Newbies

I usually post everything in seperate posts but since its already so late I'm just going to cram it all into one.  This post is about newbies for me......... a new food find, a new experience and a new recipe.

My first newbie tonight is a new gum I found and maybe some of you have already seen or tried it but I had to have some.  Its called Wrigley's Extra Dessert Delights gum.  There are 3 different varieties.....Strawberry Shortcake.....Key Lime Pie.......Mint Chocolate Chip.  I of course had to try the Mint Chocolate Chip because I love that flavor in ice cream.  Its a sugarfree gum with only 5 calories a stick and I have to say it tasted just like Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream.  I will definitely be trying the other flavors and when I'm having a sweet craving this will help out.  I couldn't find a picture online of the flavor I bought.

My second newbie would be a feeling I experienced tonight that I don't know if I've ever had before.  I was eating my dinner which consisted of frozen lasagna and a slice of garlic bread when I realized just how much I was enjoying each and every bite.  I have always been such a fast eater that I've never really even tasted my food no less enjoyed it.  Tonight I found myself taking small bites and chewing and paying attention to the texture and taste.  I think maybe its because instead of having my plate loaded down with so much food I only had a small piece of lasagna and my piece of bread and I wanted to slow down and enjoy it.  I will be focusing on this more in my future meals, it was a great feeling.

Now for my last newbie.  Tonight I made myself and my kids a banana pudding milkshake.  I followed the same recipe that I used a few nights ago which can be found at this link http://nevertheskinnygirl.blogspot.com/2010/10/lets-shake-it-up-baby.html but I decided to make it a banana pudding milkshake instead of chocolate.  Again I want to thank Charlotte at  http://fathairday.blogspot.com/ for the original recipe and there are so many different flavors I have yet to try.  Here is the recipe I used tonight:

1 cup skim milk

8 ice cubes

2 tbls fat-free sugar-free instant vanilla pudding
2 tbls fat-free cool whip
1 banana diced
9 vanilla wafers, crushed

Place milk, ice cubes, vanilla pudding and cool whip in a blender and blend for 3-4 minutes.  Add in diced banana and pulse to break up, then add in crushed vanilla wafers and pulse once to combine.  Pour into a glass and enjoy or you can place in freezer for 4-5 minutes to thicken and chill.

This milkshake tasted pretty close to banana pudding and would satisfy my sweet tooth if that is what I was craving.  I did manage to take a picture before we ate it all, I tried topping it with 2 banana slices but they sunk before I could snap the shot.

This recipe made 28 oz of shake and I did figure up the nutritional information for the whole recipe.

Calories         415

Fat                 4g

Sodium          866mg

Carbs             83g

Fiber              3g

Sugar             41g

Protein           10g