A Healthy Ice Cream Float?! And Delicious Too!

I was perusing the drink aisle at Whole Foods Market looking for something without sugar yet no artificial sweeteners. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, a black cherry soda sweetened with stevia!

Quick look at the label...no carbs...zero! I just wanted one, I don't usually spend money on drinks, my daughter talked me into the carton of 4, a bit pricey at $4.99 but they sure were good on some hot summer days!

Before the last one was gone, it occurred to me that it would make a wonderful float.

 Next step, make the Trim Healthy Mama Tummy Tucking Ice Cream, found on page 368 of the Trim Healthy Mama book by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 teaspoon stevia (or to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon glucomannan
pinch good salt (my addition)
Mix all in a blender for 3-4 minutes, the glucomannan will make it thick and creamy but takes a few minutes of blending.

Pour into ice cube trays.

 Freeze.
In a food processor, cream the frozen cubes (I used 1/2 the tray for the pictured amount).

Add a teaspoon of cream, tahini, or peanut butter.
Process again for a minute until creamy.

This is delicious alone, covered in melted Skinny Chocolate, or with chunks of Skinny Chocolate added to the last processing step. However, I had something else in mind...

 Oh, my jar is getting frosty!

 Once it settled I added the rest of both soda and ice cream. It was all I had anticipated!
Since Whole Food Market is an hour away from me I went right to the Azure Standard website to see if I could get this tasty soda from their co op. They don't have the black cherry but root beer will be in my next delivery and the price was a little better too!

Lemon Cream Smoothie--Super Healthy

This super healthy smoothie reminds me of my Grammy's lemon sherbet, a treat for which everyone clamored. The mingling of sweet and tart, creamy, cold, and refreshing, (sigh) I may need another soon.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup plain, Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract or 4-6 drops Young Living Essential Lemon Oil
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1 lemon (the same one)
pinch of good salt, optional
1/2 tray of ice
1/4 teaspoon glucomannan powder, optional
Stevia or honey to taste
1 scoop vanilla protein powder if it's a meal, 1/2 scoop if it's a snack, or omit it if it is dessert after a protein rich meal
Add everything to the blender container and whirl for 2 minutes.

 This fine young man is my handy, dandy, button pushing assistant. Just be sure to keep the lid on anytime he is close by and it will all go well. Incidentally, he prefers fresh red raspberries in his smoothie to the lemon, same recipe.

 Breakfast, snack, or dessert, can't go wrong!

Creamy, Spinach, Mushroom Ravioli

The last post was on April 3rd, it is now the end of May, my camera cable would no longer load the photos no matter how many different things I tried it was continuing to be more stubborn than I.  Sad, I love to take photos, flowers, events, children, grandchildren, and yes, food. I tried, everything that came to mind, including, but not limited to, moping, to no avail.  I asked two photographers, and someone who is married to a photographer, they couldn't help me.  Then, of course, mentioning it in conversation to my older son (computer geek), he just opened a tab while we were talking, looked it up, sent link, said "here you go, Momma, it's in your email".  I opened, clicked, ordered, and thanked him, that fast! For those of you, if there are any left, who use older DSLRs which have a compact flash card, I now load all my photos faster and easier than ever with a pixelflash USB adapter. At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, if you need one, get one, you won't be sorry!

Now, back to the foodie stuff!

Made this incredible spinach and mushroom sauce and put it over cheese ravioli, makes me hungry just looking at the photos!

Ingredients:
1 large package cheese (or meat) ravioli from the frozen food or refrigerated section of supermarket, or low carb pasta for the "Trim Healthy Mamas" (I like DreamField's pasta)
8 oz package white button mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour (THM, omit this)
salt and pepper
4-6 oz smoked mozzarella cheese, shredded
10 oz fresh spinach, washed and dried
6-8 oz cream
Directions:
In a large sauce pan, melt butter and saute the mushrooms until golden brown.

 While these are cooking, start the water in a pasta pot.  When water comes to a boil, add the ravioli, stir.  When they float they are done.

 Add flour, stir.

Add the spinach, stir, it will begin to wilt, stir some more to incorporate all.

 Add the cream. Stir some more...

 Allow to simmer for a few minutes to thicken.

 Add the shredded cheese.

 Yum!  Salt and pepper to taste. Drain ravioli, if you haven't already. Serve sauce over ravioli, enjoy!

For the "Trim Healthy Mamas", remember that this is a side dish, use the low carb pasta, and maybe a lighter cheese, don't neglect ample protein and veggies!

Creamy Lemon Mousse --Egg-less, and sugar-free, No Cook, Super Easy

So cool, so creamy, so rich, and so easy, you will find this at the top of your "go to" desserts list.

I can think of a variety of ways to use this yummy concoction in addition to simply enjoying in a chilled dessert dish; spooned into a baked pie or tart crust, or layered in a trifle dish with strawberries or raspberries and shortbread cookie chunks, or dolloped on top of sliced pound cake. Any way you dish it up it is a winner!
 I used a few drops of Young Living Lemon Essential Oil, but a couple drops of lemon extract would do quite nicely if you don't have any.
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1  8oz. package cream cheese,softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar or a few sprinkles of stevia
juice and zest of 1 lemon
a few grains of salt
2 drops vanilla extract
4 drops Young Living Lemon Essential Oil, optional
In a large bowl, whip the cream until light and fluffy. Scrape into a dish and set aside.

Using the same bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, add the stevia or sugar and beat. Add the lemon zest, juice, salt, vanilla and lemon oil (if using). Beat until all is incorporated.

Gently fold in the whipped cream.

 Spoon into serving dishes, or pie shell, or whatever. 

Chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with cookies if desired, I took advantage of the fact that it has no leaven products and served at our Passover Seder. Delicious, but don't take my word for it-go make it!

For Trim Healthy Mamas this is an S, use the stevia option of course, and 1/3 fat cream cheese.

This yummy, fluffy goodness is also seen linked in to Butter Believer at : http://butterbeliever.com/sunday-school-blog-carnival-41413/  with loads of other good recipes and articles.

Hot Buttered Pretzels

I am not a shopper. Walking the mall is not my favorite past time. I do like to browse stores like Williams-Sonoma, go figure?! So what does the mall hold? Soft, golden, buttery pretzels; the aroma wafts throughout the walk ways for several stores, chases me around the kiosks, calling to me.
One of my favorite cookbooks, King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, has an excellent hot buttered pretzel recipe. I have never made something from this book which has not turned out well.

There you have it, still warm, soft, brushed with real butter, oh happy day! The only change I made to the King Arthur recipe was to give the dough a baking soda bath before baking, instead of sugar, this causes the exterior to be alkaline and give the pretzel the familiar chewy texture, it also causes the exterior to brown quickly without drying the interior.
Dough:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup warm water
Bath:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon baking soda
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter, melted
coarse salt of choice, kosher or pretzel
In a large mixing bowl, combine the water for dough, sugar and yeast, allow to rest 5 minutes.

 Add the rest of the dough ingredients, knead for 5 minutes, until soft and smooth, not sticky. Cover and allow to rise 30 minutes.

Knead again for 1 minute.

Cut into 8 pieces.

Preheat oven to 500F.
Mix the water and baking soda in a small pan, warm and stir until most of the soda is dissolved and it is hot to the touch.

Roll each piece into a long snake.

Dip into the hot soda bath.

Tie into shape, place on a lightly greased sheet pan.

Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Brush with melted butter.

Can hardly wait! What?! Who is going to miss that little piece?

Enjoy warm. These are best the day they are made.

Gone...so sad.