A recipe for Meringue Kisses, a lighter alternative to those high calorie sweets and treats! Plus the Dine & Dish weekly menu plan.
I was really proud of myself over the Thanksgiving break because even though I was out of town at my brother’s house, I tracked down a Weight Watchers meeting and went to it.
I kind of wish I wouldn’t have now because, friends… I was UP 5.6 pounds this week! Yes. My very first week I was down 5.6 pounds, then down an additional 1.6 pounds week 2 and on week 3 (the meeting after Thanksgiving) I was up 5.6 pounds. It was kind of crazy that I was up the exact same amount I was so excited about losing that first week. Ugh. This is going to be such a long, hard journey, isn’t it?
I know exactly what I did wrong. I only went to the gym 2 days last week and I didn’t track a single bite I put into my mouth. Instead, I ate with wild abandon as one should on Thanksgiving, right? It’s too bad my sister-in-law is such a great cook. I’m going to blame all 5.6 pounds on her 🙂
The great news is it’s a new day and a new week. I went to the gym as soon as we got back into town and plan on tracking like crazy all week. Those two elements are key for me… I can’t be mindless about what I put in my mouth and I must find some way to move my body each day. So today, on this start of the Christmas season, I am very thankful for the ability to hit a reset button and get back on track.
If you suffer from “I can’t be around sweets without eating said sweets” syndrome, I have a great Meringue Kisses recipe for you! Meringue Kisses are like eating sweet little bites of candy land air. They are made from egg whites, sugar, vanilla and cream of tarter. They are one of my favorite indulgences, even though eating a few of them is actually not too bad.
Meringue Kisses are not nearly as calorie laden as a cookie or slice of pie! They are also really easy to make, despite the long cooking time. I wanted to share this recipe with you today because I know that it is the season of sweets and parties… if you take these Meringue Kisses as your contribution, you’ll have something sweet to snack on without the guilt! Enjoy!
(PS – I shared a chocolate dipped version of the Meringues over on the Shari’s Berries blog! Make sure to check that out too!)
The recipe is below, but first I wanted to share with you what is on our menu for the week!
- Monday, December 1st: Brown Rice with Chicken and Broccoli from Whole Foods
- Tuesday, December 2nd: Beef and Bean Torta from Taste of Home
- Wednesday, December 3rd Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Thursday, December 4th Chicken, Black Bean Cilantro Soup from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Friday, December 5th Southwestern Baked Tilapia from Whole Foods
- Saturday, December 6th Roast Chicken in a Slow Cooker from The Little Kitchen
- Sunday, December 7th Slow Cooker Shredded Beef (for Italian Pepper Sandwiches) from Add a Pinch
That’s it for our menu for the week! I’d love to know what you’ll be cooking this week! Leave a link to your recipes in the comments section below!
Meringue Kisses
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 dash salt
Instructions
- Beat egg whites and cream of tarter on high in the bowl of an electric mixer until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy and stiff peaks form. Do not underbeat.
- Beat in vanilla and salt.
- Preheat oven to 200°.
- Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe 1-inch rounds onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 2 hours.
- Once cooked, remove from cookie sheet and set on parchment paper until cool
Yum! But it probably wouldn’t be good if I ate an entire batch of them, would it?? 🙂
I won’t judge 🙂
I love these meringues and I totally know what you mean about having to be diligent with tracking. I ate with wild abandon over Thanksgiving too and today my reset button is getting a huge push! 🙂
We have to celebrate the holidays, right? And you can’t do that without enjoying all of that great food. Heavens knows I didn’t want to be rude 😉
Good for you for stepping on the scale the day after Thanksgiving, girl! I weighed in on Wednesday and won’t be weighing in again until Friday. You are more brave than me!! Keep up the good work!
Thanks… it was brutal. But back at it this week and will knock those pounds away!
These are just adorable! I think we all need to reset and get back on track after Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Lauren. I wish we could have some free pass eating days!
These are the cutest little things ever!! And I totally agree with Lauren, we need to reset so we can get back on track. At least I know I do!! Keep up the good work and kick this weeks booty! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your journey Kristen! Hopefully some of it will just have been bloating from the delicious thanksgiving foods and you’ll be back on track before you know it!
Mmmm 🙂 I love meringues! Usually I just buy them at Trader Joe’s, but it’ll be fun to make them myself!
I admire you for going to a ‘foreign’ weight watchers. You get many points for that. This are really sweet—-yes pun intended. They are actually very elegant looking. Well done.
I love these, so light and airy! YUM!!!
The meringue kisses look fantastic! And I am proud that my soup made it on your menu (and very impressed by anyone who does a weekly menu!)
There meringues look delicious! And don’t be discouraged! Both the loss and the gain were most likely water weight so you’ll be working that back off in no time 🙂