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.