That Takes the Cake! Sugar Free Microwave Protein Cake Recipes

I love these little cakes. In about 5 minutes, from start to finish, you have a yummy, guilt-free (but doesn't taste guilt-free), weight loss surgery friendly dessert. This peach version was my dessert last night during Grey's Anatomy. Leftover slices are great toasted the next morning for breakfast with a little smear of sugar-free jam or almond butter.

Shelly's Peaches & Cream 5 Minute Protein Cake

1 Egg, beaten
3 Tablespoons Milk
3 Tablespoons Sugar Free Vanilla Torani Syrup
1 Tablespoons Canola Oil
3 Tablespoons Multigrain Pancake Mix (I use this)
1 teaspoon Sugar-Free Peach Jello Powder, dry
1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Coconut (or Almond Flour)
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (any whey isolate is fine)
Pinch salt
dash of Cinnamon
1 - 2 cup Measuring Cup or Microwave Safe Mug

In a measuring cup or microwave safe mug, Mix egg, milk, syrup, and oil (applesauce or cottage cheese can sub for oil but 1 T divided between 4-5 cake slices is really not a lot) and combine thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix pancake mix, Jello powder, coconut, protein powder, cinnamon, and salt. Tip dry into wet and stir till combined. Nuke in microwave for 2 minutes (my microwave is getting old and needs 20 seconds added now.)

Let it sit for three or so minutes (it pulls away from the sides) before tipping the cake onto a plate. Yields 4-5 slices. Allow to cool. Slice & serve with sliced Peaches (fresh, canned, I used frozen, defrosted), a squirt of Homemade No Sugar Added Whipped Cream, dash of Cinnamon & drizzle of Smucker's Sugar-Free Caramel Topping if desired.

Protein cake slices are also great topped with a scoop of Protein Ice Cream. A scoop of Almond Protein Ice Cream or Caramel Swirl Protein Ice Cream would be delicious on this cake.

Peach not your thing? More Eggface 5 Minute Cakes:

Shelly's Carrot Cake
Shelly's Chocolate Peppermint Cake
Shelly's Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Shelly's Lemon Cake
Shelly's Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Shelly's Apple Cinnamon Cake (Nathan's Cake)
Shelly's Almond Joy Cake
Shelly's Coconut Cake
Shelly's Espresso Cake
Shelly's Banana Caramel Nut Cake
Shelly's Pretty in Pink Strawberry Cake
Shelly's Orange Creamsicle Cake
Shelly's Lime Green Margarita Cake
Shelly's Pistachio Cake
Shelly's Almond Cake
Shelly's Pumpkin Spice Cake
Shelly's Peanut Butter & Jelly Cake
Shelly's Banana Cake
Shelly's Cookies & Cream Coffee Cake
Shelly's Cranberry Cake
Shelly's Black Forest Cake

Any microwave cake batter can be turned into baked mini protein muffins too. Just pour into a 12 cup mini muffin tin and bake at 350 for 12 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean)

Heads up: $1 off Fage

For my fellow Fage Greek Yogurt lovers: Spotted this $1 off coupon over on Facebook. I heart the Plain Total 2%

Here's just a few ways I use Fage:

Shelly's Speedy Stroganoff Meatballs
Shelly's Greek Mini Meatloaf with Pesto Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Shelly's Pimento Chicken Salad
Shelly's Italian Chicken Salad
Shelly's Super Simple Cole Slaw
Shelly's Mini Shrimp & Crab Cakes with homemade Tartar Sauce
Shelly's California Roll Salad
Shelly's Bacon & Egg Salad
Shelly's Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip
Shelly's Apple Spice Yogurt Dip
Shelly's Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Parfait
Shelly's (Fill in the Blank) Flavored Yogurt
Shelly's Cheesecake Dip

A day in my pouch

I had a phone interview yesterday with my local paper about winning the Progresso Soup Contest. They asked me what I was looking forward to the most about going on the trip... was it the makeover, the shopping spree, the trip with my Mom, etc? You know I hadn't really thought about what this trip means to me till they asked but it hit me... I spent my childhood, teens, 20's obese and missed out on a lot of things because of it. I watched my life pass me by from a park bench. I actually had to quit a job when traveling became to difficult... cross country flights with no bathroom because I couldn't fit in it and the always horrifying need to ask for a seat belt extender. This trip for me just celebrates that those days are over and is kind of the icing on the cake of this wonderful weight loss journey. Thank you guys again for your votes and for "icing my cake."

Breakfast: Leftover Steamed Broccoli (made for Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry) became this easy Frittata

Shelly's Broccoli Frittata

1 cup Cooked Broccoli, chopped
1 Green Onion, diced
3 Eggs, beaten
1 Tablespoon Parmesan, grated
1 slice Swiss Cheese

Saute onion and broccoli till slightly golden in an oven proof pan. Add eggs. When almost set sprinkle with Parmesan. Flip and cook till done, top with Swiss or top with Swiss and put under broiler for a few minutes to finish.

Lunch: Shrimp Cocktail. I use real cocktail sauce. I use real everything when it comes to condiments. I just don't slather and don't have issues. There are Sugar Free Cocktail Sauces (Walden Farms and Steel's makes them)

Dinner: I started this in the morning and Mmmm it made the house smell so good I was looking forward to it all day.

Shelly's Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

One 2 to 3 lb. Pork Roast (Boneless Picnic Roast)
1 Yellow Onion, sliced
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt (Salt, Paprika, Garlic, Onion Blend)
a few twists of Black Pepper
1/2 cup Chicken Broth or Water
Olive Oil for sauteing
3/4 cup BBQ Sauce (I use a combo of two - one reddish & one darker)

Place pork roast in a stock pot and brown slightly on both sides about 3 minutes a side. Place in crock pot. Saute onions till slightly golden. Add garlic. Cook 1 minute. Sprinkle with seasonings. Pour over roast. Pour broth over roast. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until very tender. When done, remove from crock pot, take two forks and pull the pork apart. Drain any juices (there will be a lot) Put meat back in crock pot and add BBQ sauce. Mix lightly. Cook 45 minutes more.

Again, I use the real deal BBQ sauce (a combo of Sweet Baby Ray's and a local company Bert's Barbeque Sauce) If you dump easily you might want to look for a low sugar or no sugar BBQ sauce but really with a 2-3 lb roast the BBQ sauce isn't a lot.

I served it with my super simple cole slaw...

Shelly's Super Simple Cole Slaw

1 (14 oz.) bag of Coleslaw Mix (green cabbage & carrots)
1/4 cup Fage Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Celery Seed
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Mix. See I told you it was super simple. Tastes best if refrigerated for 1 hour before serving.

We ate it as is... YUM. Pre-op I used to make mini sandwiches for parties. Potato or Hawaiian Roll, Dollop of Pulled Pork, Dollop of Slaw. They were always gobbled up but you really don't miss the bun. Plus no bun = more of the good stuff.

Snacks: 2 scoops of Pistachio Protein Ice Cream, 4 SF Jordan Almonds, Oodles of Coffee.

Shelly's Pistachio Protein Ice Cream

2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Pistachio Pudding Mix, dry
1 cup Vanilla Soy Milk (or Regular Milk)
2 scoops Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 cup chopped pistachios, toasted

Toast 1/4 cup of chopped pistachios for a few minutes in a dry pan. Set aside to cool. Mix together milk, protein, & pudding mix. I used this gadget to mix it up. It makes it airy and lump free. Pour into ice cream maker. Follow your machine's instructions for freezing. 5 minutes before done add the chopped nuts.

You can eat it right away it is soft serve-ish but I like to put it in the freezer to set for an hour. I made a double batch. If you double any ice cream recipe double everything but the protein powder. We can only absorb so much at one sitting and any over 2 scoops would be a waste. It won't effect the consistency.

Other Eggface Protein Ice Cream flavors

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

Typical Saturday in my 'hood. Hit the Farmer's Market. I bought leeks, red, yellow & green onions, a couple of ears of corn, apples, avocados, and a basket of the sweetest strawberries I have ever tasted in my life. Ran errands, came home and made a batch of these for breakfast...

Breakfast: Shelly's Strawberry Cannoli but instead of my regular filling I filled these with my Vanilla Latte Ricotta Cream (same one I used the other day to fill crepes)

Shelly's Vanilla Latte Ricotta Cream

1/2 cup Ricotta
1 scoop Coffee Protein Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Vanilla Torani Syrup

Mix till well blended.

Here's the link with all the how to's of making my Strawberry Cannoli.

After breakfast I went on a super long walk. The weather has been amazing this weekend. Apparently while I was in Los Angeles at the Glee finale taping it rained really, really heavy here so everything is so fresh and clean. We just got a few sprinkles up in LA.

Lunch: Took some of my Naked Nuggets and made a quick Teriyaki Stir Fry.

If you can't find Naked Nuggets in your area (Costco, Whole Foods) ask your store manager to start carrying them. Here's my review and product info so you can harass your grocer. It works. My Costco stopped carrying them and told me they weren't reordering. I literally requested them every time I was in the store. I spoke with the store's buyer directly and shared with her the benefits of carrying the product (only gluten free option, no breading unlike the 3 other pre-cooked chicken items they carry, grilled not fried, high protein, low carb, etc.) I also contacted the manufacturer through their page on Facebook so they could be working on their end too. Costco caved :) and reordered. So if there is a product you have seen me talk about that is not in your local stores talk to the store manager about ordering it. Doesn't hurt to ask, right?

Shelly's Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry

1 Yellow Onion, sliced
8 Naked Nuggets (or cooked chicken strips)
1 cup Broccoli Florets, steamed
1/2 cup Pineapple Chunks in juice
1 Tablespoon store bought Teriyaki Sauce
a few twists of Black Pepper
a sprinkle of Kosher Salt

Steam broccoli. I use this groovy gadget and micro-steam it for a few minutes. Set aside. Saute onions till golden. Remove from pan. Heat Naked Nuggets as directed. I like to slice them at this point. Toss everything together and cook till warmed through.

Dinner: The plan was to BBQ some burgers and roast those ears of corn I picked up at the Farmer's Market but I'm gonna do that tonight instead. I ended up making a casserole when I found a head of cabbage I needed to use...

Shelly's Chinese Cabbage Casserole

3 cups Cooked Cabbage, chopped
3/4 pound Ground Turkey (about 1/2 a package)
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
2 Green Onions, diced
1/2 teaspoon Ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1 (4 oz.) can Shitake Mushrooms, drained
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can Cream of Chicken Soup, undiluted
1 Tablespoon Sherry
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Topping
1/4 cup French Fried Onions (those Durkee Green Bean Casserole ones)

Cook cabbage until tender. Drain well. Chop and set aside. Saute onions till golden. Add garlic cook 1 minute more. Saute turkey till no longer pink. Combine all remaining ingredients. Spread mixture into a Pyrex casserole dish. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or till golden.

Snacks: 2 Margaritaville Protein Mini Muffins and lots of Coffee.

Eggface Useless Trivia Game: When I was in LA I stayed at a hotel right next door to a building used in a very popular 80's movie. Here's the building:

Name the movie. The hotel was beautiful. I loved the lobby floral display so much I took a picture of it...


Hope everyone is having a great weekend.
We have a winner... see comment section for correct answer.

Put the Lime in the Coconut

Had a couple of these for breakfast this morning. Lime, coconut, pineapple... they remind me of sitting on a beach, staring at blue ocean waves, sipping a margarita. Ooooh what a nice thought... just need to toss in a scantily clad hot cabana boy with a palm frond fan and that's one heck of a muffin ;)

Shelly's Margaritaville Protein Mini Muffins

3/4 cup Spelt Flour
1/2 cup Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
dash of Salt
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese (I used Pineapple Cottage Cheese)
1/2 cup Pineapple Chunks, well drained
3 Tablespoons Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Vanilla)
1 Egg, beaten

Topping
1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1 teaspoon Sugar Free Lime Jello Powder, dry
4 Macadamia Nuts, crushed

Preheat oven to 350. Whiz in a mini food processor cottage cheese and pineapple till smooth.

Spray mini muffin tin with Pam and set aside. Mix all ingredients together till combined.

Spoon into muffin tin (a mini ice cream scoop works great) and sprinkle with a pinch of topping.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove pans from oven. Allow to cool in the pan for 3 minutes. Transfer muffins to wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Store in a sealed container to keep them soft and moist. They freeze great too. Makes 24 mini muffins.

Glee

OMG what a day yesterday. I scored 2 tickets to the taping of part of the Glee Season Finale. I was on Twitter on Tuesday and saw a FOX TV tweet that said a limited # of seats were available, blah blah, email your info, go to Los Angeles to see the taping. So I thought what the heck (LA is 2 1/2 hours away from me) and low and behold I got in. I guess you had to have a speedy trigger finger because they posted it at Noon and by 12:05 it was auto-replying people the invite was closed.

So yesterday I head up to LA. Got there at 11, saw the line was already 3 deep, grabbed coffee and stood till 2:30 when they let us in. It ended at around 11 PM. I got to be in the balcony as an audience member during Regionals (the season finale) I suppose there is the potential I could be flashed upon by a camera for a micro-nanosecond. The process from behind the scenes was so cool to watch. We couldn't take pictures, strict rules as to what can be brought on to the set. So no Puck, Eggface, Finn sandwich picture. Bummer, had to leave that for my daydreams. I am SWORN TO SECRECY at all the AWESOME cool things I got to see and HEAR. Let's just say if you were an 80's teen like me you will LOVE it. I got to meet the cast, they did Q&A's (loved them all but one), I got Jane Lynch's (Sue Sylvester's autograph) she's is the nicest lady. So be sure when you watch the finale you look in the middle of the first row of the balcony for yours truly.

Only bad part of the day... TOTAL food consumption yesterday:

2 Cheesesticks
a handful of Nuts
1 Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce Soy Latte
an Orange
a really old Lara Bar
3 pieces of SF Gum

and I walked about 5 miles.

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

Hope everyone had a GREAT weekend. It was too short. Mine was very nice. It was the annual Avocado Festival yesterday so I explored that.

Breakfast: Nuked a leftover crepe for 30 seconds and filled it with some leftover lemon ricotta filling. Mmmm just as good as the day before...

Then it was off to the festival. Fallbrook (the avocado capital of the world) is basically just the next town over. The festival is huge. There's lots of crazy fair foods (avocado fudge, deep fried avocados, avocado ice cream) but I stuck to several sample tastes of the award winning guacamole (FYI: I use the chip they give you like a disposable spoon and that gets tossed) but thankfully I did lots of walking to hopefully negate the caloric effect ;)

Lunch: I came home and made a quickie Stir fry using Naked Nuggets. I love those suckers for a quick protein packed meal. My Costco had been out for awhile but I kept harassing the Costco buyer till they got them back. I bought 3 bags just in case there is a drought again. I hear Whole Foods is carrying them now but my closest "Whole Paycheck" is over an hour away and I dare say they up the price.

The stir fry was super yummy, better for me than any greasy festival food offerings and literally took 10 minutes to make. Oh despite the name I gave the dish, don't cook it naked. That could be dangerous. Ouch!

Shelly's Naked Thai Stir Fry

1 Yellow Onion, sliced
8 Naked Nuggets
1/2 bag Trader Joe's Thai Style Soy Ginger Carrots*
1/2 cup Frozen Peas
a few twists of Black Pepper
a sprinkle of Kosher Salt

Saute onion till golden. Meanwhile nuke carrots till tender according to package directions. Toss in Naked Nuggets saute till heated through. I slice them into strips at this point. Add carrots with juices and peas and cook till warmed through. Season to taste.

*If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you you can recreate the Thai Style Soy Ginger Carrots with any Asian-style frozen veggie carrot blend, a tablespoon of minced ginger, a few splashes of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, parsley and some sliced almonds.

Spent the rest of the day in various cleaning projects... I did finish planting all the tomatoes. Checked them this AM and they are perky and looking good. Hopefully it will be a great year. Can't wait for summer! There is nothing like a salad of warm from the sun, just picked tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. Heaven.

Dinner: I made some Bacon-wrapped Shrimp Skewers and served them with some frozen peas & corn with a dash of Greek Seasoning.

Snacks: Lots & lots of coffee, 4 macadamia nuts (Fallbrook is also famous for these) and since I had a liberal amount of guacamole samples at the festival I skipped dessert and... just for good measure I turned on the DirectTV Disco channel and danced my a** off for about 45 minutes before I went to bed.

Crepe Expectations

I love weekends. You can spend a little extra time on breakfast. Here's what I ate this morning. It was sooooo good. I think it will be making a repeat performance on Mother's Day.

After this yummy breakfast we're fueled and raring to go. Now we're off to the Farmer's Market to load up on fresh fruits and veggies. If you haven't been to a Farmer's Market do yourself & family a favor and find one in your area. You can use this link to search by zip code. There's just no comparing supermarket produce which sometimes travels thousands of miles to what you get fresh picked from your local farm. Do a taste test.

Shelly's Crepes

2 Eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Soy Milk (I use Silk Vanilla)
1/4 cup minus 1 Tablespoon Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Vanilla)
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1/2 cup Spelt Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
dash of Salt

For savory crepes: leave out the SF Torani and use 1/4 cup water.

Blend all ingredients on low till thoroughly combined.

Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a half-hour.

Spray a non-stick 8 to 10 inch crepe pan with Pam. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and twirl it around to spread the batter in a thin circle.

Cook till top appears dry and flip. Cook a minute or so on other side. Repeat till all batter is used. While you are making them you can keep them warm in a low oven 200 degrees or nuke for 20 seconds before serving. Makes 8-10 crepes depending on size of pan.

Today's crepe fillings: Lemon Ricotta Cream with Orange Marmalade (I used warmed Smucker's Simply Fruit) and Vanilla Latte Ricotta Cream with Chocolate drizzle (I used Smucker's Chocolate Sauce)

Shelly's Lemon Ricotta Cream

1/2 cup Ricotta
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Lemon Pudding Mix, dry
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Vanilla)

Mix till well blended. Makes enough filling for 8 crepes.

Shelly's Vanilla Latte Ricotta Cream

1/2 cup Ricotta
1 scoop Click Espresso Protein (I used the new Vanilla Latte flavor)
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Vanilla)

Mix till well blended. Makes enough filling for 8 crepes.

How to assemble: Fold cooked crepe halfway over

and plop a dollop of filling on one side.

Fold in half again. Press lightly to spread filling. Top if desired with warmed marmalade, chocolate sauce, SF maple syrup or nada.

More crepe filling ideas

Breakfast conversation...

Me: Why is the ironing table out? (I HATE ironing)
Mum: I needed a flat service lower than the kitchen table to work on.
Me: But the ironing board is higher than the table.
Mum: It's adjustable.
Me: Huh, I did not know that.
Mum: Sure they are adjustable. What if you were 6 feet tall and needed to iron?
Me: If I was over 6 feet tall I'd join the WNBA and sure as hell wouldn't do my own ironing.

I really HATE ironing. Hey, maybe I will never have to iron again... I'm gonna play the lottery today. I'm on a lucky streak. Yesterday on twitter I won a contest Jamie Oliver was hosting and scored his new book, "Food Revolution"

Are you watching the show? It's on Friday night on ABC. If you missed it I'm sure episodes can be found online. Such a worthwhile cause... as a former fat child, teen and adult (I'm sure most of you can relate) I never want another child to have to go through the pain of being obese. Kudos to Jamie. Please consider signing his petition too.

"We must become the change we want to see." ~Gandhi

A day in my pouch

Yesterday's excitement threw my meal plan off a bit but here's what I managed to rustle up...

Breakfast: The strawberries are super sweet right now. At the Farmer's Market last weekend I bought 1/4 of a flat and that same day I washed, trimmed and froze about 1/2 of them for smoothies like my Triple Strawberry Protein Smoothie. It's called triple strawberry because I use Sugar Free Strawberry Torani Syrup, a scoop of my Strawberry Max Protein, and the yummy frozen berries.

Lunch: Tuesday I had made one of my favorite post-op dinners Crockpot Carnitas. So for lunch I took the leftovers (about 3 cups of Carnitas), the leftover sauteed Zucchini (about 1 cup) we had as a side dish that night, dumped them in a pot with 1 (15 oz.) can of Chicken Broth, 1/2 teaspoon of Oregano, a Tablespoon of chopped fresh Cilantro, and a few twists of black pepper to make a quickie Carnitas Soup. You may have to adjust the broth amount depending on how much of each leftover you have. I topped each serving with fresh Mexican Cheese (Queso Fresco) It was delicioso.

Dinner: I made my Crustless Chicken Pot Pie. Remember that casserole I screwed up when I was sick with the flu. I'm glad I did... I love it.

Some of my favorite dishes were created during a kitchen disaster oops moment (though at the time I generally use much stronger words than oops.)

Snacks: As usual much too much coffee and a couple of slices of this Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter creation...


Shelly's Peanut Butter, Strawberry, Banana Flat Out Pizza

1 Flat-out Wrap (I used the "Kidz" size in Cinnamon Burst flavor)
Peanut Butter
Sugar Free Strawberry Topping (Smuckers) or SF Strawberry Jam
Banana Slices
Unsweetened Coconut

Bake for 10 minutes exactly in a 375 oven on a lightly oiled cookie sheet till crispy and Mmmm.

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the votes. My Mum and I chatted at length last night about the trip. It's going to be lots of fun. I will snap pics of the ENTIRE experience. LOL I can just see the blog entry now... this is the hotel bathroom, here's the mini shampoos, the contents of the mini bar, the inside of the elevator. You'll be wanting to call Progresso and rescind your votes ;)

Oh FYI for fellow coffee addicts: If you bring a reusable mug to any Starbucks (today only) you can get free brewed coffee. I utilize the free wifi at my local Starbucks some days to do my computer work so I will be taking advantage.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Guess What?

Look what I just got in my in-box:

Dear Michelle,
Congratulations! You are a verified Grand Prize Winner!

All your daily clicks and telling a friend or two... or 200 ;) worked! It looks like a trip to NYC & a makeover are in my not too distant future (the trip details are still coming, it'll be next month)

I can't thank you guys enough for making this happen. There really are no adequate words to express the awesome feeling of support I felt from all of you. ♥ Thank you ♥ My Mum and I are super excited. I will blog it all of course and probably bore you to tears with pictures.

♥ Shell

Fantastic Finish

The Progresso Souper You™ contest is over. They have a week to let us know who are the top three vote-getters. So to celebrate the end of the voting I made this looks fancy but scary easy dessert. I wish I could have made one for every one of you guys to thank you for the awesome support you gave me this last couple of weeks. If I am heading to NYC it will be due to all of you. I'll let you know the minute I hear anything.


Shelly's Sicilian Almond Pudding

2 Tablespoons of Bird's Custard Powder
1 3/4 cups Milk
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Almond Torani Syrup (you can use any flavor)
2 Tablespoons Almond Meal/Flour (it's just finely ground Almonds)
2-3 Tablespoons Sliced Almonds

Mix powder into a smooth paste with a little of the milk. Heat the remaining milk to almost boiling and pour onto the custard mixture. Return the mix to the pan, stir and heat till thickened (it will bubble). Remove from heat and mix Sugar Free Syrup and Almond Meal in. I get my Almond Meal at Trader Joe's it has the best price locally but if you have trouble finding it you can make your own. Just grind almonds with one of these groovy gadgets. FYI: Almond Meal = almonds with skins on, Almond Flour = blanched almonds.

Pour into 4 ramekins. I use these. Let cool for a few minutes and top with sliced Almonds. Place in fridge for at least 3 hours to firm.

Top with Sugar Free Land o Lakes Whipped Cream. I eat them right out of the ramekins if its just me but if you want to get fancier for company, run a knife around the edge of the pudding and carefully unmold. Last night I served the puddings with macerated strawberries (just chop 1 cup of strawberries and add 1 Tablespoon of either SF Torani Syrup or if you want to get even fancier instead of the syrup use 1-2 Tablespoons of a liqueur (even us weight loss surgery peeps can't catch a buzz on a Tablespoon or so divided over 4 desserts) like Amaretto (Almond), Grand Marnier (Orange), Fragoli (Strawberry), Chambord (Raspberry) and let it soak into the chopped berries for a half hour or so. Super yummy.

Beautiful day & a Bento

It was a beautiful Saturday. Hit the Farmer's Market as usual. Scored some gorgeous super sweet strawberries, three kinds of onions, garlic, leeks, cauliflower, avocados, cucumbers, and some apples. Stopped at Starbucks for a Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce Soy Latte with an extra shot of espresso. That 2AM earthquake wake-up call was starting to take its toll and I was dragging my toosh. Espresso to the rescue. This was too beautiful a day to miss especially since I hear next week we're going to get some rain again. I dropped my market haul home and took a nice long walk around the neighborhood. Back home again... a little cleaning, gardening and packed up a picnic dinner to take to the park. Fed the ducks, watched the peddle boats, a wedding photo shoot (the bride was beautiful), walked around the lake a few times and ate the yummies packed in my super cool bento box...

Pink Box (top left): Shelly's California Roll Salad (aka Rice-less Sushi)
Orange Box (top right): Steamed Edamame
Blue Box (bottom left): Red, Ripe California Strawberries
Green Box (bottom right): Shelly's Sugar Free Coconut Nest

Now: getting ready to crash on the couch and watch the BBC version of Emma again. Hope everyone is having a BEAUTIFUL weekend too.

Thanks for your votes today & tomorrow. http://www.progressosoup.com/souperyou/ Final 2 days.