HOLIDAY DRINKS GUILT FREE PART-3

RING IN THE HOLIDAYS GUILT FREE

The holiday season provides use the opportunity to catch up with old friends and family and to partake in the holiday meals and holiday drinking.
This does not have to be an anxiety provoking time. Good Food and A Nice Drink are to be enjoyed without not making you feel so guilty about it.

The holidays are here once again, and I'm always coming up with new ideas to help the holidays along.

I started doing guilt free drinks with part-1 when I started celebrating, my new weight loss this past summer. And I did not want to blow all the heard work I have done. And did not want to give up all the celebrations with my family and friends. So here is a great way to do it all and not feel guilt while doing it. So drink up, have fun and not worried about the scale with these 100% GUILT FREE DRINKS. I kept them all under 200 calories so you can have more then one if you like. I have 24 drink recipes for you. I will give them to you -6- at a time for the whole month of December. ~ Happy HOLIDAYS ~ AND ENJOY!!!!


CHAMPAGNE DRINKS OF ALL TYPES ~ HAPPY Chanukah ~ Merry Christmas ~ Happy New Year


"A Goodnight Kiss"

4 oz Champagne
1 splash Campari bitters
1 sugar cube
1 drop Angostura bitters
Place a drop of angostura bitters on a sugar cube and drop into a champagne flute. Add champagne and splash of campari.
(per 4.1 oz serving)
Calories: 90



"American Glory"

3 oz Champagne
2 oz orange juice
2 oz lemonade
Add ingredients to a frosted ice-filled highball glass.
(per 7 oz serving)
Calories:111



"Aztec"

3 oz Champagne
3/4 oz watermelon schnapps
1/2 oz gold tequila
Pour ingredients into a champagne flute and serve.
(per 4.3 oz serving)
Calories:148



"Two Lovers Black Tie"

3 oz cold Pineau des Charentes white wine
1 1/2 oz Champagne
Pour into a wine glass and garnish with a black grape.
(per 4.5 oz serving)
Calories:90



"A Very Merry Champagne"

3/4 oz Kirschwasser cherry brandy
1/4 oz cherry heering
4 oz Champagne
Stir kirschwasser and cherry liqueur together in a mixing glass filled with ice cubes. Strain into a champagne flute, fill with champagne, and serve.
(per 5 oz serving)
Calories:160



"Champagne Ambon"

4 oz Champagne
1/2 oz Pisang Ambon liqueur
Pour into a champagne flute, and serve.
(per 4.5 oz serving)
Calories:131

Hoilday Time And Feeling Good!

What a difference a year makes.

I'm able to get into that great holiday dress or that great outfit. I'm now that skinny girl in the room that I used to feel envious of. I used to be a size 10-12. I'm back to that size now - almost a size 10, smaller then a 12 but not quit a 10 yet. In the immortal words of Jackie Gleason - How sweet it is!

I am 5'11" and used to weigh 288 pounds. I dropped 121 pounds, and my doctor now calls me "skinny". I went from morbidly obese to obese, to normal, and I'm now being called skinny. How sweet it is!

I thank god and my doctor every day for my band. I am the happiest I have been in so many years. My depression about my weight, and many many medical problems, went away too. How sweet it is!

Last year this time I was 2 months into my lap-band and lost a little more then 25 pounds. I would not go to any of the holiday parties I was invited to, I would not dare to go, still so ashamed of my body and my looks.


Holiday time and feeling good!

RECIPE OF THE DAY! LOW FAT-LOW CALORIE MAC & CHEESE

Macaroni and cheese is perhaps the ultimate in comfort foods, but if you use regular cheese, butter for a roux and whole milk, that's an awful lot of fat calories. Here's a low fat macaroni and cheese that dispenses with the butter and substitutes reduced-fat cheese and nonfat milk for their full-fat counterparts. A great addition to our family meals. Your family will love the taste. Most Mac and cheese have so many calories about 900+ calories in a lot of recipes. Here it's only 203 calories how great is that. ENJOY!!


Makes 6 servings

Prep time:15 minutes

Cooking time:20 minutes


Ingredients:

3/4 cup(s) milk, fat-free evaporated

1 cup(s) cottage cheese, low-fat

1/2 cup(s) cheese, ricotta, low-fat

1/2 cup(s) cheese, cheddar, low-fat

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

1 dash(es) salt and black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon cheese, Parmesan

1 tablespoon bread crumbs, fine, dry

1 pounds pasta, elbow macaroni, cooked


Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat. Add the cheeses until they melt, stirring constantly.

2. Stir in the nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Remove the cheese sauce from the heat. Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and mix well.

3. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Bake the casserole for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and the top is browned.

203 Calories Per serving

RECIPE OF THE DAY! PUFF PASTRY APPETIZER

This is one of my all-time favorite appetizers. Fast and easy, the golden bites are always a huge hit. I make and freeze batches for dinner parties throughout the year. Your family and friends will love this recipe. ENJOY!


Yield: 28 Servings

Prep time: 30 min. + chilling

Bakeing time: 10 min.


Ingredients:

2 cups water

24 fresh asparagus spears (about 1 pound), trimmed

1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package (17-1/4 ounces) frozen puff pastry dough, thawed

1/4 cup egg substitute


Directions:

1. In a large nonstick skillet, bring water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain asparagus and immediately place in ice water; drain and pat dry.

2. In a bowl, beat cream cheese and salt until smooth; set aside.
Unfold the dough on a lightly floured surface.

3. Cut each sheet in half widthwise. For each rectangle, spread cream cheese mixture lengthwise over half of the dough to within 1/2 in. of edges.

4. Arrange two rows of three asparagus spears lengthwise in a single layer over cream cheese.

5. Brush edges of dough with some of the egg substitute; fold dough over filling and press edges together to seal. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

6. Cut widthwise into 1-1/4-in. pieces. Place 1 in. apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush with remaining egg substitute.

7.Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.


One serving (2 pieces) equals 87 calories

The Day After Thanksgiving!

Oh my! I can't tell you how much I have missed posting on this site and doing my recipe of the day!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and that the family & friends did not drive you nuts. LOL.

I haven't posted here in quite a while, so I'd like to give you an update of what's going on with me.

I made the holiday dinner for everyone and it was a huge success! We had 25 people over and I made so much food! Despite having tons of great food around, I'm proud to say I ate so little of it that I actually lost weight - I was so worried that I would gain some.

I have lost a total of 121 pounds since having the lap-band put in fourteen months ago. I must tell you, I feel SO good (and I look pretty good too!). I had not seen some of my family and friends for quite some time - and they and they were all amazed at the huge difference in me.

So now everyone is around the table, and they are toasting me for the wonderful dinner and for inviting everyone over - I then get up and walk briskly to the other side of the room to get my glass. Well, I don't know how, but I slipped on the marble floor in the kitchen, and I hit the ground. At first, I was stunned and shocked, and I had to lay there for a second. I hurt my knee and hip - not too bad though - just enough to feel it the next morning. So, in the middle of their toast, I now look up from the floor and I can see all my guests holding their glasses up with eyes and mouths wide open - they were as stunned as I was. My daughter was in the bedroom and she heard a thud - she looked down the hall and all she could see my feet! I must have looked like the Wicked Witch of the East after Dorothy had dropped her house on her! LOL.

So my husband, daughter and a few friends ran over to help me up. Well, they did help me to my feet, but it was not hard for them to pick me up. I know that it would have been a disaster if the same thing happened to me before the weight - loss. I would have been hurt a lot worse for sure - and It would have been mortifying to need a whole lot of people struggling to lift me up off the floor. This was just another unexpected benefit of my weight loss! By the way, I'm sure I would never had the strength and stamina to put this dinner together when I was 288 pounds.

So, all-in-all my Thanksgiving Dinner and day was a huge success.

RECIPE OF THE DAY! SPINACH DIP

LOOKING FOR A HOLIDAY APPETIZER TRY THIS ONE!

A spinach dip that can be warmed or used chilled. Either way it always vanishes at our place and the rave reviews just keep coming! After dip is finished break off pieces of shell and enjoy the best part of all. Server with crispy crackers or tostitos chips. WOW! I served this last night to my guests and it was gone way before the end of the night! Everyone was lingering around the table munching and raving about this dip. ENJOY!!


Prep Time:15 Min

Ready In:20 Min

Recipe Yield 10 servings


Ingredients:


1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup sour cream (lite sour cream)

1 cup mayonnaise (lite mayonnaise)

3/4 cup chopped green onions

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

1 (1 pound) loaf round, crusty Italian bread

1 bag tostitos chips


Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, parsley, lemon juice, and salt. Mix until well blended, then refrigerate.

2. Cut a circle out of the top of the bread and scoop out the inside. Tear the inside into pieces for dipping, and put a few pieces on a baking tray to toast some so a few can be crispy.

3. Spoon the dip into the center of the bread bowl and serve accompanied by the pieces of bread for dipping. OR use tostitos chips.



225 Calories:Per 13 chips Serving

RECIPE OF THE DAY! LAMB AND COUSCOUS

Looking for a distinctive lamb dinner? Then check out these browned chops simmered in a flavorful sauce and served with couscous - a wholesome meal! Very most and oh-so tasty lots of flavor. ENJOY!


Prep Time 10 Minutes

Total Time 30 Minutes

Makes 4 servings


Ingredients:

4 lamb sirloin chops, 1/2 inch thick (about 2 pounds)

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1/4 cup chili sauce

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Muir Glen diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup pitted ripe olives, cut in half

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 cups hot cooked couscous


Direction:

1.Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Cook lamb in skillet, turning once, until brown on both sides.

2.Stir in bell pepper, chili sauce, tomatoes, cumin, marjoram, garlic powder and salt; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until lamb is light pink in center.

3.Stir in olives; sprinkle with parsley. Serve with couscous.


Note:
Couscous may sound exotic, but it's simply a tiny pasta. This complex carbohydrate takes only minutes to cook, is low in calories (about 100 per cooked 1/2 cup), is practically fat free. An added benefit: kids usually love it!

310 Calories(1 Serving)