Lemon-Lime Cupcakes

Who's ready for the weekend? I definitely have both of my hands up. These last couple of weeks have been very trying for me and I am so ready for a break! We are going to the circus tonight and other than that, we have nothing planned for the weekend. Still considering the whole hibernation idea, but we'll see. I still have to fight with myself just to make myself slow down a little bit. It's hard to get things done when you're supposed to be relaxing with your feet up!

Even though it may not feel like it outside, IT'S SPRING!!! Of course, maybe it does feel like Spring where you are. If it does, I am so jealous!! If it doesn't these cupcakes are the perfect dessert to brighten your day. The flavors are absolutely delicious and they really have a great texture. I promise you that you won't be able to tell that they're light, and neither will anyone else! Here's the recipe:

LEMON-LIME CUPCAKES
adapted from Emily Bites
Servings: 24
Points+: 3



1 (18.25 oz) box of yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Super Moist)
1 can of diet lemon-lime soda (I used Sprite Zero)
2 egg whites
1 lemon
1 lime
8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese - do not substitute fat free
1 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven per directions on cake mix box.

Line cupcake pan(s) with 24 cupcake liners or use cooking spray to lightly coat 24 spots

Zest both the lemon and lime and set zest aside. Cut both fruits in half. Using a reamer, or by hand, ream/squeeze the juice from half a lemon and half a lime into a large bowl. Set the other halves aside.

In the large bowl with the lemon & lime juice, add the cake mix, soda, egg whites and half of the lemon and lime zest. Beat together with an electric mixer until thoroughly mixed. Pour mixture evenly into cupcake spaces, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake according to directions on cake mix box. Let cool completely before frosting.

In a separate bowl, squeeze or ream the juice from the remaining lemon and lime halves* and add the remaining zest, the Neufchatel cheese and the sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and then use to frost the cupcakes.

* The frosting isn't meant to be stiff per say, but you may want to mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar first and then add the lemon and lime juice bit by bit until you reach your desired flavor & consistency!



EXERCISE:
I was so tired last night and really needed to relax. I did get my 8,000 steps in for the day, but that was it. Sometimes, it just feels so nice to take the time to relax. Hope I can do it more often during these next couple of months.

So long for today...

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Happy Friday everyone! Well, we made it through another week! This one has been pretty challenging for me, but I made it through! Now it's a long weekend with a holiday on Monday and I'm going to try my best to relax. Ha!!

So today's recipe is another slow cooker recipe. It comes together so fast and is pretty good. When we had it, TC said that he thought it was his new favorite meal. If you wanted to change up the flavors in this you could. I didn't use the cayenne pepper that it called for, but that's because we don't like a lot of heat in our food, but if you do, you could even increase it!

Here's the recipe:

SLOW COOKER JAMBALAYA
adapted from Plain Chicken
Servings: 6
Points+: 9

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 c. cooked white rice or instant rice

In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.

Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Mix in cooked rice cook for about 15 minutes to warm through.

EXERCISE:
I'm still getinng in my exercise pretty regularly. I think this is part of what is helping me to keep my weight gain under control at this point. Plus, after spending my first trimester being so sedentary, it feels so good to be active. Last night I did a Denise Austin video. I did her Personal Training Sysytem moderate cardio and upper body work out. I earned just under 2 APs, but I might just have to round that up! Ha!

So long for today...

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Muffins

I hope you're all having a great weekend! It's a little cool here, but so far, the weather is beautiful. It's a three day weekend for me this weekend and I certainly enjoyed my extra day! It's nice just to relax and get back to our regular routine after the holidays. I'm trying to be more active and eat better, too. So far, so good. I'm really hoping to continue, too. We have gotten all of the holiday treats out of the house, so I don't have them around tempting me. Sometimes I have pretty good willpower, but not so much around the holidays.

Since I'm trying to eat better, I have been trying to find some new recipes to try. My go-to website for WW-friendly recipes is Emily Bites. Since she just had her best of 2012 post up the other day, I decided to try one of the winners. Last night, we had the Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Muffins. Yes, another "muffin" recipe. I've said before that I love how everything is portion controlled when you do the muffins. These actually came together pretty quickly and easily and were baking in no time. While they were in the oven, I went ahead and cooked up some spaghetti and extra sauce. I hope you enjoy them! Here's the recipe...

CHICKEN PARMESAN MEATLOAF MUFFINS
adapted from Emily Bites
Servings: 6
Points+: 7

1 ½ lbs raw ground chicken breast
1 large egg
1 egg whites
6 T dried breadcrumbs
¾ t dried basil
¾ t dried thyme
¾ t oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ a small onion, chopped small or grated
¾ t salt
1/3 t black pepper
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
¾ cup pasta sauce
¾ cup 2% reduced fat shredded Mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, egg whites, breadcrumbs, basil, thyme, oregano, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese and lightly mix together. Do not overmix the meat.

Form the meat mixture evenly into the 12 cups of your prepared muffin tin. Spread the pasta sauce evenly over the tops of each muffin. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from the oven. Top each muffin with about a tablespoon of shredded cheese and then return to the oven for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted.

I served ours with some spaghetti on the side. A complete meal in no time!

EXERCISE:
I have actually worked out two nights in a row now. Since I'm pregnant, it's definitely not the intensity that I was doing before, but it's still burning some calories. Every little bit helps, right? Last night, I did Biggest Loser's Last Chance workout. I had to modify it a good bit, and also pause it a couple of times to let my heartrate come down to where it needed to be, but it was a really good workout. Definitely had a pretty good calorie burn!! I hope to go for a walk today to enjoy the day, too.

So long for today...

Baked Eggnog Doughnuts

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. Once again, I'm so sorry that I've been MIA for a while. But I have a few ideas churning in my head about how to fix that. I promise to try to be a better blogger for you. Maybe not a daily poster like I used to be, but hopefully a few times a week to give you some new recipes and keep you updated on what is going on.

My holidays were great. I hope yours were, too. Mine were full of family, friends and way too much food. But it's the new year, so of course that means a resolution to eat better and exercise more, right? I even hid my scale last night and don't plan to take it out until my official weigh-in day on Tuesday. I'm hoping I can counteract any damage that I did by then.

This is a recipe that I made for the first time last year and loved. When I had some eggnog that needed used up, I knew exactly what to make. I love doughnuts and don't make them enough. It's so fun to be able to use my doughnut pans! You obviously don't have to use red and green sprinkles/sugar. Use whatever you have on hand. Here's the recipe:

Baked Eggnog Doughnuts
adapted from Prevention RD
Servings: 16
Points+: 3

Donuts:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 large egg, at room temperature
3/4 cup low-fat eggnog, at room temperature
1/4 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 Tbsp low-fat eggnog
sprinkles to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the egg, eggnog and yogurt and stir until well combined.

Fill each donut well about 1/2 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Transfer donuts to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before glazing.

To make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and eggnog in a wide, shallow bowl until smooth. Dip the donuts into the glaze then garnish with sprinkles (if using) while it’s wet. Allow the glaze to set before serving. Store the donuts in an airtight container. Yield: 1 1/2 dozen donuts.

EXERCISE:
So last night, I did get in a workout. I have a Prenatal workout DVD called Long & Lean. It has 3 parts. The first is a standing pilates workout. The second is a mat pilates workout and the final segment is some stretching. I usually do either the first or second part along with the stretching segment. Last night was the standing floor work with the stretching. I think it definitely helped me to get to sleep after a busy few days!

So long for today...