It's My Birthday and I'll Eat If I Want To.....

As my birthday drew closer I had in my head that I wouldn't worry too much about what I ate, after all, it was my day! I did have some yummy cake on Friday that my friend got especially for me! It was good but I found myself holding back and not eating as much as I would have a few months ago. Then came today, I got on the scale this AM and was so excited that I lost 3 pounds this week!! So, then I decided that pigging out just because it was my birthday was just not a good idea. I had my normal shake for breakfast and then had lunch at the in laws. We had ribs (I had 4 small), 1 small scoop of mashed potatoes, lots of carrots and asparagus, and salad. My mother in law had made a HUGE chocolate cake for father in law (it was his bday too) and I restrained myself. I picked a little bit from little guy's plate next to me but did not have my own slice. Hooray! I am so proud of myself and excited that I think I can still safely get on the scale in the morning. Birthdays aren't about food anyway. Sure cake is a huge symbol of most birthdays but I happy that for me, this year, it's about more. It's about a new year, a healthier year, a year in which I make myself a priority.

You're going to think it's crazy

I found a really yummy recipe but if you are anything like me you are going to read it and think it sounds crazy. I was skeptical, very much so. While browsing Hungry Girl I saw mention of making brownies or cake with diet soda. I couldn't find the recipe anywhere on that site so I Googled it and found many variations. Off to the store I went.

Here it is people;
1 brownie mix
1 can of diet soda (we had diet Dr. Pepper on hand)

Mix and bake according to directions on box.

The batter was fizzy and the end product looked funny but they are delicious!!! I am totally impressed. Substituting the diet soda for eggs and oil eliminates most of the naughtiness associated with brownies and they still taste great!! I made a square pan of brownies and cut it into 16 small squares. Each brownie has 125 calories and .625 grams of fat!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!

There are many variations to this recipe. You can use any cake mix as well and various flavors of soda will give great flavor combos. A great frosting trick I read was to use fat free Cool Whip and Sugar Free Fat Free pudding mix for a tasty topping.

Dessert!! Hooray!!