Diet Pudding LOL

I wanted a homemade pudding I could make that was simple as in crockpot style.. For DD who is lactose intolerant well look no more I found it!!! I came across this recipe and had to try it out.. So I grabbed my 1 % milk and some tapioca that I had previous bought for another recipe for this type of pudding that failed badly from the Asian market place which carries lots of things cheaper then supermarkets I can get a big bag of it for under $2.00. So into my 4 quart crockpot went half the recipe so I didn't waste too much milk making this and if it failed I would only toss out some...Cost for me was quart of milk which was on sale $.99 (half used) and maybe for the $.25 of the tapioca cheaper.. So I cooked it for 2 hours stirring it half way thru and at 2 hours it was still very soupy.. But the recipe person stated it would be.. ( I was thinking just great another bowl of wasted stuff)  I let it set for awhile to get to warm added so sugar half a cup..Didn't want overly sweet..put in frig still not thick & let it cool.. I skipped the Egg part I was very worried it would taste eggy that happened w/ the last gross batch I had made!!

This is what I got this AM... Nice Thick Pudding !!! it needs more sugar but I want to try with a few different options so I will test it in a bowls (honey/truvia/vanilla simple syrup/more sugar) and find the one I like best... Guess what I see lots of pudding in my future & I can used 1% or Lactose milk for DD :O) ie I can have this pudding on my Diet plan.....Yielded 4 cups 
Cheaper then store bought 4 little cute cups.Last month Costco had organic tapioca pudding containers same size u get 2 for $7.99 I can see the savings in my future I love pudding...

 

SEMI HOMEMADE FRUIT & YOGURT CUPS

I recently started eating yogurt that comes w/ fruit on the bottom However at $1.50 a container (5.5 oz) it's not in my budget. So had been surfing the net for a recipe to allow me to make fruit bottom yogurt cups from semi-scratch for half the cost...I found this recipe for Fruit Compote and let me tell you super YUMMIE and definitely a keeper recipe I used blueberries this time but next time some blueberries and strawberries... Not the greatest picture but you get my point...One Batch yielded my 6 cups plus leftover blueberry syrup to whip into a smoothie...
Ingredients I used basically heated for 18 mins over medium heat

2 cup of Frozen Blueberries
1 lemon squeezed
3 TBSP Honey
3 TBSP Water

Changes 4 ME

I started in Oct 2012 trying to change ME. I have had lots of help and encourage meant from a little birdie in Cali....Who pushes me and tells me when I am bad and kicks my butt with lots of naught words telling my I screwed up big time but this is what I need do to get back on track...I tend to get off track it's part of my food addiction drama...I am proud of me I have lost 40 pounds as of the end of April..

First I was told to STOP the Soda if you have one 32oz soda it equals a meal 320 calories the same as lunch..

•  I was drinking 2-4 (2liters) or more of soda per day in the summer is was closer to the 4 then to 2.. This was very hard since I was so addicted to soda and water tasted like crap...So I would ice it like crazy just like I did the soda but I found a tea that was (on the go type that used honey) and used some of that  to flavor to add to the water OH it saved me..Now I am a tea water junkie but I drink it like crazy and I have a to go bottle w/ me everywhere I go. I allow myself soda only when I eat out and sometimes I just have tea water..

2nd During this time I started watching what I ate more this has been the hard part.. My little birdie told me if I ate better I would feel better plus loose weight I thought sure??? I didn't believe this could happen so I tried it.

• This meant more WHOLE GRAINS (steel cut oatmeal/ flax seed and whole grain tortillas and brown rice) 
• Cutting out boxes or processed stuff (out when my fave boxes of cereal I am a cereal hoarder) AND FRESH IS BEST!!!
• Cutting out processed lunch meats as well   
• Increasing more veggie daily(not just onion and peppers)
• Less dairy (cheese/sour cream) well if you get fat free and use tiny hand fulls (less the 1/8 of cup) of shredded cheese instead of a cup 
• Steel cut oatmeal for Breakfast VS CEREAL whipped it up in my crockpot in large batches to freeze (fast and quicker this way) w/ brown sugar/flax seed/ dehydrated apples diced into with full (half and half milk) it was awesome due to all the fat in the moo so I recently just last week changed to fat free...I thought I am not going to like it I will notice the fat the YUMMIE part missing and it will taste like crap nope I was very wrong.... 
• Brown Rice VS White Rice.....First I was not a big rice fan but white to me tasted better but really it was the white was cooked right and the brown I had previously tried in resturants was not..I found a quick way to make brown rice in the oven and it turned out I prefer brown rice (cooked right) over white. Double score as it's better for me...I bulk cook this as well and have it on hand in the freezer when need rice.
• Drop the Sauces/Condiments or limit them.. Condiment topping junkie as well. Ranch/Sour Cream/Salsa/ and cheese and the more is better is/was my routine or more like would you like an enchilada w/ your cup of shredded cheese/sour cream and extra sauce? Not any more I now use lots of veggie/ fat free sour cream some cheese/ some shredded chicken and whole wheat tortilla and less sauce.. Guess what I like the taste even better. 

3rd I also started making On the Go Smoothies- I started off really bad  for 2 months at first issue I hated yogurt just the thought of it made me gag but when you had a carnation instant breakfast (lots of sugar in those)  plus fruit like (strawberries and / or peaches) and that yummie full fat half and half the smoothie turned out great served over lots of ICE...  

• First change to this plan to get this smoothie healthier w/ lots of encouragement from my little birdie (what the heck are you doing your dumbie that smoothie is just as bad as a bowl of processed cereal) was to find a meal replacement that had WHEY this bulked it up to help me feel fuller longer ( I use 2 tbsp per 16 oz) I didn't think whey would help trust me don't use more then your told to use it's fills up up... 
• Switched from super sugary junk added yogurt (Read the labels)  to greek yogurt w/ lots more fruit (over a cup) 
• I even learned how to make yogurt I will be getting back into this as well as I can make 4 quarts of plain yummie yogurt for less then the price of one quart...
• Just last week was able to switch to fat free half and half...

4th Menu planning and meal prep it number one key.. I can't do ridged menus so we (DD and I) plan 7 meals and then WE can pick which to have when we do try to have variety 

• Meals planned I am less likely to eat out or grab junk or nibble..
• Pre-Diced or Prepped my food (green onions/ bell peppers pre- diced I know it not healthiest (better to dice as needed) but for me if I do this I skip them so I dice peppers & green onions and store in mason jars in the fridge grab/use as needed...vs skipping them.. 
• Chicken ONLY about 3 months ago from both chicken and turkey (NO Beef/Pork have not in over 12 years) Chicken breast seem to come in packages of say 2-6 breast so when I shop WE pick packages that will give us more Bang for our Buck or in my case multi-meals (6 chicken breasts) can yield me if I just used them as chicken breast (3 meals ) however if I use two for breasts meal and then crockpot the rest into shredded chicken and now that extra meat will go back in to freezer or into the next 2-4 meals and lunches this is smarter shopping/use of chicken... 

• Healthy on the go foods for work (I don't always have access or time to nuke meals) issue Hot Summers in Phoenix where then temps hit in the 118*F this is where my LITTLE BIRDIE REALLY SHOWED SKILLS...He created a summer lunches for me menu plan trust when I first looked at I laughed and thought boy you have lots of time on your hands to really think this out but after I really read it again I was like WOW!!! this is perfect for me yippie!! w/ a few changes as I don't eat some of the foods suggested but it was an awesome idea concept so I had to print it out and I got busy changed it to my needs/likes a master plan was created...I have been using this for almost a month and it really has helped me...
• Example of the idea/concept 
•  Meal 1: Asian chicken lettuce wraps; snack bag 2; fruit cup 4
  Snack bag 2: raw baby carrots, celery sticks, sugar snap peas 
  Fruit cup 4: fresh citrus fruits
  
  More later.....