May be used as a cake filling, as a center for Zuccotto, or a fruit dip!
250 g Mascarpone
1/4 c sugar
3/4 c pineapple juice (may use any juice of your choice)
1/2 berries or diced fruit of choice (optional)
1/8 cup coconut flake or crushed nuts. (optional)
In a mixing bowl combine with a fork or wooden spoon mascarpone, sugar and juice. Fold in berries and nuts. Serve alone or with favorite cake or dessert.
A delicious dessert to be served at any time of the year! May be served with your favorite fruit on the side.
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 liter milk (4 cups milk)
In a large sauce pan, combine all eggs yolks and the egg, beat together. In a frying pan add sugar and flour, combine with a wooden spoon. Add in beaten eggs to frying pan, combine all ingredients. Turn the stove on medium low and continue to turn ingredients. Add in 1/4 cup milk and stir, add in another 1/4 milk stir well, add in 1/2 cup milk, stir well, add in remaining milk stirring well. Constantly turning mixture, DO NOT LEAVE THE CREAM UNATTENDED, otherwise it will clump or burn. Turn cream with the wooden spoon covering th whole pan for about 20 minutes. When a small air bubble’s plops in the middle the cream is done. Remove the pan from the heat, carefully pour into a mixing bowl. With a plastic wrap, cover cream by laying the plastic wrap directly onto the cream, this will avoid a skin to form. Place into the refrigerator and allow to cool for 2 hours before serving.
Yes, recipes can be altered in order to reduce calories without sacrificing taste.
Incorporate these cooking tricks to enhance meals and desserts. Use equal amounts of oil for melted shortening, margarine or butter. HEALTHY OILS: Olive Oil, Canola Oil
Shortening, butter, or oil in baking
Use applesauce, prune puree or low fat yogurt to replace butter, shortening or oil in the exact amount. May need to reduce baking time by 25% to avoid a dry cake.
Butter is still the best when it comes to making pie crusts. Reduce the serving size that you put on your plate and top off with fresh cut fruit!
Whole milk, half and half or evaporated milk
Replace with skim milk, 1% milk, evaporated skim milk, fat-free half and half , or plain soymilk with calcium.
Butter, shortening, margarine, or oil to prevent sticking. Fat to sauté or stir-fry.
When sauteing foods, use cooking spray, water, broth or nonstick pans. Use ¼ c. Canola Oil at medium temp to fry foods.
Full-fat cream cheese
Substitute with low-fat or nonfat cream cheese, Neufchatel or low-fat cottage cheese puree until smooth. Use low-fat yogurt to replace higher fat dairies in recipes. In some cases fruit flavored low-fat yogurt is also a good substitute.
Full-fat sour cream
Full-fat cottage cheese
Full-fat Ricotta cheese
Use nonfat or reduced fat sour cream or fat-free plain yogurt. (Yogurt is not heat stable.) Use 2% or fat-free cottage cheese. Use part-skim ricotta.
Cream
Whipping cream
Try utilizing evaporated skim milk
Use non fat whipped topping or cream (This is only non fat if one serving size is used.)
Eggs
Use egg whites (usually 2 egg whites for every egg) or ¼ cup egg substitute.
Whole fat cheese
Use reduced fat cheese, but add it at the end of the baking time or use part skim mozzarella.
Frying in fat
Try other effective cooking methods such as: bake, boil, broil, grill, poach, roast, stir-fry, or microwave.
Regular mayonnaise or salad dressing
Low fat, reduced or non fat mayonnaise or salad dressing. Top off salads: Whisk lemon juice, oil, oregano and pepper together.
Canned fish
Buy water-packed canned products.
Fat cuts of meat w skin on
Leaner cuts of meat or ground meat, remove skin before cooking.
By: Kimberly Crocker
Crustless Pizza
Crustless Mini Eggplant Pizza’s
Number of Servings: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 eggplant
1 tsp salt
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup pizza sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 425 degrees F.
Grill Eggplant Slices
Prepare eggplant-peeled and sliced along width of eggplant for circular slices (3 inch diameter), each slice about 1/4 inch thick.
Sprinkle salt on both sides of each eggplant, place them into a colander and set aside for 2 hours, allowing the eggplants water to come out and reduce the bitterness of the vegetable (set colander onto a large bowl to collect water from eggplant).
Pat dry each eggplant slice with paper towels to remove moisture.
Brush both sides of the eggplant with the oil and season with pepper.
Grill Eggplant. OR arrange slices onto a baking sheet and bake until browned and almost tender, about 3 minutes each side, turning once.
Layer each eggplant with tomato sauce and topped off w cheese
Place individual eggplant slices onto a baking sheet from oven and spread 1 tablespoon of pasta sauce on each eggplant slice. Top with the shredded cheese. Bake until the cheese melts, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Fruits, Vegetables and Grains may be temporarily interfering with your weight-loss.
Making life changes to promote better health is a big step to an individual’s success. Excitement and encouragement build as the pounds are coming off, a reflection of looking thinner in the mirror and energy levels that improve.
But a few weeks later, after making the full switch over to more “weight-loss friendly foods”, the stomach may appear larger. Stomach Bloat! Underlying causes are numerous and include: low stomach acid, low digestive enzymes, stress, food intolerance, poor gut motility and gut dysbiosis. The first step that most Doctors and Dietitians will advice are dietary changes.
Your meals may include more fiber than before and the body may not have adjusted to it yet. The result being stomach distention and you’re left with a bloated, puffy feeling in your lower abdomen.
Eat Asparagus
Asparagus a great, low-calorie side-dish for your meals, it also works well to stop the bloat. There are certain compounds in the vegetable that promote the growth of certain bacteria in the intestines, which will then serve to increase the movement of food through the colon. Asparagus is versatile in food preparation: eaten raw, grilled, or boiled and seasoned.
Try Papaya served with Salmon.
While you might commonly reach for an apple when on a diet, a better fruit to consider is papaya. Loaded with plenty of antioxidants and low in calories as well, it has a digestive enzyme called papain in it, which aids with the digestion and breakdown of protein by the body. While Salmon, high in omega-3’s promotes HDL cholesterol and reduces inflammation in the body.
Add Other Low Fiber Fruits: Grapes, Kiwi, Plums Nectarines, Cherries. Peel skin from other fruits before eating in order to reduce bloating.
Drink Water with Mint Leaves and Lemon Slices. Also Tea’s.
Another great way to put a stop to the bloated feeling is to drink water with peppermint leaves and lemon slices.
Lemon Water . Lemons contain malic acid, a common ingredient used in over the counter “upset stomach” medication, which reduces the negative effects that contribute to gas and bacteria.
Tea’s: Peppermint, Ginger, Fennel tea’s all have a soothing effect on the stomach.
Include more: Celery, Fennel, Carrots, Various types of Squash
Most diets will contain celery and carrots since they are a low cal option. Also try Fennel; served as raw slices, or steamed with olive oil and 1/2 tsp of minced garlic. Squash seasoned with ginger, in which both contribute to reduction of bloating. Even a small amount can really help to flush out the system and remove unwanted water weight.
Avoid foods that affect you most. Foods high in Sugar and Carbonated Drinks are common offenders. However, “healthy food” may also not work with your bio-chemistry and may have to be reduced in your dietary intake: Beans, Peas, Lentils, Cabbage, Onions, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Bananas, Oranges, Raisins, Whole-Wheat Bread, Salads. If dairy products are a problem, try low-lactose or lactose-free varieties.
Fat slows digestion, giving food more time to ferment.
Fiber aids digestion, but many high-fiber foods are also great gas producers (apples, pears, peaches). After a break, slowly add them back into your daily consumption and PEEL the skin before eating the fruit. You may also add products such as Beano to high-fiber foods to help reduce the amount of gas they produce.
Once every three days try one of these tips and document your results. Become more informed about your body, so that you can better communicate with your Doctor, or Dietitian. By doing so you can avoid uneccessary tests and narrow down the problem that needs to be targeted and be more comfortable with your body.
Kimberly Crocker
References
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gas-and-gas-pains/DG00014/NSECTIONGROUP=2
http://www.thefooddoctor.com/Bloating-Ahealth_fdw_bloat/
Eat Know How 
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