Tag Archive for: Food

A Decadent Treat for Cavemen

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My doctor put me on a diet.

I wasn’t overweight, but my cholesterol was sky high.  She suggested I try the Paleo Diet.

The Paleo diet is also called the Caveman Diet. Basically, you can only eat what was available to cavemen. It’s “low carb” only much worse. No wheat, oatmeal, rice, beans (!), starches, sugar or dairy. No peanut butter, no popcorn. What? What do you mean, no popcorn?

Some people thought I was crazy. My friend Patty dryly commented that cavemen had a life expectancy of about 25.

I decided I would try a very modified version for a few months to see what happened. I changed the wording from “no” to “try to avoid.” I stocked the fridge with things from the accepted Paleo list– fruit, veggies, hard boiled eggs, lean meats. I made a lot of protein shakes with almond milk. And I allowed myself to have a little popcorn.

After much research, I was delighted to read that a few of my guilty pleasures were allowed on the Paleo Diet. Almonds, I love almonds. And it seems the cavemen had dark chocolate! Who knew?

My biggest challenge was dessert. I am not one who considers fruit as dessert. I am the person who eats two pieces of cake at weddings. To me, cookies are a food group. My favorite Italian food is gelato.

But I satisfied my sweet tooth with a special treat that even a caveman would love…

Diana’s Bananas!

Diana’s Bananas are frozen bananas coated in either milk chocolate or dark chocolate (my favorite). They come on a wooden stick (like a popsicle) or individual pieces called “bites”. They are so yummy, luscious, decadent and healthy!

The milk chocolate come in the blue box, the dark chocolate in the green.

I think one of the reasons why Diana’s Bananas are so good is that they use high quality chocolate. I admit, I’m a bit of a chocolate snob. Diana’s Banana are coated with rich, European-like chocolate.

Each bite of a Diana’s Bananas tastes almost like frozen banana sorbet with chocolate topping.

Diana’s Bananas come with four half-banana treats in a box.  They are about $4-$5 per box. Each one has 140 calories and only 6 grams of fat (much less than cake!). Both flavors are gluten free, the dark chocolate are also dairy free.

To find a store near you, click here.

Annie’s Healthy Fall Breakfast

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I am not much of a breakfast eater.

I prefer to get my energy from really black coffee in a great big mug.

But, if I consistently eat something nutritious for breakfast, I don’t binge in the afternoon. I lose weight. Go figure.

I stumbled on a breakfast that is not only nutritious, but so yummy that it is now my favorite meal of the day.

We’re talking total comfort food.

Now, let me warn you that many of you are going turn up your noses at my breakfast. But if you are the least bit adventurous and want a new idea for a super nutritious, stick-to-your-ribs kind of breakfast, you’ll just try it.

Annie’s Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients

  • Oatmeal
  • Canned pure pumpkin (not the pie filling, just pure pumpkin)

Instructions

  1. Make a bowl of oatmeal. I prefer Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal. It hasn’t been processed like instant oatmeal and you can make it in the microwave. I use 1/3 cup and 2/3 cup water, microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. (Here’s a tip: many of the brands that aren’t Quaker require 50% power for microwaving.  That’s way too much trouble for me.  Just get the Quaker and you don’t have to mess with that nonsense.)
  2. Put as much pumpkin as you like (I use about 1/2 cup) in a bowl, and add some cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spices with whatever sweetener you like.  I use stevia. It’s also good with honey or maple syrup (yum!). Mix it up.
  3. Put it on top of the oatmeal. Yes, that’s what I said.  Just try it.

For protein, I mix in a scoop of my favorite protein powder.

No, it doesn’t taste like pumpkin pie, but it is really yummy.  You can make it as sweet as you like, or not at all.  Experiment with the spices so that you get it just the way you like it. I like to think of it as baby food for grown ups. It will stick with you all day.

And if the pounds start rolling off, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Give a Paris Morning

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I have a great gift suggestion for you.

You can send it to just about anyone.  It is wonderful to give to clients, your mother, your brother in Iowa, or your neighbors. It is appreciated as a hostess gift. It’s great for new parents. It is a nice thank you gift. It is not expensive. Everyone loves it. I even sent it to myself!

I love France.  One of my favorite things to do in Paris is to sit in a cafe, drink espresso, and savor every morsel of a fresh croissant–as only the French can make. I pull apart the flaky, irresistible layers and make the experience last as long as I can. Why, oh why, mon cheri, can we not enjoy croissants like this in the States?

We can!

Just go on line and order the French croissants by Williams Sonoma.
If you don’t want to go on line, call them at 877-812-6235.

My favorites, and the most authentic “French” recipe, are the Le Marais croissants.

The plain croissants are huge and come 10 to a box with butter and jam. Yum! Or you can order 12 croissants with yummy dark chocolate inside. If you want both, there is an assortment option of various pastries.

You can also get the Italian croissants that are made according to a traditional family recipe using plenty of butter and natural lievito madre (sourdough starter).

The croissants are so good and fresh because you bake them at home. They arrive frozen. You leave them out overnight to rise. In the morning, you stick them in the oven,  and in minutes you have melt-in-your-mouth croissants.

Send to your loved ones that can’t be with you on Thanksgiving. Or perfect for Christmas morning. Or birthday morning. Or anniversary morning. Or a “gee, I wish I were in Paris” morning.

Now, if I just had a view of the Eiffel Tower from my kitchen…

Annie’s Easy Peasy Cake Recipes

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Easy, yummy, healthy.

No, I’m not talking about Matthew McConaughey.

I am talking about my requirements for any recipe to be a nugget.

I have a lot of really good recipes I’ve collected over the years. Who doesn’t?  But most recipes require some preparation; a trip to the grocery, assembling ingredients, following the recipe while you put everything together, mixing, chopping, etc, etc.

Here are four recipes that each involve only two ingredients.  All three recipes are good enough to serve to company.  And all of the ingredients can be sitting in your kitchen, waiting for that last minute decision to whip something up.

Annie’s Pumpkin Bread

I used to make homemade pumpkin bread all of the time. Then I heard about this recipe.  I tried it once, certain that my “from scratch” pumpkin bread would be so much better. No one in my family could tell the difference. I never went back to that old recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 box Spice Cake mix
  • 1 can pure pumpkin (not the pie filling)

Instructions

  • Mix together. If you like a wetter, heavier pumpkin bread, add 1/4 cup of water.
  • Put into a greased Bundt pan.  Bake according to the directions on the box.

Soda Pop Cake

The next recipe is my version of an old Weight Watcher’s recipe. But don’t let that dissuade you from trying this.  I really didn’t believe it would be this good. It tastes like a rich chocolate cake brownie.

Ingredients

  • 1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
    1 can diet Dr. Pepper or Cherry Diet Coke

Instructions

  • Mix the cake mix with the entire can of soda.
  • Poor into a greased 9x 11 can pan.
  • Bake according to directions on cake mix package.

There are many combinations possible. Try yellow cake mix with diet cream soda, or lemon cake and diet lemon-lime soda!

This next one is extra yummy!

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
  • 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt

Instructions

  • Combine, pour into cake pan. Bake at 350 according to directions on box.

Annie’s Southern Cornbread

I serve this cornbread so much that I buy multiple Jiffy boxes and keep them on hand at all times. Someone always comments on my cornbread.

Ingredients

  • 2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
  • 1 can creamed corn or large can white corn
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  • Mix together.
  • Put into a greased square baking pan and follow directions for “johnny cake” on the package.