Golden Graham Mix

I can't believe I haven't posted this before. I could eat this forever. It's easy and yummy. And Celeste, it's something else you can use your almond bark for! I'm making it for New Year's.

Golden Graham Mix
(Julie Howell)

Golden Grahams
Stick Pretzels
Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter Chips
M&Ms
Miniature Marshmallows
Peanuts
White Almond Bark

Combine all ingredients (except almond bark) in a big bowl. Melt almond bark until melted. Stir into mixture. Let set up. Enjoy!

America's Worst Supermarket Foods

I saw this article and wasn't too worried about it until I saw what was on the list! Thought you girls might want to sneak a peek too. It's a little depressing (but don't worry--calories don't count during the holidays--that's a fact!!). And, in case you're wondering--the Twix is what caught me off guard. In fact, after one particularly difficult Fast Sunday--I broke open a bag of snack size and almost ate the entire thing (who doesn't do that once in awhile???). AH!!! And no, I don't know why I'm gaining so much weight this pregnancy. I'm just following Carissa's recommendation of the Frat Boy Diet. I just don't get it!

There may be no place on the planet more daunting than the American supermarket. From the produce section to the frozen-food aisle, the modern day market is loaded with 50,000 food choices, all vying for your hard-earned money. And there’s no better way to start slimming down in 2009 than by eliminating the most egregious offenders in the supermarket from your shopping cart. That’s why we created the Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: to help you cut through marketing mysteries and food-label lies in order to make the smart choices that lead to fast and permanent weight loss for you and your loved ones.

Some are conspicuous calorie bombs, others are junk food masquerading as healthy food, but all of these foods have one thing in common: They will undermine your efforts to lose weight and feel great in the New Year. So study up on the list of the Worst Supermarket Foods (and while you’re at it, don’t forget the 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America), and resolve to master your market in 2009!

WORST COOKIE

Pillsbury Big Deluxe Classics White Chunk Macadamia Nut
(dough; 1 cookie, 38 g)
180 calories / 10 g fat
(3 g saturated, 2 g trans)
13 g sugars

Stick to Nestlé Toll House when it comes to big-brand cookie dough; the people of Pillsbury have a penchant for scattering trans fats across your market’s refrigerated section. This cookie has one load of dangerous oils mixed into the flour and another blended with sugar and interspersed throughout the dough as “white confectionery chunks.”

FAT EQUIVALENT: 5 “fun” size 3 Musketeers bars

Eat This Instead:
Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
(11⁄2-inch ball, 28 g)
130 calories
6 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
11 g sugars

WORST CANDY

Twix
(1 package, 2 oz)
280 calories / 27 g sugars
14 g fat (11 g saturated)

Twix takes the already-dubious candy-bar reputation and drags it through a murky pool of saturated fat. With more than half the USDA’s daily consumption recommendation for these dangerous fats in each package, this is one potentially hazardous after-lunch snack.

SATURATED FAT EQUIVALENT: 11 strips of bacon

Eat This Instead:
100 Grand
(1 package)
190 calories
22 g sugars
8 g fat (5 g saturated)

WORST CEREAL

Quaker 100% Natural Granola, Oats, Honey & Raisins
(1 c)
420 calories
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
6 g fiber / 30 g sugars

Granola, for all its good reputation, is usually weighed down by a deluge of added sugars. In fact, for the same amount of sugar, you could have a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles more than twice the size—and you’d get more fiber and save about 60 calories in fat.

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 8 chicken wings

Eat This Instead:
Kashi GOLEAN
(1 c)
140 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
10 g fiber / 6 g sugars

WORST INDIVIDUAL SNACK

Hostess Chocolate Pudding Pie
(1 pie)
520 calories / 45 g sugars
24 g fat (14 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)

Skip past the enriched flour and water on the ingredient list and here’s what you get: animal shortening, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, modified corn starch, butter, chocolate liqueur, and so on. Any one of these ingredients alone might prompt you to raise an eyebrow, but taken together they should invoke a gag reflex and a sprint for something far healthier.

SATURATED FAT EQUIVALENT: 2 McDonald’s Quarter Pounders

Eat This Instead:
Chocolatey Drizzle Rice Krispies Treat
100 calories / 8 g sugars
3 g fat (1 g saturated)

WORST PACKAGED LUNCH

Oscar Mayer Maxed Out Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Combo Lunchables
(1 package)
680 calories / 61 g sugars
22 g fat (9 g saturated, 1 g trans) / 1,440 mg sodium

Here’s your first clue that this meal has issues: The ingredient list—in its squinty small type—is a full 4 inches long. It includes just about every form of fat and sugar you can imagine. Your child deserves better.

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 15 Chicken McNuggets

Eat This Instead:
Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Fajita Beef & Salsa Flatbread
(145 g)
280 calories
9 g fat (4 g saturated)
890 mg sodium

WORST FROZEN PIZZA

DiGiorno for One Garlic Bread Crust Supreme Pizza
850 calories / 1,450 mg sodium
44 g fat (15 g saturated, 3.5 g trans)

The bloated crust and the greasy toppings will saddle you with 60 percent of your day’s sodium, 75 percent of your day’s saturated fat, and nearly twice the amount of trans fats you should take in daily.

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 6 slices Domino’s Thin N Crispy Cheese Pizza

Eat This Instead:
South Beach Diet Deluxe Pizza
340 calories
660 mg sodium
11 g fat (4 g saturated)

WORST FROZEN ENTRÉE

Hungry-Man Classic Fried Chicken
1,020 calories / 1,570 mg sodium
57 g fat (12 g saturated)

They should rename the company Hungry-Men, because there’s no way the average guy needs more than a pound of fatty fried chicken, oily potatoes, and a brownie.

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 5 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts

Eat This Instead:
Banquet Select Chicken Parmesan
350 calories
870 mg sodium
15 g fat (3.5 g saturated)

Buckeyes

I made these to take to neighbors for Christmas and Christina fell in love! So, here's the recipe, Stina! They are VERY addicting! Merry Christmas!

Buckeyes:

2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar,sifted
4 cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips (or another kind of dipping chocolate)



DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.
Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth.
Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

Not a recipe, but fun news!

I thought I would announce to you all that I am expecting my third child! I had to join the band wagon (a little late) with FFR girls. I am 12 weeks along and due June 26th!

Lemon Pudding Souffles

I've made these a few times, and although it takes a little work, they are light and delicious. I make mine in 6 ramekins so everyone has their own little serving, and I serve it at room temperature (let them cool about half hour). The top is fluffy like a souffle while the bottom is a lemon pudding.

4 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft (plus more for greasing dish)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups milk
Powdered sugar, for garnish

Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish or straight-sided casserole, or 6 individual 1-cup ramekins or soufflé dishes (a pastry brush works well), and set them aside. Heat the oven to 350°.

Separate the eggs, reserving 3 of the whites in a medium-size mixing bowl and all 4 of the yolks in a separate medium-size bowl. Take care that none of the yolk gets into the whites, or the whites won't stiffen properly when they're beaten.

Add 1 cup of the sugar, the butter, and the lemon zest to the bowl of reserved yolks. Using an electric mixer, beat the ingredients on medium-high speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Then blend in the flour, followed by the lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Set the mixer to low and slowly add the milk.

Clean and dry the mixer's beaters. Beat the egg whites on low speed, gradually increasing to medium-high, until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat the whites until they are semistiff (meaning when you pull the beaters out of the whites, the peaks are stiff, they do not droop at all, but do not overbeat). Gently but thoroughly fold half of the beaten whites into the batter until they are evenly mixed, then do the same with the remaining half.

Pour the batter into the prepared soufflé dish or ramekins. Place the dish or dishes, evenly spaced, in a shallow 13- by 9-inch pan. Carefully pour hot water into the pan to a depth of about 3/4 inch. Bake the pudding soufflé on the center oven rack until it's puffed and golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes for the large one or 25 to 30 minutes for the small ones. Don't open the oven door or your dessert may collapse.

Remove the dish or dishes from the water bath and transfer them to a wire rack. Let them rest for 15 minutes. Some folks enjoy this dessert at room temperature, with the pudding still warm and saucy; others prefer it cold, with the pudding a bit thicker. It takes the large dish about 8 hours in the refrigerator (overnight is fine) to cool completely, and the small dishes, about 3 to 4 hours. The soufflé top will fall a bit, but the fluffy texture will remain. Dust the soufflé with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 6.