February 2013 Tips and Recipes

Sweets Gone Healthy

This month's ezine is dedicated to Valentine's Day and making your sweet treats healthier. With this romantic holiday just around the corner, your sweet tooth is starting to ache.

Calm it down with some sweet, yet healthier treats for this special day.

Weight Loss Tip

Sweet Treats Gone Healthy

Satisfying your sweet tooth once in a while is not always a bad thing when trying to lose weight. When you start to crave sweets like candies, chocolate or pastries, the cravings can build up to the point of explosion.

When this happens people are at risk for binging on all the wrong foods. So instead of letting these cravings build, go ahead and sneak a tiny piece of something sweet and tasty.

Try to limit the quantity (just enough to satisfy the craving) and then back to the healthier items. You can also make your sweets healthier with these tips;

Chocolate Lovers

For all you chocolate lovers, go for the dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Not only is it lower in calories but has antioxidants which are good for you. Limit the portion to just 1 or 2 squares to satisfy your craving.

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

If cake is what you are craving, opt angel food cake with some fresh frozen fruit on top and skip the sugary frosting. This will reduce the amount of calories you consume for the same portion size while giving you something sweet.

I Scream for Ice Cream

For those of you screaming for Ice Cream, try low calorie frozen yogurts or low fat sherbet instead. Both these alternatives will lower your calories and fat helping you stay within your daily allowance.

There's Always Room for Jell-O

Of course my favorite stand by sweet treat is sugar free Jell-o or puddings. Add just a teaspoon of cool whip to make it even creamier to satisfy your craving.

So if your loved ones give you something sweet for Valentine’s Day, go ahead and splurge just a little. You can also give subtle (or not so subtle) hints for gifts that won’t add the bulge.

Sweating for Sweets

The thought of exercise rarely goes hand in hand with the thought of a sweet treat. Using the reward of a sweet to motivate you to sweat, may be just what you need to get you moving and get a little treat for Valentines.

If you are hoping for some yummy chocolates from your loved one or even a nice romantic dinner out, then plan ahead for those extra points and calories by working it off ahead of time. Add just 5 or 10 minutes a day to your typical workout routine and you can have that extra special something come the big day.

By adding more minutes to your normal weekly routine, you can burn off enough calories to account for your special treat. Who knows, once you are used to these extra minutes it may become your normal routine. This means you will be burning more fat and calories each week and losing more weight.

In keeping with the sweet treats theme, this fruity dessert is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

If you want to add a romantic flare to this recipe, try drizzling on some melted dark chocolate just before you serve it. Don’t forget to add in the extra points and calories of the chocolate.

Strawberry Pineapple Trifle

You can mix up this yummy recipe by using different types of fresh or canned fruits.

What You Need:

• 40 Vanilla Wafers, small (4 per each serving)
• 1 ½ Tablespoons Red Raspberry Preserve, Sugar Free
• 1 Can Pineapple Chunks (20 oz), no sugar added
• 1 ¼ Cups Skim Milk
• 1 Package Vanilla Instant Pudding, Sugar Free
• 1 Cup Whipped Topping, Low Fat
• 2 Cups Fresh Strawberries, sliced

How to Make It:

1. Spread one side of each vanilla wafer with the raspberry preserve.
2. Arrange the wafers, spread side up, around the sides of a 1 ½ quart soufflé or trifle dish.
3. Drain pineapple chunks and save the juice.
4. Combine the pineapple juice with the skim milk.
5. Prepare the pudding according to package but use the milk/juice mixture instead of just milk.
6. Fold in the whipped topping.
7. In another dish, combine the pineapple chunks and sliced strawberries.
8. Pour about 1/3 of the pudding mix into the soufflé dishes.
9. Top with about 1/3 of the fruit.
10. Repeat the layers ending with fruit (for a total of 6 layers – 3 pudding, 3 fruit).
11. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Note: If you are using individual sized dishes, just spread the fruit and pudding evenly across the dishes to make 2 or 3 layers per dish.

Number of Servings: 10

Nutrition Information Per Serving

144 calories, 3g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 1g fiber, 2g protein, 28g carbohydrates, 208mg sodium, sugar 22g.

Org Pts 3; Pts Plus 3

Note: The above points plus value does not include the nutrition for the fruits (strawberries and pineapples). With the nutrition for these items included, the points plus value is 4 pts per serving.

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From your Diet Buddy