Turkey Santa Fe Lettuce Wraps

These Santa Fe turkey lettuce wraps are SO good, you'll WANT to save some leftover turkey just to make them (or leftover chicken breast would work too)!

Have you ever had the Spinach Santa Fe Egg Rolls with the Cilantro Ranch Dipping Sauce from Chili's? They're dangerously good – I don't even want to know how many calories they are. That's where the inspiration for these lighter lettuce wraps came from. The lighting in these photos don't even do them justice.

I actually made my turkey breast in the crock pot last week just so I could have leftovers to create this recipe. I had one for lunch (only 4 WW pp) but since they are so light I think two would be perfect for dinner. If you want to make them Paleo, leave out the beans and add more spinach. I used my Avocado Cilantro Ranch Dressing as my sauce and it was perfect. If you're lazy, you can mash 1/4 avocado into 1/2 cup light ranch dressing instead.

This time of the year is so challenging to eat good. Holiday parties, staying over at relatives, Christmas cookies – I really need will power. So I wanted to create a leftover recipe for turkey that's not just delicious, but also light after a day of indulging on mashed potatoes, gravy, and pumpkin pie.

Some of you were asking me on Instagram how I stay motivated and I thought I would share what I am doing this year to avoid the Holiday weight gain.

1) I just started tracking everything I eat on my Weight Watchers app to help keep me accountable for everything I eat, plus it reminds me to exercise more (such a great app). Some of you may be using My Fitness Pal, that would work too!

2) Yesterday while at the gym, I paid for 10 sessions of personal training. This was my Christmas present to myself, and it was not cheap. I know it will give me that extra push to make the most out of my workouts, especially since I am paying for them.

3) On days I'm too busy to head out to the gym, I started doing the Shrink Session Workout at home. I love Erin Stutland, I met her a few years ago at Fit Bloggin and instantly felt connected to her. She's a coach, fitness expert, former dancer and feels like your BEST friend all wrapped into one. It's different from your average workout (yes you'll tone your body and burn fat) but what it really does, is help you step into a more a confident, powerful, rock star part of yourself that you may not be in touch with on a daily basis. She's doing a free week long challenge called the Say it, Sweat it, Get it FREE Challenge. If it looks like something you could use, sign up and join me (it's free!)

If you have any tips to share on how you stay motivated, I would love to hear it!
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Light and Easy Cauliflower Gratin

Thanksgiving is at my Mom's house this year. She makes the turkey, stuffing, gravy and mashed potatoes and we all bring the rest. I always bring a vegetable or two and some appetizers, my cousin brings dessert and my sister in law usually brings a salad.

Last year I made a cauliflower gratin that was a lot more complicated than this, but I wanted to test out an easier version knowing many of you will be looking for easy sides. This is super simple, all done in the oven so you don't need to dirty extra pots and pans. You can double this in a 9 x 12 baking dish if you want to feed more people. I used light Havarti cheese because I love the taste, but you can use Swiss, cheddar or whatever you wish. Each serving is under 100 calories or 2 points plus if you're doing WW.

And BTW, the serving spoon in the photo above and fork below is from Such A Time Designs. Beautiful, affordable silver plated one-of-a-kind hand stamped flatware that makes great gifts. This week I am running a giveaway on Skinny Bits – $100 worth of store credit to use on her Etsy shop. If you're interested click here for details.

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Mini Sweet Potato Meringue Pies

Petite sweet potato pies lightly sweetened with a ripe banana, a touch of brown sugar and spices, then topped with a light meringue topping – perfect for the Holidays!

My Mom hosts Thanksgiving every year, she wouldn't have it any other way! I usually bring a side dish and an appetizer and my cousin Nina usually brings dessert. My cousin Nina has a baking blog called Ambrosia and she often shares some of her delicious treats with us (those parker house rolls on her blog are dangerous!). She's not just a great baker, she's also very talented in photography, writing, and she just graduated from Columbia University so I put her up to the challenge of creating her first guest post for me and she really came through! Please welcome her and visit her blog if you love to bake.

Hi, everyone!  My name is Nina, and I'm the blogger behind Ambrosia, a site full of everything you could imagine about creating simple and delicious baked recipes.  I'm very excited to be sharing this recipe for mini sweet potato meringue pies. Creating this recipe was something very new to me.  I'm no stranger to coming up with creative pie, cookie, and cupcake recipes, but this recipe was a bit different.  My blog features traditional style recipes, full of butter, cream, and sugar, so the recipes I share tend to be on the indulgent side.  However, this doesn't mean that I'm always thinking about rich foods; on the contrary, I actually care a lot, more than some people know, about eating healthy whole foods.  I love being active and over the past several years have grown to love all kinds of exercise, and eating a lot of healthy foods is definitely one of my priorities to help keep my cake and ice cream obsession in check.  Fortunately for me, my cousin Gina has been a great resource for coming up with healthy meals!  I actually prepared a lot of her recipes while I was living away from home during college, and love it when she asks for taste testers for her new recipes.  Who knew that eating healthy could be so easy, and delicious?!

I was pretty excited when Gina asked me to help her come with a perfect dessert for Thanksgiving.  There was a catch though: I had to stick to a specific number of points per serving!  Yikes!  I was up for the challenge though, and immediately knew that I wanted to make pie.  Pie is one of my absolute favorite things to make, so I knew that that I wanted to make a skinny pie dessert, and sweet potato pie seemed like a great way to go.  To make the pie filling light, I used a trick I saw on many sweet potato casserole recipes.  Adding a ripe banana to the sweet potato puree is the secret to keeping this sweet potato pie filling light.  Since the banana adds natural sweetness to the sweet potato, it means that you need hardly any additional sugar at all!  Rolling out a store-bought pie crust a little bit thinner helps keep the points low, and also makes life a little bit easier.  Meringue is naturally fat free, so it was a great way to add a little more sweetness without increasing the points per serving, as well as adding some marshmallow flavor to the sweet potato filling, because who doesn't love that flavor combination?  I thought making mini pies would be great for Thanksgiving, because they not only help with portion control, but also looks cute and festive.  You can make the pies the day before, top them with the meringue just before serving, and all that's left is arranging them on a pretty platter and digging in.  At only 4 points plus per serving, these will go fast!  Hope you enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Garlic Sweet Potato Mash

These savory sweet potatoes are the perfect addition to your turkey dinner – let your slow cooker help you out in the kitchen this Thanksgiving!

I've adapted my sweet potato mashed potato recipe for the slow cooker, as another option for you this Thanksgiving Day. The slow cooker is a great appliance to use on those days you have a lot to cook, and not enough room on your stove and this sweet potato recipe couldn't be easier to adapt for the slow cooker.

I've also done this with maple, I just skipped the garlic and added 1 1/2 tsp pure maple syrup instead for a sweeter version. Enjoy!

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Skinny Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Squares

 
Cheesecake squares with a cranberry swirl and a gingersnap pecan crust – so good, less guilt and perfect for the Holidays!

I'm so excited to share these with you, they turned out even better than I expected! 

 

A few years ago I started experimenting with adding fat free Greek yogurt to my cheesecakes and now it's a standard for me. It's a great way to cut down on the fat and the flavor is wonderful. This is a variation of my strawberry cheesecake swirl recipe, and my chocolate raspberry swirl cheesecake, only for a Fall/Winter theme cranberries are in perfect and in season. The gingersnap and pecan crust is the perfect compliment – you'll love this!

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Farro and Sausage Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash

This simple savory stuffed acorn squash is easy to make and filled with the wonderful flavors of Fall.  The stuffing is made with farro, chicken sausage, mushrooms, celery, onions and sage – you'll love this!

It doesn't get easier than this: simply halve and hollow out acorn squash, then season with salt and roast in the oven. Nothing like warming up the kitchen on a blistery night with baked squash in the oven. While that bakes make the stuffing on the stove, then when the squash is ready fill it with the stuffing and serve – the results are a soft, flavorful squash filled with savory goodness! 

In the Fall I love preparing squash, whether it’s butternut, pumpkin, spaghetti, or acorn and I’m always looking for great new ways to prepare it. I recently had a stuffed acorn squash at a restaurant that was pretty good, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking it would taste so much better with this farro stuffing, which I LOVE! This stuffing is an adaptation of this brown rice and sausage stuffing, which you could of course use instead of farro. I've also made it with barley and it was wonderful.

Farro is my favorite new grain – I love it's chewy, nutty texture which holds up perfectly in this stuffing, but farro does contain gluten so if you want to make this gluten-free, swap it out for brown rice. This is perfect for a weeknight meal, but would also make a nice addition to your Thanksgiving table. Simply eat with a spoon to scoop out all the wonderful squash with the stuffing in every bite – enjoy!
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Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna rolls stuffed with spinach and cheese, then topped with a creamy butternut parmesan sauce and baked in the oven with even more cheese – trust me, you want these in your life!

Last year I fell in love with creamy butternut squash as a pasta sauce and have had this on my mind ever since. Now that the Fall is here it was the perfect time to play around with this idea.

They turned out as good as I could have imagined, even my teen daughter who is pretty picky loved these! And, they are meatless so they're perfect for meatless mondays. Use gluten free noodles to make them gluten free or whole wheat for added whole grain. Enjoy!

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Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy

Juicy slow cooked turkey breast with rich turkey gravy, all in your crock pot. This was my first time making a turkey breast in the crock pot, but it won't be my last!

What an easy way to prepare turkey breast that doesn't require too much attention. The vegetables are first browned with a roux on the stove to ensure the gravy has a rich flavor base, then it's all slow cooked in the crock pot. At the end, I simmered the braising liquid on the stove until it reduced and thickened into a delicious, easy gravy.

I modified this recipe from the Slow Cooker Revolution cookbook. It's a great base, and I can see playing around with the ingredients in this recipe.

Madison, my toddler said yummy juicy meat (that meant she liked it) and my husband was thrilled there were mashed potatoes AND gravy on his plate. This was like a mini Thanksgiving feast, I made some skinny mashed potatoes on the side, (you could also make cauliflower mash if you want to go low carb) and I also served this with some sauteed broccolini which is not pictured.

Today, I guess I'll be making some turkey noodle soup with the leftovers!

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Butternut Squash Risotto

A rich and creamy Italian rice dish made with butternut squash puree, white wine, Parmigiano-Reggiano and topped with a little fresh arugula.

Happy Monday! Today I'm in chilly Minneapolis attending an event for Target. They put together a fun agenda for members of the Target Inner Circle which I'll be sharing this week, you can follow my Instagram to see what I'm up to today.

This weekend I remade one of my older recipes with meatless Monday in mind, and updated the photos because this is such a great dish, but the photos didn't do it justice.

Making risotto is a labor of love, because you have to be patient, stirring the rice and adding more broth a little at a time, but in the end you get a delicious restaurant quality dish that you can proudly say you made yourself, without all the added butter you would get if you ate this dish out. It's also really filling, one serving will fill you up. If you wish serve it with a salad on the side and call it a meal.

This also makes a great side dish to fish or chicken, I would make the serving size 1/2 cup as a side dish.

I started with some homemade squash puree which I simply made by boiling the butternut squash in broth or water, then pureeing in the blender. You can use the rest for some Spaghetti with Creamy Butternut Leek Pasta later in the week.

I like to keep a good cheese such as Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano on hand and grate it myself when I need it. A good cheese has an intense flavor you just can't get from the grated parmesan cheese sold on the shelves of the supermarket. 

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Turkey Pot Pie Soup

Leftover turkey is delicious in turkey pot pie, so I thought why not use it to make turkey pot pie soup?

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and didn't do too much damage to your waistline.

I spent Thanksgiving at my Mom's house, she wouldn't have it any other way. She makes Thanksgiving look effortless, but we all brought some dishes along to contribute. I made a cauliflower gratin which turned out great, I'll be posting that soon.

And what to do with your leftover turkey? A turkey pot pie soup is comforting and a great way to use your leftover turkey. I made my own turkey stock from the turkey bones and some vegetables, but you can use canned, or even chicken broth. I took some extra pie crust I had and cut out shapes with a cookie cutter, then baked them to make little pie crust croutons, completely optional but I loved it.

Some other suggestions for Thanksgiving leftovers, Baked Turkey Croquettes are a great way to use up mashed potatoes and turkey, Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup of course is always a classic, Leftover Parmesan Mashed Potato Patties are delicious and simple, and why not at a Latin flair to your leftover turkey and make Skinny Turkey Cuban Sandwiches.

Have a great weekend!
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Skinny Baked Brie Phyllo Cups with Craisins and Walnuts

Baked brie in mini phyllo cups topped with craisins, walnuts and honey. Delicious bite-sized appetizers, perfect for the Holidays!

Someone gave me this idea last week after posting my mini pecan pies and I just loved it! You see I'm a huge fan of baked brie, so naturally creating baked brie a bit lighter with better portion control sounded very appealing to me.

Trader Joe's sells a light Brie which is what I used here, Presidente also carries one. For the topping, I thought using dried cranberries would be pretty for this time of year and I used honey as my glue to keep everything in place. And the taste? Just as good as the real thing, just be sure you don't eat the whole tray!

A wedge of brie would be enough to make two batches, so if you are serving a crowd, you can easily double this recipe.

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Lightened Up Green Bean Casserole with Shallot Crumb Topping

Not your Momma's Green Bean Casserole!

Confession: I strongly dislike mushy green beans.

Year after year I've been asked to post a lighter green bean casserole, and I've opted out because the thought of mushy green beans in canned soup with fried onions just doesn't do it for me.  I'm very particular about how I like my green beans, I love them roasted so they get a little browned, cooked until tender crisp.  I like them sauteed with a little garlic and oil, I even love them in a salad... but frozen or out of a can... I can do without them.

But, seeing how so many of you love green bean casserole, and after getting a Williams Sonoma Catalog with a (not light) recipe inside, I was inspired to give this a try.

I blanched my green beans for 2 minutes so they wouldn't turn to mush. If you like your green beans soft, I would boil them for 5-7 minutes.

I made a mushroom sauce with milk and chicken stock instead of heavy cream. After tasting it, I thought it needed a little extra something, so I added some Pecorino Romano.

That fixed the flavor problem! Then came the topping, I wasn't about to fry onions so I chopped up some shallots and decided to go with a toasted bread crumb topping instead. Next time I may add a little bacon to this (yes, there will be a next time). Put it in the oven and crossed my fingers. When it came out of the oven I served myself a plate and thought it was pretty good! In fact, I had to servings, but this was my lunch so I didn't feel guilty.

Tips: Next time I make this I will cut the green beans in half, I think it would be easier to serve. Panko would work great in place of the bread crumbs. Adding a little bacon or pancetta to the crumbs would be delicious in my opinion. You can certainly halve this to feed a family of 4. Hope you enjoy!

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Fresh Fig and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese

Fresh sweet figs with soft goat cheese over baby arugula topped with a balsamic glaze. A beautiful salad without the fuss, using only 5 ingredients; this salad will make you look like a rock star in the kitchen! 

Once revered as a symbol of peace and prosperity, figs are beloved today for their unique flavor and texture. Not to mention, they offer some health perks, too: Figs contain some potassium and vitamin A.

What's your Salad'tude this Holiday Season? My salad'tude is simple, healthy, beautiful and quick.  Share your Salad'tude on Skinny Bits for a chance to win a Trip for Two to the four-star Solage Hotel & Spa in Napa Valley with Dole! (ends Sunday Nov 25th).

Balsamic glaze is my favorite new find, it's thick and sweet and you can drizzle it on salad, sandwiches or even strawberries. I bought mine in Trader Joe's but I see it in stores everywhere now. It's pairs perfectly with figs, and you only need to drizzle a little olive oil on top.

You can serve this salad on a large platter with olive oil and balsamic on the side, or you can serve them on plates, one fig per person.

If goat cheese isn't your thing, gorgonzola would make a perfect replacement. You could even add slivered almonds or walnuts.

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Mini Pecan Phyllo Tarts

These bite sized pecan tarts are the perfect "skinny" replacement for pecan pie this holiday season! They are so easy to make, and really good!

Traditional pecan pie can set you back about 480 calories! These mini tarts, are only 68 calories each, even if you eat two you are still ahead of the game! I found this neat Thanksgiving calorie counter that totals your calories and tells you how many miles you need to walk to burn them off.

Luckily I've lightened up so many Thanksgiving favorites, you can see them all here: Lightened Up Thanksgiving Recipe Index from cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie and lots of leftover ideas.

I'm in a bit of a panic that Thanksgiving is next week! Losing power for two weeks really set me back and quite honestly, after a few days of dealing with long gas lines, no power, no traffic lights, no supermarkets, no school, no gym, I really started to lose track of time (I think I need a vacation).

Pecan pie has been requested quite a bit, so when I stumbled on these mini pecan tarts, I thought I would try them with some minor tweaks.

I  loved how they turned out and they are so stinking easy, even a beginner baker can make them. If you're in charge of dessert this Thanksgiving, give these a try, you can double the recipe to make 30.

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Mushroom Fennel Quinoa Stuffing

This savory quinoa stuffing is a delicious, protein-packed, gluten-free alternative to traditional stuffing.

A wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving table, or perfect to serve any night of the week. Serve this along side a roasted chicken, turkey breast, or make it a meal by adding sauteed turkey sausage.

And just a side note, my uncle who doesn't like quinoa was really impressed with the flavors in this dish. I think I may have converted him *smile*.


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Baby Greens with Goat Cheese, Beets and Candied Pecans

Creamy goat cheese with crunchy sweet pecans and red beets topped with a honey balsamic vinaigrette is like a symphony in your mouth. This salad will make you look like a culinary whiz!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!

I still have no power due to Hurricane Sandy so I thought I would re-post an older recipe from the archives. If you are without power, this doesn't require an oven and would be perfect for Meatless Monday.

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Potato Parsnip Mash

Potatoes and parsnips mashed together with a little garlic, sour cream and butter make a surprisingly tasty side dish. The parsnips add a slightly sweet and spicy taste to the potatoes that I really enjoyed.

Hurricane Sandy is keeping most of us New Yorkers indoors today. So far I haven't lost power so I figured I would share this recipe in case I do later (crossing fingers I won't).

I had bought these parsnips the other day with no real plans for them, and decided I would try them mixed into my mashed potatoes. Parsnips, quite honestly are not a vegetable I grew up eating, so I never really know what to do with them. In the past, I've added them to stews and soups but I was pleasantly surprised how well they tasted mixed in with potatoes. My husband agreed, and they made a wonderful side dish to the roast beef I prepared in the oven.

Do you have a favorite way you enjoy parsnips? Would love to hear how you prepare them!

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Shooters

When you need a "little" treat, these delicious pumpkin cheesecake shooters are the perfect sweet fix. Perfect to serve at Halloween party or to add to your Thanksgiving table!

I love the idea of serving bite sized desserts at a party, it's perfectly portioned, and if there are other desserts on the table, it's just the right amount. You can buy inexpensive shot glasses at the dollar store and if you are bringing a dessert to a party, you can even give the shot glasses to the host as a gift.

These can be made ahead and kept chilled until ready to serve. Of course, if you rather use larger glasses, you can make 8 servings and double the filling.

My whipped topping of choice is Truwhip, and I'm excited they just came out with a light version! I love that it contains all natural ingredients, no HFCS, hydrogenated oils, transfats or GMOs. 

Enjoy!

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Roasted Pumpkin Sage Soup

Pumpkin season is in full swing, and this pumpkin soup is the perfect first course for any meal. Use a hollowed out pumpkin as a bowl for a beautiful presentation.

The aroma of roasted pumpkins and sage smells like everything I love about Thanksgiving – warmth, comfort, family and friends. 

If you can't find sugar or pumpkin pie pumpkins, acorn squash or butternut would work fine it it's place. This soup can be made ahead and reheated when ready to serve.

I went pumpkin picking a few weeks ago and and had so many sugar pumpkins, I knew I was going to use some as bowls. Wouldn't this be beautiful on your Thanksgiving table! Completely optional, but if you want to do this, look for small pumpkins, about 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 lbs, otherwise your bowls will hold too much soup.  To make the bowls, I followed this method only I roasted them 15 minutes longer. You can do this a day ahead, then heat in the oven before serving to keep your soup warm. I actually washed mine after using and they still look good.


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Garlic Sweet Potato Mash

Sweet potatoes are often smothered in sugar and topped with more sugar, but this savory version will surprise you and your loved ones and keep them coming back for more!

Need a few good reasons to pass on plain old potatoes and get sweet on sweet potatoes instead? These orange tubers are one of the top food sources of vitamin A, which helps protect your peepers. It also contains vitamins C and B-6, fiber, copper and potassium.

Pair this with chicken, Salisbury Steak, Pork Chops, or Turkey Meatloaf. Double or triple this recipe and add it to your Thanksgiving menu.

Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place and they’ll stay fresh for several weeks. Sweet indeed!

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