Cake

Applesauce Carrot Spice Cake

Serves 32
Ingredients:
CAKE
1 cup oats (old fashioned or quick cook)
1 1/4 unsweetened applesauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups shredded carrots (about 4 medium)
2 eggs or 1/2 cup fat free egg product
1/3 cup canola or soybean oil
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup golden raisins
FROSTING
4 oz (from 8 oz pkg) reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
CAKE
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12 cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix oats, applesauce, brown sugar, carrots, eggs and oil with a spoon until well mixed. Stir in remaining cake ingredients just until moistened. Pour into pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
FROSTING
In small bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in milk and vanilla until well mixed. Spoon over cake.
Nutrition facts per serving
1 slice
Cal: 110
Fat: 4 g
Chol: 15 mg
Sodium: 130 mg
Carbs: 17 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 2 g

Muffins

Sunny Lemon Raspberry Muffins

Ingredients:
1 egg or 1/4 cup fat free egg product
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup Whole grain total cereal, slightly crushed
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fat free (skim) milk
1/4 cup canola or soybean oil
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 (6 oz) container lemon fat free yogurt (2/3 cup)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen (partially thawed) raspberries
10 paper baking cups
Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 10 regular size muffin cups with paper baking cups. In large bowl, beat egg slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients except raspberries. Divided batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.
Nutrition facts per serving:
1 muffin
Cal: 190
Fat: 6 g
Chol: 20 mg
Sodium: 340 mg
Carbs: 30 g
Fiber: 2 g.
Protein: 4 g

Good Eats

Creamy Pineapple Pecan Dessert Squares

Ingredients:
PIE CRUST &TOPPING:
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
FILLING:
3/4 cup boiling water
1 pkg (0.3 oz) lemon flavored sugar free gelatin
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 pkg (8 oz) fat free cream cheese
1 container (8 oz) fat free sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
Directions:
PIE CRUST & TOPPING
In 13x9 inch (3 qt) glass baking dish, toss graham cracker crumbs, sugar, the coconut, pecans and melted butter until well mixed. Reserve 1/2 cup crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of dish.
FILLING
In large bowl, pour boiling water over gelatin, stir about 2 minutes or until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in pineapple juice. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until mixture is syrupy and just begining to thicken. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream and 1/4 cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth; set aside. Beat gelatin mixture with electric mixer on low speed until foamy; beat on high speed until light and fluffy (mixture will look like beaten egg whites). Beat in cream cheese mixture just until mixed. Gently stir in pineapple (with liquid). Pour into crust lined dish; smooth top. Sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup crumb mixture over top. Refrigerate about 4 hours or until set. For servings, cut into 6 rows by 3 rows.
Nutrition facts per servings:
1/18 wedge
Calories: 120
Total fat: 4.5 g
Cholesterol: 5 mg
Carbohydrates: 18 g.
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 3 g

Holiday Blues

Well, this week has been a bust. Although I can't say that I tried all that hard. I did manage to gain only 1 pound, not that that in itself is completely bad, only when you are trying to lose weight.

My typical day involves a lot of sitting on my butt (TV, sewing, and board games with the little one.) What I need to do is get my bike from the storage unit and start riding again. When I was younger I walked or rode my bike everywhere. Since I've been married, its been all about the car. Maybe that's what the problem is in this country, we all rely on the automobile to get from point A to point B, when some of those trips could be made on foot.

I do have a tip that I was emailed (for those of you reading this) here it is:
Imitate a Kid They don't pay bills, get to take naps and are encouraged to snack? Kids have definitely got it made -- but at least when it comes to snacking, we grown-ups can go along for the ride. Whenever you're feeling bored with your mid-afternoon or post-work snack options, check out kids' and parenting Websites for fun, healthy recipes and snacking tips. On MealsMatter.org, we found easy recipes for a "Sunny Snack Bar" (a 140-calorie treat made with carrots, oats, walnuts, raisins and more) and "Peanut Butter Pinwheels," little "wheels" made from cutting up a tortilla topped with peanut butter and sprinkled with honey and granola. Sure, the names might be a little hokey, but they just might inject a little smile in your day -- and help you get excited about your snacking options again.

I also found this website for the biggest loser club, but I think that we can do this without paying some website $5 a week just to send us tips on how to lose weight.
Til next time, whenever that maybe.
Buffie

Top Reason Why Women Gain Weight

Living with a man can be hazardous to a woman's waistline.

That's the word from a study by researchers at Great Britain's Newcastle University, who have concluded that women tend to gain weight and eat more unhealthy foods when they move in with a boyfriend or husband.

Why?

In an effort to please their partner, women start to eat like a man and consume more fat and sugar in their diet, reports the BBC News. This study was actually an examination of seven previous studies on the eating and lifestyle habits of thousands of participants worldwide who were either married or living together.

The overwhelming result of cohabitation:

Men tend to eat lighter and healthier meals with more fruits and vegetables, but women start to eat creamier, heavier dishes and rich pasta meals that are traditionally favored by men. One study of 20 couples in the United States found men started to eat less meat and women began eating more, while another U.S. study of 9,043 adults found that for women, marriage led them to put on weight, while divorce caused weight loss. Marriage is blamed because eating is more structured, and there is less time for exercise.

"A significant proportion of women said they see their partner's influence on diet as negative, whereas men viewed their partner's influence as positive," lead study author Amelia Lake told the BBC. "You've got two separate food systems coming together and no matter what people say you are not going to like all the same foods. If one partner is always saying 'take away, take away' and the other is always saying 'salad, salad', it could cause problems and there will obviously need to be some compromise."

Here's the good news:

Couples should recognize in advance what is likely to happen when they move in together and instead use this as a chance for both partners to improve their lifestyles. "It's a time in your life when lots of things are changing, and you can work together and do it more helpfully," Lake told the BBC.

The study findings were published in the journal Complete Nutrition.

Tips for life

Tip # 1 comes from an email I received from I-village. Whether or not it will work for all, I don't know, I just received the email yesterday and haven't had a chance to test it. I can say that I have tried counting calories and killing myself exercising, to no avail.

Choose a High-Water Snack
To help boost energy and feel full longer, snack on a food that is high in water; these items will help fill your stomach and make you feel satisfied, without being high in calories. Good options include apples, grapes, cauliflowers, bell peppers, green beans, carrots or tomato or veggie soup. If it's something sweet you're hankering for, water can help you there, too: diet hot chocolate packets are usually only 25-30 calories (be sure to pick one that's low in sugar or is sugar-free), and will help take care of any chocolate cravings.
Buffie

Hello Everyone!

Hi all, I am Juli Bradshaw and am in the lovely town of Springfield MO. I have been dieting most of my life and it is very important for me to be a healthier person...I want to be here for my son, and my husband. My scale currently reads 220. I was pretty heavy all through highschool, topping out at 190. But I lost a ton of weight my Freshman year in college. I weighed in at 135 and wore a size 8. I looked great but most importantly I felt great. I, like Buffy, gained all my weight while pregnant with Tanner. I ended my pregnancy at a whopping 250 lbs and have since lost some, but I have the hardest time staying motivated. I feel like my biggest downfall is not having enough discipline to see it through to the end. I am not going to concentrate so much on the numbers, but I want to be in a size eight again. Right now, I am in an 18/20. So I have a long way to go. My friend Shelly is getting married in April, and I would love to considerably smaller for the wedding. I don't have any full body pics--cause I REFUSE to take any! Hopefully that will change. But here I am.

I bought this program called the six week body makeover--and I was doing it for a while--and was doing a fantastic job! And then one day I just stopped--I had lost almost twenty pounds in six weeks...so why I will never know. But I need to get back on it--so that is my plan--if any of you want the specifics, let me know and I will email it to you. It's a great program, you get to eat carbs, and you eat all the time...as a matter of fact you'll get tired of eating. If I can't do that then I will jump over to Atkins again--that's how I lost all my weight in college. It's simple and quick, but I do love my carbs!

Welcome All Moms

Here I am (in the yellow shirt) at my little girls birthday party. My name is Buffie and I want to lose weight, but most of all I want to be healthy, for myself, my daughter, my husband, my family and my friends.

Currently my scale hits 214 pounds, I would like to get down to somewhere between 150 pounds and 180 pounds, so that I will be able to see my baby grow into the beautiful woman that she will one day become.

If you are apart of this group than you are here for the same reason. You want to be healthy, you want to lose weight. Know take a moment and reflect on the reason why. If you are doing it for someone else, then I hate to rain on your parade, but that is not why you should do anything. Do it for you, no one else. If you want to lose weight for yourself, then welcome, you are at the right place. My friends and I want to help ourselves and you to be the healthy moms that you can be. Here you will find tips for weight lose, exercise ideas, and healthy recipes along with anything else that will help you (and us) to have a healthy life.

Buffie