Ever Ready: The World According to Bella

Monday, December 23, 2013

The World According to Bella

Counting Down...

Hung my stocking

Checked my list twice and mailed it.

Helped Mrs. S make gingersnap cookies for Santa (I cleaned up crumbs off the floor)

So now I am told I need a more festive look. But these antlers- well- I am not so sure even though Mrs. S says wearing it is a must.

The bell on my new collar makes me jingle with each step.

I'm groomed, ready for the big day and sending you'all a very Merry Christmas greeting.
Love, Bella

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Low Calorie Holiday Desserts
Cook's notes: Use this, not that! Cut fat but not the taste. Here are some easy ideas to adapt your recipes.

For bread puddings and fruit breads:
Use this: Mini-muffin pans
Not that: Souffle or baking dishes
In puddings and pudding pie fillings:
Use this: 2% milk
Not that: Heavy cream
In fruit pies:
Use this: Half the sugar
Not that: All the sugar
For every cup of sugar you don't use, you'll save 744 calories. "It doesn't change the chemistry of the pie, so you can go as low in sugar as you'd like," Gans explains. "In fact, a fruit pie's natural sweetness is often all you need."
In cookies and crusts:
Use this: Half whole-wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose flour
Not that: Just all-purpose flour
Whole wheat has 12 grams of filling fiber in every cup, and your guests probably won't notice the difference.
In brownies, chocolate cake, and fudge:
Use this: Three tablespoons of cocoa powder
Not that: One ounce of baking chocolate
Substituting cocoa powder peels off 85 calories and 13 grams of fat.
In cheesecake:
Use this: Part-skim ricotta cheese
Not that: Cream cheese
You'll double the amount of hunger-fighting protein and cut the fat by close to 60 grams for each cup you use. "It's much less heavy and caloric than cream cheese," Gans says.
In brownies, cakey cookies, and fruit breads:
Use this: Pureed pumpkin
Not that: Oil
Pumpkin puree keeps baked goods deliciously moist, and for every half-cup you sub out, you'll save more than 900 calories and 100 grams of fat.

Bittersweet chocolate and Dutch-process cocoa meld with a shot of fresh brewed coffee to give an ultra-rich flavor to this creamy French silk pie. A frothy meringue is the secret to lightening the brown sugar-sweetened filling. Follow the link below to this scrumptious recipe and several others for calorie conscious holiday eating.