Eek

So this weekend was a particularly hard one for me and the diet. I did as well as I could but did partake in some off diet eating:

• On Friday we went to Toronto where I behaved all day long (and did a ton of walking) but then had two cookies for dessert.
• On Saturday we spent the day in Peterborough and I did a bit of walking around, not too much though, and had a piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie. To make matters worse it wasn't even good.
• On Sunday I decided I needed an afternoon off. I had been struggling all weekend and I determined it was because I needed some kind of reward. We were at a family picnic in Guelph so I had some chips. I managed to get a fair bit of protein in though as we had turkey breast sandwiches for lunch (or at least I did) and tuna/egg salad sandwich (open-faced for me) for dinner.

Because of the above indulgences, the scale is not happy with me this week. I am back on track today and will be going to the gym tonight and playing baseball a couple times this week as well. I have hopes that the scale will be more pleasant with me later in the week.

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Tasty Tuesday: Nanaimo Bars

I know, I know - it is another treat and not a healthy meal or alternative, but I did a great deal of unhealthy baking over the holidays for friends and family (and of course Dave and I) and I haven't had the time lately to photograph any of the regular meals I have been making. At least it is something really yummy.

Ingredients:

6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided

3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. butter, softened, divided

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Crumbs

1 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 Tbsp. BIRD'S Custard Powder

3 Tbsp. milk

2 cups icing sugar

Directions:

Melt 2 chocolate squares as directed on package; pour into medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup butter; stir until melted. Blend in egg and vanilla. Stir in graham crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press onto bottom of 9-inch square pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Mix custard powder and milk with whisk in separate medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the remaining butter; beat until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition. Spread onto crust. Refrigerate 15 min.

Microwave remaining chocolate and butter in microwaveable bowl on MEDIUM 2 to 3 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Spread over custard layer. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled before cutting into bars.

Tips: You may have noticed that in the above photos, the pan I used to make the nanaimo bars was lined with tinfoil. This made it far easier to cut the bars once they had chilled. Just pull out the tinfoil, peel it away from the sides of the bars, and cut away. I then placed them in a tupperware container and kept them in the fridge when not serving to guests.

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Tasty Tuesday: Apple/Pear Cream Cheese Pie

Though by the sounds of this recipe, you would think it was a special treat, unhealthy kind of recipe - but in reality it isn't nearly as bad as the alternatives. This recipe has been adapted to use light foods and as little margarine/butter as possible.

First things first, the ingredients.- pre-made, frozen pie crusts. The Deep Dish kind work the best as the pie is a crumble top sort and therefore you can make two of them with one box of shells.
- light cream cheese (1 package)
- white sugar (1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, 1/4 cup)
- apples (at least 6)
- pears (about 3)
- brown sugar (1/4 cup, 1/4 cup)
- cinnamon (to taste)
- quick cooking oats (1 1/3 cup)
- flour (3-4 Tbsp)
- margarine (1/4 cup)

Take the pie crusts out of the package so that they can defrost.
Put the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl and mix them together until creamy and smooth (best done with an electric hand mixer).
Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly in the two pie shells and using a spatula, spread it along the bottom of the crust.Peel and core the pears and apples and chop into small pieces. Place them in a large mixing bowl and add the 1/4 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and cinnamon (to taste). Mix this until the fruit is evenly covered.
Place half of the mixture over each of the pies, ensuring not to 'stir up' the cream cheese layer too much.
Place the oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar and 3-4 Tbsp flour in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Melt the margarine/butter in the microwave then add to the oat mixture and mix until a crumb is formed.
Divide evenly over the pies and press into place.Cook in an oven preheated to 300 Celsius for 30-45 minutes or until pie crust and crumble top are browned. Allow pie to cool and then serve. Note: This pie is best served cold. A few hours in the fridge will take it from great to amazing!

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