I went to this icee place and had to settle for a root beer ice cone.  I didn’t care for it.  It tasted wayyy too sweet.  Since I don’t care much for sugar, I wasn’t able to eat it.

When I got home, I still was thirsty for a milkshake.  Low and behold I had some Blue Bunny strawberry frozen yogurt in the freezer.  I used that large glass in the picture and filled it with ice cream and 2% milk.  Wow,  was that ever good.  In fact, I made myself one of these strawberry shakes two days in a row.

I was feeling guilty about all the calories. I was kicking myself for indulging in such a manner.  I decided today to take a look at the calories and sugar I consumed. Ahhh….not as bad as I thought.  There are 90 calories in half a cup (I used a cup) and there are 120 calories in 8 ounces of 2% milk (I used 1 cup).

The shake really filled me up and on both days it ended up actually being my lunch.  I’m not feeling so bad now.  I’m glad to see my indulgence wasn’t as bad as I had orginally thought.  This actually could be considered a weight loss drink.  It  filled me up so I didn’t need any lunch.  It kept me full and I didn’t do any snacking before supper.

This is my newest weight loss recipe.  It’s funny how I can go from feeling so guilty for indulging to realizing this milkshake is going to help me lose weight.  Wow…what a win-win recipe.

Milkshake Pros:             Milkshake Cons:

1.  Filled me up            1.  Over 16 grams of sugar

2.  Only 300 Calories       2.  No Fiber

3.  Zero fat               3.  More calories than I usually drink at one time

You should check out the Blue Bunny website.  They have information a nutrional guide, recipes, and even a $1.00 off coupon for their ice cream.

It’s time for me to get my grass cutting shoes on….where off to make another customer happy.

Modern forms of icing became popular in the 18th century England when sugar became regularly available to the consumer. The name came from the notion that the glaze was supposed to look like ice. The terms icing and frosting are identical. The word icing has British and European roots while the term frosting is typical an American term, yet they both mean the same thing. Common types of vanilla icings are butter cream, royal icing, boiled icing and cream cheese vanilla icing.

Simple Vanilla Icing
This recipe is one of the simplest versions of vanilla icing. The recipe can be used for anything from cakes, sugar cookies to decorating intricate details onto a cake or cookie.

Active Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Time: 5-7 Minutes

Servings: 30

Step 1: The Ingredients and Tools

Ingredients
• 1 pound powdered sugar (or one box)
• 6 ounces of butter, at room temperature or melted
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Tools
• Electric mixer
• Spatula

Step 2: Creating the Icing
• Combine the powered sugar, vanilla and butter all into the electric mixer.
• Set the electric mixer to medium low.
• In approximately 5 minutes, you should have homemade vanilla icing.

Step 3: Spreading the Icing
• Icing can be added to cake or cookies by a knife or be poured into a piping bag and used to decorate your treats.

If the icing appears too stiff, add a small quantity of water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Butter Cream Vanilla Frosting
Active Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Time: 5-7 Minutes

Servings: Produces enough icing for 2 8-9 inch layers or one 9 X 13 inch cake

Step 1: The Ingredients and Tools

The Ingredients
• ¼ cup of butter, at room temperature or softened
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 3 cups of powdered sugar, separated
• ¼ cup of milk (use which ever type of milk that you prefer, whole, 2% or skim will all work)

The Tools
• Electric mixer
• Spatula

Step 2: Creating the Icing
• Combine the softened butter, salt, vanilla and 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix until blended
• Slowly add the milk and the remaining 2 cups of sugar, alternating between milk and sugar.
• Mix until smooth and creamy, approximately 5 minutes.

Step 3: Spreading the Icing
• Icing can be added to cake or cookies by a knife or be poured into a piping bag and used to decorate your treats.

If the icing appears too stiff, add a small quantity of milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Royal Icing
Royal icing dries in a smooth, hard, matte finish, making it ideal for decorating sugar cookies.

Active Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Time: 5-7 Minutes

Step 1: The Ingredients and Tools

The Ingredients
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice from a lemon
• 3 cups of powdered sugar

The Tools
• Electric Mixer
• Medium size mixing bowl
• Sifter
• Juicer

Step 2: Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. The egg yolks do not need to be saved for this recipe and can be thrown out or used else where.
Step 3: Juice a lemon, ensuring no seeds or pulp get into the juice
Step 3: Add the egg whites and the lemon juice to the bowl of the electric mixer, beating until mixed
Step 4: Sift the powdered sugar into the mixing bowl
Step 5: Add the powdered sugar to the egg white mixture and beat on a low speed until combined and smooth.
Step 6: Spreading the Icing: Icing can be used on cakes or cookies with a knife or be poured into a piping bag and used to decorate your treats.

This icing needs to be used immediately; otherwise it will harden and not be usable. Transferring the icing to an airtight container can prevent it from hardening.

Boiled Icing Recipe
This style of creating icing, by boiling, is considered old-fashion. It takes almost no additional time or effort than other vanilla icing recipes. This style of creating icing typically creates a fluffy and thick style of icing. This is a perfect icing for a cake or cupcakes.

Active Time: 20 minutes

Step 1: The Ingredients and Tools

The Ingredients
• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ cup of water
• 1 Tablespoon of light corn syrup
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar

The Tools
• Large saucepan
• Medium size mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Candy thermometer

Step 2: Combine the sugar and corn syrup in the large saucepan, bringing to a boil. Using the candy thermometer, allow this mixture to reach 238 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 3: In the mixing bowl, add the egg whites and whip until they are stiff and peaks are forming.
Step 4: Pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites, keeping a steady stream. Remember to whisk constantly.
Step 5: Add the vanilla and continue to whip the mixture until it has cooled. If icing has not reached the desired consistency of stiffness, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time until consistency is reached.
Step 6: Icing can be applied to your cake or cookies by spreading with a knife.

Cream Cheese Vanilla Icing
A very common and popular variation of vanilla icing is adding cream cheese in the recipe.

Active Time: 10-15 minutes

Step 1: The Ingredients and Tools

The Ingredients
• 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup of butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 1 pound of powdered sugar

The Tools
• Electric mixer
• Sifter
• Mixing Bowl
• Spatula

Step 2: Beat together the cream cheese and butter until the mixture is smooth.
Step 3: Add the vanilla to the cream cheese mixture and mix until smooth.
Step 4: Sift the powdered sugar into the mixing bowl.
Step 5: Slowly add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture.
Step 6: Mix until icing is smooth
Step 7: Icing can be applied to your cake or cookies by spreading with a knife.

If icing is too thick, add milk, one teaspoon at a time. If the icing is too thick, add more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup      Quick-cook oatmeal                      
• 1/2 tsp   Allspice
• 1 Cup      Fat-free skim milk
• 1 Cup     Splenda
• 1/2 Cup   White flour
• 4            Egg whites 
• 1/2 Cup   Whole wheat flour
• 1 Cup     Mashed bananas
• 1/2 Cup   Ground flax OR whole wheat flour



• 2 tsp      Vanilla extract  
• 1 tsp        Baking soda
• 1/2 Cup  Fat-free sour cream
• 1 tsp        Baking powder                               
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tsp    Ground cinnamon                          
• 1 Cup     Blueberries (drained)
• 1/2 tsp    Ground cloves                                
• 1 Lge      Apple 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tins (12 muffins)
2. Soak oatmeal in skim milk for 20 minutes
3. After the 20 minutes, add splenda, egg whites, bananas, applesauce, vanilla and sour cream.  Mix well.
4. In a different bowl, mix all the dry ingredients well. (flours, flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, spices)
5. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.  Mix well.
6. Fold in berries or apple (You can subistitute any other friut)
7. Fill the 12 muffins cups equally.  It doesn’t expand so will not overflow out of the cup.  Bake until a toothpick can be stuck in the middle of a muffin and it comes out  clean.  (About 15-20 min)

Although I’m the only one losing weight in this household, everyone likes these muffins.  I’m sure they will be a hit in your home too.  Finally a great diet muffin!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like most women, I have more cookbooks than I care to count. Most of them never leave the bookcase. I have found it is much easier to look up a recipe online. So whether I’m looking for a low calorie, low carb or high protein recipe…it’s easy to find.

I enjoy the Betty Crocker recipe site. It is a computer friendly site making it easy to find recipes for a specific item or requirement such as low fat or low calorie. The recipes directions are easy to follow and use basic ingredients. You can rate each recipe as well as read and give a review. Each has a picture of what the finished product should look like.

How about a Chinese Pork and Pasta recipe? The recipe is for a serving of 6 with a calorie content of 255 per serving.

Another appetizing recipe is Skillet Beef & Vegetable Stew. It is a recipe for 6 servings and only takes 25 minutes to make. It has a surprisingly low calorie content of 175 per serving.

These are just a few of the low calorie recipes at the Betty Crocker site. No matter what kind of weight loss program or diet you are on, you will find something at this site that can fit your needs.