Blueberry-Peach Cobbler Muffins

Blueberry-Peach Cobbler Muffins are little individual servings of a blueberry-peach cobbler that are so easy to put together!  Any fruit will work in this recipe too, but this Blueberry Peach combo is hard to beat! 

Peanut Butter Toast with Berries and Honey

Yesterday I posted the recipe for a delicious savory Mediterranean Veggie Hummus Toast, but today I thought I'd share an equally delicious but sweet toast idea...Peanut Butter Toast with Berries and Honey! Oh my word you guys, this one is a keeper! 

Mediterranean Veggie Hummus Toast

Mediterranean Veggie Hummus Toast is my homage to one of my favorite sandwiches I enjoy at a local cafe. It starts with the goodness of whole grains from Pepperidge Farm® Harvest Blends bread then it's topped with a wonderful veggie combination for a nutritious vegetarian snack or light lunch anyone can enjoy! 

Monte Cristo Style Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This tasty cheesy Monte Cristo Style Grilled Cheese Sandwich is the perfect choice for a satisfying lunch or easy dinner! It's the ultimate ham and cheese sandwich dipped in egg and pan fried to a golden brown.

Easy Apple Pie Parfait Jars

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  #SharetheJoyofPie #CollectiveBias 

Tis' the season for sharing and giving...so why not make it Easy Apple Pie Parfait Jars!  This simple and fun treat begins with a frozen pie and ends with the finishing touch of whipped topping for a perfectly portable and shareable sweet treat! 

Orange Carrot Smoothie

Orange Carrot Smoothie will make you feel like a rock star! Packed with vitamins A and C from all the "orange" ingredients. Orange juice, carrot juice, and peaches come together for a flavor trifecta in this delicious and healthy smoothie!

Strawberry, Avocado and Spinach Salad with Lime Poppy Seed Dressing

Strawberry, Avocado and Spinach Salad with Lime Poppy Seed Dressing is a delicious and nutritious combination of flavors and textures.  Great on it's own as a light meal or on the side with some grilled chicken or fish.  

Candy Bar Pudding Cup Smoothie

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser.  All opinions are mine alone.  #snackpackmixins #CollectiveBias

I cannot believe it's the middle of October already!  That means Halloween is right around the corner: trick-or-treat, candy, scary movies, candy, jack-o-lanterns, candy.  Yup, you are going to have a lot of candy on hand.  Well, I've got a super fun way to use some of that candy along with snack pack pudding cups!  Make some Candy Bar SnackPack Pudding Cup Smoothies!

8 Terrific Ways to Spice Up Everyday Foods with Hot Sauce

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser.  All opinions are mine alone. #SauceOn #CollectiveBias

Baked Eggs in Spicy Habanero Sauce

An easy and delicious baked egg recipe!   Make it for one or for a crowd. Spice it up as much as you can handle it!  Keep the yolks runny, or bake them up solid.  It's all in how you like it! 

Summer Ready with Laughing Cow® Light Cheese Wedges

Ready or not...summer is HERE!  What better way to make sure you look great in your summer outfits and swim suits than with the always amazing Laughing Cow® Light Cheese Wedges and some of my favorite ways to serve them?  (Disclaimer:  I was sent Laughing Cow® to sample and review for free.  All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own, and do not neccessarily reflect those of this brand.  I was not compensated for this review.)

I have been a huge fan of Laughing Cow® Light Cheese Wedges for some time now. (Yes, I've posted several recipes using them...just type in "Laughing Cow" in the search bar on the right and you will see for yourself!)  I love the variety of flavors and the fact that each cheese wedge is only 35 calories, which calculates to ONE POINT PLUS if you are following Weight Watchers!  THAT is an awesome deal for such deliciousness!  The taste of each flavor is outstanding and they are so versatile! They make a great addition to your summer snack menus.

I sat down with a good friend the other afternoon, and we had a few tasty snacks while enjoying each others company on my patio.  I didn't feel guilty one bit about the delicious treats we enjoyed, as each one was healthy and low calorie and featured the delicious Laughing Cow® Light Cheeses!

Our favorite pairing, hands down, was this one:   Refreshing cucumber slices, Light Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow® cheese wedges, grape tomato wedges, fresh basil and fresh ground black pepper.

This combo was outstanding.  Aren't they just gorgeous?  Imagine enjoying these tasty bites by the pool on a warm summer day with a cool glass of an iced beverage! (It's summer, remember to hydrate!)  I think they are beautiful enough to serve as an appetizer too!  Leave the fresh ground black pepper off if you aren't a fan, but we loved the bit of heat!

The next combo we put together was this one:  Your favorite cracker topped with Light Blue Cheese Laughing Cow® Cheese wedges, a dollop of fig jam, and a walnut.  

Salty, sweet, and tangy with the blue cheese.  These are great with a nice glass of a summer white wine spritzer! Yum.

The last paring we enjoyed was quite delicious:  Sweet red bell pepper chunks with Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle Laughing Cow® cheese wedges, and strips of crunchy raw carrots.

Love the colors and flavors of this one! Perfect start to a summer BBQ.  The Queso Fresco & Chipotle flavor adds a bit of smoky heat that goes wonderful with the sweet red peppers!  You can have 4 of these babies for ONE POINT PLUS!  (1 wedge of cheese divided between four pepper chunks)

Don't get me wrong, Laughing Cow® Cheese Wedges are great on their own with some crackers or spread on some raw veggies,  and perfect for "on the go snacks."  But when you have the time, why not treat your senses to something just a bit more creative?  (Remember we do eat with our eyes first.) You can feast on these beautiful creations and still not be cheating on your diet...but you might feel like you have!

Look for all the varieties of Laughing Cow® Light Cheeses in your grocers refrigerated section.  

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I love, love, love Laughing Cow® cheeses.  At any given moment, you will find a package or two (or more) in my refrigerator.  I use them in eggbeater omelets and in all sorts of recipes...I even eat them straight up.  ( Especially the Queso Fresco and Chipotle flavored one!) I am always happy to feature them on my blog!  

Check out a few of the other recipes I have made using Laughing Cow® Cheese:

Light Laughing Cow® Mac and Cheese

Smooth Sensations Creamy Cauliflower Mash 

Lightened Up Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip 


  

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Snack

We haven't quite hit strawberry season  around here yet, but the California berries showing up in my grocery store have been really quite nice.  Big and juicy with lots of strawberry flavor.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy these luscious berries is to make an open-faced PB and strawberry sandwich.  It's really not as much of a recipe as it is a pairing.  It's super simple to assemble and so so good I wanted to share.

Here's what you do:

Take your favorite reduced-calorie bread.  You can go with a whole wheat or mulitgrain variety.  Pop the bread in the toaster and give it a light toasting.  When it's done, spread 1 TBS. of your favorite brand of natural peanut butter on top.  The peanut butter will start to melt a little. (who doesn't love THAT?)  Top with some sliced strawberries and then give it a little sprinkle of powdered sugar.

So easy, yet so delicious.  Calories and WW Points+ values will varying depending on your brand of bread. (Mine came in at 5 Points+) You can omit the powdered sugar, but I love how it "melts" into the berries giving them a sort of glaze.

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Good berries are something I miss during the winter months.  Some of the berries imported from foreign countries are ok...but you just can't beat the ones from Florida or California this time of year.  I've dabbled with strawberry plants in my own yard, without much success.  I know they can be grown successfully in this climate, but only if Mother nature cooperates with lots of sunshine.  Getting lots of sunshine around here in late spring/early summer can be challenging thanks to the proximity to Lake Erie and northerly winds. And then there's the birds...lol

Like I said, this little snack (or lunch, I've done this for my lunch) is almost so easy I was thinking it wasn't blog worthy...but to be honest, sometimes finding quick, easy, healthy and satisfying snacks can be hard.  So, I decided to share.

 What super simple snacks have you come up with that have a WOW factor? 

More BERRY GOOD recipes you might enjoy...

Fruity Summer Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Inspiration comes from many places.  Sometimes I feel so uninspired in the kitchen.  I hate when I go through those phases.

My son and I ate lunch at a local restaurant the other day, and I ordered a version of the above salad.  It was absolutely DELICIOUS and it inspired me to recreate it in my own kitchen.  My recreation was just as wonderful as the original.  With careful measurements, it ended up coming in at 6p+ *for the whole yummy thing!  Not bad at all. * (6p+ when you count all the fruit and spinach as 0 point plus foods)

Fruity Summer Spinach Salad....Tender baby spinach surrounded by a medley of fresh summer fruits....strawberries, kiwi, and blueberries, and finished with sliced almonds and goat cheese, then topped with your favorite bottled poppyseed dressing.  YUM!  

The poppyseed dressing I used was Kraft.  To easily measure out the perfect portion, put your salad filled plate on your kitchen scale and zero it out, then pour the dressing to the amount indicated for one serving.

Fruity Summer Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

inspired by Houlihan's Spinach Salad

Printable Recipe

Servings - 1   Serving size - one salad   Points Plus per serving - * SEE BELOW

(Salad NO DRESSING) Calories - 312.5,   Total Fat - 10.8g,   Carb. - 48.6g,   Protein - 11.3g,   Fiber - 12.6g

*Please note, you can either count the fruit and spinach as 0 pp, and use the pp values for the almonds and goat cheese, which would give the salad a pp value of 3p+ OR you can calculate the nutrition information to give the salad an 8p+ value, WITHOUT the dressing. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups of organic baby spinach leaves

1 cup of fresh strawberries, halved

1 cup or fresh blueberries

1 large kiwi, peeled and sliced

1 TBS sliced almonds

1 oz. soft goat cheese, broken up into pieces 

Directions: 

Assemble salad on plate with spinach as base topped by the rest of the ingredients.  Finish with your favorite dressing ( I used poppyseed)  Remember to add the calories/point plus values for the dressing. 

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FINALLY!  My life seems to be coming to a more manageable speed.  Both of my older kids are off to college and all settled in.  I have to admit.  Sending away my middle son proved to be a heart wrenching experience for me.  But I will be fine!  lol  

My youngest is back in high school and the craziness that was the summer of 2012 is behind me...I hope!  I am hoping to be back to regular blogging soon!  It seems in my hiatus, I have stumbled into a cooking slump!  Bad timing.  I'm sure it's nothing that an afternoon of pinterest browsing and food blog reading won't cure though!  :)  

Make this salad while the last bit of summer is still with us!  It will make you HAPPY!  I know it made me very happy!  

Frozen Banana Bites and Blogger Secret Ingredient!

When I saw this super simple sweet treat idea on Pinterest a while back, I knew I just had to try it. More of an idea than a recipe with such little work and few ingredients.  Such delicious end results. 

and they're healthy treats too!

Frozen Banana Bites

adapted from (Neverhome)Maker

Printable Recipe

Servings - 10   Serving size - 2 banana bites   Points Plus per Serving - 3 Points+

Calories - 105,   Total Fat - 4.1g,   Carb. - 18.4g,   Protein - 0.5g,   Fiber - 1.2g

(* Weight Watchers - the information on calories and points plus above includes the nutrition information for the banana.  If you choose to count the banana as 0 points+, then the points will be 2+ for one serving.)

4 medium sized ( 7"-8"), not too ripe, bananas

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp. coconut oil

1 TBS. shredded coconut, for topping

1.  Peel and slice banana each into 5 pieces, so you have 20 bites.  Cover sheet pan with waxed paper for nonstick foil and place bites on pan.  Set aside. 

2.  In microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and the coconut oil gently or melt them over a double boiler on the stove.  

3. Dip the banana pieces into the melted chocolate with a fork, letting excess drip off.  Just put a thin coating of chocolate on each bite so you have enough chocolate for all the bites. ( I did end up using ALL the chocolate, so if you find you need more coating, you could increase the chips by 1/4 cup for an additional point+ per serving)  If chocolate starts to harden, reheat in microwave for a few seconds.  As you dip the banana bites, place them on prepared sheet pan.  

4.  Sprinkle coated banana bites with coconut and place in freezer until firm.  Mine took about 30 minutes.  Once the bites are firm, remove them from the pan and place in a freezer safe container or zipper plastic bag for storage.  Keep stored in freezer.  Enjoy!  

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Biz, from MyBizzyKitchen, has resurrected BSI ( blogger secret ingredient)  and I have offered to host this week, as her daughter's birthday is this week....Happy Birthday to Hannah!  

Tried as I did yesterday, I just never got a chance to post this weeks BSI!  so without further adieu this week's secret ingredient is...

Parmesan Cheese!!!  

So put your thinking caps on and get to work finding and making recipes that highlight this special ingredient and post about it. You can find all the information you need to submit an entry to BSI HERE.  Remember you do not need to have a blog or a recipe picture to enter.   You can also enter any recipe you have in your archives as well. One recipe or post link per person please. Leave a link in the comments to this post to enter or send me an email with a link or recipe.  The deadline for submitting entries is Sunday, March 11.  A winner will be chosen by me and a prize will be mailed out to you! The winner and lineup will be announced on Tuesday, March 13. 

Remember, you must leave a link to this post on the post you are submitting.   

This is a totally informal and fun blogger event and if you have never done anything like this, I encourage you to give it a try!! 

This post is being shared with:
A Little Nosh

Green Tea Protein Smoothie

I have never been one to drink my calories...nor been one to be swooned by the lure of fruit smoothies...but I will admit, there are days when whipping up a really quick drink I can take on the fly that keeps me full all morning, is priceless.  Insert Green Tea Protein Smoothie. 

Matcha Green Tea powder is essential in this drink.  It's pricey, but a little goes a long way.  It's really green....deep dark green! You get all the benefits of a glass of green tea in this drink.   If you are a fan of the green tea frappuccino at Starbucks...you will like this smoothie.  The green tea flavor really shines in this drink.

I am not that knowledgeable about whey protein powder.  I know I like the store brand ( Archer Farms) vanilla flavor that Target sells for the flavor, as well as the price.  So that is the whey protein powder I buy. One scoop is 140 calories, 2.5g total fat, 3g carbohydrates, 25g protein, and 0g fiber. To save on points, I use half a scoop. It still thickens the smoothie even when you use only half.

For the liquid part, you can use skim milk or unsweetened almond milk.  I like to use the unsweetened almond milk because it is only 1p+ per serving vs. 2p+ per serving for skim milk.

You can opt to not use any sweetener at all, use artificial sweetener ( I often use a few drops of Nunaturals liquid stevia), use a bit of honey or agave to add more sweetness.

My favorite way to blend up this drink is in my Magic Bullet.  It is fast and easy to use. Clean up is also a breeze and you can drink out of the container used to blend in. 

The last ingredient in this smoothie is one medium sized banana.  Now...there brews ongoing controversy over whether the banana should be included in the overall point+ count on this drink or any smoothie type drinks with fruit in it since fruit is a free ingredient by WW pp standards.  It is up to you if you decide to count it or not.  I have decided to include it in the overall nutritional information provided and calculated the pp according to those numbers. 

The nutrition information given is for the smoothie made the way it is written in the recipe.  If you choose to use optional ingredients, the information will change, and so might the pp value.  

Green Tea Protein Smoothie

from the kitchen of MKA

Printable Recipe

Servings - 1   Serving size - 1 recipe   Points Plus per Serving - 6 Points+

Calories - 218.5,   Total Fat - 4.9g,   Carb. - 31.2g,   Protein - 14.7g,   Fiber - 3.8g

8 oz. unsweetened almond milk ( I used Silk brand)

1/2 scoop Archer Farms Vanilla flavored Whey protein powder

1 medium banana, cut into chunks

a few drops Nunaturals liquid stevia

1 tsp. matcha green tea powder

ice

Place all ingredients in blender or magic bullet.  Blend until ice is gone and smoothie is fluffy and thick.  Enjoy immediately. 

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Like I said, I have never been a drink my points kind of girl.  I pretty much like to chew stuff..but there are definitely times when it is hard to find the time to get a decent filling breakfast in in a hurry.  I am really amazed at how long this smoothie keeps me full.  Paired with an apple or other fruit you can take with you ...it is honestly, a great breakfast! 

I really love the taste of green tea.  You can really taste it in this smoothie.  How about you?  Do you like the taste of green tea?  

If you have visited this blog in the past, you probably noticed I have changed up the look a bit.  Still going with what blogger has to offer, but I increased the text size ( easier to read) and changed the template so I could increase the size of the pictures.  Let me know what you think!  I am still messing with some minor adjustments and any feedback is appreciated!

HG's Egg Benechick

I seem to be feeling nostalgic lately, as I keep making all the oldies but goodies.  This Eggs Benedict recipe is no exception.  I think it might be the very first HG recipe I ever made.  I was VERY skeptical when I first read exactly what went in together to make the fake out "hollandaise" sauce....but was very pleasantly surprised at the end result.  So much so, that I actually crave this combo now and then. 

Of course, I added my own spin on it by adding baby spinach on the bottom...why not?  more stuff to wipe up the saucy goodness with!   I also replaced the traditional english muffin half with two slices of Nickels Light 35 Mulitgrain bread and used a 3" cookie cutter to get two round shapes and then stacked them on top of one another.  You can toast it...but I don't...I like it soft. 

To determine just how much bread I used doing this method, I weighed out one whole slice and got 17g.  Then I cut two discs and weighed them...I got 18g.  So I just used the nutritional information for 1 slice to arrive at the total point value for two bread discs. In order for the point plus values to be accurate, be sure to use bread that is 1p+ per slice. 

I also used 1 oz. Hillshire Farm Deli Select Smoked Ham ( for 2 oz. cal= 60, fat = 1.5g, carb = 1g, protein = 9g, fiber = 0g which calculates to 1p+)  in this recipe and that is the ham I based my calculations off of.  I could have used 2 oz....but it seemed like too much ham...but if you like, you can increase the amount of ham to 2 oz. and it will still be 1p+.

I  did not use fat free mayo ( ew!) as the original HG recipe called for.  I used Hellmanns' light Mayo.  I love REAL mayo, but in this case, using the full fat stuff...increased the point+ value of the sauce by one...so I opted for the reduced fat stuff.  Don't even ever consider buying the fat free stuff...it's just gross and you need so very little of it for this recipe...what on earth would you do with the rest of the jar if you bought it?

I have used both the lemon flavored yogurt and the plain yogurt with the addition of lemon juice.  I like it both ways...so just use what's convenient for you.  Again, once you open the flavored yogurt and take out 1 tsp...you are kind of committed to eating it.  For this reason, I most often use the plain fat free yogurt ( I buy a big container with a removable lid ) with a squirt or squeeze of lemon juice. 

Since this recipe is assembled, rather than combined, I choose to count each item separate, only calculating out the nutritional information for the sauce....which IS combined.  :) 

HG's Eggs Benechick

Printable Version

Servings - 1   Serving size - whole recipe  Points Plus per serving - 6 points+  ( poached egg = 2+, 1 oz. ham = 1+, spinach = 0, bread = 1+, sauce = 2+ )

Nutritional Information for entire recipe of fake out hollandaise sauce:  Calories - 63.5,   Total Fat - 6.3g,   Carb. - 2.3g,   Protein - 0.2g,   Fiber - 0g

2 slices of Nickels Light 35 Mulitgrain Bread ( or other bread that is 1+ per slice), cut into discs with a 3 " cookie cutter....(give the crust scraps to the dog!)

1 large egg, poached

1 oz. lean ham ( I used Hillshire Farm Deli Select Smoked Ham ), or other ham that 1 oz. = 1p+

handful of fresh organic baby spinach

Fresh ground pepper

For sauce:

1 TBS. reduced fat mayo ( such as Hellmann's light)

1 tsp. Hellmann's Dijonnaise 

1 tsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread such as Brummel and Brown, softened

1 tsp. nonfat lemon yogurt or plain nonfat yogurt with a squirt of lemon juice

1.  Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small microwavable container or bowl. Set aside.

2.  Assemble the egg dish by placing the spinach on the dish, topped with the bread discs, the ham, and the poached egg.   

3.  Heat in microwave on HIGH for about 20 seconds.  Remove and stir.  Add water if you like it looser.  ( I usually do)  Pour over egg and sprinkle with fresh ground pepper.  Enjoy!

I had this with two lovely Cutie Mandarin oranges from California this morning for a yummy and filling 6 point+  breakfast.  I am so happy these little clementine type oranges are now available this time of year.  So easy to peel and so sweet!  Have you tried the Mandarin oranges from California?  If you haven't pick some up the next time you are at the store!  

Portabella Mushroom "Pizzas"

Mmmmm...pizza that isn't really pizza....but still tastes like one.  You get three of these babies for 5 points+ !  Simple and easy....

Take three medium sized portabella mushrooms, scrape out the gills, cut down the stem if you need to and treat the shell just like a pizza crust.

I choose to go the traditional route...with mozzarella cheese,  pizza sauce ( I used Ragu pizza quick) , pepperoni, a sprinkle of oregano and some fresh basil once the "pizzas" were done cooking.  If you swap the pepperoni for a zero point foods such as onion and pepper, you can eat three of these for 4 point+! 

Portabella Mushroom "Pizzas"

Printable Version

Servings - 1   Serving size -3 portabella "pizzas"   Points Plus per svg - 5 points+

Calories - 189.6   Total Fat - 10.7g,   Carb. - 12.3g,   Protein - 12.4g,   Fiber - 2.7g

3 medium sized portabella mushrooms ( 5 -6 oz total weight)

1/4 cup Ragu Pizza Quick Sauce, traditional flavor

1 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

5 -6 pepperoni slices ( about 10g), quartered

salt and pepper

oregano

fresh basil leaf, torn

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2.  Wipe mushroom with a damp paper towel.  With a spoon, scoop out gills of the mushroom and cut the stems down as small as possible.  Set the mushrooms, cap side down on the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3.  Divide the 1/4 cup of pizza sauce evenly among the three mushroom caps.  Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly among the three mushrooms.  Arrange the pepperoni quarters evenly among the mushrooms.  Sprinkle with oregano.

4.  Bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and mushroom is soft.  Divide the basil leaf among the three "pizzas" and enjoy!

This is yet another recipe I made frequently during my early days with WW.  I find it to be a very suitable substitution for pizza...but if you don't like mushrooms, you would probably not agree with me. Me...I LOVE mushrooms.  One thing it does, is save a ton of points because it uses no "flour" crust and because of it, you can eat more than one tiny slice!  If the weather EVER gets nice, you can also grill these outside.  It gives them a whole different flavor...in a good way!  How about you, are you a mushroom lover or a mushroom hater? 

Buffalo Chicken Salad ( in a hurry!)

Some days I just don't know what to have for lunch.  I try to plan out my dinners, and often make a bit more at night so I can have leftovers for lunch the next day...but on the days I don't have something waiting for me...I can be stumped.  I want to have something quick...but I don't really like to rely on frozen processed food either.  So today, the Buffalo Chicken Salad was born, with a little lot of help from Frank's Redhot Wings sauce...buffalo flavor.  Without this sauce, it wouldn't be a Buffalo Chicken Salad.  The nutrition stats on this stuff are pretty impressive...per 1 TBS. = 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 carb, 0 protein, and 0 fiber.  That's a lot of zeros for so much flavor!

This salad is quick and easy, and packs all the flavor punch of any buffalo chicken salad.  I used 98% fat free deli roasted chicken breast meat, making the chicken part of this salad as easy as can be.  Just weighed out two ounces on my scale and then chopped it up.  You could use any combination of zero point+ vegetables you like...I used sweet red pepper, red onion, tomato, and carrot.  I also used full fat blue cheese crumbles...and although I haven't seen it at the store yet ( but I am looking!) , I hear there is a low fat blue cheese that is out now...and you could certainly sub that for the full fat stuff.

I am not going to supply the nutritional stats for this recipe, as most of it is comprised of zero point vegetables, and as far as I am concerned...even in a salad, they stay ZERO!  so the only two items that add point value to this salad is the chicken and the cheese...which comes to 5 point+.  ( 2 point+  for the chicken and 3 point+ for the cheese.) 

 

Buffalo Chicken Salad ( in a hurry!)  

Servings - 1  serving size - whole salad   PP per svg - 5 points+

Ingredients:

2 cups organic baby spring mix

1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet red pepper

1/2 of a ripe tomato, diced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

2 oz. deli 98% fat free roasted chicken breast meat, chopped

1 oz. crumbled blue cheese

2 TBS. Frank's Redhot wings sauce, buffalo style ( or more if you like)

Directions:

1. Place the baby spring mix on a plate.  Top with the veggies and the chicken breast meat.  Drizzle with Frank's Redhot Wings Sauce, buffalo flavor.  Top with blue cheese crumbles.

Make sure to have a large glass of water ready to put the fire out in your mouth!  haha  Enjoy! 

PRINTABLE RECIPE

 This salad made me happy.  I felt like I was being bad....because my mouth was so happy with flavor...but it turned out I was being really good!  

Have you recently had something that you ate that felt like you were being bad, but were really being good?

Easy Cheesy Pasta Bowl for One

I have to credit this recipe to a fellow blogger, Erica, from Fashion Meets Food.  The other day she created a "healthy" mac and cheese that was...well...sheer genius.  She took a box of Green Giant Cauliflower and Cheese Sauce and mixed it with pasta.  Wow!  So easy....and cheesy!  So yesterday for lunch, I took her lead, and nuked up a box of Green Giant Cauliflower and Cheese Sauce ( the entire box is worth 4 points+), had a bit of pasta left over in the refrigerator, so I measured out 2 oz ( roughly 2.5 points+), which would amount to one ounce dry,  ( see the Great Pasta Question for reference) and nuked up some frozen broccoli (0 points+).  Mixed it all together and wow....what a great meal for 6.5 points+!!  If you opt for whole wheat pasta, you could save another point off the total.  I finished off my meal with a couple of clementines ( 0 points+) for an extremely satisfying and comforting lunch!  I love this because you not only get to have mac and cheese, but you also get several servings of vegetables in one bowl.  The only thing I added to the mix was some fresh ground pepper from my pepper mill.  If you wanted to make this for more than one, just adjust the ingredients to fit the number of servings you would like to have.  You could also divide the servings and serve this as a side dish for half the points per serving ( so one recipe would make two side dishes).

Easy Cheesy Pasta Bowl for One as seen on Fashion Meets Food

Servings - one   serving size - entire recipe   Points plus per svg - 6.5 points+

1 (10 oz) box of frozen  Green Giant Cauliflower and Cheese Sauce

1 oz. (dry) pasta ( I used cavatappi)

1 cup broccoli florets, cooked

fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cook the Cauliflower and Cheese according to package directions.  Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Mix cauliflower and cheese, cooked pasta, and broccoli together.  Add pepper to taste.

Banana "Ice Cream" ( Zero P+)

Variations of this recipe have been popping up all over the internet lately, probably because now that fruit is considered a zero point food on point plus, Banana "ice cream" is now a zero point treat.  I first saw this recipe a few month ago on Danica's Daily.  Since then I have seen variations posted on several blogs and recipe sites. Everybody knows bananas are good for you.  They contain moderate amounts of vitamin B₆, vitamin C, manganese and potassium.

I was skeptical at first, but soon found out banana "ice cream" is super easy to make and really does whip into a mixture with a similar texture to ice cream.  You WILL need a food processor to make this, either a full sized one or a mini one.  ( I use my mini one for one banana...which is one serving)  It's very versatile...you can use any liquid of choice...ff creamer, skim milk, almond milk, soy milk....and you can add any flavor enhancer to it you like...vanilla extract, cinnamon, coconut extract...the possibilities are almost endless.    You will want to start with a very ripe banana.  Peel it, slice it up, and freeze it.  ( perfect for those bananas that get a little over ripe) You must slice the banana before it goes into the food processor, or your food processor motor will not be happy. I have been slicing up my over ripe bananas, and then putting the slices from one banana into freezer bags and popping them into the freezer for when I want a treat. 

*Please note, this is one of those recipes that fall into the "gray area" of point plus calculations.  For all intents and purposes, this is a zero point food...however, when the nutrition information is used to calculate points plus, you will get 4 pp per serving..this is also true of the recipe builder tool on WW.  With a recipe that falls into this category, I have been told by WW, that you can consider this a zero point food, if you are happy with your weight loss...if you are not seeing results, then you should consider counting it as 4 points+ per serving. 

Banana "Ice Cream" ( Zero P+) adapted from Danica's Daily

Servings - one   Serving size - one banana   Points Plus per svg - zero or 4 points+ * ( see explanation above)

Calories - 135.8,  Total Fat - 0.8g,   Carb. - 33.4g,   Protein - 2.4g,  Fiber - 3.2g

1 med to large very ripe banana, sliced and frozen

2 - 3 TBS skim milk

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1.  Put frozen sliced banana into the food processor.  Start with 1 TBS milk and pulse...scrap down sides and add more milk and process until you get a "soft serve" ice cream consistency.  

2. Add the extract and pulse for a second more. 

I topped mine with a few mini chocolate chips ( may affect point plus value).  A really delicious, satisfying treat anytime!  

PRINTABLE RECIPE