Peanut Butter Snickers Cupcakes

Well hey again! We've almost made it to the weekend. I'm looking forward to the weekend again, even if it will be a short one. This was the first day this week that TC worked less than 16 hours. So it was nice to have him home again. Addison really missed her daddy and was very happy when she saw him this morning. He had been going to work before she woke up in the mornings and wasn't getting home until after she went to bed at night. She thought he was out of town working. So she was so excited when she saw him this morning. It was so sweet!

Once again, we had another party at work today. It was our summer student's last day of work with us, so we had to give him a nice going away party. This was the second summer that he worked for us and he really fit in well, so we wanted it to be nice. We ordered pizza, had some snacks and I made some cupcakes. He requested some kind of cake with peanut butter Snickers, so this is what I found. TC said that they were the best cupcakes he's ever had. I'm sure he's not biased...but the people at work also said how good they were, so I guess I will believe them. Check out the points value and you'll understand why I didn't have one. Here's the recipe:

PEANUT BUTTER SNICKERS CUPCAKES
adapted from My Baking Addiction
Servings: 24
Points+: 15

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs; lightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon of vanilla
12 frozen Peanut Butter Snickers Squares, cut in half

For the frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter; room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup caramel topping; plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line (2) 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, vanilla and water.

Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans.

Gently push a frozen Snickers Miniature bar into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy bar with batter.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.

Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt and caramel syrup and combine well.

Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more caramel syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.

Garnish with chopped Snickers bars and a drizzle of caramel of caramel syrup.

EXERCISE:
Tonight, I decided to go back to what I used to do when I was really staying on-plan and doing well with the weight loss. Tonight, I did yoga again. I did level 1 of Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. I really like doing the yoga. It's so relaxing, but I'm still getting in a strength workout!

So long for today...

WIAW # 4

So I tried another WIAW this week. In the past they have helped me to stay on track with my eating and since I am trying very hard to stay on plan, I wanted to do another one. So here we go. I do have a couple of things that I forgot to take a picture of, but I hope you'll forgive me.

I started with my Skinny Decaf Chai Latte (0 Points+):

For breakfast, I had my 1 egg, plus 1 egg white cooked in the microwave (2 Points+). With that, I also made a mug of Lower Sugar Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmean (3 Points+):

Snack was a banana (1 Point+), not pictured, but I think you remember :) and also an unpictured 1/2 c. of plain greek yogurt with some Stevia & vanilla mixed in (1 Point+) and also 1 T. of flax seeds (1 Point).

For lunch a had a tuna salad wrap that I forgot to take a picture of. But it was 1 FF tortilla, 1 leaf of romaine lettuce and about 1/2 c. of tuna salad. The total for this is 4 Points+.

Along with my lunch, I also had 15 Special K Cracker Chips (1 Point+):

and some fresh cherries (1 Point+).

My afternoon snack was strawberries (1 Point+) and a stick of light string cheese (1 Point+).

For dinner, I had leftovers of London Broil (5 Points+), 1/2 of whole wheat couscous (3 Points+) and 1/2 c. of green peas (1 Point+):

After dinner, I had a Lil Dipper Ice Cream Cone (3 Points+):

After my walk tonight, I also had a cup of 1% milk for a little protein boost (3 Points+):

EXERCISE:
My exercise tonight was a 3 milk walk/jog combination. I walked 3 miles with some spurts of jogging to get my HR up. When it got up to 140, I went back to walking until the HR got around 120 and kept alternating between these. When I got home, I was so close to earning 4 APs, so I did some strength moves to push myself a little further.

So here are the stats: I get 29 DPs but ate 31, add in the 4 APs and that leaves me with 2 points remaining. I can live with that.

So long for today...

Chicken Gyros

We made it through another Monday! I hope you all fared well! I tried to face this Monday with a positive attitude and I think it might have made a difference. It really wasn't as bad as what it could have been. I stayed on plan with my eating and even got in a little activity. Tonight was a mommy and Addie night since TC had to work late. It all balances out since TC gets every other Friday is Daddy/Addie day.

Dinner tonight was a recipe from Pinterest. Ever since I made the other chicken sausage gyros, I had been wanting to find a recipe using chicken or another kind of meat. It really didn't take long to find a recipe that sounded good to me. These were really good. I know that you usually use pita bread, but I wanted to save some points and use my fat free tortillas. Please pardon the name of the blog that the recipe came from...Here's the recipe:

CHICKEN GYROS
adapted from A Bitchin' Kitchen
Servings: 4
Points+: 8

For serving:

4 fat free flour tortillas
diced tomatoes
diced red onion
dried parsley

For the chicken:

2 t. garlic, minced (about 4 cloves)
juice of 1 lemon
2 t. red wine vinegar
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping T. non-fat greek yogurt
1 T. dried oregano
A few shakes of salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves, cut into strips

Combine all of the above ingredients except for the chicken in a dish, and whisk together to make a marinade. Add in chicken, and turn to coat. Cover, and place in the fridge for 1 hour to marinate.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

After the chicken is done marinating, heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. After skillet is heated, add chicken to the pan and cook until cooked through, 10 - 15 minutes.

Assemble gyros with chicken, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onions, and dried parsley, wrap in foil for ease of eating, and enjoy!

I also sauteed some red bell pepper and onions to add a little extra bulk to my gyro, but that is just a personal preference.

EXERCISE:
Normally, I like to have a day of rest the day before my weigh-in, but since the scale was up a little bit this morning, I wanted to have a little extra activity in my week. I also wanted to exercise since my workouts haven't had the intensity that I've been used to. I did the 2 mile Walk Away the Pounds tonight and used my light weights. I do try to use bigger motions when I do this video to burn some extra calories. Every little bit helps, right?

So long for today...

Cake Mix Snickerdoodles

Is it really Monday morning already? Where did the weekend go? I think that when you're looking forward to the weekend so much, not only does it go so much faster, but it's also so much more disappointing when Monday rolls around. As always, we had a very busy weekend again. We went to the beach, did some shopping and also just got the normal weekend things done around the house.

We went to a cookout with our neighbors Sunday evening. I volunteered to bring the dessert. I made two different desserts, but I wanted to share these cookies with you first. I don't know about you, but I LOVE snickerdoodle cookies. They're so good! I love the cinnamon and sugar on top of a soft cookie. There's nothing like it. I found a recipe for snickerdoodles made with a cake mix. I've grown to love cake mix cookies. They're so easy and always come out so moist and chewy! These were no exception! Here's the recipe:

CAKE MIX SNICKERDOODLES
adapted from Plain Chicken
Servings: 36
Points+: 2

1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/4 c. canola oil
1 t. vanilla

2 T. sugar
1 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

In medium mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

Using a cookie scoop or teaspoon, roll balls of dough in sugar mixture and place on baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes. Allow to cool on cooling rack. Enjoy!

EXERCISE:
I didn't get my morning run in yesterday because we went to church. By the time we were back home, the humidity was through the roof and I knew there was no way that I was going to go out in it and run. It also started raining mid-afternoon and didn't stop until after dinner. I knew that I wanted to do some yoga last night, so I didn't want to do back to back workouts. I pulled out the 3 Mile Walk Away the Pounds video and walked away some pounds right there in my living room. Mother Nature can try to derail someone else's exercise plans! I did also get my yoga in with Level 1 of Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. Always feels so good to work out with Jillian!

So long for today...

Mexican Turkey Burgers

I hope you're all having a great weekend. Today was another busy day for us. We were on the go most of the day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be more relaxed for us. We decided to run a few errands and go shopping. Unfortunately, I forgot that it was the tax free weekend in South Carolina, so most of the stores were pretty busy. There were a couple of stores that I just turned around and walked out of because I didn't want to deal with the long lines. Hopefully, I can do some returns/exchanges later in the week.

I have been trying to find some variations on the hamburger to try this summer. After the delicious Greek burgers that we had a couple of weeks ago, I continued to look for some other ethnic variations. I found this Mexican turkey burger and knew I had to try it. It wasn't quite as good as the Greek burger, but it was still pretty good with lots of flavor. Here's the recipe:

MEXICAN TURKEY BURGERS
adapted from Diets in Review orginally in The Biggest Loser: 6 Weeks to a Healthier You
Servings: 6
Points+: 5

1 20-oz. package extra-lean ground turkey breast
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. diced red onion
1/4 c. diced red bell pepper
1/3 c. diced fresh mushrooms
1 T. Mexican seasoning or fajita seasoning
1/4 c. low-fat Mexican-blend cheese
1 t. minced garlic
6 T. salsa
6 T. fat-free Greek-style yogurt

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, cilantro, onion, bell ­pepper, mushrooms, seasoning, cheese, and garlic. There will about 24 ounces (1 ½ pounds) of mixture, or 4 cups. Divide into 6 (4-ounce) patties.

Grill the burgers for 3 minutes on each side, or until the inside is no longer pink. Serve on whole grain buns or Sandwich Thins topped with salsa and yogurt (instead of sour cream).

EXERCISE:
This morning, I was able to get in a 3 mile run. I'm slowing my pace down again and to be honest with you, it's really hard for me to do. I'm having some problems and I'm trying to keep things a little more relaxed with my HR around 140. It's not as easy as it would seem to keep your heart rate below a certain point. That seems to be the most challenging part of the whole run now. I'm hoping that I don't get too bored with the running at the slower pace. Only time will tell!

So long for today...

Monkey Bread

Today was the return of my flex Friday. With the 4th of July holiday and then swapping a couple of Fridays with a co-worker, it's been a couple of weeks since I had my official flex Friday. I was definitely ready for this one, too! After I had Jimmy touch up my roots and ends, I met a friend of mine from PA at the beach. I saw her last year when she and her family came down. Unfortunately, that was also the day that I got stung by the jellyfish, so the visit was cut a little short. It's always so nice to see her. We used to work together up home and she was one of my closest friends. It's funny how you don't realize how much you miss someone until you get to see them again. Does that make sense?

Yesterday at work, we had a farewell celebration for one of my co-workers that will be moving to a different department next week. We decided to have a breakfast to send him off. When I asked my co-workers what they wanted me to bring, they all voted for the monkey bread that I make. This is a recipe that I got from my mom many years ago. I'm not sure where it orignated, so apologize that I don't have the original source. I can tell you that this is so easy and so good. I never have any to bring home to TC, which disappoints him. Here's the recipe:

MONKEY BREAD
adapted from My Mom
Servings: 12
Points+: 9

24 frozen parkerhouse style rolls, partially thawed
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 4.6 oz. pkg. vanilla cook & serve pudding
2 T. milk

Spray 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cut each roll into quarters and place in bottom of pan.

In small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and pudding and stir to combine. Add milk and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Pour over top of rolls.

Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rise over night. I let it sit out on the counter, but you can put it in the refrigerator if you want to.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to sit for 2 - 3 minutes.

Invert on serving platter. Enjoy!

EXERCISE:
I decided to try one of my older workout videos tonight. I did the Firm workout, Total Body Time Crunch. I haven't done this workout in years. I'm going to be honest with you. I was pretty disappointed in it. I did the 25 minute workout and didn't even burn enough calories to earn one Activity Point. I had to do some jumping jacks and run in place for a few minutes afterward to make it to the 1 AP earned. I'm glad I got a good bit of activity in earlier today, even if I didn't add it to the tracker.

So long for today...

Lemon Cream Cupcakes

So it's confession time again. Once again, I have fallen off the wagon. It started sometime on Tuesday and it is still continuing. Wednesday, we had a birthday celebration at work where I made these cupcakes. Thursday, we had a farewell breakfast where I made some monkey bread. Everyone brought something in and I think I had a taste (or two or three) of just about everything. It's so frustrating that sometimes it seems so easy to resist things like this and other times, there just isn't any hope. My new hope is that I can stay on track throughout the weekend and at least maintain this week.

So let me tell you about these cupcakes. They are absolutely delicious. Yes, they do have 8 points for each cupcake, but it's just about worth every one of those points! You almost don't even need the frosting on these, although it does add a little something extra to them. I love how pretty they turned out, too. Just having the right cupcake liners and decorations can really make such a difference. Here's the recipe:

LEMON CREAM CUPCAKES
adapted from Your Cup of Cake
Servings: 24
Points+: 8

Lemon Cake:
1 box Lemon Cake Mix
4 egg whites
1/4 c. oil
3/4 c. 1% buttermilk
1/4 c. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla extract
zest of 3 lemons

Lemon Glaze:
3 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 t. lemon zest
1-2 c. powdered sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 c. butter, softened
8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
2 t. vanilla extract
3-4 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.

Sift cake mix into a small bowl to remove any lumps.

In a large bowl, gently whisk egg whites, oil, buttermilk, lemon juice, sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest together.

Combine cake mix and wet ingredients and stir well.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until and inserted knife comes out clean.

Lemon Glaze: In a bowl, combine all ingredients using a whisk. Add powdered sugar until your glaze reaches the consistency of tomato soup. (I can't think of anything else that has that consistency...)

Use a toothpick to punch small holes into the top of each cupcake so the glaze can sink into the cake.

Spoon glaze over the nearly cooled cupcakes, and allow time for the glaze to set.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese for 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl and continue to beat in vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Slowly add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. If frosting becomes too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk.

Pipe frosting into cooled cupcakes and top with lemon slices or sprinkles.

EXERCISE:
After the non-stop eating that I had today, I knew that I definitely had to move tonight. Even though I am trying to scale back my exercise a little bit, I knew that I still needed to try to burn some extra calories, so I did the hour-long Pure Burn Super Strength workout video by Bob Harper. Hopefully that will help to make up even just a little bit for today.

I've decided to hide the scale until my official weigh-in on Tuesday. If I don't, I will just get frustrated by the number and it may throw me even more off track.

So long for today...