Grilled Peaches With Honey and Yogurt

Nothing says summer like biting into a juicy peach. Grilling them is a simple way to enjoy them as a dessert, a perfect ending to a backyard BBQ without heating up your kitchen. Delicious topped with yogurt and honey, but also great topped with low fat ice cream.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Watermelon Morning Refresher

I read somewhere that Jennifer Aniston drank this every morning as part of her detox diet so I thought I'd give it a try. After all, she looks amazing so this ought to do the trick for me right? ;-)  Well, I thought it sounded delicious anyway. I wake up each morning thirsty and tired and this drink was really a perfect fix for me! Watermelon is so light and crisp and the almond milk adds a bit of protein making it a wonderful, refreshing wake me up drink. I simply have this first thing in the morning and then a couple hours later have a light protein snack such as egg whites with veggies or a handful of nuts. I feel much less bogged down when I stick with this routine.

Remove rind from watermelon and chop into bite size pieces. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze. After a few hours, I put the frozen watermelon into baggies. This way, I can stumble half awake to the freezer and just grab a bag, throw the watermelon into my blender, add some unsweetend almond milk and presto, breakfast is served! My kids love this as a snack too. Perfect summer cooler.

* Buy your watermelons from Sprouts or a Farmers mrkt if you can.
I bought 2 big seedless watermelons for only $3!  They are 1 for $5 at Safeway and Fry's.

Unsweetened Almond milk is low in calories, contains several vitamins and is lactose free.

Tossed Summer Salad

Super simple, very fresh, totally healthy summer salad. Perfect for a light lunch, snack or side dish. Now is the time to get beautiful delicious tomatoes and velvety avacados! I throw a huge handful of parsley into this salad, don't skimp on the parsley! Cucumbers give this salad a bit of crunch. For the dressing, I simply squeezed a lemon over the tossed salad and drizzled a bit of grape seed oil, then finished it off with fresh ground black pepper.

Health Info

Avacados are chock full of monounsaturated fat (good fat), avocados deliver a double-barreled blast to LDL cholesterol (the bad kind). They are also rich in folate, a water-soluble B vitamin that helps lower the levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that can hinder the flow of blood through blood vessels.
Avocados are one of the super foods!






Parsley:


A sprig of parsley can provide much more than a decoration on your plate. Parsley contains two types of unusual components that provide unique health benefits. The first type is volatile oil components-including myristicin, limonene, eugenol, and alpha-thujene. The second type is flavonoids-including apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol, and luteolin.




Promote Optimal Health


Parsley's volatile oils-particularly myristicin-have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. Myristicin has also been shown to activate the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, which helps attach the molecule glutathione to oxidized molecules that would otherwise do damage in the body. The activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, and in particular, a food that can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens (like the benzopyrenes that are part of cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke).




A Rich Source of Anti-Oxidant Nutrients


The flavonoids in parsley-especially luteolin-have been shown to function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules (called oxygen radicals) and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells.
In addition to its volatile oils and flavonoids, parsley is an excellent source of two vital nutrients that are also important for the prevention of many diseases: vitamin C and vitamin A.




Vitamin C has many different functions. It is the body's primary water-soluble antioxidant, rendering harmless otherwise dangerous free radicals in all water-soluble areas of the body. High levels of free radicals contribute to the development and progression of a wide variety of diseases, including atherosclerosis, colon cancer, diabetes, and asthma. This may explain why people who consume healthy amounts of vitamin C-containing foods have reduced risks for all these conditions. Vitamin C is also a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, which explains its usefulness in conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. And since vitamin C is needed for the healthy function of the immune system, it can also be helpful for preventing recurrent ear infections or colds.


Beta-carotene, another important antioxidant, works in the fat-soluble areas of the body. Diets with beta-carotene-rich foods are also associated with a reduced risk for the development and progression of conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetes, and colon cancer. Like vitamin C, beta-carotene may also be helpful in reducing the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. And beta-carotene is converted by the body to vitamin A, a nutrient so important to a strong immune system that its nickname is the "anti-infective vitamin."




Parsley for a Healthy Heart
Parsley is a good source of folic acid, one of the most important B vitamins.
Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis
Vitamin C-rich foods, such as parsley, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints. You can't get this from supplements!

Rosemary Filone Bread

My very own beautiful crusty bread.   *sniff snifff, who thought I'd ever be baking bread???

My friend Jason travels all over the world backpacking, lucky duck! He is also an amazing cook and shares my obsession with food and food photography. He sent me this amazing artisan bread recipe from Verona, Italy. It's called Rosemary Filone Bread. It requires 8-16 hours for the Biga (starter) to develop and rise, so prepare for that. It is well worth the wait! This is by far the best bread I have ever had. It has a wonderful, golden, crust and a light, airy middle. I didn't even follow the directions exactly and it was still wonderful. I was making it for a friend and ran out of time, so I only let it rise for about half of the required time. Also, I don't have a bakers stone *sigh.... so I had to bake it on a baking sheet. If you do this too, I suggest immediately placing the finished loaves of bread on a rack to cool so they don't "sweat".


The first few times I made bread I didn't have the water temperature warm enough so my yeast didn't activate . The water should be pretty warm, but NOT hot on your wrist. You need to let the yeast water set aside for at least 10 minutes to activate, it should be slightly "foamy" and have little bubbles if it's happy.


This last time I made the filone with whole roasted garlic cloves and cracked pepper.
 Oh, heaven; filone be thoust name! Perfectly crusty and airy and so very rustic tasting. I ate it the following day with some fresh goat cheese sprinkled with chives and strawberries .

Can you think of a better snack? I sure can't.




MAKING THE BIGA (9-17 hours before you want to bake)

1/3 c water, tepid (70-78 degrees)
1/2 t instant yeast
2/3 unbleached all-purpose flour
1. Pour the water into a small mixing bowl.
2. Stir in yeast and flour with a rubber spatula until a dough forms.
3. Dust work area with flour and knead 1-2 minutes or until fairly smooth.
4. Put dough in lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temp (70-75 degrees) 1 hour. (5:30pm/6:30pm).
5. Then refrigerate at least 8 and up to 16 hours. The biga will double in volume (4:30am/12:30pm).
The biga can be left in a warm place to mature for 6 hours, refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen up to 3 months.

Jeanne, from Simple Math Bakery was kind enough to share these pictures of her Biga. She has several other wonderful recipes on her site, please check them out!

This is after sitting in the fridge all night.

MIXING THE DOUGH
1-1/3 c water, tepid (70-78 degrees)
1 t instant yeast
3-1/4 unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 c fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
2-1/4 t sea salt
1. Remove biga from refrigerator and scrape into large bowl.
2. Mix yeast and water together. Pour mixture over biga and stir with rubber spatula to soften and break it into clumps.
3. Stir in flour, olive oil, rosemary, and salt until a dough forms.

after the first rise....

KNEADING THE DOUGH
By hand: knead dough with steady strokes until it's silky, smooth, and elastic, 13-15 minutes.
By machine: mix dough on medium speed (4 on a KitchenAid) with dough hook until it's silky, smooth, and elastic, 10-12 minutes.

Check that the dough is well developed by pulling off a golf ball sized piece and stretching it into an opaque windowpane. If dough tears, knead for an additional 2-3 minutes and test again.
NOTE: you may need to keep adding flour 1/4 cup at a time until a manageable ball forms.


FERMENT THE DOUGH
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled, clear 2-quart container with a lid. Mark the container at the level the dough will reach when it has doubled in volume with tape. Cover and leave to rise at room temp (70-75 degrees) until it doubles in volume, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. When you press your finger into dough, the fingerprint should spring back slowly.

...and after two hours of rising.

PREPARE THE OVEN
About 1 hour before baking, place a baking stone on middle rack and heat at 400 degrees.


DIVIDE AND SHAPE LOAVES
Cover a baker's peel or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust it with flour. Cut dough into 2 equal pieces with a bench scraper or chef's knife. Shape each piece into a log about 12" long and place seem side down about 3" apart.
NOTE: To shape the log, start with a small rectangle (3"x5"). Fold into thirds, like a letter. First, fold the long top edge down, then fold the bottom edge up. Seal the seam by pressing gently with the palm of your hand. Fold the whole thing in half again, by bringing the long top edge down to the bottom edge. Seal again with your palm. Starting in the middle, gently roll the log until it is about 12" long (make sure it will still fit on your baking stone).

PROOF THE LOAVES
Cover with plastic wrap and let logs rise at room temp (70-75 degrees) until they spread and look puffy and light, nearly doubling in size, 45-60 minutes. Press your fingertips into dough and your fingerprint will spring back slowly.

BAKE THE LOAVES
Slide the logs, including the parchment, onto the baking stone. Bake until the logs are dark caramel in color, 30-40 minutes.


with Organic Goat Cheese & Strawberries

Enjoy with cheese and fruit, soup, sandwiches or french bread pizza.

Skinny Chicken Waldorf Salad

Chicken breast, apples, grapes, pecans and celery in a creamy dressing. It's a perfect combination of flavors and textures. I served this over a bed of baby arugula and baby spinach, but this is also wonderful on a whole grain roll or in a healthy low carb wrap.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Breakfast "eggie muffins"

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:


8 ounces turkey or chicken breakfast sausage, removed from casing

1 teaspoon cooking oil

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup spinach leaves, chopped small

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped small

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8 eggs

1 cup 1% milk


* Use whatever veggies you have on hand. Try to use a variety of veggies to introduce your kids to them in a fun way. Red bell peppers have been a hard veggie to get my little ones to eat. I just keep adding them to meals again and again. Sometimes they eat them without a fuss, sometimes after trying them... again, they still pick them out. After seeing them over and over, they now know what they are. My 5 year old recently informed my 3 year old that red bell peppers are NOT spicy, they are good for you and will make him strong like daddy. Ahhhh, perseverance pays off eventually!

Preparation:

*When I made these, I sprayed the muffin tin generously with cooking spray. Big mistake! It took forever to clean out the tin. Next time I will definitely be using muffin/cupcake liners! These were really very yummy, and the kids were happy to eat something that they made "all by themselves".

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
Let your kids whisk the eggs and milk in a their own medium bowls. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups.

Put chopped veggies in little bowls. Give your children a Tablespoon for scooping and sprinkling veggies into each cup. My kids love creating their very own "eggie muffins". Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of each eggie.

Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a spoon to scoop the eggies out of pan.

* Serve with avocado slices to get your MUFA!!! Monounsaturated fats are "good fats", essential to a healthy diet. You've probably heard about them lately as aiding in the loss of belly fat. They also help lower your glycemic index when eaten before a meal. They also lower your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol. They are good for your heart and circulatory system.

Nutrition Info

based on eggs, milk, cheese, turkey sausage and spinach.

Per eggie: 90 calories; 5 g fat (2 g sat, 1 g mono); 105 mg cholesterol; 3 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 9 g protein; 0 g fiber; 217 mg sodium; 108 mg potassium.

Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I have gotten many requests to make a low point mac and cheese recipe. Here's a baked macaroni and cheese recipe that even got my skeptical daughter's approval.

I lightened this by reducing the butter, I replaced cream with skim milk and chicken broth, and I added some fresh baby spinach. I liked Sargento 2% cheddar cheese because after trying several cheddars, this was the one I felt tasted best and melted beautifully. I also use Ronzoni Smart Taste which is less points than regular pasta, with the same great taste. Whole wheat or low carb pasta would work with the same points too.

If you want to make this a quick stove top mac and cheese, you can serve it without the breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Points remain the same. Next time I make this I'll play around with using other vegetables like mushrooms or broccoli, and possibly try it with a variety of reduced fat cheeses.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Brown Fried Rice

A great side dish for stir fries and Asian inspired dishes. I love to make my fried rice Thai style which uses fish sauce, but if you don't have this you could leave it out and increase the soy sauce. This is a perfect compliment to Asian Turkey Meatballs. Double the recipe for more people.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Red Pepper Egg-In-A-Hole

As I was thumbing through Everyday Food Magazine, I came across this recipe that I think is brilliant! It's like an egg-in-a-hole, but lighter and for those of you not eating carbs or gluten-free, a great alternative! I served mine on a half point piece of WW whole wheat toast, but the bread is completely optional. Next time I think I'll try these in large onion rings? Maybe even topping with a little grated cheddar? So many possibilities.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Low Fat Banana Fritters

A great achievement! I made banana fritters that aren't deep fried and loaded with fat! I love banana fritters, but they are not exactly light when you order them. I was able to create a low fat fritter by mashing ripe bananas and making a batter, then pan frying them with a little buttered flavored spray. Almost like a pancake with less flour. A little tricky to cook at first, but I found using low heat worked great. I served them with a small scoop (half cup) of Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Ice Cream, only a half point and delicious!
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Frozen Berry Yogurt Pops

These are really simply to make and as a bonus, they are really healthy!

I found these cute cups and animal spoons at the dollar store.

The paper cups are easy to tear off so the pops don't break.

The cute little spoons are not only fun for the kids but easy for their little hands

to grab hold of. I wash and reuse them again and again. The boys were really excited about this one!

I made the mistake of having them help me make them right before nap time tho and neither one

of them could sleep for excitment. Every 10 minutes Nolan peeped his head out

of his room and said "Are the animal popscicles ready yet?"

After about 1 1/2 hours of this I threw in the towel and we went outside and had popscicles.

The yogurt makes them rich and creamy, not rock hard like water/juice based popscicles.

We used mixed frozen berries and sweetened them with Orange Juice.

The boys love helping. They were telling me the names of all the different berries going into

the blender. " Razzleberry, Snazzleberry, blueberry, Snoozberry, purpleberry." ;-)

They put in their own spoons and put them one by one in the freezer. What good little helpers! ;-)

You will need:

2 cups of mixed frozen berries

2 cups of plain fat free yogurt

1/2 cup Real Orange Juice

15 small dixie cups

animal silver ware

Put berries, yogurt and sugar into blender. Blend on high speed for about 2 minutes.

Pour into cups about 3/4 full. Put silver ware into cups and freeze about 2 hours, or as long as you can wait.

Turkey Burgers with Zucchini

Want your kids to eat more veggies? Hide them in their burgers, they'll never know! I'm in experimental mode this weekend and played around with adding zucchini to my turkey burgers.

This was great for so many reasons! Not only did they taste great, adding zucchini also lowered the calories and fat per serving, it made one extra burger and what a great to get your picky kids to eat their vegetables. This made 5 big burgers. Serve them on low point hamburger buns and top with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion slices, pickles, ketchup or mustard (add extra points). These can be grilled or cooked indoors.

For best results: use a hand grater to grate the zucchini, onion and garlic super fine. Get the pan hot before you put the burgers on to get a nice sear, then lowered the flame to the lowest setting to let the burgers cook all the way through, turning a few times so the burgers don't burn. 



Turkey Burgers with Zucchini
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 5 • Size: 1 burger no bun • Old Points: 3 pts (bun extra) • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 156 • Fat: 6.8 g • Protein: 18.6 g • Carb: 5.5 g • Fiber: 1.3 g

Ingredients: 

• 1.25 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 small zucchini, grated 
• 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp red onion, grated
• salt and fresh pepper
• oil spray 

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, zucchini, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Make 5 equal patties.

Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray oil. Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook on one side until browned, then flip. Flip over a few times to prevent burning and to make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through.

If grilling, clean grill well before cooking and spray with oil spray to prevent sticking.

flower pot chive bread

I found this creative and beautiful recipe here. If this doesn't make you want to bake a loaf of bread, or grow a little herb garden, then I don't know what will! How fun!

Ingredients (for 10 rolls or 25 rolls in flower pots):


5,30 oz all purpose flour

5,30 oz bread flour

5,07 fl oz (2/3 cup) warm water

2 level tablespoonfuls olive oil

1 level teaspoonful salt

0,35 oz fresh yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup chopped chives



Method

Dissolve the yeast in a few of water and the sugar, work them with the flour, olive oil and salt, add the remaining water little by little. Knead until elastic. Transfere the ball into a bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 1h and 30minutes). Deflate the dough, add the chive and knead again. Divide it into 9-10 equal pieces and form small round balls and put them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper or fill each greased flower pot 1/2 full. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or with a plastic wrap) , and let rise until doubled in volume. Bake in the preheated oven at 360-392°F for 20 minutes about. Serve hot or warm..
 
 
 

Very Berry Buttermilk Muffins

Oh, my goodness these are wonderful! Bursting with berries that pop in your mouth when hot out of the oven. The lemon zest brings out the fresh tang in the berries and makes me want to go on a picnic and eat several of them under a tree on a lazy summer day. They are so pretty, I think I took about 70 picture of them. ;-) These are perfect for a Sunday morning special treat.... or picnic ;-)

I use oil in this recipe instead of butter which makes the muffins wonderfully moist and tender because oil prevents the development of gluten in the flour. Buttermilk makes these so thick, creamy and with a rich tangy buttery taste. Whereas in the past buttermilk was made from the liquid left over after churning butter, it is now commercially made by adding a bacteria to whole, skim, or low fat milk. I use buttermilk powder, a small bag goes a long way. You just mix 1 TBSP powder per 1/2 cup water. Keep it in your pantry, I add it to muffins, cookies, breads, pancakes, casseroles, chicken etc. It is a great source of Calcium!!!

You can make your own buttermilk though by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup (240 ml) of milk. Just stir the vinegar into the milk and then let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Note: If using frozen berries you may have to bake the muffins a little longer than the stated time. Also,

just be sure not to defrost the berries first as this will cause them to soften and bleed into the batter

makes one dozen muffins

You will need:


1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

* 3/4 cup Almond flour

* 3/4 cup dehydrated cane juice (Raw sugar)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

*1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Zest of one orange or lemon

1 large egg, lightly beaten

* 3/4 cup buttermilk

* 2/3 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)

Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven. Butter or spray with a non stick cooking spray 12 - 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch muffin cups. Set aside.
In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract.
In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Gently fold in the berries. With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.


Fill each muffin cup almost full of batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.


PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE

Adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Best Food Cookbook





* notes of interest

* dehydrated cane juice is granulated, so I'm not sure why it's called juice. It is also called RAW sugar. It is much better for you than refined sugar. It is easy to find, next to the refined sugar in most grocery stores.


* Almond flour is gluten free and high in protein and good essential monounsaturated fats. Not to mention it tastes GREAT in muffins and cookies, almondy. ;-)

* Do not use Iodized salt. It has added dextrose/sugar (check the nutrition label). Sea salt has natural Iodine in it, a good mineral.

* use unrefined canola oil if you can find it. Coconut or walnut oil are other good choices, they are monounsaturated (good) fat. Canola oil is an Omega-3 oil when it is unrefined, but usually it is refined so not as good for you.

Typical American diets are way to high in Omega-6's, usually 1:50 (Omega-3 to Omega-6). You really need a balanced diet of 1:1 Omegas.

examples of Omega-6's:
eggs, poultry, beef fed w grains, baked goods, cereals, popcorn, corn oi., grape seed oil, safflower, soybean, sunflower seeds just to name a few.

examples of Omega-3's:
walnut oil, fish oil, hemp oil, sesame oil, flax oil, flax meal, walnuts, kiwi, fish, leafy veggies, legumes, butternut squash, black raspberry, eggs, poultry and beef fed grass/natural diet.

Mango Nut Bread

There is nothing like fresh baked bread for breakfast. This low fat bread uses one of my favorite tropical fruits, the mango. The addition of coconut flakes gives this bread a tropical flair. I love this with a smear of mango butter!!

For those of you who have never baked bread before, this is very simple to make. The only appliance I used was a blender to purée the mango. The rest was mixed by hand.



Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

All Natural Oat Cookies

My kids will do anything for a snack! I could pull in some serious favors or chores by just mentioning the word snack. Cookies are one of their all time favorites. They could eat them by the jar full. These are a wonderful, healthy option! I can give them two or three of these and not worry about sugar and fat. My 3 year old literally gets giddy when I make these. He puts his little hands together and says " Can we even have a glass of milk for dunking?!" Oh, life's simple pleasures.


Today, when I mentioned that I was going to make cookies and a smoothie for our afternoon snack the boys started listing all of the ways in which they were going to be good boys. Here are a few of them that made me smile.

1. We will not hit or kick anyone.
2. We will not lell (yell) or scweam.
3. We will not spit.
4. We will not throw rocks in the pool.
5. We will not run around and act crazy.
6. We will not never, ever get on your nerves.
7. We will not never cry.
8. We will mind you most all of the west of the day.
9. We will cough in our arms.
10. We will say (very sweet, high - pitched voice) " mommy, can I please to have another cookie? So that's called minding our manows" (manners)

jeeesh! I guess there are a lot of rules around here. Who knew they actually knew what they were!


So here are the ingredients for these wonderful, amazing cookies that will turn your little children into angels...for about 5 minutes. ;-)

By the way, I got this recipe from Whole Foods Market, altering it slightly. I think they taste like a chewy granola bar instead of a sugary cookie. Mmmmmm.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup evaporated cane juice sugar (a.k.a. raw sugar)

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup quick cook or old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup wheat germ, preferably toasted

1/4 cup flax meal

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup seedless raisins or craisins

1/2 cup toasted pecans, or walnuts finely chopped


Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 375°F.


In a large bowl, whisk together butter and oil until completely blended. Whisk in sugar, egg, vanilla and salt; set aside. In a second large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, flax meal, flour, spices and baking powder, then add to butter mixture and stir well to combine thoroughly. Fold in raisins and pecans.


Drop dough by the spoonful onto lightly greased baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart, and bake until cooked through and golden brown, 10 to 11 minutes. Carefully transfer to wire racks and set aside to let cool completely.


CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE



Nutrition Info

Per serving (2 cookies/47g-wt.): 210 calories (100 from fat), 11g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 25mg cholesterol, 120mg sodium, 24g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 5g protein

Banana Orange Frosty, sugar free!

1 1/2 cups Plain Non-Fat yoguhrt

1 cup Orange Juice

*1/4 cup Wheat Germ

1/2 tsp Real Vanilla

1 large ripe banana

1 TBSP Raw Honey (from the area you live in)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

* orange zest for "sprinkles"

In a blender combine all ingredients. Cover and blend on high speed 1 minute or until smooth.

Pour into glasses, garnish with thin slice of orange and sprinkle with orange zest.

**Orange peel is a monoterpene; a master detoxifier for you body. So it not only makes things taste excellent and fresh, is excellent for your bod! ;-) My kids call them "sprinkles" and think they are getting a special treat. Well, I guess they are.

Serve with my All Natural Oat Cookies.

** Wheat germ is high in fiber and protein. It is very low calorie and non-fat. Wheat germ is high in Vitamin E- best known for it's prevention in heart disease and strengthening the immune system.

Wheat germ is a great source of Folic Acid, which is a B vitamin necessary for hear and blood vessel health.  Research has linked Folic Acid in protecting against neural birth defects.

Wheat germ provides 100%  of the recommended Daily Values of Phospherus, Magnesium and Zinc.

Shrimp Fajitas

My husband loves fajitas! It's the only thing he ordered while we vacationed in Mexico... every single day! I could never order the same meal everyday, but that's a different story. These shrimp fajitas he claimed were better than any he's ever eaten in a restaurant. Wow! Now that's a compliment from my fajita loving husband!

For the shrimp, I modified my cilantro lime shrimp recipe by adding chipotle chile powder for a little kick. Incredible! I have these wonderful clay pots from Colombia that I use to make my onions and peppers on the grill, but a cast iron pan would work as well. We also made guacamole and served them with fat free sour cream (extra points). Two fajitas filled me up. Double the recipe if you would like to serve four. Here's the recipe:

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

So Simple Frittata

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

This is a mother's day inspired post because this dish is one of my favorites!
There are a lot of very pretty frittata recipes out there! I love it! This one is very simple and super yummy.
A frittata is an Italian dish similar to an omelete or quiche. I love them because they are so versatile.

• You can put any veggies you have on hand into your frittata to change up the taste a bit.
• You can add the traditional pancetta or prosciutto or add ham, canadian bacon, turkey bacon etc to make it more hearty.
• You can use whole eggs or egg whites to make it lighter
• You can use any cheese you want for a different taste, ricotta, swiss, pepper jack, goat, gruyere etc
• You can use different fresh herbs to make for a completley different taste; chives, thyme, basil, parsley
• You can have frittata for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner
• A frittata can be made simple for a last minute meal or very easily made into a pretty dish for a great get together brunch.
• Perfect for an end of the week meal when you've run out of ideas, ingredients and energy to cook.
• It makes for great leftovers for a quick, healthy breakfast.
• KIDS LOVE FRITTATAS!  

You will need:

12 large eggs

2 TBSP water

1 cup frozen spring peas

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 small bunch asparagus

1 TBSP fresh parsley

1 TBSP fresh thyme

1/2 TBSP no salt added butter

1 tsp EVOO

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Trader Joes 21 season salute or Herbamare

Putting it all together:


Rinse asparagus under cold water. Cut the bottom 1/4 of the asparagus off and discard. Cut the remaining stalks into thirds. Pat dry. Put into cast iron skillet, sprinkle with kosher salt and roast at 400° for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, set aside. Turn heat up to Broil.

In a medium bowl crack eggs and whisk together with 2 TBSP water, cheese, asparagus, peas, spices and herbs.

In a large non-stick (not teflon), OVEN SAFE pan heat butter over medium heat. Saute chopped onion for about 3 minutes. Add egg mixture. With a small spatula or flat spoon, push eggs towards center, working your way around the pan once or twice.

Put pan into oven on top rack about 6 inches from top. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook! Eggs will continue to cook after you remove from oven and will be dry if you cook them to long.

Remove from oven and shake pan a little to loosen frittata. 

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is an Italian chicken dish served in a lemon, wine, butter sauce with capers and parsley.

This is a remake of Ina Garten's Chicken Piccata recipe, which is breaded... not a traditional Piccata, however it sounded like it would be really good. To lighten it, I reduced her portions, used whole wheat bread crumbs, and reduced the fat. I served this to my family and my husband pointed out the obvious, "this isn't Chicken Piccata... but it's good!" My daughter who loves anything with lemon really loved this dish. Serve this with a salad and a vegetable.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Spagetti Squash and Stuffed Meatballs

If you love pasta but don't love the calories this one is for you! Spagetti squash is simply delicious and easy to prepare. This recipe has far less fat, carbs and  calories than traditional spagetti and meatballs. I think it tastes much better too, bonus! Fresh herbs, as always make a big difference in how wonderful and fresh this tastes. Again, growing just a few herbs in your backyard, patio or kitchen will make a world of difference in your recipes. I throw them in almost everything.

You will need:

1 lb. lean ground turkey

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 egg white

1 cup (5 oz.) of formed mozzerella (for stuffing meatballs)

1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs ( 1 slice stale bread)

1/4 cup fresh, chopped parsley

1/4 cup fresh, chopped basil

1/4 cup fresh, chopped oregano

1 tsp EVOO

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (optional, adds great flavor)

1 - 32 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 medium spagetti squash

Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place face up in a deep baking dish with 1 cup of water. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until a fork easily scrapes squash into "strings".

Meanwhile, to prepare meatballs, combine turkey, onion, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, egg white and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Scoop a spoonful size into your hand and push a small, 1 inch piece of chopped mozzarella into center of ball, form meat around cheese. Continue with all of the mixture placing them on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for about 8-10 minutes.

While making meatballs combing crushed tomatoes, basil and oregano in a medium saucepan. Cook covered over med-low heat. (don't use jarred pasta sauce, they contain a ton of sugar and usually preservative/additives).

I let my squash rest a bit while the meatballs are cooking so it is easier to scrape out the flesh. Use a large fork and scrape the meat of the squash onto a large serving plate. It will look like spaghetti noodles, hence the name. ;-)

Serve meatballs and sauce on top of spaghetti squash. Sprinkle with more herbs and Pecorino cheese if you wish.

Serve with a big salad or green veggies to complete the meal.

PRINT THIS RECIPE



Calories: 342
Fat: 23
Carbs: 16
Protein: 22
Sodium: 915
Sugar: 4
Cholesterol: 126

Skinnygirl Margarita

 

If you're celebrating Cinco De Mayo with cocktails, here's a lighter margarita recipe. It seems like everyone on TV is making a Skinny Cookbook these days. The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa Giudice just came out with a new cookbook called Skinny Italian. Bethanny Frankel, from the Real Housewives of New York has a cookbook called the Skinnygirl Dish and is the creator of the much hyped Skinnygirl Maragarita.

I'm not sure how many points a regular margarita is but if this is considered a skinny margarita at 4 points, I'd hate to know! Here's the Skinnygirl Margarita recipe. Serve this on the rocks, Olé!

Skinnygirl Margarita
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 1 • Serving Size: 1 drink • Points: 4 ww pts
Calories: 185.5 • Fat: 0.0 g • Protein: 0.2 g • Carb: 6.4 g • Fiber: 0.2 g 

• 2 oz of Clear Premium Tequila
• .5 oz Orange Liquor
• Juice of 1 Fresh Lime
• Ice

Combine all ingredients over a glass of ice and garnish with a lime wedge.

Skinny Loaded Nachos with Turkey, Beans and Cheese

To celebrate Cinco De Mayo, or any day, enjoy these loaded nachos without the guilt.

We had these for dinner but this is also great for lunch or as an appetizer. This recipe was inspired by Rocco Dispirito's new book, Now Eat This. I made some adjustments to his original recipe and it was DELICIOUS. High in fiber and lower in fat than regular nachos, which would be about 22 points if you ate these out.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Caprese Salad

So simple. It only looks complicated because it's beautiful.

1. Little tub of marinated mozzarella

2. Camparini tomatoes (small, warm and still on the vine.... while I wait for my tomatoes to grow.)

3. Basil from your little potted herb garden that I inspired you to grow.

4. Pine nuts to sprinkle over the top.

5. Aged balsamic vinegar ( if it's not aged, they add extra sugar to make it taste aged. Should be 3 grams of sugar or less, many contain up to 8 grams!.... I'm here for you people.)

5. Quick chop of the tomatoes and basil. Artful drizzle of the balsamic vinegar and elegant sprinkling of the pine nuts.

Voila! It is as beautiful as it is delicioso!

Lighter Chicken Saltimbocca

Chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and sage in a light wine sauce.

I get this dish all the time from my favorite Italian restaurant, but theirs is loaded with butter (butter makes everything taste soo good!). The challenge of making this without all the fat yet keeping the chicken moist took me a few attempts. Last attempt was perfection! Rich and decadent, you would never think "light" when eating this. This dish is restaurant quality, and only 3 points per piece! For the olive oil spray I always use my Misto, which lets me use the oil of my choice, but you can purchase ready made. The prosciutto is salty so this really doesn't require salt. Serve it over your favorite wilted greens.


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...