Eat This, Not That - Louvre Chocolate Cake, Shepherd's Pie and Eggnog

Today I found out that my two Eat This, Not That books that were ordered for me by my hubby were supposedly delivered last week. They are not here. So we've been bugging USPS about it, and while being all stressed out I started looking up recipes and treats for the holidays. NOT A GOOD IDEA. I've been pretty good about my portions recently (lost 8 lbs so far) so I tried to figure out what I could do to curb the cravings I'm having for holiday yummies.

First is the Louvre chocolate cake, http://www.payard.com/louvre-cake.aspx which I found out about when my sister showed me the link to their Pain Surprise, a French appetizer that we've been looking for in New York for sometime now. This cake was featured on Sex and the City I believe. It was the $70 cake that Miranda couldn't get herself to buy, and so bought a box of easy to make chocolate cake.

My take on it was to devour a 100-calorie pack of Hostess chocolate cupcakes. They're sweet, they're delicious, they're chocolate, and you know exactly when you should stop. They can be found at most grocery stores.

My second craving was for a Shepherd's Pie. I wanted to make one with turkey today because I had some leftover turkey and instant mashed potatoes and found this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Humble-Shepherd/Detail.aspx. Unfortunately it's more than 500 calories per serving, and my hubby wasn't even that into the idea since he just made a huge batch of mac & cheese.

So I rummaged through the freezer and found the Smart Ones Slow Roasted Turkey Breast frozen entree. It has turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, for only 200 calories. I'm telling myself it'll be just as good, and I'm sticking with it.

My last craving was for eggnog. Most mixes are about 400-500 calories a cup. YUCK. So, unless you're planning on having eggnog as a meal, go with this recipe from hungry-girl, which is at 88 calories a cup.



Low-Calorie Eggnog

Ingredients:


5 cups 8th Continent Light Vanilla Soymilk (or another light vanilla soymilk**)

1 small (4-serving) package Jell-O Sugar Free Fat Free Instant Pudding mix, Vanilla

6 no-calorie sweetener packets (like Splenda)

1 tsp. rum extract or imitation rum extract

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg



Directions:

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend on high until mixed thoroughly. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow it to thicken. Makes five 1-cup servings!

Read more »

Posted in: eat this not that,low calorie

I Can Eat Indian Food Without Feeling Guilty Now!!

My hubby was craving Indian food today and asked me if I wanted to order some for dinner. I groaned inwardly since I knew I would not be able to resist, and I ALWAYS end up bingeing and going into a food coma after. He suggested I get the small portion and just eat that. I thought about it a little and went even further. I researched the calorie content for basmati rice and lamb rogan josh, and portioned them with the help of my always helpful kitchen scale. Here are the numbers:

Basmati Rice, Cooked - 1 cup - 205 calories
Lamb Rogan Josh - 150 grams - 250 calories

That was a total of 455 calories, which was well under my calorie budget since I had a light breakfast and lunch.  For the first time ever, I ate Indian food at home without overeating and taking a nap 5 minutes after the meal. This is a huge step for me, since I mostly attribute my being overweight last year to too much naan and basmati rice. Small triumphs like this help keep me going :).

Speaking of triumphs, I finished the entire Jillian Michaels Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism workout for the first time ever the other night without stopping for more than 5 seconds. This is another big thing because I have NEVER finished this workout and I have been trying to for a long time. One review for it says:

"If there is one consensus about the Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD it is the difficulty of the full on workout. Some users have been completing gym workouts, running and intense cardio for long periods of time and still have difficulty completing the entire 40 minutes non-stop, without alterations."

I have to admit, I still do a few alterations such as "girly" push-ups, but I still feel great about finishing it. Hopefully I can continue to be as motivated as I am now.

Read more »

Posted in: low calorie,workouts