You ever have one of those days?
You know, the kind when you just want to lcurl up in bed or on the couch, change into your pajamas, turn the tv to your favorite show (or in my case, the no-fail cheer-up movie, "The Last Unicorn"), and stare blankly at the screen as you try to forget what kind of day you're having. . . yeah, that kind.
The kind that inevitably leads to minus one pint of chocolate ice cream in your freezer. Or, if you're someone after my own heart, minus one jar of peanut butter.
I'm pretty sure you've had one of those days.
Everyone has.
They're unavoidable. Inescapable. In other words, part of life.

But the clogged arteries and extra couple of pounds don't have to be. Because what's a better mood booster than a warm, soft, fudgy brownie that you can enjoy for only 40 calories per brownie? I can only think of a few things, including a trip to Disneyland. But these brownies are a lot cheaper than a trip to Disneyland, so I guess they win in that respect. . .
I'm not going to get into the whole scientific aspect of how chocolate affects the mood, because frankly, I'm having exactly one of those days I was talking about before and explaining science does not have the same effect as these brownies. So just take my word. . . next time you're having a bad day, give these a try. What can it hurt? It's only forty calories. . .

Guilt-Free, Mood-Boosting, Fudgy Brownies
2 tablespoons Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread, melted
½ cup cocoa powder
½ cup Splenda
1 egg or ¼ cup egg beaters
¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ cup flour (use whole-wheat flour for extra points)
¼ cup baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

¼ cup walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Spray an 8 inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Dust with cocoa, shaking out excess.

3. Stir together melted butter, cocoa, Splenda, egg, applesauce and vanilla, beating until smooth.

4. Gently stir in flour, baking soda and salt until well combined.

5. If adding mix-ins, gently fold in now.

6. Pour into prepared pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cut into 16 brownies.

Now let me say, I don't really expect you to look forward to "one of those days" or anything, but these would definitely make you dread them much less. Top with a little bit of non-fat frozen yogurt if you're having an especially rough day. Trust me. Your day and mood will improve marginally with the first bite.

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Posted By: Jill 2 - Category: Desserts, Brownies, Snacks

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Leggo that Eggo!

June 27th 2009 03:25

Good morning/afternoon/evening all!
Well, it's Friday. You know what that means? That's right. . . the weekend. The glorious, relaxing, strictly for killing time, weekend. Two mornings of waking up late, lounging around in your pajamas till noon (or all day if you're like me), and having the time to make a decent, amazing breakfast. And this weekend, your breakfast is the staple of all breakfast foods.
That's right. A hot, fresh off the griddle, steaming stack of pancakes. What's better than that? Besides maybe a hot, fresh off the griddle, steaming stack of white chocolate macadamia-nut pancakes. Oh yeah. I did the inconceivable (does that word make everyone else think of The Princess Bride every time they hear it?). I took one of the greatest cookies ever created and put it into a pancake. But that's not the inconceivable part. It's the fact that you can eat two of these large, fluffy pancakes and only take in 150 calories. How? Well, read on to find out.
First off, I got the base for this recipe from another blogger. Check out the original here:
Original Pancake Recipe
But I also made some modifications to it. And these were so incredibly light and fluffy, you'll never imagine they don't have hundreds of calories per serving. Seriously. They melt in your mouth, they're so good. And not in the "Let's try to sell this, so we'll put a cliche staple slogan on it" melt-in-your-mouth kind of way. But in an honestly so soft and delicious, they literally melt as they make their way into your anxiously waiting mouth. So here's my version of the recipe.

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you can add more for thicker pancakes)
1/4 cup Splenda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Whisk together the flour, Splenda, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Make a well in the middle of the mixed ingredients.
2. Pour eggs, yogurt, and vanilla into the well and mix into dry ingredients. Be careful not to over-mix. Lumps in the batter are okay. Lumps are your friends in this case.
3. Let the mixture stand for at least 5 minutes, longer if possible. It should expand and bubbles should start forming on the top of the batter.
4. Pre-heat a pan or griddle on medium-low heat and spray with cooking spray.
5. If adding mix-ins (in my case, the white-chocolate chips and macadamia nuts), gently fold them into the batter now. Allow batter to sit a few minutes longer.
6. Pour batter by 1/4 cups onto the preheated surface. Gently spread with the back of spoon (don't worry if it looks a little thin. . . these babies really fluff up!) until you have a nicely sized pancake.
7. Wait until top of the pancake starts to bubble. Flip pancakes. Second side will take much less time to cook than the first side.

And there you have it! Amazing pancakes!

Now, to make them even better, I added the 2 tablespoons white chocolate chips (chopped up into smaller pieces, or use mini chips if you can find them) and 1 oz (about 1/4 cup) macadamia nuts, also chopped into smaller pieces. Add these after you've let the batter sit for the first time.

I really wish I had found the card reader so I could show you pictures of these things. I spread them with a little bit of Smart Balance Light butter, then drizzled with some raspberry syrup. There. Are. No. Words. And at only 150 calories for two pancakes or 80 when made without add-ins (this recipe makes about 10 pancakes, by the way), I don't feel bad at all for eating them. And they're not like the baking mix pancakes that make you feel uncomfortably stuffed, like they're just sticking to your ribs for hours and hours. In fact, I would eat these right before my morning run of five miles and they didn't cause any problems with my run.

So go out, get some yogurt and some comfortable pajamas, throw out those frozen Eggo waffles/pancakes, and prepare yourself for one of the best, HEALTHY, breakfasts you can imagine.

And check back for other add-ins I'm going to try with this recipe. I have a whole list. Just wait. . . you can't even imagine. . .

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Posted By: Jill 2 - Category: Main Dishes, Misc. Main Dishes, Breakfasts, Pancakes, Desserts

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Eat Your Vegetables. . . in Cake!

June 20th 2009 02:39

Hello, all!
I'm going to start this post by apologizing. I apologize because I said in my last post that this one would contain a recipe for a Twinkie Cake. I am sorry to say that this will not, in fact, be happening. Simply because I tried and something went wrong with the cake. I am still working on the recipe and would not wish to present you with anything that I would not recommend trying. So instead, I give you a different kind of cake. My personal favorite, and with a bit of your daily vegetables: carrot cake.
Again, I regret to inform you that there will be no pictures as of yet, due to the fact that I am still avidly searching for the card reader, apparently the most elusive of objects. But even if I had found the card reader by this point, I think I would have avoided taking a picture of this cake. Not that it didn't turn out fantastic. Because it was. It truly was. But because the whole point of making a cake was to make one that appeared to be baked by someone who has no clue how to make a cake. Let me just say my heart broke with every piece I took out of that cake, purposefully destroying what could have been a beautiful cake.
You're probably wondering why I would do that. Well, there actually IS an explanation for my madness this time (a rare occurrence in my life). I was performing a scene in my acting class in which my character tried to make a cake, but unfortunately failed to do so successfully. And so having a perfectly shaped, frosted cake just wouldn't do. Hence, the destroyed cake and the bittersweet relief that my card reader is still MIA.
Anyhow, as I said, I made this cake for my acting class. Let me just say that after leaving it set out for half a break, it was nearly gone. And no one even suspected that I had made it low-cal, low-fat, low-sugar. I have also made it for my mom on Mother's Day and once just because I really wanted some carrot cake. Each time, I got compliments. My dad even enjoyed it, and he tends to shy away from most things containing vegetables (even something as decadent as carrot cake). So I hope you consider this a testament to the quality of the cake.

Carrot Cake
Cake
4 eggs at room temperature or 1 cup egg substitute
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup applesauce
2 cups Splenda or sugar
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups carrots, grated

Cream Cheese Frosting
5 tablespoons Smart Balance Light butter
10 ounces fat free cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups Splenda
5 tablespoons cornstarch
(if not using Splenda, use 2 cups powdered sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, Splenda (or sugar) and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. In separate bowl, combine Splenda and cornstarch. Slowly add to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cake.

So there you have it. I like to make this as a layer cake, with the cream cheese frosting between the two layers.

Also, a note on Splenda. I know a lot of people are worried about using it/don't like the taste. That's fine. It's simply a preference thing. I've never minded the taste of Splenda and actually have come to prefer it. And as for the health things with it? Also, never had a problem. But if you're absolutely against using Splenda, feel free to use regular sugar instead. The only thing you'll need to change will be the cooking time. Baked goods with Splenda require less cooking time, so if using real sugar, add about 5-10 minutes to the cooking time.

Tip: To avoid having to grate all those carrots (something that takes FOREVER), just process them in a blender. If you're having trouble processing them, do so with the eggs and add the whole mixture at the end (when the carrots are added).

I don't have the detailed nutrition facts for this recipe, but I do have the calorie count, so here it is (when cut into 18 slices):
Without Frosting: 80 calories per slice
With Frosting: 120 calories per slice

So there you have it. My absolute favorite cake of all time. A delicious, moist, light, absolutely perfect carrot cake.
And now that I've covered a main dish and a dessert, the next thing to do is breakfast. But you'll have to check it out next time to see what EXACTLY is for breakfast. . . just know that it's. . . well, for lack of a better term. . . frickin' awesome.

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