I ♥ E-mealz

So, I've gone and whined to John (more than once -- right, Honey?) how time-consuming and tedious menu planning and grocery shopping are for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm always really glad when it's done and my pantry's full, and my family knows what's for dinner. But it comes at a cost. And, that's IF I can find time to bite the bullet and do it! Oh, how I wish I could hire a personal chef...

Here were my criteria --

• Please come up with healthy meal ideas for my family.
• Quick, easy recipes. I'm busy.
• Oh, and we're a small family -- so not a lot of servings.
• AND -- I have picky eaters at my house, so no "foofy" food, please.
• Oh -- and I'm a Weight Watchers gal, so I need points figured out.
• Yeah...and I'm not doing the new points system they just came up with, so...could you please do the old point system?
• Oh, and I'll need a prepared shopping list, so I can just take it and go.
• Please organize that shopping list by section, k?
• Um, would it be too much to ask if you tally up the cost of the shopping list before I go, too? I'm a Dave Ramsey girl, too and budgets are big with me.
• Oh, one final thing. I really do like to cook, so you let me do that part and you do all the other tedious work.
• Oh yeah, one more final thing. I don't really want to pay you a big, honkin' salary for doing this.

Yeah, anyone looking at a list like that would say, "See ya, lady!"

But I did find someone that would do ALL of that for me. I was messing around on Dave Ramsey's site and saw link to E-mealz and clicked on it. I looked around and starting hearing angels singing in my head!  This is a group who believe in Dave Ramsey principles-- they believe in saving families money and time; truly helping them.

They have specific, prepared lists for anybody. They can be diet specific and use current grocery sales. (be still my heart!) Here are some examples they offer:

• Point-System Meal Plans
• Low-Carb Meal Plans
• Vegetarian Meal Plans
• Couples-Only Meal Plans
• Low Fat Meal Plans
• Gluten-Free Meal Plans

• Kroger Meal Plans
• Publix Meal Plans
• Wal-Mart Meal Plans
• ALDI Meal Plans
• RALPHS Meal Plans
• Any-Store Meal Plans

Healthy, family friendly recipes with sides already figured out. Cost of food tallied. Big family, small family and just couples, whatever -- it's figured out for you.  Love it!

John and I have been trying it out this week, and we're in love! The recipes have been great, the pantry's full and dinner's figured out for the week. Not a lot of money, time or effort on my part, and no guilt. I'm a good mom, feeding my family healthy, yummy foods.

The best part? I pay $1.25 a week for this. I put it as part of my grocery budget.

I GOT MY PERSONAL CHEF!!! He works for 1.25 a week! Bwahahaha!

Sorry if I sound like a commercial in this post. We really love this service; it's made our life easier, and I wanted to let you know about it.

I put an E-mealz button in the sidebar if you want to take a look at their website...tell me what you think!

P.S  If you decide to sign on, you can find coupon codes on line. :-)

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

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Imagine a great baked potato with all the toppings, but in a creamy soup. This recipe is a simple and yet so good. It is also from the Cooking Light Cookbook, so you don't have to feel bad about eating it!

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Loaded Baked Potato Soup

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4 large baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs.)

2/3 cup all purpose flour

6 cups 2% milk

1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

3/4 cup green onions

6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean potatoes, pierce with a fork. Bake for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coursely mash. Discard the skins.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; leve with a knife. Place flour in a large soup pan, gradually add milk; stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 min). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup green onions. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Garnish with sprinkles of cheese, green onion and bacon. Serves 8 (1 1/2 cup) servings. Fat 10.8 g; calories 329.

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*I find that it is a little easier to make the soup thicker if a typical roux is made using a little bit of butter and the flour (about 1/4 cup of butter). I always add more salt and pepper and cheese, but I wanted to do it the way it was published first so that the people who have kept their New Year's Resolution to eat healthier will know "the numbers." Another way to keep the numbers down is to use Turkey Bacon instead of pork bacon. I hope you enjoy this on a cold day!

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Recipe credits: The Best of Cooking Light Cookbook, Baked Potato Soup, pg. 329

Butternut Soup

Nothin' beats warm soup and homemade bread on a cold, blustery day. We're talking comfort food, baby!  I'm finding out that soup is pretty souper super -- it's healthy, low-point eating, and better yet -- great for a tight budget. So, we're trying to incorporate soups into our menu planning a little more these days.

Here's a little autumn soup we tried not too long ago. Loved the flavor of the roasted butternut! Perfect for the season. Give it a try and tell me what you think...

 
Butternut Soup

2 points per serving

1 medium butternut squash (about 3 lbs.), peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 large onion, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

2 Tablespoons minced fresh sage, or 2 teaspoons rubbed sage

3 cans (14.5 oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

cooking spray

 

Place squash in a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Drizzle  with 1 Tablespoon oil; sprinkle with pepper. Toss around to coat. Bake uncovered, at 425° F for 30-35 minutes or until tender, stirring it every 15 minutes.

In a Dutch oven pan, saute the onion, the celery and the sage in the remaining oil until tender. Stir in broth and reserved squash. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Cool slightly.

In a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return to the pan; heat through if needed. Serves 8.

:::

This recipe comes with Parmesan croutons to go with it. We chose not to make the croutons when we served it, but here's the recipe in case you do! Adding the croutons makes the soup a 3 point dish.

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Parmesan Croutons
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2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage or 1 teaspoon rubbed sage

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups French bread (1/2 inch cubes)

additional grated Parmesan cheese, optional

cooking spray

In a small bowl, combine the cheese, oil, sage and garlic. Add bread cubes and spritz with cooking spray; toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° F for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Serve with soup and sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

recipe credit: Healthy Cooking magazine, October/November 2009, p.40

Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions

I haven't posted a recipe in a month of Sundays! It's time. And this one's a favorite. And it's a yummy, healthy, low-fast dish... score! This one's a perfect fit for October and Halloween -- complete with its own trick and treat. The finished product would delight any little ghoul on All Hallow's Eve...

The trick to this recipe? Instead of cooking the onions for a long time in butter and oil to bring out their sweetness (and all those calories!), we'll cover the pan and add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. The treat is...it's ready in half the time!
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Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions
5 points
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4 (4 ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (2 cups)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar

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1. Place pork chops between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound slightly to an even thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chops and cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove chops from pan, and keep warm.

3. Add onion to pan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with brown sugar; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Spoon onion mixture over pork chops.

Yield: 4 servings (1 chop and about 1/2 cup onion mixture)
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** Hint: Even though the recipe doesn't call for it, we cover the chops while cooking, keeping a close eye on them. They cook faster this way. We always use a meat thermometer to check the chops for safety and doneness. We ignore the recipe's overall cooking time and go by the chops' temperature to tell us when they're done.
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C'mon -- tell me -- served like this -- that it isn't a perfect candidate for the main dish of a Halloween meal! Bwahahahahaha! Enjoy...

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recipe credit: Weight Watchers 5 Ingredient, 15 Minute Cookbook, Winter 2008, p. 53

Wicked Good Peanut Butter Bars

I'm sorry.... I've been sitting here for 5 minutes trying to give an accurate name to these "you-are-so-good-you-are-trouble" peanut butter bars we made recently. I'm pretty disciplined when it comes to watching what I eat, but I lost *all* control with these babies! Should I open this Pandora's box and unleash its power on you? Hey -- if I have to suffer, I want company. So here's the recipe. I dare you to stop at one bar. Good luck.
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Makeover Peanut Butter Bars
5 points per bar (including the PB layer AND the frosting. oh yeah.)
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1 3/4 cups reduced-fat creamy peanut butter, divided
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
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FROSTING:
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4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup peanut butter, the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in applesauce and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well (batter will be thick).

2. Spread into a 15x10 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° F for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes; spread with remaining peanut butter. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, beat frosting ingredients until light and fluffy. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Cut into bars.

picture credit: Healthy Cooking magazine, June/July 2009 issue, p. 26
original recipe: Lori Stevens

Glazed Pork Roast

This is a tried and true recipe here at our house; we've tweaked it a little to our tastes, and it's a favorite now. The citrus seasoning really works with the pork roast, and the mandarin orange garnish is delish... perfect for spring and summer menus. This crock-pot recipe makes a great Sunday dinner entree. One slice is 4 points, which makes it light and healthy, too. Win-win! Enjoy.

Glazed Pork Roast
(4 points per slice)
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1 boneless whole pork loin roast ( 4 pounds), trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2/3 cup orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Glaze
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1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained (optional)
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Cut the roast in half. In a large skillet, brown roast in oil and butter on all sides. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the orange juice concentrate, water, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until a meant thermometer reads 160 ° F, and the meat is tender.

For the glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, orange juice concentrate, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Brush over roast. Garnish with oranges if desired.

* Our tweaks:

1. Double the glaze recipe. You'll be glad you did. We like to serve rice with this dish to "soak up" any extra glaze.
2. I've used a normal pork roast and it works just as well. (Didn't cut it half...)
3. I don't brown the meat every time, but when I do, I only use the olive oil. It's enough to brown the meat by itself.
4. Try the mandarin orange garnish. I love it.

original recipe: Light and Tasty magazine, February/March 2008, p. 49

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. ♥

Cookie Sundae... Pzookie... Whatever!

Oh yeah. Come to Mama.

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(sorry. did I say that out loud?)
(ahem!)
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So, John and Katie and I were all feeling a little sorry for ourselves with the recent snowstorm that hit our neighborhood. (Let's just say we are more than just a little ready for spring to get here.) We needed a little pick-me-up.
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This takes a smidge of creativity when you're working on a spartan budget, but I was just the woman for the job. :-) I remembered something that took us to our happy place before, at a local restaurant called Pizza Factory. A dessert called "Never on Sundae".
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It's slightly undercooked cookie dough served in a hot skillet, topped with ice cream and chocolate, etc. I've seen it called Cookie Sundae, Pzookie (pizza+cookie, get it?), Skookie ... I really don't care what you want to call it. It's. Good. And it's just what we needed.
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Here's how we did it:
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Scrounged around and found some cute heart shaped baking pans leftover from Valentine's Day. Much cuter that some old skillet -- and hey, it'll keep the portion size down. Then, we made us up some chocolate chip cookie dough, and pressed it into the bottom of the pans.
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We put the pans in the oven at 350° F, for about 8 minutes. Watch the dough -- you want it to look like this:
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barely cooked, still ooey-gooey in the center.
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Ice cream and chocolate on standby... using the lighter versions of each will keep this dessert to about 6 points.
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Plunk a big scoop of vanilla on top of the cookie dough...
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...and drizzle with chocolate sauce.
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There you go. Whatever you want to call it, I'm in my happy place right now. Enjoy. ♥

Low-Fat Black Forest Trifle

This recipe is a favorite at our house. Lots of yummy goodness, and not a lot of calories! The way we're making it in this recipe has only 3 points per serving (serving = 1 cup). Woo-hoo! That's a pretty good lookin' dessert, and your caboose stays good lookin', too! ;-)

Here's what we need: reduced fat angel food cake (we make it all the time with regular angel food cake, and just add a point), light cherry pie filling, sugar free-fat free chocolate pudding mix, and light Cool Whip (thawed).

Start by cutting up the angel food cake into bite-sized pieces. Then, get your pudding ready. Open up your cherry-pie filling can.

Time to start layering. First, put about half of the bite-sized cake pieces in the bottom of the bowl. Then add about half of your chocolate pudding on top of the cake pieces.

Now it's time for the cherry pie filling. Again, just use half. Spread it around on top of the pudding to make the cherry layer. Now, add half of the tub of Cool Whip for the whipped cream layer.

Repeat! Use the remaining ingredients: layer the cake, pudding, cherries, and Cool Whip again.

Easy, peasy, huh?

Broccoli Slaw

1/2 pkg broccoli slaw

1 med apple, diced

1/2 c pineapple tidbits


Mix together and serve with raspberry vinaigrette. This is the recipe on the slaw package, but it was so good we wanted everyone to know about it. We served it with panko breaded tilapia.

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

Skinny Cacciatore

Pasta, dah-ling! I've missed you! LOL

Here's a low-fat version of cacciatore we tried last week. I loved it. So flavorful! It's 8 points a serving, but, baby, you get a *plateful* of food! You will not be hungry after this meal. (In fact, it made a lot for our little family, and we froze half. It'll be perfect for some crazy busy night. Yum!)

I found this recipe easiest to cook when I "Martha-ed" it. You know how all the cooks on TV have everything set aside, all prepared and measured out for them? We would all be gourmet chefs if we had a little assistant doing that for us, every time we knocked out a recipe! LOL This recipe does call for a lot of veggies and spices; if you have them ready to go when they're called for, this recipe's a breeze!

Enjoy. Ciao for now!


Skinny Cacciatore

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 3/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms**
1 medium carrot, shredded
3 garlic cloves, minced**
1 can (29 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bay leaf
3 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
9 oz. uncooked spaghetti
(additional shredded carrot -- optional) **

1. In a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown chicken in 2 teaspoons of oil; drain. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute the green pepper, celery, and onion in remaining oil for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, carrot and garlic; saute 2-4 minutes longer or until all the vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until thickened. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions.

3. Stir chicken into tomato mixture; cook for 8-12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Discard bay leaf. Drain spaghetti; serve with chicken mixture. Garnish with additional carrot if desired.

Serving: 1 1/3 cups of chicken mixture with 2/3 cup spaghetti
Yield: 6 servings
8 points per serving


** We used canned mushrooms from the pantry, instead of fresh. We used minced garlic spice. Both times these substitutions worked fine. BTW, we skipped the shredded carrot garnish on top. Bleh.

recipe and picture credit: Healthy Cooking magazine, December/January 2009, p.55 (original recipe: Anita Webb)

True Love Chocolate Cake

Has there ever been a cake more perfectly named? I doubt it! This is the dessert we had for our Valentine's Day dinner.... Oh. my. gosh. it was good.

This cake is my go-to chocolate cake from now on. Better than the mixes! It's not just for Valentine's Day, either. Replace the hearts with any other colored hard candy or sprinkles to match the occasion or holiday.

You know, I miss chocolate cake. A regular piece of cake with frosting is a whopping 13 points -- this one is FIVE -- with the frosting, peeps! Woo-hoo!

It was rich and dense and chocolaty. John and I kept looking at each other and saying... 'Five points? Are you sure?' Yep, I'm sure. I had the nutritional info right there. Chocolate + cake + low-cal = hurry and cut me a piece! LOL

True Love Chocolate Cake
(5 points per piece)
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1/4 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (we used milk chocolate chips)

Frosting:
1 package (8 oz.) reduced fat cream cheese
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 carton (8 oz.) frozen reduced fat whipped topping, thawed
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Topping:
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup candy hearts

1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in applesauce.

2. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture alternately with water, beating well after each addition. Fold in chips. Pour into a 9 X 13 baking pan coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

4. For frosting: in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Fold in whipped topping. Frost cake. Refrigerate until serving. Just before serving, sprinkle with coconut and candy.

Yield: 24 servings

Healthy Cooking magazine, February/March 2009, p. 44

Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

How about a little "lovin' from the oven"? ♥ It's Valentine's Day this week, and I made a little treat for John and Katie this weekend to start things off. These are pretty easy to make and a fun way to show your sweeties you love 'em. The original idea is found here; complete with a recipe, frostings, and a how-to that includes a little video tutorial. Check it out. Here's how I did it at my house...

Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

1 egg plus enough water to equal 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (yes, put the egg in the measuring cup)
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except the 2 tablespoons margarine in the breadmaker, in the order the manufacturer recommends. (I always put wet ingredients in first.) Select the dough cycle.

Remove the dough from the pan, using lightly floured hands. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface.

Grease a cookie sheet. You'll want a cookie sheet, so the heart shape of the rolls is not ruined when the rolls rise. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread the 2 tablespoons of margarine over the dough. Sprinkle generously with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Start rolling the dough from the long side -- but this time roll from BOTH long sides, meeting in the middle. You can pinch the seam shut on the top. We didn't (forgot to) and you can see how our rolls turned out in the picture above. Go here to see how they'd turn out if you did.

Cut into 1 1/2 inch rolls. (easiest way is using dental floss -- see the little video here on how to do that) Place slightly apart in pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 40 minutes, or double in size.

Heat oven to 375°. Bake 20-28 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack. Frost with Light Cream Cheese Frosting (see below). Serve warm.

Light Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. light cream cheese (Neufchâtel cheese)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Put all ingredients into a bowl. Beat on low speed with an electric mixer until just combined, then increase speed to high and beat until smooth.

Enjoy! Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

Cinnamon Roll recipe: Gold Medal "Best Bread Machine Recipes", p. 82

Chicken Souvlaki

The Washington D.C. Temple Visitors Center Missionaries recommended we try the chicken souvlaki at Continental Pizza (in Kensington, MD). It was so amazing that when we moved, I had to create my own recipe in remembrance.

1 pkg. pita bread (whole wheat, if available)

7 fl. oz. Balsamic Vinaigrette made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or half of a 14 oz. bottle)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced into strips

1 8 oz. container plain, non-fat yogurt

1 cucumber, peeled (one half shredded*, the other half sliced)

1/2 tsp. garlic salt**
1 tsp. rice vinegar**

a pinch or two of sugar (as needed)

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

4 red-leaf or green-leaf lettuce leaves, cut in half or chopped

1 small container feta cheese, original or Mediterranean Herb

Put Vinaigrette and chicken in a Ziploc bag and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of half an hour.

In a small bowl, mix yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic salt, rice vinegar and sugar (if needed to combat bitter cucumbers). Put your tzatziki sauce back in fridge until ready to use.

Cook chicken and marinade over medium-high heat until chicken is done and sauce has reduced.

Stuff pita pockets with lettuce, chicken, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Add tzatziki sauce and sprinkle with feta.

Enjoy

*Dab your shredded cucumbers with a paper towel to absorb excess water.

** Chris and I like a strong tzatziki sauce; you may want to first try 1/4 tsp. garlic salt and 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar and then add more if you think you'd like more kick.

Tip: Chicken is easier to slice this way if it is still partially frozen.

Coconut Snowball Crisps

Here's a recipe I spotted over at another blog called Delightful Home. (It's originally from a Rachael Ray magazine.) These are good any time of year, but I liked the snowy-whiteness of the cookie -- makes it perfect for a winter treat!

We tried this recipe this week and really liked it. Think grown-up Rice Krispie treat, chewy, with a taste of coconut... best of all -- if you make them according to the recipe, you're talking two cookies for 1 point. Huzzah! (If you make them a little bigger like I did, count 1 point per cookie. Hey, that's still a good deal...

Sorry I don't have a picture of the finished product -- they're already gone! :-)

Coconut Snowball Crisps

makes 3 dozen

3 large egg whites

1 pinch salt

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

2 cups crispy rice cereal

1/4 cup cornstarch

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1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 200 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until thick & foamy. Sprinkle in the confectioners' sugar &, once incorporated, beat at high speed until firm and glossy, about 5 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, toss together coconut, rice cereal and cornstarch.

3. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold into the egg mixture until combined.

4. Drop rounded teaspoons of the mixture about 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

5. Bake until firm and dry to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool completely. Enjoy!

Super Fast Chicken Parmigiana

I made this recipe a lot in Hawaii while Chris was in school. He thought it was fancy. I thought it was easy. Everyone was happy.

16 oz. package thin spaghetti noodles
1 jar or can of spaghetti sauce
4 frozen or refrigerated, fully cooked breaded chicken patties or cutlets
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Prepare noodles and breaded chicken patties as directed on their packages. Warm spaghetti sauce. On dinner plates, place desired amount of noodles and top with chicken, sauce, cheese and parsley.

Serves 4

Don't have parmesan and mozzarella? Substitute with whatever cheese you've got in the house; it still tastes great. Want to make it healthier? Use grilled chicken and homemade spaghetti sauce.

(Last night I couldn't find any jars of spaghetti sauce in the pantry, so I used some of Jen and Eric's home-canned tomato sauce and tomatoes to make a Chunky Garlic and Onion Spaghetti sauce. It tasted great with this meal.)

Adapted from Campbell's Easy Family Meals, p.4

Layered Mexican Bean Dip

So, we call this 7-Layer Dip at our house, and I was surprised to find how low-cal and good for you this is! Two points for a serving!? Woo-hoo! Here's a Weight Watchers version. Combine it with some baked chips and get your snack on, just in time for the Superbowl! Enjoy.

Layered Mexican Bean Dip

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16 oz fat-free canned refried beans
3 medium avocado, Hass, finely mashed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons fajita seasoning mix
1/2 cup(s) Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Shredded Mexican-Style Cheese
1 small tomato(es), chopped
2 medium scallion(s) (aka green onions), sliced
10 medium olive(s), black, sliced or chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, fresh, chopped

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Spread beans evenly over bottom of a 9- X 13-inch glass baking dish or a medium-size glass bowl.
In a small bowl, combine avocado, salt and lemon juice. Spread avocado mixture over beans; top with sour cream.
Sprinkle fajita seasoning over sour cream layer. Next, layer remaining ingredients on top in order listed.
Serve immediately or chill until ready to use. Yields about 1/4 cup of dip per serving. Makes 16 servings.
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This dip is also great topped with diced bell peppers and shredded lettuce. Add jalapeno slices for extra heat. Only 2 points per serving.

Weight Watchers Quickbites, January 26 2009, picture credit

Low-Fat Quesadillas

Just in time for the Superbowl.... this simple recipe lets you make low cal quesadillas that could be easily mistaken for the fat-filled real thing. Found this recipe at Hungry Girl's website. These go from 12 points per serving to just 3! SCORE!
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Low-Fat Quesadillas

1 La Tortilla Factory Low Carb, Low Fat Whole Wheat Tortilla (small size)
1/4 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese (or ff mozzarella, ff American, ff jack)
2 oz. chicken breast, grilled and sliced
1 tablespoon green onion, diced 1 tablespoon salsa
1 teaspoon light sour cream

Directions: In a pan lightly spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, set down your tortilla. Spread the cheese, chicken and green onion evenly on top. Let set (cheese will just be beginning to melt), then fold over. Cook on medium heat for a minute or so, flipping quesadilla halfway in between. Slide your quesadilla onto a plate and serve with the salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!

Picture credit: HG's Cheesy-Good Chicken Quesadillas, Hungry Girl site