Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse

Another OMG YUM! dessert. I'm starting to think that there's no such thing as a bad dessert for my taste buds. But what makes this one even better is that it is super low calorie (113 cals/slice - not including the chocolate shavings) and has many potential options for greater yumification.

Be sure to thaw for about half an hour before trying to cut or serve.

Ingredients

• 1 container fat free whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed & divided
• 1 1-oz package Jell-o sugar free, fat free chocolate fudge pudding
• 1 1-oz package Jell-o sugar free, fat free cheesecake flavored pudding
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk

Newport, RI

The Inn at Castle Hill, Newport, RI

We recently attended a wedding in Newport, RI just as the town was awakening in preparation for the busy tourist season which gets it's official start Memorial Day weekend. With a large group of rowdy South Floridians it's impossible not to have fun, but it also cuts out a lot of the sightseeing. I look forward to going back again for a real visit as we hardly had the chance to scratch the surface of everything to do and see here.

Dinning

• Annie's - 176 Bellevue Ave: great hole in the wall breakfast spot if you want something quick. Bring some cash as it is cash only.
• Benjamin's - 254 Thames St, make your way to the 2nd floor: this ended up being our go to spot for breakfast during our visit as well as watering hole one of the nights. Decent food and most impressively, three cocktails in highball glasses will cost you $16, a steal for us South Floridians!
• 22 Bowen's - Bowen's Warf: It's hard to accommodate a group of nearly 20 people, but Bowen's handled us impressively well and there was not one person at our table who did not rave about their meal. I had the grilled yellowfin tuna (the tuna steaks here are huge!) with sweet red chili glaze, pan fried singapore noodles & fried lotus chips with a side of the truffled lobster mac 'n cheese, yum!

[Indian] Vegetarian Tikka Masala

After a disappointing attempt at tikka masala a few weeks ago, I decided to try again this time pulling from numerous recipes. This adaptation came out so well I swear I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week straight. This can be made with any kind of protein or meat substitute you prefer, even paneer which is extremely easy to make at home (I will post a recipe soon).

Tikka masala with homemade naan bread

Vegetarian Tikka Masala

Marinade

• 1 package Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets (cut into bite sized cubes), or 1 bag Quorn Chik'n Pieces, thawed [sub real chicken breast for a non-vegetarian dish]
• 2 Tbsp plain, nonfat greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground red cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp fresh minced ginger

Sunday Dinner: Tomato & Cheese Pie with Bean & Corn Chowder

I swear my bf thinks I'm a nut but I can't help myself. I love holidays, special occasions and festivals and everything themed that goes along with them. I was completely unprepared for Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby this year but who says you can't celebrate after the fact? And pardon me for bragging but I did call the winning horse so even more reason to make a feast. The menu: Bean & Corn Chowder, Tomato & Cheese Pie and a Coconut Ambrosia Salad for dessert. The Tomato & Cheese pie was the biggest hit, but I really liked all three. I would normally make a lot healthier, lower cal versions of these, but I went with what was on hand and we made this our lunch/dinner for the day.

Bean & Corn Chowder

A dairy free "chowder" that's very healthy and excellent as leftovers!

Servings: 8

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 3 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4" pieces
• 1 large celery rib, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4" pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large can pink beans, drained and rinsed (Rinsing canned beans reduces the sodium content by up to 40%)
• 2 packages frozen corn
• 2 cups water
• 32-oz. container vegetable broth (approx. 4 cups)
• 2 tsp no-calorie sweetener
• 1 1/2 tsp seafood seasoning such as Old Bay
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, if desired

Sloppy Joe "Meat" Loaf & Eggplant Fries

I would put this into the "fail" category. While it definitely did not taste terrible and it was in fact a very healthy meal, it just didn't have anything special to it. I may even try these again, just with some more experimentation. I'm only including a brief description of the recipe for future reference on what can be improved upon.

Eggplant Fries: (just like the zucchini fries only the zucchini were better) Dunk cut eggplant pieces into egg whites and then into a mixture of bread crumbs and Italian seasoning to coat well. Bake at 450 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden, turning once during baking. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Sloppy Joe "Meat" Loaf: Gimme Lean sausage style, zucchini, onion, egg whites, quick oats, garlic, salt and sloppy joe sauce (+cooking spray). Mix together and top with some reserved sloppy joe sauce. Baked at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until hot.
Nutrition facts per serving (makes 8): 113 cals, 16g carbs, 2g fat, 9g protein.

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Ice Cream"

One of my favorite combinations is peanut butter and chocolate. We make this one at our apartment at least once a week and they almost never make it through the night.

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Ice Cream"

• 1 Tbsp peanut butter 
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, we use SEI Pharmaceuticals Max Chocolate Protein Powder
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 medium ripe banana 
• 1-2 packets stevia 
• 4 oz. water 

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. 
2. Pour into 4 small cups (or any small container such as ice cube trays, popsicle trays,  muffin tins, etc.) and stick in the freezer for a couple hours until near solid. (If left to freeze too long it will become too hard to eat without first thawing)
3. Enjoy with a spoon!

Nutrition facts per serving (makes 4): 83 calories, 9g carbs, 3g fat, 7g protein

*Note: the type of protein powder you use is going to have the biggest impact on the nutrition facts. The SEI powder is one of many lower calorie options & very good in my opinion but find one that you enjoy and will actually use.

Source:  Another adaptation from a post on the MyFitnessPal forums