Bye Bye Baby Weight

Hello! Long time no see! I’ve been off the map for a while…a long while. But I had a baby! Aint she cute?

I suppose she was worth taking a break from blogging and well… dieting too. Now that she’s nearing three months old and I’m getting ready to go back to work, I’m trying desperately to loose these lovely 19 pounds that feel the need to hang out and over stay their welcome.

I’ve been having trouble getting motivated. It’s winter and I’m spending most of my days in the house with a newborn. I’ve been following Weight Watchers for 5 weeks now and haven’t lost a single pound! What the hell? I guess I should be glad I haven’t gained a bunch of weight, but that’s a pretty small positive for 19 pounds of negative.

I started writing this blog to share recipes with people who basically always ask me to send them healthy recipes! But it also helps me to pump myself up and feel like I’m working towards something. Why not get back into the swing of it in hopes that writing will boost my motivation? I’m certainly never at a loss for words! Once a blabbermouth, always a blabbermouth.

I’ve been spending a lot of time on the computer reading other blogs. I’m not sure if this blog has been around 100 years and I just missed the boat, but check out www.skinnytaste.com. She’s got great ideas and the photography is beautiful.

I’ve been on a baking kick and made these Banana Nut Oatmeal Cookies this afternoon. I’m munching on two of these little beauties as we speak and I’m floored by how moist and chewy they are even though the recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons of butter for 30 cookies! Crazy. On Weight Watchers these are 5 points for 2 cookies and entirely worth the investment. 

My batch came out with a fairly subtle banana flavor. Your best bet is to wait for the bananas to reach the point when they’re just about to go bad. Super ripe bananas maximize the banana flavor. Also, don’t be tempted to over bake! You don’t want all your hard work to dry out in the oven.

I’ll keep this short and sweet. I’m back on the healthy bandwagon. Hop on with me!

Spoiler Alert: This is Not a Cookie

I don’t want to eat much before I’m bouncing around on the treadmill Yes, bouncing. I’ve been called a lot of things, but graceful never seems to make the list. What I really need before my clumsy workout is a little bite, just enough to reenergize.

Luna Bars are my staple snack. They’re formulated with essential vitamins and minerals specifically for women’s health. It’s not like they’re going to boost your bra size (darn), I just happen to like the flavors and appreciate that they’re made from all-natural ingredients.

At 180 calories a bar, they’re a little big for a bite. The company does make Luna Minis, but the flavors are limited and get pretty boring. So, I cut the full size bars in half and pack them in little plastic baggies.

I whipped out one of my plastic baggie snack packs on the train the other day and the guy next to me looked at me like I was completely bonkers. The resulting conversation went something like this:

 “What?”

 “Is that half a granola bar?”

 “Yeah, and?”

 “Lady, go wild. Eat the whole bar.”

Get a load of this guy. Apparently grabbing slivers of food from baggies hiding in the depths of your purse is NOT the norm around here. I came across these CARROT OATMEAL BITES on Chiot’s Run. I thought they might take the place of buying a store bought granola bar and chopping it to bits.

Please note: The recipe is actually intended for pure maple syrup but I only keep
sugar free in the house. The bites turned out just fine anyway. 

Don’t be fooled by their signature cookie shape. These aren’t overly sweet and really taste more like a granola bar than any cookie I’ve ever tried. But, I love how hearty and filling they are. Plus, I got to experiment with coconut oil, which I’ve never used before.

By using coconut oil instead of butter and eggs, these cookies are vegan approved. The original recipe calls for unrefined coconut oil, which I couldn’t find. But, the refined oil (processed to remove any impurities and eliminate the coconutty taste) was right in the organic aisle of the regular supermarket.  Unrefined (unmessed-with) is always better, but I couldn’t get my hands on it the day I needed it.

Either way, this is pretty cool stuff. It looks like beeswax in the jar, but you can melt it and pour it right into your baking in place of the butter. Just make sure you melt the oil right before you want to incorporate it into the rest of your ingredients. Once it cools off, it’s back to beeswax consistency.

I’ve been eating one of these cookies before each workout this week. They’re packed with trail mix-like energizing ingredients. They’re nutty with little bursts of sweetness from the dried fruit. I went light on the ginger since I didn’t want this to turn into a gingersnap, but I thought the ginger added an interesting spicy element.

I had fun with these. You can easily change up the mix-ins and create a completely different tasting bite for the next batch. Hiding carrots in there is a pretty sneaky way to get some extra veggies in. I stashed half the bites in the freezer to have again next week. If you’re looking to avoid a confrontation with strangers on the train, give these “cookies” a try. Add your own spin. Go wild. 

Rice-scapades

I’m certainly no chef, but I like to think of myself as a pretty solid home cook. Plus, I have a husband who gladly stands in as “soux chef” when I need an extra pair of hands. He chops; he measures; he grills, all while balancing a pint of beer in his free hand. It’s quite impressive.

I hate to admit inferiority, but there are a few dishes Joe makes far better than me. Me, food lover and eating expert out-cooked when it comes to stir-fry.  His protein is always cooked to perfection, never overcooked or dried out. Each veggie is crisp and green even though they cook at different times and temperatures. There’s just the right amount of sauce to coat each bite, without having a pool at the bottom of your plate. It might sound simple, but I am yet to master it.

What goes better with stir-fry than rice? Rice, however, is where both of us epically fail. It seems so easy. You follow the instructions on the package for boiling water! But, we can’t seem to get it right. It always turns out looking more like oatmeal than a fluffy side dish.

The last time we battled brown rice, it actually turned out pretty decent. There had to be a catch…and there was. We made enough rice to feed a family of four for three weeks. Too bad we’re a family of two and only intended to eat the rice once.

I had to find a use for this leftover rice. I couldn’t just throw it away. I come from a family that would wrap up one lonely piece of bacon or a third of a chicken cutlet to enjoy another day. It’s in my genes. We don’t waste.

I decided on a BAKED RICE PUDDING. I know rice pudding may have the stigma of being a totally 70’s Suzy Homemaker dessert. I could care less. I really like it. For healthy eaters, it’s a dessert that packs in some fiber and protein. You’ll actually feel full while treating yourself.

Of course I swapped out white rice for brown. I’m also substituting whole milk for almond milk. I’m not sure if you’ve experimented with almond milk before, but I’m a huge fan. It’s low in calories but has a subtle nutty, sweet flavor that makes it perfect for a dessert. If you prefer regular milk, go ahead and use 1%.

This rice pudding is, snuggle-up-on-the-couch-with-a-good-book kind of good. It’s hearty and warming. It makes me think of fireplaces and wool socks. I baked the pudding in a water bath to keep it moist and creamy without getting dry around the edges.  The raisins add a burst of sticky sweetness in each bite.

Even though this bakes for a hefty chunk of time, the brown rice holds it’s chewy texture so you can scoop out a nice serving and it won’t ooze all over the dish. Embrace the chilly breeze while it lasts. Spring is right around the corner.

* Love it? Hate it? Get cooking and let me know what you think!

Guest Blog Spot: Stock your Holiday Cookie Jar

I'm proud to introduce a guest blogger this week. No, I'm not getting lazy. My friend Cynthia is such a star Diet It Up supporter that she surprised me by making a batch of blog worthy cookies. They were superb and just over 100 calories each. I thought it would be fun to let her tell you all about them. A little shameless pat on the back never hurt anyone! Enjoy.

Fabulous. That is my favorite word to describe my friend Trish. From our holiday ‘dad’ texts to our mid-work phone calls, Trish and I go back…way back. The great thing about old friends is the way we’ve watched each other grow up into the adults we have become. And while we usually deny our adulthood (who doesn’t relish in the moment the bouncer with the giant biceps asks for your ID?), at times it surprises us more than we’d like.

So yes, now that adulthood has come, one of the things I’ve noticed is my body’s inability to bounce back. And I am not just talking about the hangovers that occur after those rare nights we still stay out ‘til 2am. I am talking about the ins and outs of daily life…the cookies in the office for my colleague’s birthday…the nights catching up with friends over succulent Mexican/Thai/Italian dishes…the Sunday afternoons spent watching football over a plateful of wings and blue cheese dressing. I feel like every day brings new occasions for wonderful foodilicious opportunities. (heyyyy, Microsoft Word says foodilicious isn’t a real word, but who are they kidding? I am sure you all know what I am talking about!) Anyway, back to what I was saying…these foodilicious delicacies are not just a memory when I wake up the next morning. No way, no how. They stick around in more ways than one: on the hips, on the scale, and unfortunately, in the doctor’s office. The question is, what’s a girl like me to do?

This question is what brings me back to Ms. Fabulous. Yup, Trish is just that. She has introduced me to a new way to look at staying healthy. Not just counting points, obsessing over the scale, or running ‘til I want to throw my Sauconys into a bonfire. Not only does this fab chick know how to make some healthy food, but it tastes awesome too. How she finds time to do the cooking (do they let you bring an oven on the LIRR?) I will never know, but everything she makes turns out amazing.

So yes, here is one of my recent Trish-inspired recipes. Last weekend, we had our Annual Pre-Thanksgiving get together at Di and Marc’s. We always look forward to this night, and I really wanted to surprise Trish with her B-Day coming up and all. (That’s right, say Happy Birthday to the foodie!) I found this recipe online for BLUEBERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK GINGER COOKIES. They were the perfect surprise ending to a wonderful night to kick off the holiday season. Try them out and they are sure to be a hit! And remember the old adage…Make new friends, but keep the old…One is silver, and the other gold.

“Squash” those holiday calories with Pumpkin Pudding!

I love all things pumpkin. Too bad 99% of those things are dessert. Man, I’m a sucker for dessert! Over the weekend, I tried my best to create a Diet It Up worthy Light Pumpkin Pie. Unfortunately, my efforts failed miserably. Light pie crust is an oxymoron. Butter and flour join forces to make pie crust a tender, flaky experience. Whole wheat flour and margarine do not. So, where does that leave me? I want some pumpkin pie!

My second thought was to make a pumpkin mousse. But what makes up the base of a delicious mousse? Heavy Cream. Foiled again! I decided to experiment with a PUMPKIN PUDDING. Don’t let the name fool you. This is much fancier than those pre-portioned diet pudding cups at the supermarket. I made the mistake of trying Jello’s Mousse Temptations once. Never again.

So, the dessert starts with fat-free, sugar-free vanilla pudding. I make it slightly less fat-free by preparing the pudding with 1% milk to give the finished product a little body. I stir in a can of pure pumpkin, spice it up with your classic pumpkin pie spice, a little honey for some sweetness, fold in Lite Cool Whip and bingo, bango, a delicious pumpkin dessert.

Let’s chat about pumpkin pie spice for one second. Don’t buy it. It’s silly. I’m taking a tip from Alton Brown here and not spending my hard earned bucks on something that is NOT a valuable multi-tasker. Mix together 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp ginger and 1/8 tsp cloves. Keep the mixture on hand and measure it out according to the recipe you’re using. This way you don’t end up with a jar of spice that will make 30 pumpkin pies and you can use the individual spices for other culinary masterpieces.

I spooned the pudding into some martini glasses for a little added fanciness. I topped the glasses with Reddi Wip. I happen to think Cool Whip tastes pretty funky. I only use it for texture and prefer real whipped cream if I’m going to really taste it. A little garnish of toasted pecans gave the dessert a much needed crunch.

I hate to toot my own horn (who am I kidding, of course I do!), but I kind of loved this. It’s really light. It tastes like pumpkin pie, but you don’t have to skip a meal to have enough calories in your day to enjoy it. Plus, it looks festive enough to put on the Thanksgiving table. Pumpkin pie, you’ve been dethroned!

* Get cooking. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? I’m interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions.

Delicious Iced Coffee, No Green Apron Required

I don’t actually like regular Starbucks coffee. For my standard morning cup of joe, it’s a little too dark and bitter for my taste. I prefer Dunkin Donuts. I have a wacky recipe for preparing my coffee that includes just the right splash of milk with ¾ of a packet of splenda and sometimes a sprinkle of cinnamon. Imagine asking the poor guy behind the counter at Dunkin D to replicate this? “Excuse me maam, but you’re clearly crazy.” So, I save a few bucks a week and perk mine at home.

Once the morning has come and gone, I’m a sucker for fancy dessert coffee. Starbucks seems to do it best. Flavored lattes in the winter or cold Frappuccinos in the summer are the perfect on-the-go after dinner treats. Dessert through a straw can’t possibly be that bad for you. It’s not like eating a brownie or a slice of pie.

On the contrary! After further investigation, a Grande Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks will pack-on almost 400 calories, 15 grams of fat and 54 grams of sugar if you stick with old fashioned whole milk and whipped cream. You can lighten-it-up a bit by subbing nonfat milk and saying “no thanks” to the whip. Either way, I was inspired to come up with my own fabulous version at home.

First off, I think the Starbucks portions are a little out of hand. Even if you opt for a tall drink, it’s still a pretty decent sized portion. For my MOCHA JAVA CHILLER, I cut back on the portion size and used ingredients that I happened to have in the house. By using light versions of the soy milk and chocolate syrup you can cut back on some of the fat and sugar. Soy milk is a little thicker than cow’s milk so it’s a great option if you’re trying to achieve a shake-like consistency.

I found the drink to be completely satisfying. It’s a sweet, refreshing summer dessert. It feels rich and creamy without really being very rich at all. There’s nothing worse than getting an ice-blended drink and all the syrup settles to the bottom and you’re left with coffee flavored ice chips. For the most part, this stayed nicely mixed. The best part is, you can whip this up in about 5 minutes at home. For us suburbanites without a Starbucks on every corner, it’s much quicker than getting in the car and driving to the store.

* Get cooking. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? I’m interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions.

Very Berry Crisp

My husband is a complete pie addict. The first Christmas we were married, he gave me a cookbook called “365 Great Cakes and Pies.” Hint, hint! So far, I’ve only made a grand total of two pies from the book. Talk about a let down! A whole pie is an awful lot of dessert to have sitting around a house occupied by a chronic calorie watcher. So, I tried to come up with something that would satisfy both a pie lover and diet guru alike.

Every time I go out to eat in a restaurant, if I manage to save room for a few bites of dessert, I always go for the fruit option. I love chocolate, but it’s really rich after a big meal. For some reason, fruit feels lighter to me. I’m sure this is all in my head, but I’m fine with entertaining a delusion or two.

When you’re making dessert at home, a fruit crisp is a lighter alternative to a traditional fruit pie. It’s also much quicker and easier to prepare. Instead of the fruit being completely enveloped in crust, there’s just a light sprinkling of crunchy topping.

I decided to try a MIXED BERRY CRISP since berries are in season right now. Berries are also the best choice for low-carb diets. On top of being low in sugar, they’re rich in vitamins and antioxidants. When I made this the first time, the fruit was really soupy and runny. I tried it again, lightly tossing the berries in cornstarch. That did the trick. The filling was still warm and gooey, but didn’t run all over the plate.

I make a mini portion in a 16oz ramekin that serves two. This way, we eat it once and it’s over and done with; going, going, gone. No tempting leftovers to test my willpower. Dessert should always be thought of as a treat. This is intended to be lighter than a pie, but it’s still dessert and should be enjoyed sparingly.

The crisp is more of a method than a recipe. You can swap out the berries for any fruit you like. You can add or decrease the amount of oats or sugar to your taste. Feel free to double or triple the recipe and make it in a large baking dish for a big group. I topped my crisp with a scoop of light vanilla ice cream. Whatever you decide to try, I guarantee you won’t miss mom’s apple pie (too much)!

* Get cooking. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? I’m interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions.

Pineapple Crunch Sundae: Who needs Red Mango?

After many not-so-subtle hints, my Grandma bought me an ice cream maker for Christmas this year. My first attempt at homemade ice cream was a full fat, full sugar vanilla chunk recipe that turned out delicious. I knew ice cream was terribly bad for you, but when you pour the sugar and cream into the bowl yourself, it’s so much more obvious than when you scoop from a tub and choose to ignore the calories on the back.

Ice cream, especially homemade, is a real treat once in a while. Whenever I’m on vacation, I find a way to sweet talk my husband into an ice cream sundae for lunch, topped with the works. But, frozen yogurt is a much more sensible alternative if you like to enjoy a cold dessert a little more often than the once-a-year family trip. The good news is, I LOVE frozen yogurt. I actually refer to the summer months as “fro-yo” season!

My favorite fro-yo stop is Red Mango. The yogurt is all natural, it’s fat free, there are no artificial sweeteners and they have a huge variety of healthy toppings to add, from chopped nuts to fresh fruit. Red Mango isn’t trying to dress itself up and call itself ice cream. I love that. It tastes like tangy yogurt in frozen form. It’s creamy and completely refreshing without guilt.

I would consider this little dish my take on turning a fruit and yogurt parfait into a dessert. The Pineapple Crunch Sundae features TANGY VANILLA FROZEN YOGURT that I made at home in the trusty ice cream machine and it’s topped with my own TRULY HEALTHY GRANOLA. The grilled pineapple base is super simple. Just brush the fruit with olive oil and grill for about 5 minutes on each side until it’s nice and sweet.

The yogurt is a salute to Red Mango. It’s literally just yogurt, a little sugar and vanilla. It’s tempting to go for fat-free yogurt. But in doing some research, I’ve found that commercial frozen yogurt vendors have access to food stabilizers and freezing equipment that the normal consumer does not. They can take a fat-free main ingredient and produce a creamy product. For us regular folks, I opted for 2% to make sure the yogurt had the right consistency and didn’t turn icy.

The granola is my own creation. I spent a lot of time in the supermarket trying to find products that don’t contain high fructose corn syrup. That stuff is in everything! I don’t care what the corn industry’s cute little marketing campaigns are trying to convince us, it’s just bad for you.

To make a very long story short, the fructose in corn syrup is not absorbed into the blood the same way sucrose, or table sugar is. It doesn’t trigger your body’s “I’m full!” response, so you’ll continue to feel hungry and consume more calories to make up for it. Welch’s does make a 100% juice concentrate that doesn’t contain any additives and Sun-maid brand dried fruits are made with just “fruit and sunshine” like the commercial claims. These products are found in the regular grocery store sitting right next to the corn-syrup culprits on the shelf. You just have to flip over the bag and read the label.

If you aren’t into making your own yogurt or granola from scratch, you can still make the same dessert from store bought ingredients (I highly recommend Bear Naked Granola). You can change-up the fruit and flavors to your tastes.

Sometimes it’s just as satisfying to skip the hot fudge and whipped cream.

* Get cooking. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? I’m interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions.

Happy Earth Day, Recycle That Chocolate!

Easter has come and gone and your leftover chocolate bunnies are probably nibbled down to their waist by now. My chocolate Easter Bunny, dubbed “The Professor,” stands at a whopping foot and a half tall. It isn’t Easter without a cute, cuddly animal-shaped confection. In this case, he’s an avid reader to boot!

Once the ears bite the dust, I start to get sick of all that super sweet chocolate. I decided to make these Milk Chocolate Chunk Cookies to use up the leftover bunny parts. I swiped this recipe from eatingwell.com and substituted the chocolate chips for chunks of chopped up Easter chocolate. I used salted butter and found that the finished product was a tad on the salty side. I might consider using unsalted butter, or dropping the added salt to ¼ teaspoon.

It’s really hard to pass off a light cookie as a real cookie, but these come fairly close. They’re made with whole wheat flour and ground up oatmeal so they almost taste like an oatmeal cookie without the oatmeal cookie spices (cinnamon or nutmeg). They’re a tad on the dense side, but the outside of the cookie crisps up and the inside stays nice and soft like every good cookie should. My mother-in-law thought they were great for dunking in coffee or milk if you’re the dunking type. I prefer mine to steer clear of a beverage bath. The soggy crumbs in the bottom of the glass after a dunk-fest give me the creeps!

If you want something sweet and you bust that bunny out of its cellophane package, you’re likely to nibble away until you’ve probably consumed hundreds of calories worth of candy. You can have one of these cookies for only 99 calories and enjoy a piece of chocolate and a baked good simultaneously. Not a bad deal. Who needs those stinkin 100 calories packs from the supermarket? To top it off, the whole grains offer an added fiber and protein boost to the snack.

* Get cooking. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? I’m interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions.

Coco-Razz Cream Pie

I’m super excited about this recipe. I made this up entirely from scratch and I’m pumped at how great it turned out! The inspiration for this dessert came from a Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices flavor called Coconut Raspberry Tart. With the temps finally hurdling over 60 degrees here in NY, my husband took a trip to Ralph’s last week for a treat. He came home and raved about the flavor so much, we wanted to recreate the same idea in pie form. The result was Coconut Raspberry Cream Pie.

Coconut cream pie is typically a flaky, buttery pie crust filled with rich custard made from egg yolks and tons of sweetened, shredded coconut. Then you top that whole shebang with a thick layer of real-deal whipped cream and more shredded coconut. It’s a delicious pie, but terribly fattening and packed with sugar. It’s the kind of dessert that has you plopped on the couch with your jeans unbuttoned in a post-sugar stupor. This just won’t do!

Custard pies are fairly easy to lighten up and recreate. I started with the crust and worked my way up. My crust is made from low-fat honey grahams and oatmeal. I did use real butter to make sure the final crust turned out nice and crispy. The last thing you want is a soggy mess. Or, have you ever been served a slice of pie where the crust is all crumbly and gets stuck in the pan? You end up with a plate full of smoosh. This crust will stay put when you slice it.

What gives this dessert a little twist is the raspberry layer. It might sound odd, but trust me on this one, it’s amazing. The raspberry adds the perfect tart element to balance out the sweetness of the filling.



For the custard, I made the filling from sugar-free vanilla pudding mix and Cool Whip Lite. I will definitely mention that Cool Whip is wretched stuff. While I was making the pie, I tried a spoonful. Bleh! It tastes like flavorless marshmallow. I spit it out. Normally I don’t recommend using a product that’s a chemical knock-off of real food. But, have no fear; I’m using it sparingly in this recipe as a textural element. It gives the filling the perfect light and fluffy consistency without many added calories. There really isn’t a lighter alternative and you won’t actually taste it. Phew!

This recipe calls for whole milk in the filling. Don’t be tempted to substitute low-fat or skim milk. I was tempted, I even tried it. That whole pie went right in the garbage! The pudding didn’t set and while it was chilling, a puddle of watery grossness formed on the top of the pie. Nasty! Skip the puddle and use the whole milk.

Another few calorie savers include coconut extract. Most of the coconutty flavor in this pie comes from the extract. No mountains of shredded coconut = no post-sugar coma. A typical coconut cream pie is also topped with a thick layer of whipped cream. This is completely unnecessary here. The filling is creamy enough, just top with some fresh raspberries and a sprinkle of toasted coconut for garnish.


I really should add one important disclaimer. Dessert is not exactly an every day meal for a health-conscious eater. Don’t go eating a whole damn pie because I told you this is a lightened up version! Keep portion control in mind and treat yourself once in a while. My recipe is designed for a 7” mini pie pan. For a couple of bucks, invest in one. It serves 4 and you aren’t left with a whole pie hanging around the kitchen calling your name at 2AM. Of course, if you want to make a full-sized version, just double the recipe and invite over some friends to share. I guarantee you could serve this to a group of diet doubters and they would find it just as delicious as I do. It’s that good!

* Get cooking. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? I’m interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions.

Soufflé, A Poofy Dessert

I’d like to start off by saying; I don’t know a thing about soufflé. I’ve never made one and I don’t recall ever eating one. I do know that they’re fancy and French sounding and can be prepared as a savory meal or a sweet dessert. When I think soufflé, I picture panicked chefs in puffy white hats screaming “my soufflé has fallen!” in a thick French accent. This may be a tad dramatic, but I was skeptical.

I’m always on the lookout for lighter dessert recipes to try. Bon Appétit featured this Raspberry Lemon Soufflé on their website a few weeks ago. I have a recipe for a Raspberry Lemon cookie that I really like, so I was trying to capitalize on the same flavors without all of the fat and calories. I have no idea if this is how you make other soufflés or if this is even what a soufflé is supposed to look like. But, if you can whip up egg whites, you can make this dessert. It was surprisingly easy. You basically make a syrup from pureed frozen raspberries and fold a few whipped egg whites into it. That’s the whole dessert. It comes together really quickly.

The result was a fluffy custard. The top browned up and formed a nice meringue-like crust. The inside was creamy but very light. You don’t feel guilty eating it because half the dessert is just air! The best part was the raspberry flavor. The lemon added the perfect about of tartness so it wasn’t overly sweet. Be sure to serve it right away. The soufflé did start to sink while we were photographing it. “Quick! Take some pictures before the whole thing falls!” I guess that French chef imagery wasn’t too far off the mark.

If you’re watching your sugar intake, this dessert does use real sugar as well as the natural sugar from the fruit. The plus side is that there’s no flour or fat to worry about; just a few egg whites. In my opinion, it’s pretty darn healthy and extremely tasty. Chocolate is my go-to dessert so if this was yummy enough for me, I guarantee you’ll like it too.

* Get cooking. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? I’m interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions.

Sweet Cuppin' Cakes

I love cupcakes. They’re tiny little desserts made just for you. You don’t even have to share! (Clearly, I didn’t win any “sharing is caring” awards in Kindergarten). The cupcakes from Crumbs Bakeshop are my favorite. They’re so huge; you can quarter one and have dessert with every meal of the day. This is dangerous territory for a true frosting fan like me. Sometimes I make cupcakes at home, but a typical recipe makes 24 cakes. What’s a family of two supposed to do with 24 cupcakes? I always end up bringing them to work and subjecting my coworkers to a distracting sugar rush to spare myself the temptation. For the record, no one looks cool balancing a Tupperware full of treats on their lap for the hour train ride to NYC. I’ve learned this from experience.

Joe came home from an office party with a recipe for Weight Watchers chocolate muffins to try. Someone brought them to the pot luck and he knew I would like the idea. I made the muffins and although delicious (and only three points if you follow Weight Watchers jargon), they tasted an awful lot like cake to be having for breakfast. Cake?!!! I like cake. Why couldn’t this become a diet cupcake? I was a woman on a mission. A Diet It Up cupcake was in order. I recruited my friend Diana as co-baker. Di just happens to be a dessert aficionado and one of my all-time best buds. She makes the most beautifully decorated cakes and I knew she’d have some clever ideas.

We whipped up the Devil’s Food Cupcake batter in no time. Don’t be turned off by how thick and sticky it is. Although these are denser than a typical cupcake, they’re plenty moist. Instead of adding oil and eggs to a box cake mix, you replace it with a can of pumpkin puree. This saves quite a bit of fat and cholesterol. While the cakes were cooling, we tried out a few toppings. I think we came up with some tasty alternatives to the classic sugar-packed butter cream frosting. The Chocolate Brownie flavor is drizzled with melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with chopped walnuts. The Devil’s Shortcake is topped with whipped cream and fresh berries. Feel free to substitute fat-free cool whip for the cream if you prefer. I stick to the real stuff because my husband has an obnoxious aversion to “tub topping.” I’ve tried to fool him, but that man knows his whipped cream! Di made a strawberry puree for the Strawberry Jam cupcake that worked out perfectly.

Then it was time to taste test…all three. When you’re in need of a chocolate fix, these really do the trick. Just add some girl talk and a few forks.

* Get cooking. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? I’m interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions.