Brownies you can make ahead

Chocolate Brownie Muffins

Just out of the freezer - microwave and top with whipped topping

Brownie - Metabolism Miracle recipe

Here is the recipe for these tasty little treats.

Chocolate Brownie Muffins
Makes 20-24 muffins (you can freeze them too!)

5oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2 Cups powdered Splenda
1 3/4 Cup Soy Flour - I've asked and Almond four can be substituted as well
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 (16oz container) light sour cream
1/2 Cup canola oil (I used olive oil for baking)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Cup boiling water
1/2 Cup finely chopped walnuts

Pre heat oven to 350 F
Line muffin pan with cup cake liners

Melt the chocolate. Combine the dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add the eggs, melted chocolate, sour cream, oil, and vanilla. Stir in the nuts.  Slowly add the boiling water while mixing to a smooth batter.  The batter will be thin.  Full the muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 22-25 minutes.  Can be topped with lilght whipped cream.

PCOS approved low carb coctails!

Low Carb Cosmopolitan

 

Cosmopolitan cocktails traditionally contain a lot of sugar from the cranberry juice, triple sec, and added sugar.  There are usually over 20 grams of very high impact carb in one small cosmo…. imagine the carb grams in a large drink!  Here's a way to make it low in sugar and carbs without sacrificing flavor.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

·         1 jigger (1.5 oz or 3 tablespoons) Citron vodka or regular vodka (nutritional analysis uses 80 proof)

·         ¼ cup Diet Cranberry Juice (has only .5 grams carbohydrate/1/4 cup)

·         1 tablespoon lime juice (fresh preferred)

·         2 to 3 drops orange extract

·         1 packet sucralose

·         Handful of ice

Preparation:

Put the ingredients in a cocktail shaker half-full of ice. Shake well. Taste for sweetness. Strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a small lime

Low Carb Margarita

Margaritas are also very high in sugar from the triple sec or cointreau (orange liquers with 16+ grams carb/1.5 ounces).  Imagine how much sugar you're getting in one of those jumbo margaritas!

 Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

·         1 jigger (1.5 oz) tequila (80 proof)

·         2 Tablespoons (1 oz) lime juice - fresh preferred

·         1/4 cup diet orange soda or (1/4 cup water and 1/4 tsp orange extract)

·         1 packet sucralose

·         Handful of ice

·         Margarita salt or kosher salt

Preparation:

Wet the rim of the glass and dip into a small plate of salt.

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake it up, taste for sweetness and either pour into your glass with the ice or shake and strain into a glass. Serve with a garnish of an orange slice.

www.personalizationmall.com

So if you have PCOS and you are not following Diane Kress' blog over at Metabolism Miracle, you might just be missing out on some fun recipes.   I will continue to work my way though her book and let you all know how I like the foods.  Today I can honestly say, I did not follow any form of PCOS approved eating.  I will have to work on it tomorrow.  I did try to make some cookies, no bake cookies even, but they turned out disappointing and not worth posting the recipe.  I took pictures and watched how well they set, but the flavor was not sweet and they were still a bit gooey or rather chalky.  That's what it felt like in my mouth when I tried them, and that is not what I would want to share with any of you.  

So, here's a plan, call up a few friends heat up the grill and get your drinks ready low carb style.  Here's to the good life! 

...and you know, please drink responsibly and not while your pregnant and all that responsible stuff that you should just be remembering all on your own. Have a great end of summer celebration next week.

My little love affair with Pilates

Working out, this is not necessarily a new challenge, but one I keep changing in my routine. I like to mix it up a bit, I get bored easily.  But there is one area I have needed to focus on, my abdominal area, this whole region seems to have issues.  I was told that yoga would help me in this area, but I have only done a little bit of yoga.

I've noticed that the only thing that has worked to change my stomach at all is Pilates.  I add the work outs into whatever other routine I'm doing and at least do the 10 minute one every day (when I'm being good, last week was not a banner week for me and work outs).

Okay, so there are one particular lady’s videos that I get, because I like them and they are effective.

Ellen Barrett, she is not a drill instruct type, but she does keep me motivated.

I have four of her crunch videos the one I use daily is the Crunch Pick Your Spot Pilates, there are four 10 minute work outs: Belly, Buns, Thighs, Total Body

The Belly, as you can imagine, is the one I focus on.

I also do the Crunch Fat Burning Pilates, Crunch Burn and Firm, and the Crunch Super Slim down

Ellen Barrett

I have also done the Yoga Booty Ballet from Beach Body, and they have similar moves, but I used them in conjunction with one another so I'm not sure how well they would do on your stomach without at least the 10 minute Belly work out.

Sit ups, leg lifts, and all of that stuff just have not given me the same results.
So go ahead and get moving.  I am a firm believer that any exercise you will do on a consistent basis, is good.  If you give up, get hurt, or get bored you are not doing yourself any favors.  Find what you love,or will at least do, and begin there, then maybe later on you will want to add more things in, but at least you are doing something now. 

Breathing is a bit overrated isn't it?

I have been unable to breathe the last few days, my nose is sneezy and running and all of that gross allergy commercial wording kind of stuff.  But it seemed to me that allergy season could not have begun just yet, we are still in August, the kids have barely gone back to school, and we just got over the Spring allergy season.

I took some allergy medicine anyway once I got to work, they do prefer me to function while I'm there.  It helps me too when accomplishing my tasks through out the day.

So I went outside during a break, and saw my car...it was clean and shiny when I parked it this morning.  It's not even noon yet.....

This is why I can't breathe.  This pollen is from just one of the trees in our parking lot, and we have lots of them. Yep, this is going to be a great time of the year.

Cauliflower - trying out the rice version

Cauliflower - rice style

Orange Chicken over Cauliflower Rice

The cauliflower rice is good.  It does not stand up well to sauces, I would suggest putting the main on the side.
There is not much of a recipe to add just the basic directions, grate the cauliflower and heat covered in microwave. The cauliflower has enough moisture to steam itself without adding additional water. 
So this is a basic recipe, nothing fancy, but worth trying.  Have a great time trying new and creative substitutes. 

Wordless Wednessday - Pink

Coupons and links

To print coupons:
print.coupons.com
www.groupon.com/sacramento - you can change the city to yours at the top of the screen

To print both manufacturer and Target coupons:
target.grocio.com

To buy coupons:
www.mycouponhunter.com

Coupon Bloggers:
domestic frugalista
the krazy coupon lady
pinching your pennies


Each of these sites have much more information to look into for deals and savings.  I just wanted to post a quick note here for those of you who may be unfamiliar with the blogs I follow, these listed here are blogging about saving money, and who doesn't like to do that?