Diet Skinny Shake Recipe: Buttercup Shake & Crab Cake Recipe

Skinny Shake Recipe & a Free Diet Menu featuring Crab Cakes & Calorie Information

Buttercups glistening in a thick shake that is so diet friendly you just might give it a hug. There is nothing quite like a cake-shake and Buttercups create the crème-of-la-crop when it comes to this cake-shake recipe.

Yes, you really can have your diet-cake-shake and eat it too!

Buttercup Shake, a Skinny Shake Recipe

Serves 4 generously for about 123 calories each

3 cups of ice cold skim or reduced fat milk ( 270 calories)
4-6 ice cubes
1-3 packets of Splenda or Equal if extra sweetness is desired
1 package of Buttercup cupcakes (220 calories per 2 in a pack, icing removed)
1-2 drops of yellow food coloring

Blend all ingredients until thick and frothy. Serve immediately in chilled glasses. Be sure that the cake gets pulverized into tiny drinkable bits. You can certainly leave the icing on the cupcakes if you wish - but that will add over 100 calories total to this skinny shake recipe.

Free Diet Menu: Crab Cake Recipe

Crab cake recipes can be a hit or miss. When they are good, they are fabulous - and when they are bad, they are horrid.

First and foremost, in order to create fabulous crab cakes, the crab needs to be very fresh. The recipe will also be enhanced in both appearance and in flavor if a small round mold is used to form the cakes. This will ensure that they are uniformly cooked, thus the flavor enhancement. A well-rounded, perfectly cooked crab cake will simply taste better than one that is cooked in some areas more than others. That crunchy-mushy thing doesn't excite the taste buds.

Recipe Ingredients: This recipe contains a few more ingredients than we'd like - but as we experimented, we found that each arrived at the recipe with something different to offer:

You will need the following to prepare this recipe:
1 pound of crab meat, large chunk
1/3 cup of minced onion - you can opt for any variety of onion such as sweet white, yellow, purple
1/4 cup of Miracle Whip Light - you can use regular Mayo, but again - the caloric and fat values will increase
2 whole eggs
1 teaspoon of dried dill
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1½ Tablespoons of fresh, finely chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon of finely chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tablespoon of grated lemon peeling plus 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt plus 1/4 teaspoon of cracked pepper
1 cup of Panko breading
Vegetable Oil for Frying

Traditional crab cakes are generally fried in either butter or a mix of vegetable oil and butter. When trying to lose weight, frying should be avoided. Unfortunately, there are those times when a recipe requires a dip in oil. Such is the case with crab cake recipes. They just don't take good when baked. Even those pre-packaged ones at the market have more likely than not taken a quick bath in vegetable oil - and sometimes in lard.

Therefore, use MINIMAL vegetable oil for trying. If you're thinking about mixing reduced fat margarine and substituting it for the butter, it will not work. It barely suffices for pan toast. Most reduced fat margarine contains about 20 calories less than their peers - but those extra 20 calories often mean the difference between a delicious slice of pan toast and a soggy yellow mess. It's a situation where one must 'pick their poison'.

To prepare this recipe, have a plate on hand that is lined with a layer of thick paper towels. This will absorb any oil drippings from the crab cakes and remove a few of the fat calories. Simply mix all of the above ingredients - except the vegetable oil and Panko breading. Use the breading to coat the cakes, and of course - the vegetable oil for frying. Cook until golden on both sides and serve with a light dressing of your choice.

How many calories are in crab? What about crab cakes? Let's see, along with the other vital nutritional data. We'll review the popular Dungeness Crab first, then the Blue Crab, the Queen Crab and last but certainly not least, the Alaskan King Crab. Take note that 'moist heat' refers to steaming.

Nutrition Facts: Dungeness Crab, Raw	Units	100 Grams	3 Ounces	1 Crab	Nutrition Facts: Dungeness Crab; Cooked, Moist Heat	Units	100 Grams	3 Ounces	1 Crab
Energy, Caloric Values	kcal	86	73	140	Energy, Calories	kcal	110	94	140
Protein	g	17.41	14.80	28.38	Protein	g	22.32	18.97	28.35
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.97	0.82	1.58	Total lipid (fat)	g	1.24	1.05	1.57
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	0.74	0.63	1.21	Carbohydrate, by difference	g	0.95	0.81	1.21
Fiber, total dietary	g	0.0	0.0	0.0	Fiber, total dietary	g	0.0	0.0	0.0
Minerals					Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	46	39	75	Calcium, Ca	mg	59	50	75
Iron, Fe	mg	0.37	0.31	0.60	Iron, Fe	mg	0.43	0.37	0.55
Magnesium, Mg	mg	45	38	73	Magnesium, Mg	mg	58	49	74
Phosphorus, P	mg	182	155	297	Phosphorus, P	mg	175	149	222
Potassium, K	mg	354	301	577	Potassium, K	mg	408	347	518
Sodium, Na	mg	295	251	481	Sodium, Na	mg	378	321	480
Zinc, Zn	mg	4.27	3.63	6.96	Zinc, Zn	mg	5.47	4.65	6.95
Vitamins					Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	3.5	3.0	5.7	Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	3.6	3.1	4.6
Thiamin	mg	0.047	0.040	0.077	Thiamin	mg	0.057	0.048	0.072
Riboflavin	mg	0.167	0.142	0.272	Riboflavin	mg	0.203	0.173	0.258
Niacin	mg	3.140	2.669	5.118	Niacin	mg	3.623	3.080	4.601
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.150	0.128	0.244	Vitamin B-6	mg	0.173	0.147	0.220
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	44	37	72	Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	42	36	53
Vitamin B-12	µg	9.00	7.65	14.67	Vitamin B-12	µg	10.38	8.82	13.18
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	27	23	44	Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	31	26	39
Vitamin A, IU	IU	90	76	147	Vitamin A, IU	IU	104	88	132
Lipids					Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.132	0.112	0.215	Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.168	0.143	0.213
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.167	0.142	0.272	total monounsaturated	g	0.214	0.182	0.272
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.317	0.269	0.517	total polyunsaturated	g	0.407	0.346	0.517
Cholesterol	mg	59	50	96	Cholesterol	mg	76	65	97

The delicious Blue Crab contains a skinny 18 calories per crab in its raw state and only 112 calories for one cup of loosely packed crab that has been cooked via steaming.

Nutrition Facts: Blue Crab, Raw	Units	100 Grams	3 Ounces	1 Crab	Nutrition: Blue Crab Cooked, Moist Heat	Units	100 Grams	1 Cup, Flakes & Pieces	1 Cup, Loosely Packed	1 Ounce	3 Ounces
Energy, Caloric Values	kcal	87	74	18	Energy, Calories	kcal	83	98	112	24	71
Protein	g	18.06	15.35	3.79	Protein	g	17.88	21.10	24.14	5.07	15.20
Total lipid (fat)	g	1.08	0.92	0.23	Total lipid (fat)	g	0.74	0.87	1.00	0.21	0.63
Carbohydrate Totals	g	0.04	0.03	0.01	Carbohydrate Totals	g	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Fiber, total dietary	g	0.0	0.0	0.0	Fiber, total dietary	g	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Minerals					Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	89	76	19	Calcium, Ca	mg	91	107	123	26	77
Iron, Fe	mg	0.74	0.63	0.16	Iron, Fe	mg	0.50	0.59	0.68	0.14	0.42
Magnesium, Mg	mg	34	29	7	Magnesium, Mg	mg	36	42	49	10	31
Phosphorus, P	mg	229	195	48	Phosphorus, P	mg	234	276	316	66	199
Potassium, K	mg	329	280	69	Potassium, K	mg	259	306	350	73	220
Sodium, Na	mg	293	249	62	Sodium, Na	mg	395	466	533	112	336
Zinc, Zn	mg	3.54	3.01	0.74	Zinc, Zn	mg	3.81	4.50	5.14	1.08	3.24
Vitamins					Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	3.0	2.6	0.6	Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	3.3	3.9	4.5	0.9	2.8
Thiamin	mg	0.080	0.068	0.017	Thiamin	mg	0.023	0.027	0.031	0.007	0.020
Riboflavin	mg	0.040	0.034	0.008	Riboflavin	mg	0.093	0.110	0.126	0.026	0.079
Niacin	mg	2.700	2.295	0.567	Niacin	mg	2.747	3.241	3.708	0.779	2.335
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.150	0.128	0.032	Vitamin B-6	mg	0.156	0.184	0.211	0.044	0.133
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	44	37	9	Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	51	60	69	14	43
Vitamin B-12	µg	9.00	7.65	1.89	Vitamin B-12	µg	3.33	3.93	4.50	0.94	2.83
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	2	2	0	Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	1	1	1	0	1
Vitamin A, IU	IU	5	4	1	Vitamin A, IU	IU	2	2	3	1	2
Vitamin E	mg	n/a	n/a	n/a	Vitamin E	mg	1.84	2.17	2.48	0.52	1.56
Lipids					Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.222	0.189	0.047	Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.201	0.237	0.271	0.057	0.171
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.192	0.163	0.040	Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.129	0.152	0.174	0.037	0.110
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.387	0.329	0.081	Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.258	0.304	0.348	0.073	0.219
Cholesterol	mg	78	66	16	Cholesterol	mg	97	114	131	27	82

The Alaskan King Crab contains a few more calories per 100 grams than the Blue or Dungeness:

Nutrition Facts: Alaskan King Crab, Raw	Units	100 Grams	1 Leg	3 Ounces	Nutrition Facts: Alaskan King Crab Cooked, Moist Heat	Units	100 Grams	1 Leg	3 Ounces
Energy, Caloric Values	kcal	84	144	71	Energy, Calories	kcal	97	130	82
Protein	g	18.29	31.46	15.55	Protein	g	19.35	25.93	16.45
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.60	1.03	0.51	Total lipid (fat)	g	1.54	2.06	1.31
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	0.00	0.00	0.00	Carbohydrate, by difference	g	0.00	0.00	0.00
Fiber, total dietary	g	0.0	0.0	0.0	Fiber, total dietary	g	0.0	0.0	0.0
Minerals					Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	46	79	39	Calcium, Ca	mg	59	79	50
Iron, Fe	mg	0.59	1.01	0.50	Iron, Fe	mg	0.76	1.02	0.65
Magnesium, Mg	mg	49	84	42	Magnesium, Mg	mg	63	84	54
Phosphorus, P	mg	219	377	186	Phosphorus, P	mg	280	375	238
Potassium, K	mg	204	351	173	Potassium, K	mg	262	351	223
Sodium, Na	mg	836	1438	711	Sodium, Na	mg	1072	1436	911
Zinc, Zn	mg	5.95	10.23	5.06	Zinc, Zn	mg	7.62	10.21	6.48
Vitamins					Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	7.0	12.0	6.0	Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	7.6	10.2	6.5
Thiamin	mg	0.043	0.074	0.037	Thiamin	mg	0.053	0.071	0.045
Riboflavin	mg	0.043	0.074	0.037	Riboflavin	mg	0.055	0.074	0.047
Niacin	mg	1.100	1.892	0.935	Niacin	mg	1.340	1.796	1.139
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.150	0.258	0.128	Vitamin B-6	mg	0.180	0.241	0.153
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	44	76	37	Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	51	68	43
Vitamin B-12	µg	9.00	15.48	7.65	Vitamin B-12	µg	11.50	15.41	9.78
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	7	12	6	Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	9	12	8
Vitamin A, IU	IU	24	41	20	Vitamin A, IU	IU	29	39	25
Lipids					Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.090	0.155	0.076	Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.133	0.178	0.113
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.080	0.138	0.068	Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.185	0.248	0.157
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.130	0.224	0.110	Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.536	0.718	0.456
Cholesterol	mg	42	72	36	Cholesterol	mg	53	71	45

Let's take a look at the nutritional data for Queen Crab to see how it compares to other species of crab.

Nutrition Facts: Queen Crab, Raw	Units	100 Grams	3 Ounces	Nutrition Facts: Queen Crab, Cooked Moist Heat	Units	100 Grams	3 Ounces
Energy, Caloric Values	kcal	90	76	Energy, Caloric Values	kcal	115	98
Protein	g	18.50	15.72	Protein	g	23.72	20.16
Total lipid (fat)	g	1.18	1.00	Total lipid (fat)	g	1.51	1.28
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	0.00	0.00	Carbohydrate, by difference	g	0.00	0.00
Fiber, total dietary	g	0.0	0.0	Fiber, total dietary	g	0.0	0.0
Minerals				Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	26	22	Calcium, Ca	mg	33	28
Iron, Fe	mg	2.50	2.12	Iron, Fe	mg	2.88	2.45
Magnesium, Mg	mg	49	42	Magnesium, Mg	mg	63	54
Phosphorus, P	mg	133	113	Phosphorus, P	mg	128	109
Potassium, K	mg	173	147	Potassium, K	mg	200	170
Sodium, Na	mg	539	458	Sodium, Na	mg	691	587
Zinc, Zn	mg	2.80	2.38	Zinc, Zn	mg	3.59	3.05
Vitamins				Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	7.0	6.0	Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	7.2	6.1
Thiamin	mg	0.080	0.068	Thiamin	mg	0.097	0.082
Riboflavin	mg	0.200	0.170	Riboflavin	mg	0.244	0.207
Niacin	mg	2.500	2.125	Niacin	mg	2.885	2.452
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.150	0.128	Vitamin B-6	mg	0.173	0.147
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	44	37	Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	42	36
Vitamin B-12	µg	9.00	7.65	Vitamin B-12	µg	10.38	8.82
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	45	38	Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	52	44
Vitamin A, IU	IU	150	128	Vitamin A, IU	IU	173	147
Lipids				Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.143	0.122	Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.183	0.156
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.256	0.218	Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.328	0.279
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.422	0.359	Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.540	0.459
Cholesterol	mg	55	47	Cholesterol	mg	71	60

Now let's review the nutritional data for crab cakes. The first table provides the information for crab cakes that are ordered in restaurants as an entree. The second table details information on Blue Crab Cakes. As we can quickly see, even crab cakes that get a dip into the oil are still relatively healthy and remain low in calorie content. This is because crab is naturally low in caloric values. In addition, the dietary fat content is still acceptable for most weight loss plans. For example, a cupcake contains almost triple the total dietary fat of a Blue Crab Cake.

Nutrition Facts: Crab Cake	Units	100 Grams	1 Crab Cake	Nutrition Facts: Blue Crab Cake	Units	100 Grams	1 Crab Cake
Energy, Caloric Values	kcal	266	160	Energy, Caloric Values	kcal	155	93
Protein	g	18.75	11.25	Protein	g	20.21	12.13
Total lipid (fat)	g	17.25	10.35	Total lipid (fat)	g	7.52	4.51
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	8.52	5.11	Carbohydrate, by difference	g	0.48	0.29
Fiber, total dietary	g	0.4	0.2	Fiber, total dietary	g	0.0	0.0
Minerals				Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	337	202	Calcium, Ca	mg	105	63
Iron, Fe	mg	1.86	1.12	Iron, Fe	mg	1.08	0.65
Magnesium, Mg	mg	42	25	Magnesium, Mg	mg	33	20
Phosphorus, P	mg	378	227	Phosphorus, P	mg	213	128
Potassium, K	mg	270	162	Potassium, K	mg	324	194
Sodium, Na	mg	819	491	Sodium, Na	mg	330	198
Zinc, Zn	mg	3.54	2.12	Zinc, Zn	mg	4.09	2.45
Vitamins				Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	0.3	0.2	Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	2.8	1.7
Thiamin	mg	0.092	0.055	Thiamin	mg	0.090	0.054
Riboflavin	mg	0.125	0.075	Riboflavin	mg	0.080	0.048
Niacin	mg	1.943	1.166	Niacin	mg	2.900	1.740
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.249	0.149	Vitamin B-6	mg	0.170	0.102
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	59	35	Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	61	37
Vitamin B-12	µg	7.33	4.40	Vitamin B-12	µg	5.94	3.56
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	155	93	Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	57	34
Vitamin A, IU	IU	522	313	Vitamin A, IU	IU	252	151
Lipids				Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	3.740	2.244	Fatty acids, total saturated	g	1.483	0.890
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	7.180	4.308	Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	2.815	1.689
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	5.130	3.078	Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	2.273	1.364
Cholesterol	mg	137	82	Cholesterol	mg	150	90

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