Tag Archives: fruit

233 Is A Sexy Number

14 Sep

Just Peachy Cheesecake Tarts

At just 233 calories (and 16 carbs) per serving, this super-simple, simply-delicious, end-of-summer recipe will blow you away – without blowing your diet!

8-10 peaches, peeled and sliced (med. thickness)
1 unpeeled peach
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
lime juice
1 stick butter
2 boxes Jello No Bake Cheesecake mix
3 cups cold 2% milk
1 box Phyllo Dough, thawed

reg. size muffin tins

Put peaches, sugar, cinnamon, and lime juice in a container. Stir to coat peaches well. Refrigerate overnight–maybe give add’l stir to coat halfway through refrigerating.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or coat muffin tins well with butter or nonstick spray. Separate 1 layer of Phyllo dough, and cover the rest (per instructions on box) to keep moist. Brush with butter. Cut into approx 4×4 inch squares. Into each muffin cup, layer 2 squares of phyllo so that corners don’t overlap (making something like a 6-point star), then press down gently into the muffing cups until the phyllo takes the shape of the cup. Repeat until all of your tins are filled. |

Spoon 2-3 slices of peach and a little of the syrup that has collected into each phyllo-lined cup. Sprinkle a few small shavings or small dots of butter into each. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, watching to make sure that the phyllo turns golden-brown, but doesn’t burn. Test peaches with a fork. They should be soft but still resist a little (for texture). Remove from oven and cool completely (about 1hr). If you need to use the tins again, you can try removing them and arranging on a plate.

Prepare cheesecake mix per box instructions, using 2% milk (you will not need the crust mixture from the box). Spoon prepared filling mix over peaches until each cup is full. Garnish with slivers from unpeeled peach. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr (and as many as 6) to allow cheesecake to set before serving.

Voila! Makes 24 individual tarts @ approx. 233 calories (and only 16.5 carbs!) each.

(If you wanted to use something like I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter sticks instead, you could probably bring it down to 200 or so.)

Enjoy!

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Summer Salad in Honey-Lime Drizzle

21 Jun


An easy, delicious recipe that you can use as a side dish for two,
or an entrée for one.

  • 1/2 bag baby greens, or small bowl of spinach or other lettuce torn into small pieces (other than iceberg, if you have it)
  • 1 oz goat cheese or feta  cheese crumbled (about 80 cals)
  • 1 large egg, fried well in 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil (about 90 cals)
  • 3 strips of turkey bacon, fried until slightly crisp (I prefer Butterball brand for taste) (75 cals)
  • 1 baby cucumber, peeled and julienned (15 cals)
  • 1/4 cup fresh blueberries (21 cals), or other favorite summer fruit*
  • 1 tbsp honey (60 cals)
  • 2 tbsp lime juice, or juice of one whole lime (11 cals)
  • salt

When cooking the egg, be sure to press down and flatten the yolk so that its fried well done, not runny as some like it for breakfast. Chop the egg into long, thin strips. Tear the turkey bacon into bite-sized pieces. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt (1/4 tsp) and toss.

In a small bowl, mix honey and lime juice. Drizzle over contents of bowl. Toss again. Enjoy!

Total: 352 calories (I did not count the lettuce, because that would just be ludicrous.) That’s only 175 as a side dish for two.

Additions:

  • 1/8 cup pecans or almonds (about 90 cals, for 442 total)
  • grilled chicken breast (280, for 632 total).

*Strawberry slices, fresh (not canned) peaches, blackberries, raspberries, etc. Feel free to omit any of the other ingredients.

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Permission to overdose on candy…well, almost.

20 Jun


What’s small, and round, and sweet, with burst-in-your-mouth flavor that’s oh-so-addictive? Blueberries, the other candy. Once you pop, the fun don’t stop, as they say.

1 cup of blueberries = excellent snack, high in antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber; they’re also the right size and shape to fool your mouth into thinking you’re being very naughty indeed.

Blueberry Replacement Therapy

Never had been much of a blueberry addict until I bought two pints last year at the  beginning of June. Once I opened that container, it was nonstop hand-to-mouth. I felt like a cartoon, two-fisting it on the kitchen counter.

This was truly an “Aha!” moment for me. You see, I am a habitual muncher while seated at the computer (I like to tell myself that it helps me think…), so I took the second carton to help me tackle some work.

Quick  Facts: 1 cup blueberries (148 grams, or 1/2 pint)

  • 84 calories (30 less than the antioxidant-deficient CocoPuffs and (800 calories!!!) less than the equivalent 1 cup of the M&Ms I would have downed.
  • 24% daily vitamin C intake
  • 4 grams of fill-you-up fiber
  • bite sized:  keep the hands, mouth, and stomach busy for the same amount of time, with a similar sensation as other small snacks

That last point is incredibly important when you’re talking about mindless munching–it’s as much about the activity as it is the taste. They also won’t spike your blood sugar like traditional “candy,” causing more cravings within the next hour or two.

Chocolate to the Rescue?

What about the chocolate uRgE, you say? Indulge. Yes, I mean it. Cardinal rule of being food friendly is not to OVER indulge, but indulging itself is an important piece of your relationship with your diet. Don’t hold out on yourself. You’ll end up giving in. Just figure out how to indulge in more constructive ways.

Get a few squares of dark chocolate (if you can’t stand the stuff, get a small amount of milk chocolate) to nibble with your blueberries. The combination will slow you down, ensuring you don’t overdo it. (Dark chocolate, unlike milk chocolate or chocolate eaten with milk is also known for its antioxidant properties, by the way.)

At the end of your snack, you will have satisfied your sweet or snack craving by taking in lots of antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber, all of which contribute to your mental, emotional, and love-handle health.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20030827/dark-chocolate-is-healthy-chocolate / http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/food/dark-chocolate / http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1851/2

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