A New Blog

Are you wanting to lose weight this next year but don’t know exactly where to start?  Are you wishing you had an accountability partner to help you?  Are you interested in some motivation to help you along your journey?  Are you wanting to hear encouragement from other women that are also trying to lose weight?  Then I have a blog for you!

I am starting a new blog – Let’s Lose Weight Together.  My goal for the blog is for it to be a place where you can gain instruction, accountability, motivation, encouragement and hopefully a little fun to help you lose weight.  I would love to have you be a part of this blog!

So please head on over to Let’s Lose Weight Together and put the blog on your follower’s list or subscribe to receive a daily email of the posts!!  I have already entered a few posts to get us started but am looking at really starting to “get with it” come next week!!

Come along and take this journey with us!

Peppermint Brown Sugar Meringues

I was checking in on the blogs that I follow this morning and I came across a post on No Ordinary Moments (one of my favorite blogs written by a homeschooling mother).  The post was about peppermint meringues that she made.  They looked SOOO GOOD!! 

I immediately wondered if there was a way to make these “diet friendly”.  So I went over to another favorite website, Hungry Girl, and looked up a recipe for meringues.  She had a recipe for brown sugar meringues!

So I decided HEY why not combine the two recipes – and that is what I did.  So below is my recipe for peppermint brown sugar meringues.  And if I did my calculations right each cookie is about 45 calories and 1 gram of fat (that’s 1 WW point people!!!)  They are super super yummy!!  Such a fun little holiday treat!!

Ingredients

• 4 large egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 6 oz mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with waxed or parchment paper.
2. With an electric mixer beat the egg whites, salt and peppermint extract on high speed until soft peaks form.
3. Continue mixing on high speed while adding 1/2 cup of the sugar.  Add the remaining sugar 1 tbsp at a time.  Beat for another 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is stiff and shiny.  Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Drop by the spoonful onto the cookie sheets.  Flatten each cookie slightly with the back of a spoon.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Makes about 36 cookies – 1 ww point per cookie!!

Chicken Pot Pie

Before I get to the recipe I just want to say something.  I got on the scales this morning and I am down 32 pounds now!!  WOW!!  I have lost 32 pounds in 4 months!!  If you would have told me 6 months ago that I would be cutting out practically all sugar, as much fat as possible, using ground turkey instead of ground meat, using whole wheat flour, eating whole wheat and high fiber bread, etc…I would have told you were crazy!!!  I have never been real health nut when it comes to food…but I am quickly changing my mind!  I used to think healthy food had no flavor but I was so wrong!!

Not only am I losing weight I feel better than I have in a long time!!  Now all I need to do is add some exercise to this living and I will really be doing well!

I am not on a diet – I have made a LIFEFSTYLE CHANGE!  This is the way I plan on eating from now on!!  I refuse to yo-yo with my weight the rest of my life.  I am determined to keep this weight off!

I hope I didn’t bore you with that story…now to a yummy recipe!!

I love chicken pot pie!!  It is one of my all time favorite comfort foods!!  I decided to give hungry girl’s recipe a try…it is actually very close to the recipe that I have always done.    I made a slight change to the recipe but you still get 1 serving for about 230 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 2 1/2 grams of fiber (that is 4.7 ww points people!!).

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb (8 oz.) raw boneless skinless chicken breast; cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 can (10.75 oz.) Campbell's Condensed Soup, 98% Fat Free Cream of Celery
• 4 servings  (1/2 can) Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls (unprepared)
• season salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute chicken pieces for several minutes in a pan spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, until chicken is light brown/cooked but still tender; set aside.
2. Heat frozen veggies in microwave (I place mine in a covered dish with a couple of tbsp of water).
3. Mix chicken, vegetables and soup together and put in a 9" pie plate sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. (I added a few dashes of season salt to the mixture…I think it adds good flavor…but it is completely optional). Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
4. While dish is cooking, unroll 4 crescent rolls. Hungry girl’s recipe states to take the dough (and she only uses 3 crescent rolls) and combine into a ball and then roll out with a rolling pin.  I thought of something much easier.  Since the dish is to make 4 servings and the crescent rolls are already triangle shaped I decided to just place them on top of the filling in the pie plate.  I had to fold and manipulate the triangles a bit to get it to fit right but it worked out well and this way each serving gets a whole crecent roll! 
5. Put back in the oven and cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serves 4.

Chocolate Lava Cake

Here is a dessert that may look guilty as sin, but at 182 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 1.5 grams of fiber (4 points) per serving, is a guiltless indulgence!!  Thanks to Hungry Girl – she has done it again!!!  I have added some notes to the recipe below that I think may be helpful when you go to make this treat (and trust me – it really is easy to make).

Ingredients:

For Cake

• 1 cup moist-style chocolate cake mix (1/4 of an 18.25-oz. box)
• One 25-calorie packet diet hot cocoa mix
• 1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
• 1 tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
• 2 dashes salt

For Filling

• One-half Jell-O Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding Snack (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. fat-free liquid creamer (like Coffee-mate Fat Free Original)
• 1/2 tsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)

Directions:

1. Place the chocolate chips for the filling in a glass and set aside. Pour the creamer in a microwave-safe bowl with the butter, and heat in the microwave for about 15 seconds, until butter has melted and mixture is very hot. Pour the mixture over the chocolate chips and stir until they have dissolved. Allow to cool for several minutes.
2. Add the pudding to the mixture and stir well. Hungry-Girl said to put the mixture into 4 even mounds on a plate…I used a muffin tin and divided the mixture into 4 of the sections of the muffin tin (it was about 1 tbsp in each section).  I did spray the muffin tin with cooking spray.  Place in the freezer for about 25 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Place chocolate chips for the cake in a tall glass (I used a 2 cup glass measuring cup) along with the contents of the cocoa packet. Add 1/4 cup boiling water and stir until chips and cocoa have dissolved. Add 1/2 cup cold water and stir well. Pour the contents of the glass into a mixing bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients for the cake (cake mix, egg substitute, Splenda, and salt) to the mixing bowl, and whip batter with a whisk or fork for 2 minutes.
5. Once the chocolate mounds in the freezer are a little firm, spray four baking ramekins (each about 4 inches in diameter) with nonstick spray. Evenly spoon the cake batter (which will be a little thin, but don't worry!) into the ramekins. Remove chocolate mounds from the freezer, and place one in the center of each batter-filled ramekin (I removed them from the muffin tin with a spoon very easily). Put the ramekins in the oven and bake for 15 minutes (hungry-girl said 15 minutes but I found I had to bake them for about 20 minutes). Cakes will look shiny when done.
6. Carefully remove each ramekin from the oven. You can eat the cake right out of the ramekin (while the center is still gooey!), but make sure to let it cool a little bit, because the ramekin will be hot. Or you can wait until it has cooled completely and plate the cake by running a knife along the edges and flipping it upside down. (Then just pop it in the microwave for about 15 seconds to heat it back up.) (I dusted them with a dash of powdered sugar) Enjoy!

Southern Oven Fried Chicken

 

Not too long ago someone told me that the only bad thing about healthy cooking is the fact that you can’t cook the yummy southern dishes that a lot of us grew up on!  Well – this recipe will prove them wrong!!  I have made this recipe twice now and it is so very good!!  Believe me when I say the chicken tastes like it has been fried!!  It is so crunchy and so full of flavor!  But at about 5 points a serving – it is ok for your diet :-)

I paired it with some mashed potatoes (went simple this time – just mashed them with a little bit of buttermilk, a small dab of light margarine, salt, pepper, and a dash of garlic powder) and some fried okra (if you be good and mind your portions…it is only about 3 to 4 points a serving!). 

Here is the recipe for the chicken!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fat free buttermilk (or 1/2 cup skim milk mixed with 1 tsp vinegar)
• 1/2 cup cornflakes crushed
• 3 tbsp flour
• salt
• pepper
• 2 lbs chicken parts-skinned (I have used both cut up chicken breasts and thighs (I deboned the thighs))
• 4 tsp canola oil

Directions:

1. In one bowl pour in the buttermilk.  In another bowl combine the cornflakes, flour, salt and pepper (if you would like a little heat in your chicken you could either add a few drops of hot sauce to the buttermilk or a bit of cayenne pepper to the flour mixture).
2. Dip chicken in buttermilk. Dredge chicken in cornflakes, flour, salt and pepper mixture, making sure chicken is coated well.  Place on a baking sheet that is sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Drizzle the chicken pieces with oil. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. Turn chicken and bake 15-20 min more.  Makes 4 servings.

Parmesan Turkey Meatloaf

I am really becoming a lover of ground turkey!  It cooks up very nice and it has a good flavor (make sure when you are shopping for ground turkey though that you make sure you buy the LEAN ground turkey…if you are not careful you can get ground turkey that has just as much fat as ground beef…then you are not doing yourself any good!)

I got this recipe from my Weight Watchers cookbook!  It was very good!!!  There was so much flavor in this meatloaf!  And at 4 points a serving you can’t beat it!!  I paired it with Green Giant Garden Vegetable Medley.  People if you haven’t discovered these easy good sides you really need to give them a try.  This particular one was only 70 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber per serving (that is only 1 WW point!!).  They have many different varieties…we have tried several…and they are full of flavor and very simple to prepare.  All you do is take the bag out of the freezer and put it in the microwave for 8 minutes!!

So this entire meal was only 5 points!!  OMG – you could have 2 pieces of meatloaf and still have a meal under 10 points!

Here is the recipe for the meatloaf:

Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 ¼ lbs ground skinless turkey
• 4 slices whole-wheat bread, made into fine crumbs
• ½ cup fat-free milk
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crumbled
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350o F; spray an 8x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a small non-stick skillet, heat the oil. Sauté the onion until tender, 4-5 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the onion, turkey, bread crumbs, milk, egg white, ketchup, cheese, garlic powder, basil, thyme and pepper; blend well. Shape into a loaf and transfer to the pan. Bake until browned and cooked through, 50-60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Frito Chili Cheese Wrap

Sonic came up with the most wonderful idea a while back – take the yummy comfort junk food – frito pie – and wrap it up in a tortilla – YUM!!  But when you find out that one of those wraps is 674 calories and 38.5 grams of fat (16 ww points) you realize that you might as well just eat a tub of lard!!!

But there is no reason to be depressed!!!  There is a healthy alternative that will give you all of the flavor of Sonic’s wrap but with only a fraction of the calories and fat (in fact one of these buritos is only about 5 ww points)!!  I once again found this at hungry-girl.com!!!  Below is the recipe that I made (I used a couple of her alternatives due to not being able to find items in the store.)

NOTE:  I discovered something about chili when making this recipe!! I bought the Hormel 98% fat free turkey chili for this recipe!  It is suprisingly very good!!  I seriously could not tell the difference between it and “normal” chili!  I was curious how healthy this could be since it did taste so good.  I had a can of Wolf Brand meat chili and I thought I would compare the nutritional value between the two.  1 serving of the Wolf Brand chili has an astounding 400 calories and 27 grams of fat and is 9 ww points!!!  The turkey chili, on the other hand, has 210 calories and only 3 grams of fat and is only 3 ww points!!  Friends – I have found a new chili!  I don’t think I will ever eat that other chili again!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup low-fat turkey or veggie chili (I used Hormel’s 98% fat free turkey chili)
• 1 low carb, high fiber large burito size tortilla (I used the whole wheat tortillas from Target – aim for a tortilla with calorie count between 80 and 110 calories per serving)
• 2 tbsp. shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
• 10 Fritos original corn chips (or 1/2 package of Fritos 100 calorie pack original corn chips)
• Optional: 2 tbsp. diced onion

Directions:

1. Place chili in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and heat for 45 - 60 seconds, until hot. Set aside.
2. Lay tortilla flat on a microwave-safe plate, and warm in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Spoon chili down the center of the tortilla. Cover the chili with cheese, and then top with Fritos. If you like, sprinkle with onion.
3. Wrap tortilla up like a burrito, folding the sides in first, and then rolling it up from the bottom. (Or serve it wrap-style, with one end left open.) Place burrito seam-side down on the plate, and microwave for 30 seconds.

This meal seriously made me so happy!!  I felt like I was having a junk food meal but did not need to feel any guilt for eating it!!  You have got to try it!

Holiday Stuffed Pork Chops

If you will be entertaining this holiday season then you need to try this entree!  Not only is this a very yummy dish, it is also a very beautiful dish!!  And my mom and I decided that the dressing that you make to stuff the pork chops is so good and pretty itself that it would be good to serve as is!!  This was a WINNER at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner this year!!

I got this recipe from the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook.  It did not give nutritional information so I don’t have that information to pass on.   My educated guess would be 5 to 6 points per serving.  (and of course, as usual, my recipe below has a couple of differences from the recipe in the cookbook)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup 98% fat free chicken broth
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground sage
• 1 (4 lb) boneless pork loin roast (about 9 in long)  (or you can substitute 6 (1 1/2 in thick) boneless pork chops)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and celery.  Sauté 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and liquid evaporates. Remove from heat.  Stir in breadcrumbs, cranberries, chicken broth, parsley, salt and sage.  Let stand for 1o minutes.   Transfer to another bowl and wipe skillet clean.
2. Cut pork loin into 6 (1 1/2 in thick) chops.  Cut a 1 1/2 inch slit in one side of each chop, cutting to but not through other side (about 1 1/2 to 2 in), to form a pocket.
3. Spoon breadcrumb mixture evenly into slits in pork. 
4. Cook chops in hot oil in ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until chops are browned.  Cover skillet with lid or aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until thermometer inserted in pork registers 155 degrees.  Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes or until thermometer registers 160 degrees.
5. Note:  I increased this recipe to be able to handle the number of people I needed to serve.  Therefore I did not have a skillet big enough to hold all of the chops so I browned 4 at a time and then transferred to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  I found that I needed to cook them for about 45 minutes as well.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This yummy appetizer tastes just as good as what you would get at the restaurant but is most likely much healthier (each 1/3 cup serving is only about 90 calories and 2 ww points)!  This is another recipe I got from hungry-girl.com!  I am in love with that website!!

Ingredients:

• One 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained very well
• One 14-oz. can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained very well and chopped
• One 8-oz. container fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
• Half an 8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup parmesan-style grated topping, divided
• 3 tbsp. chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. If you want to serve this dish hot, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, and 3 tbsp. of the parmesan-style topping. Add the salt and cayenne pepper, and then stir until smooth.
3. In a pan sprayed with nonstick spray, cook the onions and garlic over medium heat until soft (1 - 2 minutes). Set aside.
4. To the large bowl, add spinach, artichoke hearts, water chestnuts and garlic/shallot mixture. Stir well.
5. If serving dip cold, top with the remaining tbsp. of parm-style topping. If you want to serve the dip hot, transfer to a casserole dish, top with the remaining parm, and then bake for 30 minutes (or until bubbly).

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This recipe lets you enjoy the creamy goodness of mashed potatoes without as many calories and fat!!  The trick – use fat-free buttermilk instead of cream and butter!   I promise that you will not go back to your old recipe after trying these!  And at 2 ww points per serving you can eat a double helping without feeling guilty!!

Ingredients

• 1 medium head garlic, papery skin removed and top sliced off to expose cloves
• 1 1/4 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fat-free buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wrap the garlic head in aluminum foil; bake until the cloves are soft, 45-60 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes; squeeze the pulp from the cloves into a small bowl.
2. in a large pot, combine the potatoes, bay leaf, 1/4 tsp of the salt, and enough cold water to cover; bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.  Drain, reserving the cooking liquid; discard the bay leaf.
3. with a potato masher or an electric mixer at low speed, mash the potatoes with the garlic, buttermilk, and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt; thin with the cooking liquid, if needed.  Makes 4 servings.  Each serving has 135 calories, 0 grams fat and 3 grams fiber and is 2 ww points!

Chicken Taquitos

We love us some Mexican food at our house!!  And these taquitos were so good that Seth had 3 helpings!!!  These were from the hungry-girl recipe for chicken taquitos.

The taquitos are about 2 points each!  I heated up a can of refried beans (a serving is only 1/2 of a point!) and made some mexican rice (my recipe below – 3 points a serving)!  So for the plate serving you see in the picture is 10 points!!! The red is salsa used to dip the tequitos in – which is 1/2 point for 4 tbsp!!!)

Note: The hungry girl recipe used 98% fat-free chunk white chicken canned in water.  I am not a big canned chicken fan (even though it does work in a pinch sometimes).  I used chicken breasts that I cooked in the microwave. My recipe is below.  You can always use the canned chicken…but for the number of servings that I have altered the recipe for you will need 1 1/2 cans of the chicken.

Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:

• 12  yellow corn tortillas
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped up
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix
• Optional: red enchilada sauce, additional salsa, fat-free sour cream, for dipping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and salsa, and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Remove chicken mixture from the fridge, and drain any excess liquid. Add cheese and taco seasoning, and mix to combine. This is your filling. Set aside.
4. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with nonstick spray, and set it aside.
5. Dampen two paper towels, and place tortillas between them. Microwave for about 1 minute, until tortillas are warm and pliable.
6. Take one tortilla (keep the rest between the paper towels), spray both sides lightly with nonstick spray, and lay it flat on a clean dry surface. Spoon about 2 heaping tbsp. of filling onto the tortilla. Spread it evenly across the entire surface, and roll tortilla up tightly, so that you have a cigar-shaped tube. Secure with toothpicks and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
7. Bake for 14 - 16 minutes, until crispy. Allow taquitos to cool for 5 minutes. If you like, dunk in enchilada sauce, salsa, or sour cream! Makes 4 servings of 3 tequitos (6 ww points per serving)

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup salsa

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil over med high heat. 
2. Once the water is boiling put lid on saucepan and decrease heat.  Simmer for 15 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste.  Serves 4.  3 ww points per serving.

Sweet Potatoes with Orange Cinnamon Glaze

This is the first recipe for me to post that is completely mine!  This recipe came about when I discovered during my Thanksgiving cooking that I had more sweet potatoes than I did ingredients for the Sweet Potatoes with Cranberry Orange Glaze.  I decided to come up with a different glaze and it was a success!!  This made a very yummy sweet potato recipe.  I don’t have nutritional information for you on this one…but I imagine it is still under 300 calories per serving.   

Ingredients

• 6  medium peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 pounds)
• 1/2  cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  margarine
• 3/4 of a can of concentrated orange juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Place potatoes with a few tablespoons of water, covered, in a 2-quart casserole dish; microwave at HIGH for 10 minutes or until tender.
2. Combine sugar, margarine, orange juice, cinnamon and salt in a 2-cup glass measure. Microwave at HIGH 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Add to potatoes; toss gently.
3. Microwave at HIGH 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring twice during cooking. Makes 6 servings.

Sweet Potatoes with Cranberry Orange Glaze

If you are wanting a change to over-used sweet potato casserole with all of the sugar and marshmallows then this is the dish for you!!  This makes a very yummy dish and at less than 300 calories per serving you don’t have to feel guilty about eating it!!   

Ingredients

• 6  medium peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 pounds)
• 1/2  cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  margarine
• 2  tablespoons  concentrated orange juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  whole-berry cranberry sauce

Instructions

1. Place potatoes with a few tablespoons of water, covered, in a 2-quart casserole dish; microwave at HIGH for 10 minutes or until tender.
2. Combine sugar, margarine, orange juice, cranberry sauce and salt in a 2-cup glass measure. Microwave at HIGH 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Add to potatoes; toss gently.
3. Microwave at HIGH 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring twice during cooking. Makes 6 servings.

Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinegarette

Here is a good way to dress up your green beans!!  This makes a great dish if you are entertaining!!   At less than 100 calories per serving (1 ww point) you don’t have to feel guilty about eating this yummy dish either.

Ingredients

• 28 oz frozen whole green beans
• 2  bacon slices
• 1/4  cup chopped onions
• 2  tablespoons  brown sugar
• 1/4  cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Cook green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well; set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a small skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Crumble; set aside. Add onions to bacon fat in skillet and sauté until translucent. Remove and let cool.
3. Add sugar and vinegar; stir until sugar dissolves. Add crumbled bacon.
4. Pour vinaigrette over beans, tossing gently to coat.  Makes 8 servings.

Jalapeno Poppers

Sonic and Jack in the Box – eat your heart out!!  Due to the fact that 4 of Sonic’s Cheddar Peppers are 330 calories and 17 grams of fat and 5 of these poppers are a little over 100 calories and only 1 gram of fat – I think I will choose these!!  They are really good!!  :-)

Ingredients:

• 10 whole, fresh jalapenos
• 1/2 cup fat-free cream cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal
• 1/2 cup Egg Beaters, Original
• Optional: salt, pepper and/or garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve the jalapenos lengthwise, and remove the seeds, stems, and membranes (wear gloves if you can!  I did not and I have blisters on my fingers!!).
2. Wash halves and dry them very well; set aside.
3. Next, stir to combine cream cheese and cheese shreds. If desired, season cheese mixture with salt, pepper, and/or garlic powder.
4. Using a blender, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. If you like, season crumbs with salt, pepper, and/or garlic powder.
5. Place crumbs in one small dish and Egg Beaters in another.
6. Stuff each pepper half with cheese mixture. Next, carefully coat both sides of each pepper half with Egg Beaters, and then with Fiber One crumbs.
7. Place peppers on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray, and place in oven. Cook for 25 minutes (for very spicy poppers) to 30 minutes (medium-hot poppers). Makes 20 poppers.

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

This no-bake cheesecake was very good!  In fact I am making this dessert again tomorrow for Thanksgiving with my family.  It is very easy to make and it is very good!  Now it is not as point friendly as the pumpkin pie but at less than 250 calories per slice  (about 5 WW points) it is still better than any “non-diet” cheesecake recipe :-).   And you have to be able to splurge a little bit every now and then…right?  (of course if you are really wanting to be good you could use the fat free cream cheese instead of the 1/3 less fat cream cheese!)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (I used fresh but you can use canned)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, unpacked
• 8 oz fat free cool whip topping (you can get sugar free as well if you desire)
• 9 inch reduced fat Graham Cracker Crust

Directions

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar for a few minutes until fluffy. Add Cool Whip and whip until smooth. Spoon mixture into pie crust and chill for a few hours, until firm.  Cut into 8 slices and serve!

Pumpkin Pie

Get Ready!  Over the next few days you will see quite a few recipes show up!!  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday.  We kept it healthy and I think everyone enjoyed it!  We are headed to my parents today and we will do another healthy meal tomorrow!  I love being able to enjoy this holiday without having to worry about extra pounds being gained!

This pumpkin pie recipe is SOOO GOOD!!  OMG!  You would never know that it is only about 113 calories per slice (1 WW point!!!)  This is once again another recipe from hungry-girl.com!  YUM! YUM!  The only change I made in the recipe was I used fresh pumpkin that my brother-in-law roasted instead of using canned pumpkin…but canned pumpkin would work great too!

Ingredients:

For Crust

• 2 cups Fiber One bran cereal (original)
• 1/4 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread
• 3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

For Filling

• One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
• One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
• 3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
• 1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup
• 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine butter with 2 tbsp. water. Microwave until just melted, and set aside. In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter mixture and crumbs with remaining ingredients for crust. Stir until mixed well.
4. Spray an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish lightly with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute crust mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust. The filling may be taller than the crust -- trust us, this is okay!
6. Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes. Allow pie to cool slightly. Refrigerate for several hours (overnight is best). Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
7. Cut into 8 slices and, if you like, top with Reddi-wip or Cool Whip before serving!

Pumpkin Banana Bread with Pumpkin Cream Cheese

The holiday baking is in full swing!!  This morning I made some Pumpkin Banana Bread with pumpkin cream cheese to take to my parents on Friday!!  This bread turned out SOO GOOD that I ended up making another loaf for breakfast tomorrow here!!

Pumpkin Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• Pam baking spray
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with baking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg, egg white, bananas, pumpkin and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
4. Add flour mixture and nuts, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake on the center rack for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let the pan cool at least 20 minutes, bread should be room temperature before slicing.
7. Slice into 12 slices, one slice per serving.  Each slice is approx 3 WW points!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

(note: this recipe makes A LOT!!  You can easily half this recipe.)

Ingredients

• 8 oz fat free cream cheese
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp honey

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and beat until smooth.  Makes twelve 1 oz servings.  Each serving is approximately 1 WW point!!

FUDGE!!

The holiday baking has begun!!!  I am assisting in the dinner for my husband’s family on Thursday and I am doing the entire meal for my family at my parents house on Saturday!

Today I started baking goodies.  I found recipes for peanut butter fudge and rocky road fudge on the hungry-girl website!  At first I hesitated when I saw the ingredients but decided to give it a try and I am so glad I did!!  This is very good fudge!!  And you can eat it and not feel guilty about it!!   The servings are small but they are only 1 point each and TEUST ME they are so incredibly rich you are going to only want one serving!!

I am planning on taking these to my parents for our weekend Thanksgiving celebration.  We are going to enjoy these with our peppermint mochas and caramel hot cocoas on Friday night!!  YUMMY!!  (both drinks are from the hungry-girl website as well – if you click on the peppermint mocha link it will take you to my posting about that recipe…I should have up a post about the caramel hot cocoa by early next week!)

Here are the recipes (once again these are straight from the hungry-gril website!)

Rocky Road Fudge

Ingredients:

• 1 box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies Mix (the 18.3-oz. Family Size box)
• 2 cups canned pure pumpkin
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly crushed
• 2 tbsp. Hershey's Lite chocolate syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine brownie mix, pumpkin, and chocolate syrup in a large bowl, and stir until completely mixed and smooth. (Batter will be thick!) Spray a mid-sized baking pan (8" X 8" works best) with nonstick spray and pour in the mixture. Smooth the top of the batter with a spatula.
3. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, and evenly distribute mini marshmallows across the top of the batter. Sprinkle almonds over the marshmallows. Using a spatula, press down on the marshmallow-nut layer to help it adhere to the batter.
4. Return pan to the oven, and bake for 10 additional minutes. Remove pan from the oven, and let cool slightly. Refrigerate, uncovered, for several hours, until completely chilled. (Important! Do not cover pan while initially chilling it in the fridge.) Cut into 36 squares and serve!  MAKES 36 SERVINGS

 

Peanut Butter Fudge

(note:  I could not find the peanut butter stated in the recipe so I used reduced fat peanut butter)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups canned pure pumpkin
• 1 box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies Mix (the 18.3-oz. Family Size box)
• 2 tbsp. low fat peanut butter, room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Combine pumpkin with the brownie mix in a large bowl; stir until smooth (do not add anything else).
3. Spray a small baking pan (8" X 8" work best - no larger!) with nonstick cooking spray and pour in the mixture. 
4. Spoon 2 tbsp. of Better ‘n Peanut Butter (room temperature) on top and use a knife to swirl peanut butter around.
5. Cook for approximately 35 minutes.  The batter will remain very thick and fudgy, and it should look undercooked.  Remove from oven. 
6. Cover with aluminum foil and let cool in fridge for a couple of hours.  Cut into 36 squares and serve.

Blueberry Muffins

 

For breakfast this morning I thought I would try a new blueberry muffin recipe from my Weight Watchers cookbook!  This was a yummy, healthy recipe.  I will tell you up front that the muffin is not the sweetest of muffins, but with the burst of flavor from the blueberries it worked fine for me.  If you like your muffins sweeter you can try and add a bit more sugar.  Of course it will skew your point value a bit if you are doing the WW points.  When you follow the recipe these muffins are 2 points a muffin!

Berry Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1 large egg
• 4 tsp unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries or rasberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees; spray a 12-cup muffin tin wi.th nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Gently stir in the berries. In a small bowl, combine the milk, egg, and butter.  Pour over the flour mixture, stirring until just blended (do not overmix).
3. Spoon the batter into the cups, filling each about two-thirds full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean and the muffins are golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool in the pan or on a rack 5 minutes; remove from the pan and serve hot.

(each muffin contains 91 cal and 2 grams of fat and is 2 points)

Honey Wheat Crescent Rolls

 

Today was the first of three times I will be making these DELICIOUS rolls!!  I made a double batch of them today for a Sunday School get together we are having at our house tonight.  I will then be making them again for our Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws on Thursday, and again for our Thanksgiving dinner (that I am preparing) at my parents next weekend!

And let me tell you after making these today I can’t wait to make them again two more times!  This is a super easy recipe to put together.  I have a food processor, which it calls for.  I  bet though it would work just as well with a stand mixer or even electric mixer.  The dough comes together so easy!

They smell divine cooking and they taste like heaven!!  And the best part – they are VERY healthy for you!!  One roll is 103 calories, 0 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber – calculated to be only 2 WW Points!!!!

So why don’t you make yourself a batch?!?!  I promise you will not regret it!

I got the recipe from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook.

Honey Wheat Crescent Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm (105-115 F) water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1. In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine the water and honey; sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and salt. With the machine running, pour the yeast mixture through the feed tube; pulse until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until smooth.
3. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray and put the dough in the bowl. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 35 minutes.
4. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Punch down the dough. Sprinkle a work surface lightly with flour. Turn the dough onto the surface; cut in half. Roll each half into a 10-inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Roll each wedge, from the wide side, and form into a crescent. Place, pointed-end down, on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, arranging the rolls 1 inch apart. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until they double in size, about 35 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the rolls until they are golden brown and sound hollow when lightly tapped, about 15 minutes. Remove the rolls from the baking sheet and cool on a rack.
   Makes 12 rolls.

Peppermint Mocha

OMG!!  I am falling in love with Hungry-Girl.com!!  She has so many cool recipes!!  She has a couple of copy-cat Starbucks recipes that I have tagged to try at my parents next weekend for Thanksgiving (I am doing the Thanksgiving dinner there on Saturday so look out in a couple of weeks for a bunch of recipes to be posted!!!). 

Anyways I thought this morning that I might just better try out on of those drink recipes to make sure they are worthy of taking!  After trying the peppermint mocha this morning I really don’t know if there will be any ingredients left to take down there!!  It truly was AMAZING!!  (by the time I took the picture though my crushed peppermint pieces had already fallen down into the drink!)

And I bet you are learning by now that I always seem to make a couple of adjustments in the recipes.  Her recipe called for 2 packets of Splenda but I thought I would taste the drink before I put them in and discovered that they were not needed!  I seriously think they would have made it TOO sweet!  I also found that you didn’t need as much peppermint extract as she stated (she stated 1/4 tsp).  So the recipe with my adjustments is below!!

OH – and this makes a tall 12 oz drink and is only 2 weight watcher points!!  You can easily 1/2 it for a 6 oz, 1 point drink!!

Ingredients:
2 packets Swiss Miss Diet hot cocoa mix
1 tsp. instant coffee
2 tsp. Coffee-mate Sugar Free French Vanilla powdered creamer 
a drop of  peppermint extract (up to 1/4 tsp depending on taste preference) 
1/3 peppermint candy cane (standard size), crushed
2 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-wip
Directions:
Empty contents of cocoa packets into a tall mug or glass. Add instant coffee and powdered creamer. Slowly pour in 12 ounces of hot water, stirring until cocoa and creamer have completely dissolved. Stir in the peppermint extractr. If your drink is extra-hot, let it cool for a minute or so. Top your drink off with the Reddi-wip, and then sprinkle the crushed candy cane pieces over the whipped topping. Gorgeous!!! MAKES 1 SERVING

Homemade Pop Tarts

(sorry for no picture…my picture didn’t turn out due to my son messing with my camera settings and me not realizing it!!  But TRUST ME I will be making these again so I will get a picture posted soon!)

I promise you these belong on a healthy recipe blog!!  But you would never know that from their taste!!

A friend of mine on Facebook posted a picture of homemade pop tarts that she made and my mouth instantly started watering! My first thought was there was no way these could be healthy!  Then I stopped and though – WHY NOT!!!

So I started doing some research and with the help of several different recipes online I came up with my own recipe for Diet Friendly Homemade Pop Tarts!!!  At 3.5 points each you can afford to eat two  (and for those of you who don’t know that’s about 1/2 the points of one of Kellog’s pop tarts)!!

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tbsp cold vegetable shortening
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 3-3 1/2 tbsp ice water
• your favorite fruit jam
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• fat free milk

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  With a pastry blender or two knives cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  Stir in the vinegar and then the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to form.  Press the dough together and shape into a disk.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
3. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll out to a rectangle that would be the thickness you would use for a pie.
4. Cut the dough into 16 rectangles.  On 8 of the rectangles spread 1 tsp of jam in the center of the rectangle and then top with one of the other 8 rectangles. Crimp edges.
5. Bake the pop tarts until slightly brown, about 12-15 minutes.
6. If you would like to make a glaze mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar with enough fat free milk to thin.   Once the pop tart has cooled drizzle with glaze.
7. These will keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.
8. To toast: 2 minutes if refrigerated or 4 minutes if frozen.

Santa Fe Chicken and Chocolate Chimichangas

You really can’t get any easier than a crock pot meal and this one was a definite winner!!  Since it is so easy to prepare I was able to take the time to prepare a YUMMY new dessert!!!!

Santa Fe Chicken

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
• (2) 10 oz cans rotel diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste
• 8 servings cooked rice

Directions:

1. Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.
2. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
3. About 30 minutes or so before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning.
4. Serve over rice.  Serves 8.  7 points per serving!

Chocolate Mousse Crepes, aka Chocolate Chimichangas

(sorry – my picture didn’t turn out…didn’t realize until way after that one of the boys had messed with the settings on my camera and that is why I couldn’t get the picture to turn out right!!)

This dessert was AWESOME!! I got this recipe off of  the Hungry Girl website! (great website by the way!  You have to try it out! )  Her recipe called for ready to use 9 inch crepes or any 50-calorie dessert crepes.  I didn’t have any ready made crepes so I made my own.

I changed the name to Chocolate Chimichangas because they look like little chimichangas.  Plus, changing the name made them go well with my Mexican supper :-)

• 8 crepes (click here for recipe) or any 9 inch 50 calorie ready to use crepes
• 4 Jell-O Sugar Free Reduced Calorie Pudding Snack;  Chocolate Vanilla
• 2 cups Cool Whip Free

Directions:

1. Fold Cool Whip into pudding and stir until blended.  Into the center of each crepe , spoon 1/8 of pudding mixture.  Fold crepes envelope-style, ensuring that there is nowhere for mixture to seep out.  Place crepes in freezer for at least 1 hour.  (note: I did this the day before)
2. Spray a skillet with nonstick spray and set on medium heat.  Beginning with the thinner crepe side down, heat for 1 minute.  Carefully turn crepe and heat for an additional minute or two.  Crepes will be slightly browned ‘n toasty on outside but cool ‘n creamy on the inside!  Makes 8 Servings.  Each crepe is about 110 calories making it only 2 points!!!  (the Hungry Girl recipes said for you to half each crepe therefore giving you a 1 point serving…but I figured, hey what’s 1 more point!!)

A Quick and Healthy Breakfast

I am not a breakfast eater…never have been.  But I am learning that a major part to a successful diet is breakfast.  You have got to start your day off right!  Your body needs the energy to keep you going…and you will be less likely to eat everything but the kitchen sink come lunch time!!  :-)

I have found a quick, easy and yummy breakfast that  I thought I would share. 

This stuff rocks!!!  At 160 calories, 2 grams of fat and 10 grams of fiber it is perfect to get you going!!  (note: I follow the original points system that allows a 10 gram cap of fiber on single servings which makes this only 1 POINT!!!!  If you follow the 4 fiber gram cap rules then the point value would be 3)

And I have found a way to make it a bit sweeter…you may think I am weird but I like it and you need to give it a try!  I have found if you mix in a tbsp of your favorite fruit preserves it will give it that sweet jelly taste and not be but 1 point more (I used strawberry preserves this morning and 1 tbsp was 45 calories, 0 fat and 0 fiber).

This yummy recipe works for me!!

Make sure you tune in either at the end of the day today or tomorrow (depends on my time) for a yummy crock pot recipe and a dessert recipe that looks sinful, tastes sinful but is only 1 measly point!!! 

Broccoli and Cheese Quiche

I am a LOVER of quiche, but my husband isn’t so much!  But, he is at a dinner meeting tonight!  :-)  Lucky for me!!  I found a new quiche recipe to try!!  I was originally going to do a spinach quiche (my favorite) but realized I had no spinach :-( but I found this one!  I made some adjustments (the recipe below has my adjustments!)  It was AMAZING!!!  The boys ate it up as well!

And the crust was probably one of the best crusts I have had!!  It is the basic pie crust from my weight watchers cookbook and it can be used for practically any pie.  It is so easy to prepare…from now on no more store bought pie crusts for me!!

For Crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tbsp cold vegetable shortening
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 3-3 1/2 tbsp ice water

For quiche filling:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup red onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cups low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup original egg beaters 
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp table salt, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or more to taste
• 10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well-drained

To make Crust:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  With a pastry blender or two knives cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  Stir in the vinegar and then the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to form.  Press the dough together and shape into a disk.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. On a floured surface roll out the dough to a 12-13 inch circle; fit into a 9 inch pie pan, pressing to fit and crimping the edges to form a rim.  Freeze 20 minutes.  Prick the bottom with a fork.

While crust is in the freezer prepare the filling.

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion to a large bowl and add cottage cheese, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, egg beaters, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well and fold in broccoli. Spoon mixture into prepared crust and level surface with a wooden spoon; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Bake until a knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving, 5 points per serving!!

And since I was sooo good on my points today when Daniel comes home tonight, after the kids go to bed we get to enjoy a dessert! 

This ice cream is has 120 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber in every 1/2 cup serving.  That means it is only 2 points per serving!!!  You can enjoy your ice cream without ruining your diet!!  So go ahead!  Go treat yourself!!

Chicken Quesadillas with Corn Salad

Daniel has a dinner meeting tonight so I thought I would do lunch for us to eat as a family!  This was a super easy lunch!!  We all felt like we had gone to a restaurant for lunch!!  And we got full but have nothing to feel guilty about!

Ingredients for Quesadillas

• 2 chicken breasts cooked and diced
• 3/4 cup thick-and-chunky salsa
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, Shredded
• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Ingredients for corn Salad

• 1 cup thawed frozen corn kernals
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• optional: 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, combine the salad ingredients; set aside.
2. Mix chicken and the salsa in a bowl.  Divide the chicken mixture among 4 of the tortillas.  Sprinkle with the cheese; top with the remaining 4 tortillas
3. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray.  Cook the quesadillas until lightly browned, about 3 minutes on each side; turn carefully with a wide spatula.
4. Cut the quesadillas into quarters and arrange on plate.  Top with the corn salad and a dollop of fat free sour cream.
   WW POINTS per serving: 8
   

Breakfast Crepes

I am trying to start a Saturday tradition of cooking breakfast for my family.  Yes I know that I should be doing this every day but with my husband’s varying work schedule and the way our mornings run it is just not working yet…I would like to eventually get to that point…but for right now I am at least trying to do Saturday breakfasts!

(note: during the week the boys usually enjoy cereal or oatmeal, sometimes muffins and fruit.  Lately I have been on a kick for wheat toast with a little bit of fruit preserves (if you stick to the serving size the calories actually are not that bad!!).  I also love Quaker’s high fiber oatmeal!)

This last Saturday morning I decided to try my first stab at crepes!  I found a low fat , low calorie, low point recipe that I thought looked yummy!  After getting past the first two crepes falling apart on me the recipe was a yummy success!! 

here is the recipe -

Crepes

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups 1% milk

2 large egg whites

1 whole egg

1 tsp oil

Butter flavored spray

Powdered sugar

In a medium bowl whisk flour, milk, eggs and oil until smooth using a wire whisk. Heat a large nonstick pan on medium=low to medium flame. When hot, spray with buttered flavored spray to coat bottom of skillet. Pour about 1/3 cup crepe mixture into pan, swirling pan slightly to make crepe thin and smooth. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until bottom of crepe is light golden brown. Flip (crepe will be easy to flip if ready); cook for about a minute longer or until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining buttered flavored spray and crepe mixture.  Makes 10 to 12 crepes.

There are many ways you can serve the crepes.  Since I was serving them for breakfast I put a little bit of fat free cream cheese, a dab of raspberry preserves and blueberries in the center and folded each edge over then sprinkled with powdered sugar.  If you would like more of a dessert crepe you could put fresh berries and fat free whipped cream in the center.

Your WW points are about 2 points per crepe!

Enjoy!

Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Oven Fries

I have been thinking about starting this blog for a while now.  I am having more and more people ask me for recipes of foods I cook, especially since I started my diet.  When I saw how delicious these burgers looked and how crispy these fries really were coming out of the oven I instantly thought to take a picture of it and then take the time today to set up the blog!

I hope that you enjoy these recipes. 

Cheddar Turkey Burgers

*This was adapted from the WW Monterey Jack Turkey burgers.  I didn’t have any monterey jack cheese but found it works well with cheddar cheese as well!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 med chopped onion
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs ketchup
1/4 tsp each of black pepper and garlic powder
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese                                                                 4 strips of turkey bacon

Mix all that up and make into 4 patties.  Grill on tabletop grill 6 to 7 minutes on each side until turkey is fully cooked.  You can put the bacon strips on the grill when you turn the burgers or cook them in the microwave.

I served these on the Orowheat Sandwich Thins (these are a new favorite in our house!  The entire bun is only 100 calories and is super yummy and high fiber which is a Weight Watchers PLUS!!

Since I changed the recipe from monterey jack cheese to cheddar cheese I can’t give the nutritional information.  If monterey jack cheese is used for the recipe the WW points is 3 points per patty.  With the cheddar cheese as far as I know you are about at the same points.   A burger like we had on the sandwich thin with 1 strip of bacon, tomato slice and a tad of light mayo was about 6 points.

Oven “Fries” – WW

Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch strips

1/2 teaspoon sugar    

4 teaspoons oil   

1 teaspoon paprika             

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a non-stick baking sheet w/ non-stick cooking spray.

In a lg. bowl, combine potatoes, 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and all of sugar w/ cold water to cover. Soak 15 min, drain and blot dry.

In another lg. bowl, toss potatoes w/ oil and paprika. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake, turning potatoes over as they brown, until cooked through and crisp. (Could take anywhere from 25-45 min., depending on how you cut your potatoes and your oven. My fries only took about 25 minute I checked on my potatoes and turned them about every 5 minute or so. You will see them browning and hear them sizzling.) Sprinkle w/ the remaining 1/2 teaspoons of salt.

Per serving (1/4 of potatoes): 159 Cal, 5 g Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 0 mg Chol, 442 mg Sod, 28 g Carb, 3 g Fib, 2 g Prot, 7 mg Calc.  WW Points – 3  (taken from the New Complete Weight Watchers Cookbook)

If you have any comments on these recipes or the blog in general please feel free to leave a comment.