Around the house day 2

Was getting ready to put the eggs on so I can make deviled egg tomorrow and stopped long enough to snap this shot. While taking a break put this quick page together.

I love to see brown eggs so cute.

Easter Around the House

These two adorable bunnies are on the table in the sun-room. I think they are as cute as can be.
I miss doing scrap pages so I worked up a couple of small little scrap square. The stitching, paper and frame are all made by me. I've be playing around with making my own patterns overlays and fills and find it to be fun. Also used chalkboard backboards that I made.

I've had these tulips around for several year. Think I need to buy a new bunch for next year these are starting to look a little bedraggled. Love this glass vase and the added Easter grass gave a new look.
Made the frames and the washi tape myself.

Hope you have a very Happy Easter.

Muffins and Pudding

I can not buy plain, fat-free yogurt in small containers around here....I've never tried freezing it but that will be my next option as its really hard for me to use up the full quart container since its just Bill and I.  So...this morning, I made both of these recipes to use up the yogurt that is due to expire on Wednesday.  This first one is OK but not as good as I thought it might be but I think it is because I absolutely LOVE Lemon-Poppy Seed bread and I had it on my taste buds that it would be the same but it wasn't.  Of course, there is no way it could have been since there is no lemon in the recipe at all....LOL....but it is OK and we will eat them but I'm going to do more research to find a recipe for a low fat, low sugar version of the lemon-poppy seed bread or muffins.

I had one of these muffins for my lunch and then wrapped each one individually and put them in the freezer for later.  By wrapping them individually, I can take out one or two, depending on when we eat them.  I think they will be good with coffee on Sunday mornings with some fruit.

VANILLA-POPPY SEED MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups Bisquick Reduced Fat Baking Mix

1 (4 serving) package JELL-O sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix

1/3 cup Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk Powder

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

3/4 cup Dannon plain fat-free yogurt

1/4 cup water

1 egg, beaten, or equivalent in egg substitute

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8 wells of a 12 hole muffin pan with butter-flavored cooking spray or line with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine baking mix, dry pudding mix, dry milk powder, and poppy seeds. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, water, egg and vanilla extract. Add yogurt mixture to baking mix mixture. Mix just until combined. Evenly fill prepared muffin wells. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Place muffin pan on a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and continue cooling on wire rack.

Hint:  Fill unused muffin wells with water. It protects the muffin tin and ensures even baking.

Nutritional Info: 126 calories; 2 gm fat; 5 gm protein; 22 gm carbohydrate; 466 sodium; 98 mg calcium 

The next recipe is on the dessert menu for supper tonight. We will be having the Zucchini Lasagna that I had froze about a month ago, along with a slice of Texas toast and a garden salad with fat-free dressing.  I just recently picked up a bottle of Walden Farms no calorie, no fat, no carbs Honey Mustard dressing and I'm getting anxious to try it out.  I buy Bill the Walden Farms caramel dip and he loves it with apples and I've also picked up the Walden Farms Chocolate syrup and we like it on Blue Bunny no-fat, no sugar added vanilla ice cream.  They also make mayo, BBQ sauce, pasta sauces and pancake syrup but I've got to wait till I'm in the city to pick those up as we don't have that in our stores around here.  I'm anxious to try the BBQ sauce as I have some pork ribs in the freezer that are calling me to fix!

The little taste I had of this was really, really good...Bill will absolutely love it because Butterscotch is his favorite flavor.

BUTTERSCOTCH AMBROSIA

1 (4 serving) package JELL-O sugar-free instant butterscotch pudding mix

1/3 cup Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk Powder

1 cup (one 8-ounce can) crushed pineapple, packed in fruit juice, undrained

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup Dannon plain fat-free yogurt

3/4 cup Cool Whip Free

2 cups (2 medium) sliced bananas

1/2 cup (1 ounce) miniature marshmallows

3 Tablespoons (3/4 ounce) chopped pecans

In a large bowl, combine dry pudding mix, dry milk powder, undrained pineapple and water. Mix well using a wire whisk. Blend in yogurt and Cool Whip Free. Add bananas, marshmallows and pecans. Mix gently to combine. Evenly spoon mixture into 6 dessert dishes. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes.

Hint: To prevent bananas from turning brown, mix with 1 teaspoon lemon juice or sprinkle with Fruit Fresh.

Nutritional Info: 175 calories; 3 gm fat; 5 gm protein; 33 gm carbohydrate; 272 mg sodium; 1 gm fiber

I am really enjoying my trip down this weight loss avenue...down 22 pounds as of this morning!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Coconut Brownie Pizza

 Another dessert to showcase....we liked this one too...but then, we haven't found any that we don't like...LOL...I'm posting two images...one of the slice and one of it whole.  Just so you can see how it looks as a pizza. The above slice of brownie is sitting on either my mother or my grandmothers apron that they made a long time ago.  I got to bring both of them home with me last year.  Hehe...getting my inheritance early! 

 

Strawberry Coconut Brownie Pizza

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup Splenda Granular

1/3 cup Dannon plain fat-free yogurt

1/4 cup Kraft fat-free mayonnaise

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups water *

1 (8-ounce) pkg. Philadelphia fat-free cream cheese

1/2 cup Cool Whip Free

1 teaspoon coconut extract

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1 (4 serving) pkg. JELL-O sugar-free vanilla cook and serve pudding mix

1 (4 serving) pkg. JELL-O sugar-free strawberry gelatin

2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-inch pizza pan with butter-flavored cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder,baking soda and Splenda.  In a small bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, vanilla extract and 1/2 cup water.  Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture. Mix gently to combine. Evenly spread mixture into prepared pizza pan. Bake for 15 minutes.  Place pan on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir cream cheese with a sturdy spoon until soft.  Stir in Cool Whip Free and coconut extract. Spread mixture evenly over cooled brownie crust. Evenly arrange strawberries over top.  In a medium saucepan, combine dry pudding mix, dry gelatin and remaining 1 1/2 cups water. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and starts to boil, stirring often. Remove from heat. Place saucepan on a wire rack and let set for 5 minutes. Evenly drizzle partially cooled mixture over strawberries. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips and coconut over top. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Cut into 8 servings.

Calories: 130

Fat: 2 gm

Protein: 7 gm

Carbohydrate: 21

Sodium: 413

Calcium: 147 mg

Fiber: 2 gm 

Just thinking I need to add this bit of information...per JoAnna Lund....do not use a beater on the yogurt or the cream cheese...mix gently.  Since both (and the mayo) are fat-free, they have removed the fat and added air...if you mix too much, it will be runny. 

I had a great time at my folks....did a little cleaning but not as much as I should have....just ran out of time since we did a little shopping too and I took them out for lunch on her birthday.  I ended up going through KC on my way home and having lunch with my Aunt Phylis....it had been a long time since I really visited with her and I'd never seen her new house (which is now 16 years old....)...shame on me for not doing it earlier!

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Another Sympathy Card

As you can see, I had to have another sympathy card.  When it rains, it pours.  I'll see if I can remember the credits for this card but a week with Gavin and his little boy friend has fried my brain...LOL....not really, we had a wonderful week and I miss him.  In fact, I got up around 11:00 last night and looked in the spare room to see if he was covered up and then remembered that he'd went home...boohoo...had trouble getting back to sleep.

The ribbon was some white satin from my stash that I colored with my Spectrum markers to match the flowers.  The flower print is by Katie Pertiet.  The background was a brush stamp of a post card that I stamped over and over to make my background.  I just drug it into my SSDE program and copied and pasted till I had it the way I wanted and then did a crop to fit my paper size.  I distressed this panel and adhered it to the black panel and sewed around the edges.  Basically, that is it....just used some shapes for the flower design that I had in my SSDE library.  The butterfly was one I've had for quite a while...I believe it was from Mine's Eye but not sure on that.  The black rhinestone trail was some stuff that Bill bought and put in my stocking at Christmas by Recollections called Bling on a Roll.

I wish I had placed the scallop panel lower on the card....I think it sits too high.


Enjoy!
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Strawberries....Yummm

Our very nice neighbors brought us some fresh strawberries that they got while on a trip to Florida. Love neighbors like that. These are so good that we have just been washing them off and eating as we stand at the sink. I'm a big fruit and vegetable fan so these have really hit the spot.

I followed the tutorial on Whipperberry's site to make this faux slate chalkboard backdrop for my photo. I'm really loving all the chalkboard stuff I'm seeing all over the web.

Chalkboard Subway Art

I realized that Easter is in March this year and it was in April last year when I did the subway art so I worked this one up. I know it's a little different but I love the chalkboard look and wanted to give it a try. I'll try to get a regular one worked up in the next few days.

Showcasing a Winner!

Because I like this wonderful ladies recipes so much, I'm going to try and start showcasing them here on the blog.  This delightful and scrumpious dessert is called simply, Layered Cherry Dessert, but there is nothing simple about it....it is too die for!  Or, so my better half and I think....

The recipe was created by the wonderful and talented JoAnna Lund and the world is lacking because she has left this world to create in heaven.  I'm so glad that I found her books back in 1998.  Bill had a staff infection in his foot and his dietitian told him he needed to start watching what he eats better.  So....I did some research and found the first cookbook, The Diabetic's Healthy Exchanges Cookbook...since then I've added quite a few more of her books and I signed up for her monthly newsletters.  Those newletters are usually where I turn to first to find something for supper and I never, never fix supper without adding a dessert to the menu.  I can watch what I eat as long as it includes some sweet for my obsessive sweet tooth and she (JoAnna) was just like me.  Did we stay on this new way of eating?  Nope....we did good for about 6 months, Bill lost 15 pounds and I lost 9 but work and hectic schedules got in the way of planning meals and before we knew it we were back to eating junk and fast food.  It wasn't that we didn't like the food, it just seemed to take me longer to plan our menus and my life was just too hurried.  But...I realize now that the key to weight loss IS planning your meals.  Without the plan, you fall off the tracks and then you are right back where you started.  I try and plan my weekly menu on Sunday mornings.  We are pretty good at eating leftovers so I can plan three meals and they will last us through the week.  Most of the desserts make 8 to 12 portions so one dessert will usually get us through.  Another thing I have found that is super important is keeping track of everything you eat during the day.  I signed up for Calorie King and it keeps me on track.  I can add my Joanna Lund recipes right to the tracker and then add them to my daily calorie count. It keeps track of my exercise and my weight loss in pounds and inches.  I really like it!

Ok...I've really rambled off the subject here so here is the recipe.  If I'd had some gumption I would have made this into a pretty recipe card like you do but as you can see....I didn't!  LOL

Layered Cherry Dessert

1 3/4 cups purchased graham cracker crumbs * (or do as I did and crush your own)

1/2 cup Splenda Granular
1/4 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light Margarine, melted
2 (20-ounce) cans Lucky Leaf No Sugar Added Cherry Pie Filling (I can't get this in our area so I used Wilderness No Sugar Added)
1 (8-ounce) pkg Philadelphia fat-free cream cheese
2 1/2 cups Cool Whip Free
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 375°.  In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, Splenda, and melted margarine. Pat mixture evenly into a 9x13 inch cake pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  Place cake pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Evenly spoon cherry pie filling into cooled crust. In a large bowl., stir cream cheese with a sturdy spoon until soft. Add Cool Whip Free and vanilla extract. Mix gently to combine. Fold in marshmallows. Spread topping mixture evenly over cherry pie filling. Evenly sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs over top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut into 12 servings.

Nutritional information:

180 Calories, 4 grams fat, 4 grams Protein, 32 grams Carbohydrates, 263 mg. Sodium, 59 mg. Calcium and 2 grams fiber.


Since I started using so many of JoAnna's recipes, I have jars filled with crumbs...graham cracker, soda cracker, Ritz crackers, cornflakes and also keep nuts crushed in jars too.  Just makes it faster to prepare the recipes when I have that part of the recipe ready before hand.  I also had some potato bread that was getting stale so I toasted it and then crushed it up and added to a jar to use when a recipe calls for bread crumbs.  

I've been exercising and following JoAnna's recipe now since Jan. 15th and I've lost 15 pounds and Bill is down about 10...and he isn't trying and doesn't exercise.  And I'm never hungry!  She is a god send in my opinion!


Enjoy!
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Anniversary Birds and Lace

I guess I can post this now that you've received it...this was one of the easiest ones for me to design and put together.  I started late on Monday morning and had it designed and assembled and ready to post by 2:00 that afternoon.  I don't know how or why it went so good but I was glad cause I knew I was going to be cutting it super close to make it to you on time.

This card and matching envelope were completely designed in SSDE and cut on the Cameo.  The lace and bird branch are cut files from the online store.  The lace is a complete circle but I did a cut in SSDE so it would only be a half circle.  The polka dot paper is by Sarah Stearns called Patterned Kraft and I purchased it from her Etsy store.  All the rest of the paper is AC cardstock and the pearls are from want2scrape.com.

The envelope was designed by me in SSDE and made to fit my 4.75 x 6.75 greeting cards with extra room to keep the embellishments from getting smashed.

A snow day with Gavin

 


Happy Anniversary, dear friend!

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