Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil or applesauce
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
•  
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a small baking pan- I used the Pampered Chef medium bar pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 3 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Without the frosting the total points is about 21 points if you use applesauce.  So for about 12 servings, it is around 1 1/2 points, probably 2 if you add the chocolate chips.  If you use oil it 34 total points so almost 3 points a serving.....so use applesauce =)

The frosting is around 13 points, so if you frost your brownies, add another point per serving.

I love this because it is a yummy alternative to something we all love- nice, warm, fudgy brownies!!  This is especially great for those that have egg allergies.  It's a great way to use up that zucchini that is overflowing your garden.  As you can see...they're already getting chowed down and they just finished cooking.  But that's the best time, when they're still warm and gooey.  Enjoy!!!!

White Chicken Chili

The other day it was a cold, rainy day.  What better thing to have on a day like that then chili?  I have been wanting to try a while chili for awhile so I made this one.  I loved it!!

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken

1 (15 oz.) can great northern beans

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans

1 (15 oz.) can corn

1 (1 1/4 oz.) package taco seasoning

1 (4 1/2 oz/) can chopped green chilies

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of chicken soup (98% fat-free)

1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream(fat free)

chopped green onions-Optional

shredded cheddar cheese-Optional

Place chicken in the crock pot. Drain the beans and corn. Add to crock pot.

In a separate bowl combine the taco seasoning, chilies, soup and broth.  Stir to mix together and pour over chicken.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Just before serving break up the chicken and stir in the 1/2 cup sour cream.

I had to add a little bit of cornstarch, but I love my chili thick.

This was so good!  I made a loaf of french bread and it was perfect with this =)

If you don't want to have it cook in the crock pot, you can make this by cooking the chicken before hand and letting it simmer all together on the stove for about 30 minutes, but I recommend the crock pot for this one =)

The total point value for this is 45 but it serves a lot.  I made about 4 bowls for dinner and froze the rest and it filled a gallon size freezer bag.  I would say it will serve around 8 good sized bowls, so that is 5.5 points a bowl.  If you don't want french bread, toast up some Sara Lee's Delightful bread for only 1 point for 2 slices.

Pesto Chicken Tortellini

I got this recipe from a recipe blog that I follow:

http://onecrazycookie.blogspot.com/

Check them out for some super yummy recipes!!!

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup sliced mushrooms (or more)

1/2 cup diced onions

1 small zucchini, sliced and quartered

1/2 cup ham, pepperoni, bacon or sausage (Optional)

2 cups cooked chicken, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

1/2 cup olives, sliced

1/2 cup pesto- maybe 3/4 cup if you like lots of sauce

3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing 

Optional: shredded Mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese

1 package frozen Tortellini, cooked according to package directions and drained- I used cheese tortellini

Heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add onion, mushrooms and zucchini. Saute a few minutes on medium heat until onion becomes transparent and veggies are cooked.

Stir in chicken (or other meat if desired) and heat for just a few minutes. Add tortellini, tomatoes, olives, pesto and vinaigrette dressing. Stir to combine.

If desired garnish with a little shredded Mozzarella cheese or Parmesan.

You could use any type pasta and the veggies your family likes. This is a very versatile recipe.

Enjoy!! I also think it would be great served cold.

Most of the points come from the pasta.  The total point value for this would be about 26, add a few if you use the cheese, or if you use other meats.  I'm not sure the point value of the pesto sauce since it depends on what sauce you use, but I calculated mine at about 3 points (I didn't use nuts)  This will serve at least 5 for a big serving, but if you do it as a side dish, it would serve a lot.  So the overall points would be around 5ish points per serving.  Not too bad.  Plus, this is a very low fat dish and stocked full of veggies!  You could lower the point value by taking out the chicken and then it would be around 21ish.

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Chicken lime tacos

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 10 (6 inch) flour tortillas (or use whole wheat tortillas)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese(can use reduced fat of any kind of cheese if you like)
• 1/4 cup salsa

Directions

1. Saute chicken in a medium saucepan over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and oregano. Simmer for an extra 10 minutes.
2. Heat an iron skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan, warm, and turn over to heat the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with tomato, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

These were super yummy!  My hubby really loved these too!  My daughter, who is a picky eater and won't eat anything spicy, wouldn't eat the chicken part.  These aren't spice thought, I just think she didn't like the oregano and the tart flavor.  I thought they were awesome!  Yet another nice healthy dinner that doesn't require a lot of cooking.  I think the total calorie per serving of one tortilla is about 200, but would be less with whole wheat tortillas and reduced fat cheese.

Turkey Wraps

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese with chives (I used fat-free and added my own chives)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 6 (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce
• 12 slices thinly sliced deli turkey
• 3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese(or any kind of cheese works if you want to get the reduced fat kind)
• 1 large tomato, seeded and diced-optional
• 1 large avocado, sliced-optional
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can use turkey bacon to cut down on the fat, or just not use bacon)
• 
  
• Directions

1. Mix together the cream cheese and Dijon mustard until smooth. Spread each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture, spreading to within 1/4 inch of the edge of the tortillas.
2. Arrange about 1/4 cup of shredded lettuce on each tortilla, and press the lettuce down into the cream cheese mixture. Place 2 turkey slices per tortilla over the lettuce, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of shredded Swiss cheese. Top each tortilla evenly with tomato, avocado slices, and crumbled bacon.
3. Roll each tortilla up tightly, and cut in half across the middle with a slightly diagonal cut.

I loved these!!  These will definitely be something I make more often.  Even my hubby who shuns anything healthy enjoyed them =)  Another variation is to make it a lettuce wrap.  Instead of tortillas, use big pieces of lettuce, put everything on it, and enjoy!  Either way, it is a nice healthy lunch/snack.  These are also great warmed up a bit to melt the cheese.  Also, you can cut them into little pieces and use them as a healthy appetizer.

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

One of my favorite foods in the world is banana bread with chocolate chips so I wanted to do some muffins for breakfast.  Yum!

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 c. sugar

1 egg

2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. applesauce

3 bananas, mashed

1 tsp baking soda

chocolate chips (optional)

preheat oven 325 degrees.  generously spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

Combine all the ingredients and spoon into muffin tins.  fill about 3/4 full. 
Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

My batch yielded 12 muffins and then 4 mini-loaves.  I calculated the total point value of recipe to be about 38.  I think the mini-loaves are equivalent to about 2 muffins so each muffin would about 2 points and the mini-loaves about 4 points each.  These turned out really good.  My kids loved them for breakfast (and so did I, I  already ate 2 1/2 muffins)  If you don't add the chocolate chips I would add 1/4 more of brown sugar and a little more cinnamon.  Feel free to add whatever you want: coconut, walnuts, pecans, almonds, white chocoalte chips, raisens, etc.
One other great thing about these, is that they freeze really well!  So you don't have to eat it all in one day.  Eat a few and throw the rest in the freezer.  Next time I am going to make a bunch of mini-muffins for a nice little snack for the kids in the afternoon.

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Strawberry oatmeal muffins

1cup all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

 1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup yogurt

1tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup strawberries (chopped)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, mix flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, olive oil and sugar. Mix in strawberries. Stir strawberry mixture into oat mixture just until evenly moist. Spoon into prepared muffin cups.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
 
The whole recipe made 12 regular size muffins and then 12 mini muffins.  I calculated the point value to be 28 points for the whole recipe, but I used whole milk so if you use fat-free it would be a bit less.  Overall, it wasn't too bad, but needs a tad more flavor.  I think I will add more cinnamon and use brown sugar instead of white.  Another variation is to use whole wheat flour instead of white.  I think I will also add some almond extract as well.  My muffins were a little mushy.  I don't think I cooked them long enough and when I cut my strawberries they were till frozen so that added a little more moisture.  Next time I'll make sure they are thawed all the way.  Also, I think they taste better as mini-muffins, rather than big ones.   But this is a nice healthy breakfast =)

Apple Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1cup chopped apple (granny smith work best, but use tart apples that don't go mushy)
 4 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese (reduced fat if you can find it)
 2 tablespoon Italian-style dried bread crumbs (or use plain and add your own seasonings)
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 c. chicken broth (I used one bouillon cube with the 1/2 c. water for stronger flavor)
seasonings to taste (i used onion powder, garlic powder, dash cumin, oregano, Italian seasonings, Parmesan cheese)

1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions

Combine apple, cheese, and bread crumbs and seasonings. Set aside.

Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Divide apple mixture between chicken breasts, and roll up each breast. Secure with toothpicks (you might need at least 6 or 7 for each)

Melt butter or margarine in a 7 inch skillet over medium heat. Brown stuffed chicken breasts. Add Broth. Cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; stir into juices in pan. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour gravy over chicken, and garnish with parsley. Serve.
 
Serve with mashed potatoes and used the gravy for the potatoes.
 
Each chicken roll-up is about 150 calories, depending on the cheese you use and how much.  Plus with the potatoes and some veggies this meal wouldn't be too many calories, as long as you don't put a bunch of junk on the potatoes and keep them simple.
 
When I first saw the recipe I was a bit iffy....apples and chicken don't really go together for me. But I thought I'd give it a whirl. You can't really taste the apple too much. I admit, I took a taste of the apple/cheese mixture and oddly enough, the apples and cheese don't taste too bad together  I think I am going to try the apple mixture on some crescents and do a roll-up type food.  I'll let you know how that one goes.  Overall, this was very good!!  I will defiantly be making this again.  I wonder how other fruits would hold up with it?

Shepherd's Pie

This is one of my family's favorite foods! 

1lb ground beef-cooked
6 potatoes- diced, cooked, mashed (add however much milk, butter, and seasonings you'd like to whatever taste you prefer)
2 cups whatever frozen veggies you like  (or more if you like lots of veggies)
1 small can mushrooms
8 oz. chedder cheese- either shredded or sliced thin.
beef gravy (see recipe below)
2 9-inch round pans

Grease one pan and place tinfoil or plastic wrap in the other.  Spray the foil or wrap with non-stick spray.
Brown the beef.  Add the mushrooms and saute.  Add gravy to meat. Put half the meat mixure in each pan.  put 1 cup veggies meat in each pan.  Divide mashed potatoes in half and put over veggies in each pan.  Put half the cheese over the potatoes in each pan. 
Place one pan in the freezer.  Once it is frozen, remove from pan and wrap in tinfoil and label.
Bake the other at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, until cheese is all melted.

Homemade Pizza Pockets and Cinnamon stix

Pizza is one of my favorite foods, but the pizza you get from the pizza stores is so greasy so I like to make my own.  I decided to try my own pizza pockets today too.  I made some a few months back and they weren't that great, but then I found this awesome recipe for pizza dough.  I love it!!

Honey Pizza Dough

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1 cup water (105-115 degrees)

3 c. flour

4 tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

Combine water and yeast and set aside till starts to be frothy.  Mix flour, salt, oil, honey and yeast mixture.  Knead until forms a ball.  Put in greased bowl and let rise until doubled, about an hour.

Meanwhile, got pizza ingredients together.

Your choice of spaghetti or pizza sauce, about 10 oz. shredded cheese, and whatever pizza toppings you prefer.

Once dough has risen roll dough out to about 1/8 in thickness.  This is easiest done if dough divided into 4 sections.  Cut dough into an even amount of circles. I use my Pampered Chef Cut-n-Seal, but you can use a small bowl or whatever size you would like.  Place half the circles on a greased baking sheet.  Put about 1 tbsp sauce in each and then put a small bit of toppings and cheese.  Cover with other half of circles and seal around the edges.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 13-15 minutes or until tops are slightly browned, depending on size of circles.

I made about 18, slightly smaller than a cd.  You can keep combining and rolling out the dough until you get the amount you want.  Try different fillings like bbq chicken, alfredo instead of spaghetti, or whatever else you feel like.

This dough is great for regular pizza too.  Just divide in 4, roll each out to about 8 or 9 inch circle.  Place sauce and toppings and bake for about 13-15 minutes at 350 degrees.  If you don't want to use all the dough, it freezes great.  For best results, roll out flat and freeze.

Cinnamon Stix

With remaining pizza dough, or with a new batch, roll out to about an 8 inch circle, spread with butter.  Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Make your own condensed soups!

Do you ever run out of your canned soups?  Well, here's the solution:  make your own!  Here is a website that I found that has the recipe for them.  I am so excited to try these out!  It seems like the canned stuff is too salty so this will be great!  I haven't tried them yet, but I will in the next week or two.

http://www.utahshoppingsecrets.com/2010/06/recipe-homemade-condensed-soups.html

Homemade Animal Crackers-Regular

Since my chocolate ones turned out pretty good I wanted to try the regular flavored ones.  And guess what?!  I actually like these better than the chocolate ones!  Which is very surprising because I am a chocoholic.

Classic Animal Crackers


Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Of Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal
4 Tablespoons Of Honey
3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 Tablespoons Of Liquid Buttermilk (I only used about 2 tbsp.)
1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Of Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup Butter

Preparation Instructions:
To begin this classic animal crackers recipe, you should first preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, or 200 degrees Celsius. Next take out a blender or food processor, add in the oatmeal, then grind it until it's reduced to a fine powder. Next take out a large mixing bowl, and then add in the ground oatmeal, baking soda, and table salt. Sift this initial batch of ingredients together. Moving along, next cut your butter into pieces that are roughly pea size. You can now pour in the buttermilk and honey, vigorously stirring the mixture until a firm animal cracker dough has formed. Next up, clean and flour a flat surface, then roll out your animal cracker dough to an eighth of an inch thick. At this point you can take out your animal cracker cookie cutters, and make a variety of different shaped pieces. Place your finished crackers on to a greased baking sheet, then slide it into the oven to bake for 5 to 7  minutes, or until the animal crackers turn a light brown color. Once the crackers are done, let them cool down on wire wracks.

I think this dough would also make a great graham cracker type crust.  Just roll it out and put it in the pie pan and bake for about 10 minutes.  I may try that on my next cheesecake adventure.

As far as nutrition info....it is about the same as the chocolate crackers since the cocoa doesn't add any points or anything.  These are great crackers!  I may even share with the kids, if they behave =).

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Homemade chocolate animal crackers

I have been craving animal crackers lately so I decided to find a recipe and make my own. 

Chocolate Animal Crackers
Ingredients:
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3/4 Cup Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Soda
1/2 Cup Oatmeal
6 Tablespoons Honey
1/2 Almond Extract
3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 Tablespoons Buttermilk (to make your own it is 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice per 1 cup of milk) may not need it all
1/4 Cup Softened Butter
Preparation Instructions:

 Pour the oatmeal into a food processor or blender and pulse it until the oats are near a powder consistency. Next add the ground oats to a large mixing bowl along with the table salt, and then sift them together. Next add in the cocoa powder, white flour, baking soda, honey, almond extract, vanilla extract, buttermilk (just a little at a time), and salted butter. Stir the contents together until a firm animal cracker dough takes shape. If you find that the dough is too dry, then simply add in more buttermilk. You are also more than welcome to either increase or decrease the cocoa powder proportion, it depends on your own taste preference. Moving forward, now that your dough is done, place it in into the refrigerator to chill for one hour (or a little less if you're impatient, it just make sit easier to roll). Once the dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured surface to an eighth inch thickness. Using flour dipped animal cracker cutters, or play-doh cutters, create a variety of different cracker shapes. Place the cut out crackers on to a greased cookie sheet. You will want to bake the chocolate animal crackers at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for roughly ten minutes. Once baked, be sure and let the animal crackers cool on wire wracks.
These are great with frosting on them too, but that ups the calorie count. These are a nice snack dipped in milk too!
As far as the Weight Watcher point value is about 25 pts. for the whole recipe!!  Depending on the size of cookie you make will determine the serving size for you.  I made ab out 50 cookies of the size in the picture, and then about 50 more little cookies about the size of quarters (plus a few cookie's worth of dough that I ate =) ).  Not too bad.  It's a pretty yummy snack!  I especially love the taste of the cocoa and almond extract.

When I made mine, I had to add a little more flour because I used all the buttermilk, so only add as much buttermilk as you need to make it manageable to roll.  If it is a little sticky, that's okay.  It firms up when it is in the fridge.

Here is the link to a website that has tons of animal cracker recipes:  http://www.animalcrackers.net/

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Coconut Bread

I love banana breads, zucchini breads and similar things so I thought this sounded really good.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease and flour a 9" x 5" loaf pan.  I used 4 small mini-loaf pans since I like to freeze them for later or give them away.

2 and 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup and 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar (original recipe lists caster sugar; I just used granulated)
2 cups sweetened or unsweetened flaked coconut
2 eggs
1 and 1/4 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup butter, melted (I used light to make it a bit healthier)
In a large mixing bowl (don't use a mixer), whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and coconut
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture.
Stir just until combined and a few streak of flour remain.
Add in the melted butter and stir just until smooth. Don't over mix.
Pour into loaf pan.  Bake for about 60 minutes (my loaves took maybe 50 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  With my mini-loaves it took about 40 minutes but just keep an eye out.
 
This was super yummy!!  Next time I make this I want to try it with almond extract instead of vanilla.
 
If I calculated the points right the whole thing is 63 points (half of it is from the coconut)  When I divided it into my four loaves that made each loaf about 15 points.  I usually cut them into about 8 slices so about 2 pts. a slice. So all in all about the same as if you were to eat most cookies. =)

Homemade Crescent rolls

Ingredients
4 1/2  tsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
 1/2 cup shortening
4 cups bread flour
 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions
with a bread maker:
Put liquid ingredients in bread maker, then add dry ingredients.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and add yeast, make sure it doesn't come in contact with liquids.  Then put your bread maker on dough cycle.  When that is finished, remove dough from machine.
 Punch down dough. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Spread with butter. Cut into 10 to 15 wedge. Roll up the wedges starting with the wide end. Place rolls with point under on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour).




Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 12-15 minute or until golden brown. Brush tops with butter when they come out.


or without a bread maker:
Dissolve yeast in warm water.
Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape dough from side of bowl. Knead dough, then cover it and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1-1/2 hours).

Punch down dough. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Spread with butter. Cut into 10 to 15 wedge. Roll up the wedges starting with the wide end. Place rolls with point under on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour).
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 12-15 minute or until golden brown. Brush tops with butter when they come out.

I was a bit iffy to try them out but these were super yummy!!  I make mini pigs-in-a-blanket with these rolls and they turned out  yummy.  They are a little thicker than the store bought canned stuff, but I loved them!!  I think these are going to be replacing the ones I usually buy at the store.

The total point value for this recipe is around 68 pts.  When I made mine it made about 24 rolls, I made them smaller.  So each roll is a little under 3 pts. each.

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Chicken Stir-Fry

4 chicken breast halves-cut into slices
2 tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
3 tbs. cornstarch
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 pkg frozen stir-fry vegetables (or any veggies you like)
1 tbs. sesame seed oil

Mix cornstarch and 1 cup broth in a bowl and set aside.
Stir-fry chicken strips in oil until done.  Remove from pan.  Mix soy sauce, ginger, 1 cup broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder. Place in skillet.  Add the vegetables and cook until starts to boil.  Add cornstarch mixture and stir until it starts to thicken.  Add chicken.  Serve over rice.

This was pretty good.  I served it over brown rice and thought it was delish!  You can do a lot with this recipe.  It would be great with beef or pork too!  You can add more seasonings if you'd like.  It just depends on how strong a flavor you like.

Black Bean Brownies

I love these (hence the reason half the brownies are gone and I just made them this morning)!!  I had some black bean brownies awhile ago and I wasn't too keen on them, I think it was the person who made tham didn't know how to cook right.  I found this recipe and decided to give it a whirl since I have tons of cans of black beans sitting in my cupboard. 

1 can black beans, drained
3 eggs
3 tbs oil
1/3 c. cocoa + 1 tbs
pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. sugar + 2 tbs
1 tsp. baking soda
 chocolate chips (optional)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 8-in pan with cooking spray.  Puree the beans in either a food processor or use a potato masher.  combines beans, oil, cocoa, vanilla, sugar, soda until smooth.  gradually mix in eggs. add chocolate chips if desired
pour into pan.  let bake for about 30-40 minutes, until center comes out clean when poked with knife or toothpick. sprinkle chocolate chips over top an dlet melt (if desired)

These have a dark chocolate taste to them so I love it!!  You can't even taste the beans.  Because of the soda they have a cake-like texture.  Plus, since beans are used and not a whole lot of oil these are a much healtheir alternative.  I'm not sure on the point value but I think it is around 1 point per serving, and it has 16 servings.  Enjoy!!!

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I love this one!!  So does my family.  My husband told me it tasted almost like Marie Calendar's.  Huge compliment since he loves those!  I have been toying around with homemade pot pie recipes for awhile now and so far, this is the best one!  I got the recipe from http://www.freezerdinner.com/.

Chicken Pot Pie
Yield: 2 pot pies (6 to 8 servings each)
4 cups cubed cooked chicken (ham, shredded beef or turkey)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups sliced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1½ cups milk
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
pastry for two double-crust 9-inch pies (you can buy the ready made crust or make your own, I make my own, I'll put the recipe at the bottom.

Boil potatoes and carrots in a large stockpot. In another pot, boil cubed chicken for 8 minutes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer vegetables for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain vegetables and chicken and set aside.
In a large skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme, and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes, and carrots. Remove from heat.

Line two 9-inch pie plates with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and style the edges. Bake one pot pie at 425ºF for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.
To serve frozen pie: Cover edges of frozen piecrust with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425ºF for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for 70 to 80 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown.

For the veggies, you can use a bag of mixed frozen veggies and have whatever kind your family prefers.  Alos, if you simmer the chicken in some chicken broth, it gives it a yummy flavor!

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Buttery Pie crust


Yield: four 9-inch pie crusts

5 1/3 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup shortening
1 1/3 cups (2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons) butter, cubed
1 cup ice water

Mix together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the shortening and cubed butter cut it in until it's flaky. Add the ice-cold water a few tablespoons at a time. Mix until it begins to clump together. Stop and feel the dough; it should be just moist enough that it can clump together. If necessary, add more water by teaspoonfuls. The dough should not form a ball; it should remain flaky.

With floured hands, divide it into 4 wedges. Shape each wedge into a disk shape, wrap each plastic and place all four disks in a large zip-top freezer bag, label it “Pie crust, 400ºF, 35-40 minutes,” and freeze.

To Serve

Remove one (or two, if making a double crust) pie-dough disk from the freezer and warm in the microwave until pliable. (20-30 seconds). Roll dough out using a sheet of plastic wrap on top and bottom to keep it from sticking to the counter or roller. Peel off one layer of the plastic wrap and place the dough in a 9-inch pie pan. Then peal off the top layer of plastic wrap. If you are adding a top crust, place the filling in and add the crust on top. Make 2 or 3 slits in the top and pinch the dough around the edges using your thumb and two fingers (from the other hand) to give it a finished look. Bake on the bottom wrack at 400ºF for 35-40 minutes.

If your recipe calls for a pre-baked crust, preheat the oven to 400ºF and prick the dough all over with a fork. Line the crust with foil and place a cup of dry rice or beans (or use pie weights) in the foil to weigh it down. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove crust from the oven, cool for a few minutes, and carefully remove the foil and rice, beans, or weights. Reduce the heat to 350ºF and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool completely before filling.

Print Pie Crust Recipe

Revamping

I am going to be redoing a few things on my site.  I'm not going to include only Weight Watcher recipes, but all kinds. I am lately getting on a bread making kick and freezer meal kick.  Which I guess are healthy ways too.  Homemade bread doesn't have all the preservatives and whatnot in it.  We just bought a deep freeze so I have been trying to make some meals that I can freeze for later, which will save us some money in the long run.  Freezing your own meals is a healthier alternative to fast food and pizza on the nights you don't feel like cooking.  I also got a big new crock pot for Mother's Day so I'm going to include some yummy crock pot recipes too.  I will try to put the point values on what I can, but not everything will have, but I guarantee that everything I put on here will be yummy!!!

Orange Chicken

I got this yummy recipe from my friend Jen (http://jensyummycreations.blogspot.com/):

(I also got the picture from her website since I forgot to take one.  Mine looked the same except had the different colored peppers)

2 chicken breasts, cubed.

3/4 c. apricot preserves

1/4 c. Catalina dressing (Fat free or light)

1/2 onion soup mix

1 can pineapple tidbits (save 1/2 juice for cooking veggies)

red, yellow, orange, or green peppers, about 1 cup chopped

1/2 med. sweet onion chopped

Directions:

Saute pineapple, onion, and green pepper in juice of pineapple for about 6 minutes. Add onion soup, preserves, and dressing. Mix. Take off heat and mix in chicken. Cook "concoction" in a 9x9 pan at 350 for 30ish minutes, or until chicken is cooked.

Serve over rice and with a side of lo mein (that recipe coming soon as as I can get it the way I want it)

It is about 5 pts. for a 4oz piece of chicken (if SF dressing is used).  My hubby even liked it and he doesn't like "diet" food.  THis is definately something I will make more

Crockpot Chicken Tetrazzini

4 chicken breast halves- cut into strips
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup apple juice
1 onion- chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 small can mushrooms
2 tbsp parley
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
8 oz spaghetti- break into 2 inch pieces- cooked
3/4 cup fat-free Parmesan cheese- I used the Kraft stuff, not the fresh.


In a slow cooker, combine chicken, broth, apple juice, onion, salt, thyme, pepper, and parsley. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours. Turn control to high. Add mushrooms. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water; stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 20 minutes. Stir in spaghetti and half the cheese. Cover and heat on high 5-10 minutes. Spoon into serving dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

 
 
The total point value for this dish is approximately 20.  Not too shabby.  If you serve 4, that's 5 pts. each, but I think this serves closer to 6.   This would be great paired with a nice yummy salad too!!  This was very good! My Husband and kids all enjoyed it. 

Homemade Potato bites

These are kinda like homemade fries.  I love them!!!

4 med baked potatoes
salt, about 1 tsp.
cooking spray
dry ranch or Italian dressing packet

Bake the potatoes.  Usually at about 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or most microwaves have a setting.  You can peel them if you want, I like the skins so I keep them on.  It gives it a little more crunch.  Let the potatoes cool.  Cut them.  You can either dice them or do them in strips, it's up to you.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the potatoes on the sheet and spray liberally with spray.  Sprinkle with salt and seasonings.  You won't use the whole packet so save it for later.  You only use about 1 tsp.
Broil at 500 degrees for 20 minutes.  Stir every 5 minutes to make sure they are evenly cooked.

These are virtually fat free.  Each potato has about 110 calories and I think is about 2 points.  This will serve 4 as a side with whatever you want.  Much better alternative then fries, which I think a medium fry from McD's is about 7 points.  You can flavor these however you like.  If you like cinnamon stix you can sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar for a nice sweet treat....mmm...that sounds good right now.  I think I'm doing that next. =)

Slacker....

Sorry I have been a slacker at posting recipes.  We have moved in the past month so I have been preoccupied with getting everything done with that.  nNow that things have settled down, I will hopefully get back to posting.  I have some really good ones that I need to put up.

Chicken Florentine Lasagna

2 cans cream of chicken- 98% fat free
2 cups milk
1 egg
15 oz. fat-free cottage cheese
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach- thawed, drained
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheese- any variety that is reduced fat.
seasonings to taste (oregeno, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic, etc,)

stir soup, seasonings, milk in bowl
in seperate bowl mix cottage cheese and egg

spread 1 cup soup mixture in 3 qt dish.  top with 3 noodles, cottage cheese mix, spinach, chicken, 1 cup cheese and 1 cup soup mix.  top with remaining 3 noodles and sou mix.  cover dish

bake at 375 fir 1 hour.  uncover and top with remaining cheese, let stand for 10 minutes while cheese melts.

This whole recipe has 44 points.  It is quite filling so you could get 6-8 servings out of it, especially served with salad, veggies, or whatever sides you would like.

I loved this!!  it was super yummy!!  Plus, my little girl ate it and loved it and was excited that she couldn't taste the spinach.  I plan on making this again sometime.

Applesauce Bread

If you like Banana or Zuchini Bread you will love this!!  Especially hot out of the oven with  butter(light/low cal of course) melted on it.

1 1/2 c. wheat flour
1/2 c. honey
1/2 tsp. baking pwoder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. applesauce
2 eggs
1/4 c. light butter, melted
Preheat tp 350. Mix dry ingredients, then add in wet ingredients.  Pour into greased loaf pans. Cook for 45-55 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  This recipe will fill a large loaf, but I used the smaller ones so I could give little loaves to friends/neighbors. If you use smaller loaves, adjust the cooking time to about 35 minutes, but watch and test for doneness.
The total point value for the recipe is about 26.  So it is around 3 points a serving if you cut the big loaf into 8 slices....which would be a good size snack piece of bread.  This recipe would also be good with pecans or walnuts but that would of course raise the point value.

Potato Casserole

4 medium potatoes, diced
6 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
6 eggs, beaten
2 c. reduced fat cheese, any variety
salt/pepper/other seasonings- to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Boil potatoes, as if making mashed potatoes but don't cook until mushy.  Place potatoes on bottome of 9x13 dish.  sprinkle salt/pepper/seasonings over potatoes.  Pour eggs over. sprinkle with cheese and bacon.  Cover with foil and cook 40-45 minutes.

The total points for this recipe is 42 and will serve around 8 people, but that depends on how much you want to eat.
To lessen the points, you may substitute the eggs for egg whites, use 12 egg whites instead and the total point value would be 28.  Also, if you don't want the bacon, the total will be 36.  You may also susbsitute turkey bacon, but i'm not sure what the value would be, probably around 38.

So if you used egg whites and turkey bacon the points would be around 30-32.

Now I know this recipe isn't exactly diet...but it can be with the substitutions. =)

Whole Wheat Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 c. wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chip cookies

Preheat oven to 375. Mix sugars, vanilla, egg, applesauce together. Stir in soda, salt, flour, chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes.
I sprayed a little cooking spray on my baking sheet just to make sure they didn't stick since there was no butter. The cookies don't spread a whole lot, mostly just rise. They keep a soft cake-like consistency, which I love!!
You can cut back a little more by using egg whites but it only shaves 1 point off the total recipe. I calculated it to be about 36 pts for the whole recipe. My batch made about 32 cookies, and then my daughter I ate a few cookies worth of cookie dough =). I also put most of the cookies in bags in the freezer so I can indulge later and not all at once.

Intro

I decided to do this blog for 2 reasons: The first is I've had a lot of friends and family ask me for recipes to help them eat healthier. This makes it easier so I can share them with everyone. The second reason is so I can keep my own recipes in a somewhat organized fashion. Right now I have some written on a few pages in a notebook here, a notebook there, a few recipe cards, some printed off papers, a cookbook here and there, and some in emails.

Now here is my disclaimer: I am a "do as I say, not as I do" type of person. I am all too guilty of not practicing what I preach. I have no will power when it comes to sweets and chocolate but I do try to eat healthy once in awhile. I "try" to follow the Weight Watchers point system so on most the recipes I will try to include the points value for the total recipe and then recommend a serving size but since everyone eats a different amount, you can divide it into the amount of servings you choose if you have the total point value. I see recipes for brownies for 1 point per serving, but then you find out that serving is the size of your pinky fingernail. Now if you have the will power to only eat that small a serving...I salute you, but for most of us, we like a little more.

So, if you see me indulging in the triple chocolate fudge cake....don't think bad of me....my mortal weakness is chocolate and anything it is found in. Maybe this blog will help keep me motivated to eat and find more healthy recipes. I hope you enjoy!!!