Some lighter ways to use boxed cake mixes, courtesy of Hungry Girl.

This post comes courtesy of my Hungry Girl newsletter.  I have had a couple of friends ask me about the lighter way of making boxed cake mixes.  See below for some ideas!

Cake Mix + No-Sugar-Added Applesauce PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 179 calories, 3.25g fat, 299mg sodium, 36g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 21.5g sugars, 1.5g protein -- POINTS® value 4* Ingredients: One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix 1 cup no-sugar-added applesauce Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Yellow cake mix. It goes perfectly with the fruity taste of the sauce. The Texture: VERY moist and fluffy. A+! The Taste: AMAZING!!!! Sweet and slightly apple-y. Two YUMS up...

Cake Mix + Diet Soda PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 171 calories, 3.25g fat, 301mg sodium, 34g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 19g sugars, 1.5g protein -- POINTS® value 4* Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix One 12-oz. can diet soda Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor Combo: Yellow cake mix + diet cream soda. Runners-up include lemon cake mix + diet lemon-lime soda and devil's food cake mix + diet cherry cola. The Texture: Moist and light. The Taste: Pretty darn impressive! However, if you're sensitive to the sweetener in diet soda, you may notice a slight aftertaste... especially if you use cola of any kind.

Cake Mix + Canned Pure Pumpkin PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 183 calories, 3.5g fat, 301mg sodium, 37g carbs, 1.25g fiber, 20.5g sugars, 2g protein -- POINTS® value 4* Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly -- batter will be VERY thick -- and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Devil's food cake mix is CLEARLY a classic choice. (Hello?!Yum Yum Brownie Muffins!) But spice cake mix... WOW. Yellow and white cake mixes, sadly, do not work as well. The Texture: Thick and dense in the BEST possible way. Brownie-like, in the case of the devil's food; the spice cake reminded us of pumpkin bread! The Taste: No one would ever guess this is guilt-free in any way. It's delicious!

Cake Mix + Fat-Free Liquid Egg Substitute PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 181 calories, 3.25g fat, 337mg sodium, 34.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 19.5g sugars, 3.5g protein -- POINTS® value 4* Ingredients: One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix 1 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original) Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Egg sub is like the little black dress of cake companions; it goes well with everything. The Texture: The first time we made this, we used only 1/4 cup of water; it was a little dry and dense, but it reminded us of pound cake, which isn't a bad thing. With a full cup of water, it came out light and fluffy. It had a more substantial, cake-like consistency than the applesauce and soda versions, but it wasn't quite as moist. The Taste: Good! But it's not our favorite. That one's up next...

Cake Mix + Fat-Free Greek Yogurt PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 180 calories, 3.25g fat, 306mg sodium, 34.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 20g sugars, 3.5g protein -- POINTS® value 4* Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix 1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%) Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Devil's food cake mix. Hands down. The Texture: The word "velvety" comes to mind... Super moist and decadent! Kind of like a brownie-cake hybrid. The Taste: YUMMY! Everyone who tried this loved it. There wasn't any yogurt taste at all... just pure cake-tastic deliciousness!

Strive for Five! The Weight Watchers Fruits & Veggie Challenge is ON!

Hey there everyone!  I hope that your week is going well. 

My Fourth of July weekend went really well, and I even showed a .2 loss this week.  Again, a small victory is still a victory!  We didn’t do a whole lot over the weekend due to the oppressive heat!  I did take some time out on Saturday afternoon to finish up my month-end close activities so that I could actually enjoy the rest of Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 

Steve had to work on Monday because his company considers this a floating holiday.  This meant that I had both kids by myself that day.  Yikes!!!  I went to my meeting with the kids in tow.  One of the receptionists volunteered to watch them if I needed her to.  Morgan stayed up front and Adam was supposed to sit with me in the meeting room.  I tried to get him to sit in the chair next to me, but he was having no part of it…until…we got samples of the new ranch-flavored multigrain crackers.  He proceeded to eat my package AND Sally’s package (thank you AGAIN, Sally!!!).  By the end of the meeting, he was his usual flirty self.  I took the kids to Chili’s for lunch after that.

Tuesday I went into the office, as I usually do.  Work was good.  I got the rest of my schedules done for quarter end, and I left at the normal time.  As many of you all know, I live in Denton, so I have to get creative when driving home in the afternoon.  I took my usual route…Bush Turnpike to Midway to International to Hebron to Charles…to….wait…the engine is revving a bit high when gears are shifting.  I called Steve to let him know my concerns.  I thought afterward that I may have gone up a slight grade, and this was probably nothing.  Wait…it did it again.  This time I was stopped at the light at Plano Parkway and Parker Road.  I turned left to head home, and this time, the engine revved, and the car went NOWHERE.  Man! I guess I am not getting home tonight.  I called AAA and they put a rush on the tow truck.  Meanwhile, I am in a state of panic, because as many of you know, there is NO SHOULDER WHATSOEVER.  I pulled over onto the ditch/shoulder the best I could and put my hazards on.  I then called Steve to come and rescue me.  My hands were shaking..and my mind was racing.  I was in NO Position to have to buy a car, but I hoped for the best…and for a minor repair (ha ha ha…).  The AAA representative put a rush on the tow request and said that a truck would meet me in no later than 45 minutes.  During this time, I have to say, my faith in humankind was restored.  I had about 10 good Samaritans stop to see if I was all right, and I also had a Carrollton Police Officer check on me twice.  Steve got there in about ½ hour and AAA arrived about 10 minutes after that.  The patient, a 1997 Honda Accord, was loaded gingerly onto the flatbed.  I climbed, as gracefully as I could in a skirt…, into the cab of the truck and gave the driver directions to the Hon-da Doctor in Lewisville.

We then went home and obsessed about the car.  We heard back from Chris over at the Hon-da Doctor and our fears were confirmed.  Transmission Failure (insert sinister music here…).  Well off to the dealership we went.  Four hours later we had purchased a 2010 Hyundai Veracruz Limited, and for the first time since 2007, we have a car payment. Yikes!!!!  That about summed up my excitement for this week.  No more, please!!!

Next Tuesday, I leave for Orlando with the 10-year-old.  This will be her second year attending Camp Grandma.  The folks enjoy getting to spend time with her, and it’s a welcomed break for us…although we will have Adam here with us.

This week’s workouts ROCKED.  I got to kick a boxing dummy, kick Coach Dwayne in the groin (of course he was holding a boxing pad in front of him…) AND for the finale, I got to throw a medicine ball at him.  Of course we did other things, but these were the few that I really enjoyed!!!!

I am sharing another side-by-side comparison photo of me…almost two years into my journey.  I am wearing the same tank top in both pictures.  Like I keep saying, PLEASE measure and take photos.  They really provide great reminders of where you were and where you are headed.  I was told by a good friend that THIS should be my new anchor.  Maybe I will post this one on the fridge the next time I feel like my mojo has taken a vacation.  Food for thought…or so to speak!!!

This week, the meeting dealt with getting in your fruits and veggies.  Weight Watchers is doing the Fruits and Veggies challenge again.  The challenge is this: 4 weeks to eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

You are free to enjoy your fruits and veggies!  They are a great POINTS® Values bargain!

Power of Produce 

• Vegetables pack a powerful nutritional punch                               
• Vegetables provide many health benefits
• Vegetables offer a great POINTS® Values bargain!
• Vegetables increase satisfaction.
• Vegetables potentially enhance weight loss efforts.

Some hints for getting them in:

Five Ways to Sneak ‘Em In

1. Puree fresh or frozen blueberries and mix with ground beef for super-juicy burgers.
2. Mash steamed cauliflower with a little nonfat milk or olive oil as an alternative to mashed potatoes.
3. Replace half of the butter or oil in quick-bread and muffin batters with an equal amount of pureed fruit (prunes, canned pumpkin).
4. Add a cup of pureed sourkraut to chocolate cake batter: Combined with the chocolate, the sauerkraut will take on a subtle coconut-y flavor.
5. Blend shredded carrots or zucchini in tomato sauce or mac-and-cheese (steam or nuke them first).

Five Salad Transformers

1. Treat fresh herbs like salad greens: Tear up fresh basil, cilantro, or parsley and toss them by the handfuls with your basic, less-flavorful greens
2. Sweeten the deal by adding fresh or dried berries or slices of citrus fruit to your greens.
3. Sprinkle salad with flavored vinegars, such as fig or orange.
4. Crunch and munch: Instead of croutons, dress up your salads with diced Fuji apples or chopped jicama.
5. Include greens and veggies that are rich in flavor and texture: Arugula and watercress both provide a peppery punch; fennel and edamame add crunch; beets impart a touch of sweetness.

Five Colorful Fruit Boosts

1. Eat your watermelon the way they do down South – sprinkled with salt to play off the sweetness
2. Dust peach wedges with cinnamon; the slight bitterness of the spice will bring out the sweetness of the fruit (think crustless pie!)
3. Sprinkle balsamic vinegar on berries for a fancy desert
4. Put your fruit on ice: Frozen grapes take longer to eat; a frozen banana has a creamy consistency (wrap peeled halves in aluminum foil before popping in the freezer).
5. Puree fresh fruits and swirl in a dollop of yogurt for a refreshing cold soup

Five Fresh Picks (You may never have heard of)

1. Starfruit (carambola) Eat these out of hand to enjoy their plummy/pineapple-y/lemony flavor, or slice to give a fruit salad ‘star’ power. You get a low-cal boost of vitamin C too.
2. Orange cauliflower: It tastes just like the white variety, but boosts a bounty of beta-carotene.  Try roasting with a bit of olive oil or dipping the raw florets in hummus.
3. Gooseberries: Pop these sweet-tart fruits directly into your mouth, or scatter on cereal or salad.  Half a cup has just 35 calories and 3 grams of fiber.
4. Passion fruit (granadilla): Slice in half and scoop out the juicy fragrant pulp.  A cup has about 16 calories and lots of fiber (eat the seeds!), plus vitamins A and C.
5. Tomatillos: Dice and use in fresh or cooked salsas.  You’ll get a hint of lemon and a hit of vitamin C.

Get out there and experiment!  I will be back with you all when I get back from Orlando!

“This cabbage, these carrots, these potatoes,

these onions ... will soon become me.

Such a tasty fact!”

- Mike Garofalo

  

RECIPES

Pork Chops with Carolina Rub

I had these great lean center cut pork chops that I defrosted, and I wanted a little bit of inspiration for what to do with them. I found this really simple recipe on http://www.myrecipes.com/. This is the website for Cooking Light recipes, among other Oxmoor House publications. I hope you enjoy this one!

An easy rub flavors these grilled chops. Let them stand about 10 minutes before grilling, allowing the meat to absorb the flavorful spice rub.  This recipe will go great with the apple slaw recipe from last week’s issuance!

POINTS® Value: 4 per serving

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 10 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork loin chops

Cooking spray

1/4 cup barbecue sauce (this can actually be optional, but it did work nicely in the dish)

Instructions:

Prepare grill.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub pork with spice mixture; let stand 10 minutes.

Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 4 minutes. Turn pork; grill 2 minutes. Brush each chop with 1 tablespoon sauce, and grill 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 185 (34% from fat); Fat: 6.9g (sat 2.4g,mono 3g,poly 0.7g); Protein: 24.6g

Carbohydrate: 5g; Fiber: 0.8g; Cholesterol: 65mg; Iron: 1.1mg; Sodium: 477mg; Calcium: 35mg

Notes:

For an extra hit of flavor, rub the bread with a cut garlic clove as it comes off the grill!

Don't Forget to Pack Your Plan!

Happy hump day!  A friend of mine posted a video of Michael Franti & Spearhead on her Facebook page yesterday, and now I can’t get the song out of my head.  Here is your song blurb du jour.  I LOVE this one!!!!

I say hey I'll be gone today

But I'll be back all around the way

It seems like everywhere I go

The more I see…the less I know

But I know one thing

That I love you

I love you…

I love you…

I love you…

I was just thinking that we are just about halfway through 2010.  Can someone PLEASE tell me where the HECK the first half went?  Wow…that was quick.  This week has been going well for me (no trips, spills, or stumbles!!!).  I had a maintain week this week, which is fantastic in my book!  Getting read for the grind of month-end and quarter-end, but the reward of vacation is not too far down the road! 

My son finished up his first session of swimming lessons for this year, and we are gearing up for session 2 which starts on Saturday, July 10^th.  The following Tuesday, I have the honor of escorting the 10 year old down to Orlando for her second session of “Camp Grandma”.  We sent her to my mom’s last year and she really had a good time with them.  We did too back in Texas.  LOL…we ended up with a much needed break.  Adam wasn’t really fazed at Morgan’s absence.  We asked him last year where he thought Morgan was.  His reply? “Morgan is In her room mom!” Soooo….according to Adam, his sister spent last summer up in her room.  Probably not a bad place for her, but not where she actually was.  It will be interesting to see what he says this year when he realizes that she isn’t home!  

We also have been spending a bunch of time at my favorite store lately—Half Price Books.  I decided that Morgan should be doing some summer reading to keep fresh for next year.  She is actually enjoying it, and each week she reads, she gets a $3 gift card that she can use toward a new book.  This week she dived into Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth—this one was one of my favorites!!! I am so glad that the kids have interests OTHER than just the video game or the iTouch.  Go Morgan!

I keep focusing on how the scale should not be the end-all be-all of your success indicators.  I have been taking pictures and taking measurements throughout my journey.  This last week, I was with my husband trying to beat the heat and we did some walking around in cooler places (the mall…IKEA…grocery stores…) and while at the mall, we went into various stores, including Victoria’s Secret.  I have not been able to purchase ANYTHING in that store in over 15 years or so, because they don’t make clothes or intimates for bigger girls.  I was about to walk out when Steve suggested that I try on some bras, because I needed to replace some older ones sitting in my drawers.  I took a couple in, tried them, and they fit!  I about fell over.  I ended up finding several that were on sale, and was able to clean out my drawers of some stuff that no longer fit me! (I like to call that ‘undergrowing’ stuff—as compared to OUTGROWING!!!)  That was really a great feeling.

The workouts are still challenging, and are still very much sweat-inducing. I also learned that I have more endurance than I give myself credit for.  I am really growing to LOVE the elliptical machine.  It challenges me and helps me to burn many calories in an abbreviated time period.  In 15 minutes I can earn 3 activity points, which isn’t too shabby…and when you tack on the circuit training that we do afterward? I can earn as many as 7 – 9 activity points per session.  My personal strategy is to try and NOT use these to splurge during the week.  I just like to know how much activity I get in during the week.

This week’s topic, as you probably inferred from the subject of the email, deals with staying on plan while you are on vacation.  I deal with vacations basically like any other day.  If I am in town, I still attend my meetings, as per usual.  If I am out of town, I find a meeting and go while I am gone.  I can give myself 45 minutes to remind me why I embarked on my journey in the first place.  In Florida, I know where my meetings are. When I go visit Steve’s parents in North Carolina (since we used to live there too…) I know where those meetings are.  I use the internet to research restaurants and try to make wise choices so that at WORST I maintain, and not gain.  I actually manage to LOSE on occasion.

These are a few tips that I included from this week’s Weight Watchers Weekly:

Have a good trip….

Getting there isn’t always half the fun of going on vacation; sometimes it’s not fun at all—lost baggage, traffic jams, cranky passengers (we ALL know what that’s like…).  When you’re stressed, you may be more inclined to eat unwisely, especially if the only food on offer is the fast-‘n’-greasy kind.

A few solutions:

• Work out the kinks, physical and mental, with some fell-better shoulder rolls and body stretches.
• Take a walk if you’re delayed at an airport: It’ll help you de-stress and earn you activity POINTS® values.
• Be food-wise: Make sure you eat before you leave home, pack some fruit and/or an energy bar , and stay well-hydrated with bottled water.

Vacation Success!  The key to staying on plan while you’re away from home is to…well…PLAN!  Remember that Weight Watchers is a lifestyle change and not a diet, so wherever you go, your lifestyle comes with you---whether you are boarding a cruise ship, riding the rails, or hitting the open road.  The pointers offered up below will help you make wise choices and enjoy your trip.

• Figure out your daily menu – at the start of each day, map out as best you can what you’ll be doing and where you’re likely to eat, including snack times. Then plan accordingly.  If you want a larger dinner at a fantastic restaurant, eat lighter at breakfast and lunch.  If you are in a hotel look over the menu before ordering

• Pack snacks – tuck single-serving oatmeal in your suitcase or stock up on fresh fruits & veggies at a local market.  This tactic can help stave off the munchies so you don’t over indulge at mealtimes.

• Eat your weekly POINTS® Allowance – is there a fancy dinner on the itinerary? A wine tour? This is EXACTLY why we have this additional allotment.  Use them and don’t feel guilty!

• Move it! – Take advantage of hotel fitness rooms; opt for a walking tours rather than bus rides; dig in the sand and play on the beach with your kids.  Walk whenever you can.  Take the stairs to the breakfast buffet---and back up afterwards!  Rack up those activity POINTS®!

• Carry on. If that Tiki Bar was calling your name, and you answered it, it’s okay.  Track it (and be HONEST) and get right back on plan.  Go for an extra long walk.  Don’t feel guilty.

“Good plans shape good decisions. That's why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.”

-Lester Robert Bittel

  

RECIPES

Apple Slaw – Adapted from Big Oven

I was in the mood for a good slaw, but didn’t want to splurge on the POINTS® that the typical slaw had.  I was in the grocery store and I was able to do a search on my iPhone for slaw recipes, and I came across this one.  It sounded really good, and it came out fantastic.  My 10-year-old didn’t care for it, although she did taste it.  The 3-year-old? Well, he ate her entire serving and asked for more.  I loved it and so did Steve.  We are officially adding this one to the rotation!

POINTS® Value: 2 per serving

Servings: about 6 (1 cup) servings

Preparation Time: 5 min

Cooking Time: NONE—how cool is that???

Level of Difficulty: INSANELY Easy

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) package coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrot mix) You can use fresh, but this really made things easy!!!

1 large apple (I like Empire or Fuji for this, but use what you like—Granny Smith would add a nice tartness!)

¼ cup apple juice (we use no sugar added Tree Top)

2 Tbsp canola oil

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar (original recipe called for Champagne vinegar, but my grocery store didn’t carry it.  Also—you can use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar for a twist!)

3 Tbsp lemon juice

Dash of salt and pepper

2 packets Splenda (I added this one on my own to give the dish a bit of sweetness…try Stevia too (I just happened to have a couple packets of Splenda lying around that needed to be used!)

Instructions:

1.         Julienne apple and combine with slaw mix in a large bowl.  Gently toss together.

2.         Combine remaining ingredients for the dressing in a blender and pulse until thickened.

3.         Pour dressing over slaw mix and toss to combine.

Italian Turkey Burgers

Our family LOVES a good burger for weekend cookouts.  Since the 4^th is quickly approaching, I thought this was an appropriate recipe to include.  Put a spin on your July 4^th tradition with these flavorful burgers, accented with fresh basil and tomato.  This particular recipe is one of Jennifer Hudson’s go-to recipes (note the JH in the star on the photo!)

POINTS® Value: 5 per serving

Servings:  4

Preparation Time:  20 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Ingredients:

1 spray(s) cooking spray  

1 pound(s) lean ground turkey  

1/3 cup(s) onion(s), chopped  

2 tsp minced garlic  

2 tsp fennel seed  

1/2 tsp table salt  

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground  

4 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray  

2 small tomato(es), ripe, yellow and/or red, thinly sliced  

1 cup(s) basil, fresh, leaves, torn or thinly shredded  

4 item(s) reduced-calorie hamburger roll(s) [A good one is Nature’s Own Sugar-Free Whole Wheat buns.  These are about 2 points per bun—OR use sandwich thins for a 1 POINT® option!

Instructions:

Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.

In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, onion, garlic, fennel seed, salt and pepper; form into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Coat burgers and inside of rolls with cooking spray.

Grill burgers for 5 minutes; flip burgers and add rolls to grill. Grill open-face rolls until lightly charred, about 1 to 2 minutes; remove to serving plates. Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

To serve, top grilled rolls with burgers and tomato slices; garnish with basil. Yields 1 burger per serving.

Notes:

For an extra hit of flavor, rub the bread with a cut garlic clove as it comes off the grill!