Pumpkin Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rebekah reminded me that I haven't posted this recipe here yet. This one is a favorite at my house.  I'm already a big fan of pumpkin cookies, but this recipe makes me sing! Fast, easy, take the ingredients right out of the pantry, and yummy!  But, best of all - a ONE point treat!!

 

Pumpkin Cookies

1 box spice cake mix
1 (15 oz. ) can pumpkin
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Combine together. Drop by spoonful on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 18-20 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies. 1 point each. (woo-hoo!)

*Hints:

I have found that using name-brand ingredients counts here. I made these once using generic brands, and I'm sorry...they just weren't as good! Here's what I use:

♦  Libby's canned pumpkin
♦  Guittard milk chocolate chips
♦  Duncan Hines (or any of the other name-brands) cake mix

Peanut Butter and Apple Sandwiches

If you are looking for a healthy sandwich to put in kids' lunchboxes. This recipe from Williams Sonoma is a great one!! (This makes 1 sandwich, so be sure to make more if you are needing more sandwiches)


2 Tbsp whipped plain cream cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp honey
1 granny smith or your favorite apple
2 Tbsp Peanut Butter
2 slices of Bread

Put the cream cheese, honey and vanilla extract in a bowl. Stir to combine. Spread Peanut butter on one slice of bread, and the cream cheese mixture on the other. Place slices of apple (that has been cored) on the cream cheese mixure and top with the slice of bread with peanut butter.

Creamy Fruit Dip

There is nothing better than dipping strawberries into a creamy dip on a warm summer day!!

Creamy Fruit Dip

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 regular size Cool Whip

Mix together the condensed milk and the cream cheese with an electric mixer then with a rubber spatula, fold in the Cool Whip until well mixed. Dip with Strawberries or any other favorite fruit. This freezes really well too!!
This recipe was given to me from Holly M.

Low-fat Cupcake Brownies/Brownie Babies

Sometimes I just HAVE to have brownies. No, really. The world will end if I do not satisfy my chocolate brownie craving. Lucky for you, and the rest of the planet, I found a way to soothe the choco-beast and still keep my girlish figure. Found this Weight Watchers recipe on-line.

Brownies for one point. Bring it, baby.

I made some up to show you -- but Brian and John scarfed them all down. Sheesh. Boys. ;-)

Weight Watchers Cupcake Brownies/Brownie Babies
Serves 12
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3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, plus...
1 tablespoon brown sugar, all firmly packed
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In a second bowl, stir together remaining ingredients.
4. Pour liquid mixture over flour mixture.
5. Stir until batter is smooth.
6. Pour into a non-stick 12 hole muffin tin coated with cooking spray.
7. Fill cups until half full.
8. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.
9. Remove from oven.
10. Let stand 5 minutes then turn out onto rack to cool.

A couple of things here:

Katie ran from the room screaming (ok, not really) when she saw me putting in cider vinegar and applesauce into a BROWNIE recipe. Trust me: it works. Go with it.

Also, I like to double this recipe. It doesn't quite fill 12 cups in my cupcake pan as the recipe's written.

My favorite way to make these is to use my *mini* muffin pan.
I call them Brownie Babies. Just cook them for 10 minutes instead of 18. I can make lots of little mini-brownies and have TWO for one point. You feel very naughty for chomping a bunch of these brownies babies, but you're still being good.
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Brownie Baby Sundaes
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We like to make brownie sundaes by warming the babies up, putting them in the bottom of a bowl, and topping them with low-fat ice cream and light chocolate syrup. Maybe some fat-free Reddi-Whip too. Yummers.
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Choco-beast happy. ♥

John's Pizza Rolls

We're on an ultra-tight budget, and a lot of the little extras are just not happening right now. Instead of pulling a long face about it, John got creative. He popped into the kitchen, pulled a few things out of the pantry and *voila*, we were having pizza rolls, all hot, melty and yummy out of the oven! They were a real treat! These are perfect teen food -- they're fun and easy, and I could see Katie and her friends making these.

I like 'em better than the processed ones you buy in the store -- they're healthier too. Way to go, John! You rock. ♥

Pizza Rolls (aka Poor Man's Pizza)
2 points per roll (including the sauce) .

1 can homestyle biscuits
cheddar or mozzarella cheese, sliced into thin rectangles
pepperoni slices
Pizza Sauce for dipping (see recipe below)



Preheat your oven, and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray; set aside. Open the can of biscuits. Stretch the biscuit from a round shape to a rectangle shape.



Place one slice of cheese and 2-3 pepperoni slices on one side of the biscuit. (We used cheddar, 'cause that's what was in the house. Mozzarella would be really yummy here, too!) Fold the other side over and seal.


Cook according to your biscuit's package directions (ours were 400° for 10 minutes), or when golden brown. While cooking, make your pizza sauce ... this is our *favorite* pizza sauce; we think it tastes better than any canned stuff out there. You've already got all the ingredients for this in your pantry -- it takes only 5 minutes! Give it a try!)

When your pizza rolls are done, spritz lightly with butter spray. Sprinkle on top with Parmesan cheese. Dip rolls into pizza sauce. Enjoy!



Pizza Sauce
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16 oz tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried onions (minced)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for five minutes. May also be microwaved for 4 minutes, stirring once.

Pizza Sauce: Bright Impressions Busy Family Cookbook, p.66

Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 c buttermilk
3/4 c sugar
1 cube butter

Cook in pot over med-low stove until bubbly.
Take off burner and add:

1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

Stir until foamy. Pour hot over pancakes, waffles or French toast.
You can also put it on vanilla ice cream and it is yummy!

*I got this recipe from Debbie B., who got it from a friend, so I don't know who to give the credit to.

Recipe Labels II

Look at those kids! That's okay.

Chocolate cake has that effect on me, too. LOL

(Just adding the rest of the labels to our blog.)