Balance!

Recently the Green Bay Running Club met at House of Speed for an overview of their services and a short informative work out on ways to improve our performance.  It was really educational and we learned a lot.  One of the areas we focused on was balance and strengthening our core.

I have found myself contemplating the topic of balance quite often lately.  While the House of Speed showed us ways we can strengthen and improve our physical balance, my mind cannot ignore that balance is key in many areas including but not limited to mental, spiritual, nutritional, and financial and they ALL impact your daily performance at work, home and in sports.

I'm thinking of ways to challenge myself and grow my knowledge regarding balance in all those areas.  Sounds like a revamping of goals is in order.

Sweets for your Sweet

Hey everyone!  
Valentine's Day coming I'd like to suggest a couple sweets for your sweet.  Here are a few that caught my eye as either "fun" or exceptionally "yummy" looking.  Some came from HungryGirl.com and others I picked up along the way hither and thither.   Enjoy!

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

8 oz package fat free cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

44 medium strawberries, whole

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

In a small mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until smooth and creamy, set aside.  Using a paring knife, hollow out the top of each strawberry to a depth or approximately 3/4".  Gently fill each with cream cheese mixture using a pastry bag just slightly above the tops.  Place them on a cookie sheet as you do this.  Once all of the strawberries are filled, dip each top into the graham cracker crumbs and place back onto the cookie sheets.  Place the cookie sheets into the refrigerator and leave them for a few hours or overnight to completely chill.

4 strawberries= 1 point

Lonna's Hot Fudge Sundae

 Edy's 1/2 the Fat Double Churned Vanilla (or Choc) Ice Cream

 Hot Fudge or Chocolate Sugar Free, Fat Free cooked pudding.

Lonna makes the pudding ahead of time and puts it in portion size cups.  Then when she's ready for dessert she reheats one serving (1/2 cup) of the pudding and pours it over a serving of ice cream (1/2 cup) for a yummylicious finish to dinner. 

I don't recall the points right off-hand so you'll need to double check them, but I think it was about 3.

Goo-licious Carmel Goodness!

I selected this next one because my daughter Kari is such a fan of Rice Pudding.  It comes from HungryGirl.com and sounds like a really yummy combo. I plan to give it a go that's for sure!

Kozy Shack No Sugar Added Rice Pudding + Light or Fat Free Caramel Dip = Goo-licious Caramel Goodness

PER SERVING (1 pudding cup + 1/2 tbsp. dip): 97 calories, 1.25g fat, 147mg sodium, 17.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 9g sugars, 4g protein -- POINTS® value 1*

Rice pudding is awesome, sweet, and creamy on its own, but we like to kick things up a notch. Scoop a spoonful of thatcaramel dip we love so much onto one of your pudding cups (um, AFTER you've opened the pudding pack, of course). Swirl in said caramel goo, and eat! A-MAZING!

Butterfinger Delight

4.5 Chocolate Graham Cracker Sheets
1 (8 oz.) Container Fat Free Whipped Topping
1 (2 oz.) Butterfinger Candy Bar, crushed
1/4 Cup Hershey's Light Chocolate Syrup
1/4 Cup Smucker's Sugar Free Caramel Topping

Lay the chocolate graham cracker sheets into the bottom of an 8x8 inch pan. Mix together the whipped topping with half of the Butterfinger. Spread the cool whip mixture over the graham crackers. Drizzle both the chocolate syrup and caramel syrup on top of the whipped topping. Sprinkle the remaining half of the Butterfinger on top. Freeze for at least 4 hours.

Serves: 8
Per Serving: 146 Calories; 2g Fat (14.3% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 105mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates. WWP: 3

Amish Friendship Bread and Chicken Soup

Last week a friend at church had an extra bag of the starter dough for Amish Friendship Bread.  You know, the kind where you "mush" the bag for a few days, add some flour and sugar, mush it for a few more days and then on the magical day number 9 you add some more stuff, split some out for friends and then bake a couple loaves after adding a lot more stuff to it.

Well I wasn't too sure I wanted the starter bag to begin with, but I took it and did my mushing.   It's not supposed to be refrigerated, so on the way home I even took it into the gym with me so it wouldn't sit in the car during zero degree weather.  I took wonderful care of my bag!  Well today is day #9 and this morning I woke up to a small pool of batter on the kitchen counter.  I had planned to do my baking this evening, but the process was accelerated and the loaves are in the oven as I type.

This morning I put SO much sugar and oil into this bread that I could feel the pounds coming on as I measured them out!  I'm somewhat afraid of the moment that the hot, cinnamon-y bread exits the oven.  I'm going to want some and am afraid I won't be able to stop at just one piece.

I need a plan - that's it!  I'll play it out in my mind what is best for me and what my actions will be.  Okay, I'll eat breakfast while it's baking so when it starts smelling delicious I am not hungry.  Then after it comes out of the oven, I'll immediately leave for work so I'm not tempted to dig in.  I'm leaving tomorrow to go visit my daughters in Minneapolis (Yay!  I love visiting my daughters!) so I'll take it with me and we'll all enjoy it together.  That will help tremendously, I'm sure of it.  And it will be a nice surprise for them.... unless they happen to read my blog before I arrive, then the jig is up.

On a healthier note - last night I made a big pot of chicken vegetable soup.  The flavors have melded all night long and I'm looking forward to a bowl for lunch.  Yummy!  And healthy.

This is my life.  It feels like having an angel and a devil on each shoulder.  Sometimes I confuse the angels.  I guess that makes me human.

Betty Crocker out.