Egg Bake, part 2

Recipe From: my mom, recipe was posted here before, here it is

Ingredients: same as before, minus bacon

With a side of fruit.

Rating: still delicious

Notes:

• Today I used regular eggs, fat free cottage cheese, reduced fat cheddar, reduced fat margarine - the rest was the same (swiss cheese, green onions...).
• Used 1 1/4c of each of the cheeses.
• Still made them in muffin tins, 18.

WW PointsPlus*: 4 per "muffin"


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Baked Oatmeal

Recipe From: this webpage (inspired by some I found on Pinterest, but this one uses quick oats)

Ingredients & Directions: see linked webpage above for ingredients and directions

Rating: tasty
Warming Up: warms up well
Notes:

• First off, I made half of a batch and got 3 good sized servings.
• I used bananas for the bottom layer of fruit and a frozen berry mix for the top. I also used whatever nuts I had on hand (half almonds, half pecans).
• I omitted the butter put on top, after baking, I didn't find it necessary.
• Next time I don't think I'll use bananas, probably chopped apple or peaches for bottom - or just berries for the entire thing.

WW PointsPlus*: 7 (figured using 6 servings for the whole recipe (as is - minus the butter on top) without the fruit. PointsPlus may change depending on fruit you use.)

Cheesy Cauliflower Puree

My new recent online obsession is Pinterest. I use it to find DIY ideas, things for my classroom, fitness inspiration, and MUCH, MUCH more! It's also a wonderful place to find recipes of all kinds. This is the second recipe I've tried from Pinterest.

Recipe From: found on Pinterest, here's the original page

Ingredients & Directions: Please see webpage (link above) for ingredients and directions.

Rating: Delizioso! I had to stop myself from eating the whole bowl. Creamy like mashed potatoes, but also light.
Warming Up: warms up perfectly
Notes:

• I used skim milk and reduced fat cheddar cheese, but did not skimp on the butter. I also only used the floret part, barely any stems. (next time, I will use more stem so I would have more puree) 
• I added some garlic powder during the food processing stage. 

WW PointsPlus*: 3 servings, 4 PointsPlus each

No Pudge Fudge Brownies

My friend has been raving about these brownies since she was a Weight Watchers member, and I've always been meaning to try them...so I recently did.

No Pudge Fudge Brownie Mix

These brownies are SO easy to make, just add some yogurt to the powder mix (directions are on the box) and bake. Because I am recently obsessed with making things in muffin tins, I made these as "muffins." Making them in a muffin tin not only let each one be an "edge" piece (my favorite!), but allowed them to be pre-portioned. :)

I highly recommend these brownies, so rush out and get the mix today!

Rating: so yummy, and gooey, and delicious!
WW PointsPlus*: 3

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Recipe From: found on Pintrest, here's the original page

Ingredients & Directions: please click link above

Rating: pretty tasty
Warming Up:
Notes:

• I didn't use the poblanos, and used a green pepper instead.
• I'll probably use less cumin next time.
• I baked in a 11"x7" baking dish and got 6 servings.

WW PointsPlus*: as I prepared, 10.

No Bake Cookies

Recipe From: A FACS teacher I used to work with.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups oatmeal


Directions:

1. Bring sugar, cocoa, milk, and butter to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Cover, boil for one minute.
3. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and oatmeal. Stir until mixed and thick.
4. Drop by spoonful on waxed paper and allow to cool/harden.

Rating: Delish!
Notes:

• I used reduced fat peanut butter, skim milk, and unsalted butter.
• Recipe says this will yield about 4 dozen. I got 39 today. The size of your cookies would determine your outcome.

WW PointsPlus*: as prepared, 3

Squash Burgers

Recipe From: I modified/combined recipes from Cooking Light and a blog. (mostly from the blog)

Ingredients:
3 cups squash (I've used cubed butternut and a mixture of mashed butternut and acorn)
garbanzo beans (about 1/2 a can)
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 c oatmeal
1/2 of a 1/3 c pecans

1/4 c crumbled goat cheese



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Coat butternut squash and garbanzo beans with oil and maple syrup. Bake until browned, tossing occasionally.
2. While baking, combine oatmeal and pecans in food processor and grind.
3. After squash and beans are done, cool, then blend in food processor until nearly smooth.
4. Mix in oatmeal mixture and goat cheese.
5. Preheat skillet.  Form patties. (makes about 6 large patties)
6. Cook on each side until browned.

Rating: I've tried this a couple times and each time it was a little drier than I would like, so I'll keep tweaking.
Warming Up: warms up fine.
Notes:

• Because I make this in hopes of finding one similar to the one I had at Bluephies, I serve it with pesto and a tomato.

WW PointsPlus*: without the goat cheese, 4.

Eggplant Parmesan

Recipe From: My cousin Cari

Ingredients:
Eggplant
Eggs
Flour
Milk
Parmesan cheese
Oil
Optional ingredients: pasta sauce and shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Put your oil in a shallow pan and start to heat.
2. Mix eggs, milk, flour, and shredded parmesan cheese until it is a paste like consistency.
For one eggplant I typically use 2 eggs, maybe about 1/2c of milk and 1/4c cheese. Then I add enough flour to get to paste.
3. Remove peel from eggplant and slice eggplant in to disks.
4. Set disks on a piece of paper towel, flipping to the other side after a few seconds.
5. Dredge eggplant disks in the paste-like mixture and fry in hot oil.
It is important to make sure the oil is hot before frying.
6. Flip once so both sides are golden brown.

Optional steps:
7. Cover the bottom of a pan with pasta sauce.
8. As eggplants are cooked, layer them in the pan, like lasagna noodles - alternate eggplant, shredded cheese, sauce.
I normally make an 11x7 pan out of one eggplant, with about 4 layers.
9. Bake pan until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Rating: SO good!
Warming Up: Warms relatively well, eggplant gets slightly soggy, but still delish!
Notes:
You can leave the skin on before slicing, it's a matter of taste.
The disks can also be enjoyed on their own, out of the pan, over pasta or just with a side of sauce.

Brown Sugar Chicken

Recipe From: "A Year of Slow Cooking" Blog

Ingredients & Directions: Click the link above.

Rating: So yummy and sweet!
Warming Up: Warms up well.
Notes:
I made a half batch and used chicken tenders, diet soda, and lite soy sauce.
I added baby carrots for the last hour (needs to be longer next time).
My serving suggestion is to eat it over acorn squash...a small laddle of the sweet liquid over the whole thing meant I didn't need brown sugar on my squash. :)
I also suggest reading all the comments on her blog, there are a lot of great ideas and modifications.

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

I made this recipe in late spring/early summer, and am just now getting it posted. Enjoy!

Recipe From: Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients & Directions: Click link above.

Rating: Yummy!
Warming Up: The patties warm up fine.
Notes:
I don't care for the taste of arugula, so I used different toppings.
Use any leftover pitas to make Pita Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, and Herbs.

Pita Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, and Herbs

I made this recipe in late spring/early summer, and am just now getting it posted. Enjoy!

Recipe From: Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients & Directions: Click link above.

Rating: Tasty
Warming Up: It's a salad - no warming up necessary, but store the pita pieces separate if you have leftovers so they don't get soggy.
Notes:
I used wheat pitas.

Wow! 5 months...

Can't believe it's been 5 months since my last post...and I even have new recipes to tell you about! Maybe now that summer is done and I have weekends "free" I'll do a better job. Please be patient with me, I promise to do better. :)

Squash Burger? Don't Mind if I Do!

A few weeks ago a friend and I took a day trip to Madison. Around lunch time I called my brother and asked him where we should eat (since he knows not only great restaurants in the area, but my food preferences too). He suggested Bluephies and we were on our way.

Located in a strip mall setting, the first thing we noticed when we entered was the brightly colored atmosphere and the gigantic desserts in the case at the entryway. The servers even wear shirts that say "I work here." :) What a great start to lunch!

The menu is AWESOME! There are so many selections that I wanted to try, but eventually decided on the squash burger - described as having goat cheese, squash, and polenta and topped with pesto. Burgers come with fries or soup, but the server didn't bat an eye when I asked to substitute broccoli. My friend decided on the Bowling Alley Burger, and substituted sweet potato fries.

This is what arrived at our table:

Back: Bowling Alley Burger with Sweet Potato Fries   Front: Squash Burger with Broccoli

YUM!

The colorful atmosphere was matched now with our colorful plates of food. We both immediately loved our choices and took our time enjoying our meal. My squash burger was so moist and the mozzarella cheese, pesto, and tomato toppings added great flavor. The broccoli was grilled, adding to its tasty flavor.

Anyway, I'd been dreaming about having another since I had the burger that day. I was also trying to figure out how to make one at home. Then, I found myself in Madison again this past weekend - how could I not stop and pick one up? Sure, it was completely out of the way from anywhere I was going, but would I be closer anytime soon? So, on the way out of town I called ahead and picked up an order to go. That night, at home, I warmed up the burger and broccoli and enjoyed the tasty meal from the comfort of my couch.

I'll be returning to Bluephies again...I'm still planning on making a version at home (and will post the recipe when I do), or maybe I need to buy the Bluephies cookbook next time I'm in Madison...all I know is that my mouth is watering just thinking about this burger while I type this post. :)

Squash Mac 'n Cheese

My grandfather was a chef (his pictures joins mine in the header of this blog) and made the best homemade mac 'n cheese I've ever had. But, like many chefs, he didn't write down many recipes and I have been trying for years to match the recipe I had on sleepovers to my grandparents' house (his mac was SO good I'd pick at it and eat it cold all night). While the following recipe doesn't even come close to matching his, I truly believe that my appreciation of a good bowl of mac 'n cheese started with my grandpa, whose laughter and cooking I continue to miss.

(On a side note, my house smells like his would while his mac was baking - more than any other version I've made.)

Recipe Adapted From: Skinny Bitch in the Kitch

Ingredients:
1 pound wheat elbow macaroni
2 10 oz packages frozen, pureed winter squash

 

Bubbly and delicious!

2 cups skim milk
4 oz shredded, reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 oz shredded, reduced fat marble jack cheese
4 oz fat free cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp powdered mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 c wheat bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish.
2. In a pan, bring water to a boil, add salt, and cook the macaroni according to directions.
3. In another saucepan, over medium heat, combine squash and milk. Stir and break up the squash, eventually bringing it to a simmer.
4. Remove sauce from heat and add cheeses, mustard, and pepper.
5. When the pasta is done, drain, and add to the sauce.
6. Transfer everything to the baking dish.
7. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Top the pasta with this mixture.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes, until the top is browned.

Rating: one of my favorites!
Warming Up: warms up as well as any other pasta dish
Notes:

• I don't tend to buy the frozen squash for this recipe, and instead use leftover acorn squash I bake for a different meal.
• I have never found wheat bread crumbs, so I make my own with wheat bread in my food processor. This time I also put chunks of Parmesan in the food processor with the wheat bread instead of using shredded or ground Parmesan.
• For pasta I use rigatoni because I think it does a great job of sucking up the cheese.

Upside-Down Pizza Remix

This weekend I decided to revisit the Upside-Down Deep Dish Pizza recipe. I really liked the original way of making it, but thought I'd switch it up a little this time.

The changes I made:

• added green onions to the meat and cooked them a little before adding the sauce
• mixed low-fat ricotta cheese with the broccoli instead of using mozzarella on top
• used refrigerated crescent sheet instead of pizza crust
• added sliced tomatoes and a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese to the top before baking

This version did need to bake longer - I'm not sure if it was the crescent rolls topping or the tomatoes on top, but I think I ended up baking at 375 for 35-40 minutes, just check on it while it's baking.

This time the dish was equally as delicious and I used the extra crescent sheet to experiment with appetizer options. Maybe I'll have to do a post about that sometime soon. :)

Lettuce Tacos

A few weeks ago I went to PF Chang's with my brother and his wife. When we were there we had some delicious lettuce wraps. On the way home I thought, "I could make tacos the same way." Tonight was the night I did.

Ingredients:
ground turkey
taco seasoning
green onions
reduced fat cheddar cheese
lettuce (I used green leaf)
---------------
salsa
avocado

Directions:

1. Brown ground meat. Add sliced green onions. Cook until onions are semi-soft.
2. Follow directions on taco seasoning.
3. Wash lettuce leaf and pat dry.
4. Top with meat mixture, cheese, and any other taco toppings you like.
5. Wrap lettuce around inside ingredients before eating.

Rating: pretty good, just have to get your brain around the fact that there's no shell
Warming Up: just warm up the meat like you would a normal taco...should warm up fine.
Notes:

• I feel that this recipe has a lot going for it:
• It's healthier than the normal alternative, and if you don't like it the first night you still have everything you need for a nice taco salad.
• The lettuce leaves seem to fit less meat and filling than a taco shell (well, I suppose that depends on the lettuce you use), so there's more calories saved.
• Lettuce tacos are a little messier than normal ones, so maybe you'll eat less because you won't want to get too messy.
• Also, since you're saving some fat, calories, carbs, etc., there's room for dessert. :)
• Next time I'll probably pair it with Apple Straws - one of my new favorite snacks. (I feel a future blog entry coming on...)

WW PointsPlus*: the only points here are the cheese and meat mixture so it depends on how you make it and what additional toppings you use.

Potato Chowder

One of my favorite soup recipes. Easy to make and delicious - a winter time stand-by.

Recipe From: my Weight Watchers leader, Kathy

Ingredients:
2 bags Ore-Ida Hashbrown Potatoes (cubed, southern style) - 8 cups total
3 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 can reduced fat cream soup
8 oz fat free cream cheese
1 can corn (optional)
onion to taste
seasoning to taste


Directions:
Open, pour, simmer (about 2 hours), stirring occasionally.

Rating: tasty
Warming Up: never have a problem warming this up for lunch
Notes:

• I use cream of celery soup, the recipe call for cream of chicken. I also use green onions.
• This soup looks interesting as it cooks, but trust me...the potatoes break down and everything comes together to make a great, thick chowder.
• This makes a lot of chowder, so I typically make a half batch. Making a full batch is fine too, this chowder freezes well.
• Even more delicious when served with a little reduced fat cheddar cheese on top. I also think you could easily turn this in to a "stuffed baked potato soup" by adding bacon bits, broccoli, etc.

WW Points*: 3 points per cup

Game Day

Today's a pretty big day across the country,

and especially here in Wisconsin

- Super Bowl Sunday - 

complete with our Green Bay Packers!

I'm sure there are countless Super Bowl parties that will be taking place later today, so I thought I'd post some of my favorite standby recipes for a party. Most parties will include finger foods that are easy to eat while watching the game, cheering, and talking with friends. Maybe some will have mini-kabobs (that I've made a couple times myself - with or without meat), or different types of tart cups (another delicious recipe I've tried). I'm also sure there will be plenty of bowls of salsa and chips, countless numbers of chicken wings, and numerous veggie trays (that I hope don't get neglected) eaten today.

Meeting Donald Lee & Allen Barbre

Above I noted two recipes I made at different parties, and the next five posts are additional recipes that would be great for Super Bowl Sunday or any party that you're planning. There are a couple for finger foods, a couple desserts, and there's even a beverage one. Most are not the most healthy items, but we all need a day to indulge.

Enjoy

 and

Go Pack Go!

Cheese Dip / Spread

Recipe From: my friend Mandy

Ingredients:
8oz cream cheese
8oz yellow cheese spread (cheddar)
8oz cheese whiz
1/4 tsp garlic powder 

Directions:
Combine all ingredients. Whip until fluffy.

Rating: good stuff!
Notes:

• Mandy serves this with pretzels. I do that too, but have also found it to be quite tasty on beer bread.
• Since most of the ingredients come in 16oz containers, this is an easily doubled recipe. If you don't need that much for your party, it also freezes.

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

Recipe From: a magazine that I can't remember the title of - sorry!

Ingredients:
8oz whipped cream cheese (soft)
1 cup (8oz) feta cheese crumbles
1/4 cup green onions
1 pkg (6oz) craisins
4 tortillas 

Directions:

1. Combine cheeses and onion.
2. Stir in craisins.
3. Spread 1/2 cup on each tortilla and roll up.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate for an hour.
5. Cut in to slices and serve.

Rating: yummy!

Notes:

• Using reduced fat cream cheese and wheat tortillas help this recipe have lower fat.
• I have also added deli sliced turkey on top of the cheese spread before making the rolls.