Time for some humor.  It has been a mild winter, but a long one, none the less, hence cabin fever is setting in.

How about you?

Are you ready to put a smile on that pretty face of yours?

Of course you are, and so am I.

This calls for may favorite “Maxine Humor” photos.

Isn’t that the truth…..

Hmmm….

Funny, but I would not try this one…

Hold on tight….don’t let this happen to you….

Oh, do I wish there was such a button to press in other places, besides the computer…

Here is a cute one from one of my email friends:

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape.

So I got  my doctor’s permission to join a fitness club and start exercising.

I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.

I

Bent

Twisted

Gyrated

Jumped up and down

Perspired for an hour

But……

By the time I got my leotards on

THE

CLASS

WAS

OVER!

Hope your enjoyed this, and finished with a smile on your face.

In my previous post I mentioned that this year I was searching for something sweet, but at the same time, something on a healthy side.

I judged the newly found recipes by the picture of the finished product, followed by the ingredients.

I did not even pay attention to how involved the preparation process might be. This one requires several steps.

I already shared the recipe for the Ginger-Lemon Pinwheels, and now you will get to hear about the “Black and White Striped Cookies“.

They look much more appetizing than they actually are.  I am very honest here, because once again, I expected a little lighter texture , than what this recipe produced.  I guess I am spoiled by all the other “full of butter” cookie recipes I make all the time.

These may not be flaky as regular cookies, however they are only 73 calories each!

Great  for dunking, with a cup of tea.

This recipe yields 3 dozen cookies.

Ingredients for Vanilla Dough:

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs. ice water

Directions for Vanilla Dough:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, place the butter, sugar and egg yolk.
2. Beat at medium speed until smooth, and creamy lemon color looking.
3. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, using a whisk, mix flour and salt.
5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
6. Beat at low speed until combined.
7. Sprinkle ice water, and beat until moist (dough will be slightly crumbly).
8. Form a 4-inch dough ball on a plastic wrap, cover and chill one hour, or until firm.

Ingredients for Chocolate Dough:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract ( I used rum extract)
• 2 Tbs. ice water

Directions for Chocolate Dough:

• In a medium mixing bowl, add butter, egg yolk, and sugar.
• Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
• Beat in the vanilla (or your favorite flavor) extract.
• In a separate bowl, using a whisk, mix the flour, salt and cocoa.
• Gradually add cocoa mixture to butter mixture, beating at low spreed until combined.
• Sprinkle ice water over the surface of the dough.
• Beat just until moist.
• Make a 4-inch dough ball, placed on a plastic wrap, and chill for one hour, or until firm.

Chocolate and Vanilla Dough Assembly:

1. Lay two overlapping sheets of plastic wrap, on a moist surface.
2. Remove and unwrap the chilled Vanilla Dough, and place it on the plastic wrap.
3. Cover the dough with two additional overlaying sheets of plastic wrap.
4. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to form a 12 x 8 rectangle.
5. Place the rolled out dough in the freezer, while you are working on the Chocolate Dough.
6. Follow the same process with the Chocolate Dough.
7. Once both doughs are firm enough, remove the plastic wrap, place the Vanilla Dough on a lightly floured surface, and cover it with the Chocolate Dough.
8. Press down gently.
9. Cut dough stack in half crosswise, to form 2 (8 x 6 inch rectangles).
10. Stack these two half on top of each other, alternating the chocolate and vanilla sides.
11. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 10 minutes, or until firm.
12. Cut the dough crosswise into 6 (6 x 1-1/3 inch) strips.
13. Stack 2 strips on top of each other to form a stack, alternating vanilla and chocolate, to form a stripe pattern.
14. Wrap in plastic wrap, pressing gently.
15. Repeat same procedure with the remaining 4 strips to form 2 stacks, making 3 stacks total.
16. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes, or until very firm.
17. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
18. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (not wax paper – it will scorch).
19. Working with one stack at a time, using a sharp knife, slice each stack to 12 slices.
20. Place them 1 inch apart on the parchment lined pans.
21. Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes.
22. Cool in pans for 5 minutes.
23. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

The hardest part in making these cookies, was rolling out the dough between the plastic wrap, and trying to keep it in a rectangular shape.  I used some additional engineering, by trimming the uneven sides and using this dough to even out any imperfections.

It is also a time consuming process, with all this rolling out of the dough, cooling, stacking, and cooling again.

These cookies are not very sweet, and as I mentioned above, tend to be on a denser side, thus very suitable for dunking.  They remind me of Biscotti.

If you tried this recipe, or plan to try it, please chime in with your tips and comments.

TIP: This is a good recipe for Phase III of the Fat Smash Diet.

How are you doing with the Fat Smash Diet?

I am going strong, and hopefully you are still with me.

We are into the first week of Phase II, so additional foods are being introduced back into our daily menu.

Since I already have a very descriptive post of all these foods, you can just click on Phase II of the Fat Smash Diet to check it out.

Remember:

• Watch your portions
• Keep up with the physical activity
• Drink enough water
• Take your vitamins
• You will continue to drop pounds and inches.

If you need additional motivation, check out these super weight loss quotes.

You are doing great!

Hang in there, and please drop me a note about your success.

As you already know, I love trying new recipes.  Most of the time I try a recipe based on a sample I enjoyed, made by someone else.  Other times, I just try a recipe based on the ingredients, and a picture of the finished product.

This time I was looking for some “light and healthy” cookie recipes, to cater to some of my guests who are dieting, yet wish to satisfy their sweet tooth.

The Ginger-Lemon Pinwheel Cookies in this post, were one of the ones I decided to try.

The picture looked very appealing to me, and the ingredients did not call for anything out of the ordinary, so it sounded like a great choice.

Normally I only share successful recipes, but even though I was slightly disappointed with the final result of this recipe, I will share it any way, because it might appeal to someone who is looking for low calorie cookies.  Actually, I will probably make these again, and play with the recipe a little.

This recipe yields about 40 cookies @ only 81 calories each.

Ingredients for Ginger Dough:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses (I used dark molasses)
• 1 large egg yolk (save the white for the Lemon Dough)
• 1- 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt – (I used 1/8 tsp)
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• Dash of ground allspice

Directions for Ginger Dough:

1. In a medium mixer bowl, combine butter and brown sugar.
2. Mix about 3 minutes, at medium speed.
3. Add molasses, and egg yolk, and beat until blended.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour and all the spices.
5. Gradually add to the butter mixture, and beat at low speed until combined.
6. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Lemon Dough:

• 8 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg white (saved from Ginger dough)
• 2 tsp. ground lemon rind
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1- 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt (I used 1/8 tsp)

Directions for Lemon Dough:

1. In a medium bowl, mix butter and sugar at medium speed for 3 minutes.
2. Add egg white and beat until blended.
3. Beat in lemon rind and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, mix flour with all the dry ingredients.
5. Gradually add to butter mixture, and beat at low speed until blended.
6. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
7. Unwrap ginger dough, roll between two sheets of plastic wrap, into a 13×8 rectangle.  Dough will be quite thin (3/16 inch).
8. Chill for 10 minutes.
9. Roll the lemon dough in the same way, and chill as well.
10. Once chilled, remove the top sheet of plastic wrap from the Ginger and Lemon Dough.
11. Stack Lemon Dough on top of Ginger Dough, leaving 1/2 inch border along the long side of the Ginger Dough.
12. Remove the remaining plastic wrap.
13. Starting with the long side without the border, roll up dough tightly, jelly-roll fashion. If you do not roll tightly, you will end up with a whole in the middle of your pinwheel.
14. Seal edges (do not seal ends of roll).
15. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 30 minutes.
16. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
17. Unwrap dough roll.
18. Cut with a sharp knife, into 40 slices, about 1/4 inch thick.
19. Reshape rounds.
20. Line baking sheet with parchment paper (wax paper will scorch – do not use).
21. Arrange cookie slices 1 inch apart.
22. Bake one batch at a time, for 8 minutes, or until set and slightly browned.
23. Cool on wire racks.

If anyone tried these cookies before, please share your comments.

Some of my guests actually enjoyed them, even though these cookies are on a denser side, more like biscotti, or as I call them “dunking”  tea cookies.

If you are watching your diet, you definitely would have no guilt having a couple of these, instead of any of my other ones, which are scrumptious, but not so low in calories.

TIP: This would be a good cookie for Phase III in The Fat Smash Diet.

This recipe came up at a spur of a moment, after I made an error in purchasing chopped dates, rather than chopped figs, intending to make Cream Cheese Fig Bars.

Since I never baked with dates before, it was a wonderful experience, and the Granola Date Bars turned out great.

I will definitely make these again, since they make a perfect mid morning, or mid afternoon snack, not to mention the abundance of fiber in these.

Next time I will try to mix in some Super Cranberry, Cherry, and Almond Muesli, made by Dorset Cereals, which I love for breakfast.

I guess the good old saying  “If God gives you lemons, you have to learn to love lemonade”, pairs up well with the birth of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz chopped dates (2 cups)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup (Organic Vanilla Almond FlaxPlus Granola (or increase the oats by 1/2 cup)
• 1 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( I used unbleached flour)
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (may use margarine)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Directions:

1. Combine dates and water in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to boil, and cook 3-4 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
3. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
4. Set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, granola,baking soda, salt and brown sugar.
7. Mix well, to incorporate all ingredients.
8. Stir in melted butter, and mix to moisten dry ingredients.
9. Measure 2-1/2 cups of oats mixture, and press gently into a 9 x 9 inch baking pan, to make the bottom crust.
10. Top with date filling, leaving 1/4 inch margin all around the edge, free of filling (to prevent filling from crusting up,  and burning during baking).
11. Combine chopped nuts with the remaining oats mixture, fill the margin around the date filling, and spread the rest on the top of the filling.
12. Press gently into the filling.
13. Bake at 350 degrees F, for 2o minutes.
14. Cool in pan on wire rack.
15. Cut into serving size, 1 x 3 inch bars, or 1 x 1 inch bite size chunks.

Enjoy.

TIP: This recipe is NOT for The Fat Smash Diet phase I, but is OK in phase III.

This recipe is from the Fat Smash Diet book, suitable for Phase I of this program, or any time as a healthy choice salad.

I prepared it for my second week of Phase I, with some minor modifications.

It is on a tangy side, due to the required amount of lemon juice, but also quite refreshing.

Great as a snack between meals, or as a side dish with veggie burger, or brown rice.

I usually flavor  my brown rice with sauteed onions, salt and pepper.

This recipe yields 4-6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh green beans
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and julienned (I used orange pepper, chopped)
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced (my addition)

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (I used powdered)
• 1/4 cup olive oil (I used extra virgin)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or less, for less tangy taste)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/8 tsp salt (or to your taste)
• 1/4 tsp onion powder (my addition)
• 1/4 tsp crushed basil (my addition

Directions:

1. Wash green beans thoroughly. Trim off at both ends.
2. Boil 4 cup of water.
3. Add beans to boiling water, and cook about 4 minutes.
4. Drain off water, and let the beans cool.
5. Rinse the other vegetables, and pat dry.
6. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and set aside.
7. Chop the orange and green peppers.
8. Cut beans in half.
9. Place all chopped vegetables in a medium bowl, add parsley and garlic.
10. Mix to incorporate.
11. Pour the prepared vinaigrette over vegetables, toss gently.
12. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour ( I liked it better the next day, since the flavors had a chance to blend well together).

Vinaigrette Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine mustard, oil, and lemon juice.
2. Cover, and shake well, to mix together.
3. Add onion powder, basil, salt and, and shake again to mix it well.

Enjoy.

Phase I of the Fat Smash Diet is halfway through, and if you joined me on this venture, you must be as ecstatic about it as I am.  This is the most challenging phase of the whole program.

I needed to intensify (just a little)  my daily exercise, due to the unfavorable weather conditions hindering my walking routine.

Today I was thinking about some new items to add to my menu, and realized that the breakfast quiches, I posted in the past, would make a great breakfast, or snack,  with some modification to the original recipe.

Check out the original recipe, and make these adjustments:

• Take out the bacon
• Use low fat cheese
• Use FF or low fat milk
• Add another vegetable (broccoli, asparagus, spinach)

If you have any other suitable recipes  for this phase of the Fat Smash Diet, or any of the future phases, please share them with us.

I will also share any new recipe I get to try out.

Good Luck!

Keep up the good work!

I have been very busy preparing all sorts of “healthful” foods for my first week of the Fat Smash Diet.

This helps me get motivated, and really psyche myself out for the long haul ahead.

I am all set for the next three days, with Carrot Soup,  Brown Rice , Chickpeas Vinaigrette, Fruit Smoothie, chopped raw veggies, and Veggie Burgers.

Since my husband is not willing to join me on this venture, I prepared some regular meals for him, so I can stay out of the kitchen for few days to avoid any unnecessary temptations.

Today I will share the Carrot Soup recipe, which yields 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 10 carrots, chopped
• 1 tsp. butter (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 5 cups (40 oz), vegetable broth (I prepared my own)
• 3 Tbs. curry powder
• 1 Tbs. minced ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 Tbs of chopped parsley
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup brown rice (I used cooked brown rice)

Directions:

1. Fill a 6 quarts pot with water (5 cups), and prepare your own veggie broth, or use ready-made broth.
2. I prepared my own broth by boiling 2 stalks celery, 1/2 onion, 2 bay leaves, parsley root (or parsnip), 1/2 cup of chopped broccoli, 2 tsp. kosher salt.
3. While the veggie broth is cooking, heat a medium saucepan with 1 tsp of olive oil.
4. Add chopped onion, and saute until translucent.
5. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
6. Add chopped carrots and saute additional 10-15 minutes.
7. Combine the sautéed veggies with the veggie broth, and ginger and curry powder.
8. Bring to boil and simmer 30-40 minutes.
9. Remove bay leaves, chopped parsley, black pepper and salt, as needed to taste.
10. Remove from heat.
11. Pour soup into blender, in batches, and puree.
12. Add cooked brown rice.
13. Serve hot, or store in the fridge for future use.

Enjoy.

TIP: I also purred all the other vegetables which I used for the veggie broth, and added them to the soup.  I could not just waste them by tossing them away.

New Year Resolutions do not usually make it to the top of my list, but I am keeping some ideas on the back of my mind.

For a while now, I have been contemplating  getting back in shape, and improving my energy level.

I am also having a guilty feeling about not sticking to my healthy eating habits, and really miss the great feeling I experienced three years ago, after completing Phase I of The Fat Smash Diet.

I finally decided to follow The Fat Smash Diet once again, so this Monday, January 9th, I am starting Phase I  – Detox.

It would be great to have some company, so please join me, and you will LOVE yourself for it.

If you never tried this diet before, please read my post about The Fat Smash Diet, to get an overview of what to expect.

This is the easiest diet for me to follow, since during Phase I, the Detox period, I am not overly concerned about giving up coffee or alcohol;  I do not care much for either one of them anyway.

This past weekend I ventured out to get my special food shopping done.  I stocked up on a lot of fruits, raw vegetables, veggie burgers, brown rice, oatmeal, plain yogurt, and new Brita filters for my tap water.

I used to purchase bottled water, but after finding out that bottled water is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, yet tap water MUST meet certain standards, I decided to go back to my Brita filter system.

The Fat Smash Diet regimen requires a lot of water consumption.  Probably as much as I normally should be drinking, so now I will be much more conscientious about it, and actually do it right.

What I love about this particular diet, is that all the ALLOWED foods, are my favorite any way, and even though I still love all the BAD ones, it is good for me to get away from them for a while, and cleanse my system.

It is an easy way to lose weight, and most of all, feel so much better.

I am hoping to lose at least 7 pounds, but 10 would be even better.

I know I can do it, since last time I lost 15 pounds without too much effort, and only gained back 7 lbs.

Please wish me luck, and tell me that you are joining me!

Children can be so cute, adorable, loving, and entertaining, most of the time, but we all know that they also can have their patience trying moments.

Stressful situations surrounding the environment our children live in, can add to their behavior pattern.

Children are like little sponges, soaking up unbelievable amount of information on daily basis, not exactly understanding it all, but nonetheless, absorbing it all none stop.

Someone sent me this very interesting link to a video of a child having a temper tantrum, and how  adults should act, or react, to this situation.

I am sharing it with you all, since during the hassle, and bustle, of the holiday season stressful time, you might benefit from being informed about such scenarios.

Here are a few quotes from that article, but you should click on the link to see the video and read all the details.

Tantrums turn out to have a pattern and rhythm to them.

“Screaming and yelling and kicking often go together,” Potegal said.

“Throwing things and pulling and pushing things tend to go together. Combination of crying, whining, falling to the floor and seeking comfort — and these also hang together.”

“You know, when children are at the peak of anger and they’re screaming and they’re kicking, probably asking questions might prolong that period of anger,” said Green.

“It’s difficult for them to process information. And to respond to a question that the parent is asking them may be just adding more information into the system than they can really cope with.”

The trick in getting a tantrum to end as soon as possible, Potegal said, was to get the child past the peaks of anger. Once the child was past being angry, what was left was sadness, and sad children reach out for comfort.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/12/05/143062378/whats-behind-a-temper-tantrum-scientists-deconstruct-the-screams

After you watch the video, please share your comments, or advice, for other parents to benefit from.