book called Magic Foods For Better Blood Sugar and have adapted it for our family's tastes and needs. I like to make 1-2 batches at a time and put the extras in the freezer to pull out for a quick, easy breakfast. Jianna really enjoys these, also. So, without further comment, here is the recipe for our favorite breakfast.
Prep. Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 15-20 minutes Makes: 8 servings of 2 pancakes each
Ingredients:
2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (When I make this for Jason, we omit the cinnamon. It drops bloodsugar levels.)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I prefer to use Sucanat 1:1 ratio, if at all possible. It is crystalized sugar cane juice. It doesn't interact with Jason's bloodsugar. Another option is to half the amount and use that much honey. Here, it would be 2 Tablespoons.)
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions:
1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside 15 minutes to soften the oats.
2. Whisk the whole wheat flour, wheat germ, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Add the buttermilk mix and stir to incorporate. Add a little bit at a time to the flour mixture and whisk so that no lumps form. Add the rest of the liquids and mix the batter together well.
4. Heat up a lightly greased skillet or waffle iron over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto heated surface. Cook until it looks dry around the edges (it will look wet in the center still, but dull around the edges) and bubbles have burst on the surface of the pancake. Turn over and cook until lightly browned on other side. Remove from heat and either serve imediately or cool to freeze.
Served with pancake syrup, fruit and maybe yogurt or sausage, this is an amazing breakfast!
Nutritional information:
292 calories
8 g. protein
60 g. carbohydrates
3 g. fiber
3 g. total fat
1 g. saturated fat
56 mg. cholesterol
331 mg. sodium
Like they say in Romania, "Pofta buna!" (translation: Enjoy your meal!)
I am going to try to share my favorite recipes on Fridays.This will provide others with an idea of how we eat, but it may also help others who struggle with hypoglycemia to find options that work for them. This pancake recipe is not mine. I found it in a Reader's Digest cook book called Magic Foods For Better Blood Sugar and have adapted it for our family's tastes and needs. I like to make 1-2 batches at a time and put the extras in the freezer to pull out for a quick, easy breakfast. Jianna really enjoys these, also. So, without further comment, here is the recipe for our favorite breakfast.
Prep. Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 15-20 minutes Makes: 8 servings of 2 pancakes each
Ingredients:
2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (When I make this for Jason, we omit the cinnamon. It drops bloodsugar levels.)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I prefer to use Sucanat 1:1 ratio, if at all possible. It is crystalized sugar cane juice. It doesn't interact with Jason's bloodsugar. Another option is to half the amount and use that much honey. Here, it would be 2 Tablespoons.)
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions:
1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside 15 minutes to soften the oats.
2. Whisk the whole wheat flour, wheat germ, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Add the buttermilk mix and stir to incorporate. Add a little bit at a time to the flour mixture and whisk so that no lumps form. Add the rest of the liquids and mix the batter together well.
4. Heat up a lightly greased skillet or waffle iron over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto heated surface. Cook until it looks dry around the edges (it will look wet in the center still, but dull around the edges) and bubbles have burst on the surface of the pancake. Turn over and cook until lightly browned on other side. Remove from heat and either serve imediately or cool to freeze.
Served with pancake syrup, fruit and maybe yogurt or sausage, this is an amazing breakfast!
Nutritional information:
292 calories
8 g. protein
60 g. carbohydrates
3 g. fiber
3 g. total fat
1 g. saturated fat
56 mg. cholesterol
331 mg. sodium
Like they say in Romania, "Pofta buna!" (translation: Enjoy your meal!)
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