November 28, 2012

  • Low Fat Eggnog

    My friend Trent posts daily on his FB about what kind of superhero cup he’s currently drinking his eggnog from.  You’d have to know Trent… he’s very much about superheroes.  It’s kind of a thing with him.  I love my friends’ quirks and hang-ups – I relate to people like that, cuz I have ‘em, too.  Besides, I happen to really like superheroes, too.  It’s a ‘save the world because society sucks and some vigilante action by a superior, gifted being is the only thing that will help at this point’ kind of thing.  Which is why I’m so ALL about Messiah – he’s the only viable superhero I see on the horizon.  But let’s not regress.  It’s not Trent’s superhero thing I’m posting about, it’s his eggnog thing that gets me.

    Because I. LOVE. Eggnog.

    And I happen to be on a fitness challenge.  I won’t call it a ‘diet’.  I’m not dieting.  I eat what I always eat, just no second helpings, and water instead of pop (unless we’re out to eat – I don’t trust their water).  Mostly I’m trying to move my too-easily-sedentary hiney into losing the baby weight that I put on over the last decade of pregnancy/nursing.  I might not be ‘dieting’, but I am trying to watch calories, and… eggnog?  It’s fattening.  No, seriously fattening – as in, 400 calories a cup fattening.  That’s a LOT.

    And I had to razz Trent, because he picked on me about a year ago for drinking my first McDonald’s Caramel Latte/frappe and falling madly in love with the suckers.  He said, “Anna, those are calories in a cup!”  Um, Trent, my man?  SO IS EGGNOG.  ((I love it when I finally get the chance to razz back.  And that opportunity ALWAYS comes… sooner or later.))  Bwahahahahahaha!

    But on another note, all of his posts about ‘drinking delicious, creamy eggnog in a Thor cup this evening’ is making me SO. Dadgum. Jealous!!  Because I want some.  I know – we don’t use the word ‘want’ in my house, but… I really, REALLY have a hankering for eggnog because of my buddy, Trent.  Who is torturing me, and therefore more liability than friend at the moment, but since he knows I say that in good humor, he’ll forgive me.  Eventually.

    Now I am aware that there are low-fat options available.  I have tried more than a few… reasoning that if they’re ‘low fat’, they’re better, and therefore I can have them.  Did you know that the low-fat version is still almost 300 calories?  Sure, that’s about a hundred less, but… yikes!!!  And the fat is WORSE – it’s 20 grams of fat per cup.  You’re allowed FIFTY all day, hello!!  And the low-fat version is 10 grams… that’s still a FIFTH of your daily allowance!  I… can’t afford that.  Besides, eggnog is NOT cheap.  And the cartons are small.  I can buy a gallon of milk for the price of a little cardboard carton of eggnog!

    So I went looking.  It’s all Trent’s fault – I’ll tell ya that, right now.  Wallow in guilt, dude.  ((LoL!!))  Because I have eggs.  I have more eggs than I know what to do with, on an average.  So why can’t I find a lower-fat, lower-calorie eggnog that is homemade and better for me?

    Eggnog the Healthier Way #1
    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/eggnog.html

    • 6 cups 1% milk
    • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, (see Tip)
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2/3 cup sugar
    • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 cup brandy, bourbon or rum
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup light whipping cream
    1. Bring milk and nutmeg to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
    2. Whisk eggs, sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Whisking constantly, gradually add hot milk; return mixture to saucepan.
    3. Cook the eggnog over very low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. (Temperature must reach 160°F; do not let eggnog come to a simmer.) Remove from the heat and pour through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl.
    4. Whisk in brandy (or bourbon or rum) and vanilla. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the eggnog and refrigerate until chilled, for at least 8 hours or overnight.
    5. Just before serving, add cream to eggnog. Ladle into cups and serve garnished with more grated nutmeg.

    Per serving: 142 calories; 4 g fat ( 2 g sat , 1 g mono ); 48 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 0 g fiber; 127 mg sodium; 19 mg potassium.

    http://xb5.xanga.com/168a4a366843370460991/b47377190.jpg

    Eggnog the Healthier Way #2
    http://www.dietbites.com/article1059.html

    • 6 beaten large eggs – and ensure they are fresh
    • 2 cups of reduced fat milk
    • 1/3 cup of Splenda which measures like sugar, cup per cup
    • 2 Tablespoons of light rum OR 1 teaspoon of rum extract
    • 2 Tablespoons of bourbon (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or imitation vanilla
    • ground nutmeg
    1. Mix the eggs, reduced fat milk and Splenda in the pan and cook over medium heat while stirring. When the liquid is done, it will thicken and should cover a spoon with a thin coat.
    2. Remove from the heat; you’ll need to quickly cool the hot liquid. You can accomplish this task using a myriad of methods – such as placing the pan in a large bowl of crushed ice.
    3. Keep stirring the liquid for about 2-3 minutes then add the spirits and the vanilla extract.
    4. Dust with ground nutmeg or stir 1/2 teaspoon into the main recipe but take care not to over-do as too much can ruin the recipe and nutmeg can be toxic when consumed in large doses (generally 1 teaspoon or more can do ill harm).
    5. Top with light, reduced fat whipped cream if you wish – or serve in a beautiful punchbowl for party time and top with the whipped cream.

    This eggnog recipe makes ten generous servings for about 100 calories each

    http://xb5.xanga.com/168a4a366843370460991/b47377190.jpg

    Eggnog the Healthier Way #3
    http://www.dietbites.com/article1059.html

    • 6 cups of skim or reduced fat milk
    • 1 cup of Egg Beaters or comparable product
    • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract 
    • 2 teaspoons of rum extract
    • Ground nutmeg and cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
    • Sweetener to taste (Use the pink stuff, the blue stuff, the yellow stuff AND if you use the real stuff, be sure and measure carefully and remember to count those added calories. Real sugar will blow up anyone except ants when used in high quantities as it contains close to 800 calories per cup. And those tiny spoons of sugar add up quickly in the area of caloric values.
    1. Heat the reduced fat milk, Egg Beaters and sweetener in the microwave on high until thickened, stirring every minute or so. You can also use your stove if you prefer.
    1. Remove from microwave/stove-top and stir in the remaining ingredients. Next, cover the mixture very tightly with plastic wrap and chill. Sprinkle with additional ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon if desired. You can even add a dollop of non fat, sugar free topping for an added treat to the eggnog.

    This recipe for Holiday Egg Nog makes about six – eight ounce servings for about 100 calories each.

    ………………………………………………….

    So many thanks to my friend, Trent.  
                He inspired me to look beyond the carton…
                                   and to drink eggnog a healthier way. 
                                                ((PS: My cup is Superman, cuz he’s my favorite.))

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