Dessert on a diet

Have you ever tried to slim down only to have desserts like the ones I feature on this blog all the time tempt you into massive calorie binges?  Well do not worry, today I have a dessert to share that will not pop the belt.    

I introduce to you my favorite "diet dessert."  When I am feeling motivated and healthy, a nice cup of coffee flavored non-fat yogurt with a tablespoon of dark chocolate chips does it for me.  Sure, maybe it's not as awesome as a sundae or a slice of cake, but it tastes pretty good, actually has some nutritional value, keeps the calories low, and the chocolate chips totally make it feel like dessert.

Eat and don't weep, sweets!  Happy weekend!!!!

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

So my trip to Sephora today started off innocently enough.  All I needed to do was pick up a new bottle of my favorite self tanning lotion by St. Tropez.  So I walk into Sephora thinking I'll buzz right to the back, pick up the lotion and be on my way, and then two steps in, I was greeted by none other than the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette!!!!!!!
There was a small display and a woman talking up the product and showing customers different looks you can create with it.  One little glance and I was SOLD.

I love my original Naked Palette so much that I just could not resist Naked 2.  I love the packaging. I love the colors, especially the matte black.  I love that there's only one repeat and that it's a good one (Half Baked.)  I LOVE the brush that came with it!  And lip gloss! Nude lipgloss. Love, love, love.

If you have this palette, let me know what looks you like to create!  I'll be checking my favorite makeup bloggers- TiffanyD and Kandee- for ideas (they always have amazing tutorials) but comment below if you have any!

By the way, if you haven't tried the St. Tropez tanner, that stuff is the BEST.  It is deeply tinted when you rub it on so there is no missing or streaking- you can see any blank spots or streaks before it's too late to fix them!  It smells nicer than other self tanners I've tried, and develops into a beautiful, natural bronze that I just love.

Anyway that's it for now.  'Nite Sweets!

Berry Pie

Oh, berry pie, you are so good for the soul.

And, girls' night dinners!

My sweet friend Lindsey baked this strawberry-raspberry pie for our girls night dinner tonight.  Shannon conveniently had some leftover homemade strawberry whipped cream in her fridge to dollop on top.  De-lish.  I don't have Lindsey's secret recipe to share but you can check out some similar sounding recipes here...

Simply Delicious - Strawberry Raspberry Pie

Instructables - Triple Berry Pie

Please note - best friends + delicious pork/green bean/grain/salad dinner + red wine + BERRY PIE = heavenly Wednesday night.  

Question..

So sweets, I am thinking of tweaking my blog a bit.  In an effort to be more healthy, I'm probably going to be baking significantly less this year.  I eat everything I bake, and while it tastes great, it's not good-for-you food.

Instead, I'm hoping to cook more healthy meals, work out more regularly, get back into crafting, and explore some new hobbies.

So here's the question- would people still read this blog if I expanded the focus and made it more of a "lifestyle" blog instead of strictly sweets?

For example, what if I posted about trips, dinners, restaurants, Bruins games, my two cats, or shopping finds, like an awesome workout top I found at the mall today for $10?

Oh, wait! ;)

This stretchy, comfy, sweat-wicking athletic top was on sale at Old Navy today for $10, marked down from $19.50.   I don't know about you all but I feel much more excited to go to the gym when I like my work-out clothes so I am quite pleased with this purchase.  I can't find this color online, but the same style can be purchased here for $17.50.  I'm not sure how long the in-store sale is going on.

Let me know what you think.  Lifestyle blog with lots of regular posts, or sweets only, with less frequent updates?

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Hubs & I have a cruise coming up in two weeks, woohoo!  With that in mind, I was craving a sweet bread for breakfast but didn't want to kill my calorie count for the day.  After a little google searching, I found a pumpkin bread recipe and tweaked it just a bit to make it healthy and incorporate what I had in the house.  I warned J that it may not taste as good as usual due to the health factor, but he loved it just the same.  I did too!  Bonus on this recipe?  It's super easy.  One-bowl-wonder.  Love.

Special thank you to my Auntie Elisa who gave me 2-cup packs of her fresh, homemade pumpkin puree.  Healthy, delicious super food.  Thanks Auntie!!

Healthy Pumpkin Bread (adapted from Kitchen Stewardship)

Need:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/8 cup ground flaxseed meal
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree

Do: 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl
3. Grease loaf pan
4. Pour batter into loaf pan
5. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes

We ate ours warm with some light cream cheese dolloped on top.  Happy Sunday!

Brownie Mug Cake Hits the Spot!

Sooo you know how most mug cakes SOUND good in theory and then taste totally weird/microwaved/gelatinous/not-what-you-needed-at-all?  I spotted a mug BROWNIE on Pinterest, and in the heat of my chocolate-craving moment decided to go for it.

I.LOVE.THIS.MUG-BROWNIE. 

It's super chocolatey, to the point where I could not eat it plain- you definitely need the vanilla ice cream to balance the richness of the brownie.  The consistency is great- 60 seconds makes for a cup of gooey chocolate.  It's like the molten part of a lava cake on it's way to full-blown brownie.   YUM.

This recipe is a keeper.  Seriously.  Try it and enjoy :D

Mug Brownie - Adapted from a recipe on Chow.com

Need:

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/8 tsp rum extract
• dash of kosher salt
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips
• 1-2 scoops vanilla bean ice cream

Do:

1.  In a microwave-safe mug, whisk the oil, water, rum and salt until combined.
2. Add cocoa powder and whisk until all of the cocoa is moistened and there aren't too many lumps.
3. Add granulated sugar, whisk to combine
4. Microwave for 60 seconds (if you want less goo and more chew (HAH!) then go for 1:25)
5. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of brownie
6. Top off with vanilla ice cream
7. Leave me a comment confirming that this is the best mug recipe you've ever tried

;)