Say Cheeeeeeesecake! (healthier and portion controlled Recipe, Pics, Review)

omg, do you just love cheesecake???  I thought I'd never be able to have it again without gaining some pounds.  But, lucky for me, I found a "healthified" version that I made today.  How about cheesecake with only 10g carb?!?!  I am so excited to share this with you, in fact, that they are still in the refrigerator cooling.  My son, Matthew, and I shared one while it was still warm and then put the rest back in to chill.

I found this recipe, like so many of my others, on dLife.  I altered it a bit, and I think my version is very good.  Here's what you will need to make 18 mini cheesecakes:

Cupcake liners or cooking spray
18 Nilla Wafers (I did not use Fat Free...they were out.  But if you wanted to save a calorie or two that would be an option for you.)
16 oz Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 C Sugar
1/2 C Granulated Stevia
1 1/2 Tbsp White Flour
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Whole Egg
1 Egg White
2 C Mixed Berry Frozen Fruit, thawed, chopped up

Unlike "real" cheesecake, these are so simple to make!  You will be amazed at how fast you can whip these up.

Preheat oven to 325F

1.  Either line muffin tins with cupcake papers or spray with cooking spray.
2.  Place 1 Nilla wafer in the bottom of each cup.
3.  Beat the cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
4.  Add in sugar, Stevia, flour and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed until well combined and smooth.
5.  Add in egg and egg white.  Beat on low just until combined well.
6.  Add 1 dollop of mixture (I measured a "dollop" to be about 1/8 C...it's a well-rounded larger spoonful...the tablespoon, but not the measuring kind of tablespoon.  Just a regular tablespoon.)
7.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes until set.
8.  Chop up fruit after it has thawed to make it easier to spoon out just 1 tsp.

9.  Cool in pan for about 5 minutes.  Cover.  Place in refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours.

10.  When ready to serve, remove from pan and add 1 tsp (the actual measuring kind of teaspoon this time) of chopped up fruit onto the top of each cheesecake.  Serve and enjoy!

Matthew and I couldn't resist taking a taste before they were chilled because the kitchen smelled so good after they baked for 20 minutes.  I let them cool only about 10 minutes and got one ready.  I took a taste first.  Heaven!!!  It might not be as totally sweet as cheesecake, but it is sweet enough, especially with the fruit on top, to satisfy any craving.  Rich and delicious.  These would be so awesome to serve as dessert for dinner guests.  And so perfect, too, because they are very simple and quick to make.  Matthew loved it.  A few minutes later he asked me again, "How much longer until they're ready?"  After two bites he is totally ready for more!  I have to admit, I am too!

Here are the stats on 1 mini cheesecake:

71.4 calories, .9g fat, .25g saturated fat, 15.3mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium (blame the cream cheese for all the sodium in this one), 20mg potassium, just 10g carb!!!, and 4.4g protein.  (2 Points Plus) How about that?  And the really beautiful thing is that these cheesecakes are portion controlled, so try to just have one.  Take small bites and savor them slowly.

I highly recommend trying these delicious and easy to make mini cheesecakes.  I think you will love them.  Feel free to leave a comment here or you can always drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

Sweet Treats!
Lisa
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Salmon Patties (Recipe, pics)

I'm not a big fan of fish, except tuna, but I have said that I will keep trying new kinds to see if I can find one or two that I like.  My vegetarian daughter, who is actually a "pescatarian" (a vegetarian who will eat fish) requested we try salmon in some way.  I remember having salmon patties occasionally when I was a kid, and I remember getting my way through them, so I thought that might be a safe place for me to go with it.

I'm not well-versed in what brand of salmon is best, since I don't know what "good" salmon tastes like, how would I know how to choose a can of it?  I did what any other connoisseur of fine canned salmon would do...I chose the middle-priced can.  lol

Got out my recipe, got out my ingredients and was ready to tackle salmon patties.  Then I opened a can.  o.m.g.  I was not prepared for what I saw in that can...silvery skin and spinal bones.  Like, whole spines.  ew.  I dumped the fish into a bowl and started the task of going through it all and trying to pick out all the vertebrae.  My nose was in a permanent crinkle the whole time.  In fact, it's in a crinkle now just thinking about it.

Fast forward to after dinner for a minute.  I went online and did a Google search about bones in canned salmon.  Apparently they are soft, edible and extremely rich in calcium.  Some people just mash the bones right up in their fish and eat it.  I, on the other hand, don't want to do that.  Other people who are in my thought camp recommend Bumble Bee in the smaller tuna-sized cans because they say they are skinless and boneless.  That's what I'll be buying next time for sure!

After I got all the bones and soft skin picked out of the salmon I started making the patties.

Here's what you need:

14-15 oz canned salmon, drained and flaked with a fork
1/2 C panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
3/4 tsp dried dill weed
1/8 tsp black pepper
a few drops of hot pepper sauce
Cooking spray
1 tsp olive oil


Here's how to make them:

1.  In a large mixing bowl, mix panko, egg, milk, dill weed, black pepper, hot pepper sauce.  Add salmon and mix well.
2.  Measure out 3 oz portions and form into patties.
3.  Spray large skillet with cooking spray.  Heat over medium high heat.  Add patties and cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
4.  Add oil to skillet.  Flip patties and cook 3 minutes or until firm and lightly browned.

Makes 4-5 patties.  Serve with tartar sauce, optional (remember to count those calories, too!)

Super easy to make (after the whole bone ordeal).  My kids are not used to the taste of any kind of fish, except tuna.  I was pleasantly surprised when Matthew said, "Wow, Mom...these are really good!"  My non-meat eater really liked them, too.  Until she found a vertebrae.  She said, "What's this?"  I said, "It's a spine bone."  She immediately spewed the bite in her mouth back on her plate. lol.  Guess she didn't like the thought of bones in her salmon either.  Thing is, she did really like the salmon patties.  She just got grossed out by the bone.  But it was a little bit funny.  She's going to be 17 next week, and her boyfriend was sitting next to her.  It was humorous to see a girl that age spit out her food so emphatically and totally gross out her boyfriend.  lol

I WILL be making these again; however, next time I will make sure to buy the boneless, skinless salmon, even if it costs a little more.  The flavor is very mild, which I like, because the fish taste was not overwhelming.  The texture was very good, too.  It reminded me a lot of tuna, but different, if that makes any sense.  So easy, and the Omegas are always a positive.

The nutritional stats I came up with are (for 1 3oz patty):  185 calories, 59.5g fat, 1.2g saturated fat, 119.2mg cholesterol, 416.7mg sodium, 26.7mg potassium, 5.7g carbs, 25.7g protein.

VERY HEALTHY!!!

The Points Plus calculator said 1 salmon patty is 18 Points Plus, which is insane.  I know it's because of all the fats, but the Points Plus calculator doesn't seem to care that it's healthy fish fats/oils.

Don't let my icky story of the bones scare you away.  I just thought it was a little funny.  Truly, the salmon patties were very good!

Eat well,
Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com

Strawberries N Cream Bars (Recipe, Pics)

Sheer decadence.  That's all I can say.  I saw this recipe on Pinterest and changed it up to make it a little healthier.  I substituted Egg Beaters for real eggs, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for real margarine, substituted some of the sugar with Stevia and used reduced fat cream cheese.  You still need to limit yourself to one, but if you are having a special get-together, potluck or something else where you want to serve something special (and that's soooo easy but no one has to know!), then this is a great treat for you to make.  It's an incredible, tasty little morsel for the end of a delicious dinner.

Here's what you need:

1 regular sized box vanilla or yellow cake mix
1/3 C I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
1/2 C plain Egg Beaters or other egg substitute, divided (1/4C in the dough and 1/4C in the cream cheese mixture) or 2 eggs
1 lb sliced strawberries
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
2 Tbsp sugar
3 1/2 Tbsp Stevia
1 tsp vanilla

Here's how to make it:

1.  Preheat oven to 350F
2.  Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray (I used a 10x10 pan)
3.  In a medium bowl combine ICBINB, 1/4C egg substitute, and cake mix.  Mash with a fork until partially combined.  It's very sticky, so we sprayed our hands with cooking spray and then used our fingers to combine it completely into a dough.

4.  Reserve 3/4C of the dough for the topping and set aside.
5.  Press the dough into the bottom of the pan, all the way to the edges.

6.  Bake for 10 minutes.
7.  While the crust is baking, slice the strawberries in approximately 1/4" slices.
8.  In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, stevia, vanilla and 1/4C egg substitute until creamy and well combined.
9.  Spread cream cheese mixture on top of the partially baked crust.
10.  Evenly arrange the sliced strawberries over the cream cheese mixture and then crumble the reserved dough on top of the strawberries.

11.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until crumbs on top turn golden brown.  The original directions said the center should be set, but mine wasn't really completely set; however, once it chilled it was fine to all of us.

12.  Cool completely and then chill for at least 30 minutes before servings.
13.  Cut into 20 pieces.  Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Heaven on a plate.  This is simply divine.  You need to be careful not to over-indulge here.  The calories and carbs could get away from you very quickly.  I can't imagine what the stats on this dessert would have been had I not made the substitutions I did.  They have 136.4 calories, 5.8g fat, 3g saturated fat, .7g polyunsaturated fat, .3g monounsaturated fat, 8mg cholesterol, 264mg sodium, 44.7mg potassium, 20.6g carbs, .5g fiber, 2g protein. (4 Points Plus)

UPDATE:  It's the next day after making this dessert, and I had put the leftovers in an airtight container like the directions said.  I don't recommend making this a day ahead of an event because even though it still tastes amazing the next day, it doesn't look as pretty.  The strawberries get a little bit of a dull color and they get a little soggy.  Taste-wise, still awesome, but to impress with presentation I recommend making it the same day. Texturally it's a little softer, too.  But believe me, there was no problem with making the leftovers disappear when the kids got home from school today!

Blissful Tasting!
Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com

Tex Mex Chicken & Rice (Not out of a box!) Very Easy (Recipe, pics)

I used to make this Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice recipe using Rice A Roni or something else in a box.  But the last time I made it I thought there has to be a way to do this with clean ingredients.  And I did it!  I had a little trouble with the rice, but I think I know why.  I'll get to that in a minute.

Here's what you'll need to serve 4:

12 oz chicken breast, cooked, cut up
1 C brown rice
2 C no fat, reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 packet mild taco seasoning (Please see this post on clean, easily home made taco seasoning)
1 small can diced green chiles
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 C shredded cheese (use reduced fat for lower calories)
1 tsp dried, crushed basil
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water

I know the list seems long, but it's a lot of spices and little stuff.  Very easy to put together, so don't get intimidated by the list.  If you read my blog, you know by now that I don't do complicated.

Here's how to make it:

1.  In a pot put 1 Tbsp olive oil, heat it up over medium high heat and then put in the chopped up onions.  Cook the onions until they are golden.

2.  Add in chicken stock, taco seasoning, chiles, basil, chili powder, cumin, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.
3.  Add in rice.
4.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 45-50 minutes, or until rice is tender.  Stir occasionally.  Add a litle more water if it dries out.  Here's where I think I went wrong.  My rice cooked for an hour and was still hard.  I added water several times, kept it covered, and I couldn't get it to cook.  But the last time I added some water I turned the heat up to half way on the dial and it cooked well, so I think my "simmer" was too low.  You don't want to turn it up so that the rice sticks to the bottom of the pan, but in my case I think I had it too low because it wasn't cooking.
5.  While the rice is cooking, spray another pan with canola spray and cook chicken until it is no longer pink in the center.  Chop up and set aside.
6.  Add in cornstarch and 1 Tbsp water to rice.  Stir and let it thicken for 2-3 minutes.
7.  Add in chicken to rice.  Let it heat up for a minute or two.
8.  Add in tomatoes and cheese to rice.  Stir.

9.  Makes about 4-5 servings of 1 C.

My family really loved the taste of this dish, but there is an ongoing joke in my house.  They say that my cooking is delicious but that everything I make looks like cat puke.  lol  I guess it's because I like the one pot casserole type cooking where everything gets all mixed together in one dish.  Well, since I started this blog my dishes have been looking a little more gourmet, but with this one we were back to the "cat puke" look.  I know, it doesn't sound appealing.  But I think if you served it with more color on the plate, like with a fresh salad and maybe some parsley on top or something like that it would brighten it up a little.  But the taste really was fantastic.  You'll have to take my word for it.  Just try it.  I think you'll like it.  The seasonings give it really good flavor, the cheese and the little bit of cornstarch makes it thick and creamy, and the rice makes it very filling and satisfying.

I was a little surprised that when I did the numbers and compared the home cooked version to the boxed version, there was not a lot of difference.  Even in the sodium, and that was due to the taco seasoning.  If you want you could even go online and look for a home made taco seasoning mix and eliminate the sodium that way.  But the difference is that this way is cleaner eating.  There is nothing but whole foods here (except maybe the taco seasoning packet).  And that's one of my goals...to eat cleaner and greener and stay away from processed foods as much as possible.  In that endeavor I was successful.  And I was also successful at making an excellent home made version of what comes out of a box...tastier even.


Don't be put off by my "cat puke" story. lol  This Tex-Mex dish is delicious.  Go ahead and give it a try!

Here's the nutritional info (1 C rice with 3 oz chicken):  376 calories, 8.5g fat, 3.6g saturated fat, 92mg cholesterol, 933mg sodium, 178.5mg potassium, 36.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 34.8g protein. (9 Points Plus)

Buen Apetito!
Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com

Tangy and Delicious Lemon Squares (Recipe, Pics)

Oh, how I love the taste of lemons.  So bright and refreshing, tangy, tart and sweet with a little sugar.  Here's a recipe for a little lemon dessert, made a little healthier by using I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and Stevia to replace half the sugar (but you still need to limit yourself to just one).

Here's what you need:

3/4 C white all purpose flour
4 Tbsp I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light
2 Tbsp reduced fat sour cream
2 Tbsp Stevia
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C Stevia
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp grated lemon rind
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  (I used 2 medium lemons to get enough rind and juice)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of powdered sugar for garnish

btw, in case you don't know this (and I didn't until recently), when you measure flour you are supposed to spoon it into the measuring cup and then level it off with a knife (don't tap it on the counter to level it out) rather than just scoop the flour out with the measuring cup.  when you use the measuring cup to scoop it, it gets really packed in there and you are using more flour than you need, and also adding calories and carbs to your recipe.

Here's how to make them:

1.  Preheat oven to 350F
2.  Combine flour, ICBINB, sour cream, and 2 Tbsp Stevia in a bowl to make a soft dough.  I used a fork to mash it all together, and then Sara used her fingers to combine it into a dough.

3.  Spray an 8x8 inch pan with canola spray.  Press dough down into bottom of the pan all the way to edges.

4.  Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool. (My dough came away from the edges a little.)
5.  Combine sugar, 1/2 C Stevia, egg, egg whites, lemon rind and juice, baking powder and salt.  Whisk together so it is mixed well.

6.  Pour over cooled dough.
7.  Bake 25 minutes or until there is not indentation when touched.  Let cool.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Serves 12.

How delicious does that look?  It not only looks delicious, it IS delicious!  They came out very thin, but don't be deceived.  There is a ton of flavor packed into that little square.  What a nice ending to a great meal with family and friends this would be.

There are 96 calories per serving (serves 12), 2.7g fat, 1g saturated fat, 17.9mg cholesterol, 50mg sodium, 8.75mg potassium, 16.1g carb, 2.1g protein.(3 Points Plus)

I realize that I am trying to give you all healthy recipes, and I also realize that I make a lot of treats.  First of all, I believe that are things are allowed with moderation...have just one, not the whole pan.  Second of all, if you need help keeping to just one, use these dessert recipes to serve when you have guests so they can help you eat it.  They will love them just as much as you do, and they don't have to know how effortless most of what I post here is to make.  Don't tell and they'll think you're a wizard in the kitchen!  I also try to make desserts and treats with less calories and carbs by using lower fat, lower sugar substitutions.  But that doesn't mean you can mindlessly eat them while watching TV or reading Facebook.

If you find that you cannot stop with one, then it would probably be best for you, your waistline and your glucose levels to skip the treats and stick to the proteins, fiber, etc.

Want to try something a little different?  It would probably taste really good, too, with lime instead of lemon.  Orange maybe?  hmmm...if you try something different, let me know how it turns out.

Best wishes and tasty dishes,
Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com

Creamy Turkey Spinach Pasta Bake (Recipe, Pics)

I don't use a lot of turkey.  I don't know why.  I love it at Thanksgiving time, and have a field day with all the leftovers.  But it seems that's the only time of year I ever make it.  I should have it more often.  I came across this recipe on Diabetic Living Online, and it looked and sounded really tasty.  I was a little skeptical of making it because it has quite a few ingredients, and I was afraid it wouldn't be simple.  It really wasn't bad, though.

Here's what you need:

4 ounces dry whole wheat angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti
1 8 ounce package of reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
3/4 cup refrigerated egg substitute (or you can use 3 eggs)
1/2 C light dairy sour cream
1/4 C snipped fresh basil or 1 Tbsp dried, crushed basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
10 oz chopped cooked turkey breast (I bought packaged pre-cooked)
1 10oz package frozen spinach, thawed, squeeze-drained and shredded apart.
1 C Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 C bottled roasted red sweet peppers, chopped

Measure out your dry pasta first.

Here's what you do next:

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Coat a 9 inch deep pie plate or a 2 quart square baking dish (I used a 9x13 glass pan) with cooking spray, set aside.
2.  Cook pasta according to package.  Drain well, set aside.
3.  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until smooth.
4.  Gradually beat in eggs and sour cream.
5.  Stir in basil, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper.

6.  Stir in spinach until evenly mixed throughout.
7.  Stir in cooked pasta, turkey, cheese and roasted red pepper.
8.  Spread mixture evenly in baking dish.

9.  Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until edges are slightly puffed and golden and center is heated through.
10.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Cut into 6 portions and serve.

Matthew and I dipped a finger in the sauce before we cooked it, and he thought it tasted like one of the pasta sauces on the buffet line at Souper Salad.  It tasted pretty dang good.  He wanted to eat it just like it was. lol  But we waited for the cooked version.  Matthew and I thought Sara was a little weird because she thought it tasted like spaghetti and meatballs.  We were confused, because it doesn't taste anything like spaghetti and meatballs.  The sauce is all creams and cheeses...no tomatoes whatsover.  But, whatever, she ate it.  We all thought it was very tasty.  It was filling, too.  Jeff stopped himself with only 2 servings instead of his normal 3 or 4 lol.  Wait, now that I think about it, he came into the kitchen just a little while later and had another serving made into a sandwich.  So, yeah, he still had 3 servings.  hehehe

Tonight Sami was sick and she was alseep during dinner, so I didn't have to worry about adapting hers to vegetarian.  However, next time it will be super simple.  All I have to do is scoop a little out for her into another little baking dish without the turkey, and then mix the turkey in for the rest of us.

Here are the nutritional stats for this dish (serves 6):  335.6 calories, 37.6g fat, 11.7g saturated fat, 77.5mg cholesterol, the sodium was out the roof, and it mostly came from the fact that I used pre-packaged turkey.  Use freshly cooked turkey (ground turkey would work, too) and the sodium will be much lower, 171.6mg potassium, 22.7g carb, 2.25g fiber, 22g protein. (14 Points Plus)

Considering how many ingredients there are in this recipe, it went together fairly easily.  It was a nice change from regular pasta.  There was only 4 oz in the whole thing, but it seemed like plenty per serving to cure a pasta craving.  It was deceiving, I think, because of how filling the rest of the dish was.  It was super creamy, but had a lightness to it...not too heavy.  Overall it was very good, and we will be having this at our house again.  I hope you try this for your family...I think you'll like it!

I made this for dinner with the Mock Baklava for dessert.  Dinner and dessert BOTH only came to 48.7g carbs...pretty good!

Enjoy!

Lisa
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Mock Baklava (Recipe, Pics)

A couple years ago my husband and I ate a few times at a little hole in the wall Greek restaurant.  One night we got Baklava for dessert.  I thought it was absolutely scrumptious.  Several times I thought about that sweet, delectable treat and that I should try making it, but all the recipes I found for it seemed very involved.  If you haven't noticed by now, I like EASY cooking.

One day I was on one of my favorite sites, dLife, and came across this recipe for Mock Baklava.  It looked tasty AND simple, so I decided to try it.  Here's what you need:

1 cup seedless raisins (I couldn't find anything labeled "seedless", so I just got generic ole raisins)
2 oz dry-roasted walnuts
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
Butter flavored cooking spray...I just used my canola oil spray
1/2 C honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, or something similar

Here are a few preliminary instructions:

I couldn't find anything called "dry roasted" walnuts.  I got a small 2 oz package of walnut pieces in the baking aisle and toasted my own.  I chopped them up into smaller pieces, spread them out on a baking sheet, heated the oven to 375F and toasted for about 10 minutes...be careful not to let them burn.  Just get toast them until they have a nice golden color and you can start to smell them.

Second, put your phyllo dough out to thaw, but DO NOT open the package!  It will dry out VERY quickly and will be ruined.

Here's what you do to make Mock Baklava:

1.  Preheat oven to 350F
2.  Combine raisins and nuts in a bowl.

3.  I covered my baking sheet with aluminum foil, and I've VERY glad I did.  The honey seeps out during baking and will make a horrible sticky mess on your pan.  I sprayed it lightly with canola oil spray.
4.  Lay down a sheet of thawed phyllo dough.  Spray it lightly with pan spray.  Lay down a total of 8 phyllo sheets, spraying lightly every other sheet.

5.  Spread the raisin and nuts on the top of the phyllo sheets, leaving a 1 inch border on all the sides.
6.  Sprinkle with the cinnamon and drizzle on the honey evenly.

7.  Starting with the long side, roll lengthwise, jelly-roll style.  Place roll with the seam side down, and tuck the ends under.
8.  Melt the butter in a dish and brush the top lightly with it.  I don't have a kitchen brush, so I just drizzled it across.
9.  Cut shallow slashes through the pastry to the raisin-nut mixture at 1 1/2" intervals so the steam can escape.

10.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until light golden brown.  Slice the pastry, using the vent lines as guides.

This was an amazing morsel of sweet, crunchy, chewy goodness!  When I put the cinnamon on I thought it looked like an awful lot, but the cinnamon flavor comes through absolutely perfectly.  The phyllo on the outside is crisp and flaky, and the inside is a little chewy and sticky from the honey and raisins.  One thing made me very unhappy, though.  It was gone too quickly. :(  lol  But it is so sweet that even one slice of it will surely cure your craving.  Needless to say, my husband and kids loved it.  Except Sami is sick and didn't try it, but she doesn't like raisins, so I don't know that she would like it.  But Matthew and Sara did.  I definitely did!

I don't know what it is with dLife and the ingredients they use.  I never come up with the same nutritional counts as they do.  Sure, I may have used a few more walnuts than they did, but their calories and carbs weren't even close to my calculations.  Are they trying to be deceptive?  Do they use secret low calorie raisins and honey?  I have no idea.  But here's what I came up with, and I am confident my numbers are accurate for the ingredients I used.  The way I do it is I have a little chart that I made.  I list every ingredient's nutritional values for the entire recipe, then I add up the totals and then divide by the number of servings.  Pretty straight forward.  Anyways, here's what I came up with per slice:  137 calories, 3.6g fat, 31mg sodium, 96mg potassium, 26g carb, .9g fiber, 1.9g protein. (4 Points Plus)

You really must try this recipe!  It is so far beyond the typical cake or cookie.  And it was EASY!  I am making this again very soon.

Treat Yourself,

Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com

Avocado "Hummus" (Recipe, Pics)

I am very well known the world over, ok, well maybe just in my family, but still...for my totally delicious guacamole.  I love avocados.  Tasty AND nutritious, chock full of good fats.  At the same time, I've tried several kinds of hummus and have never been able to find one that I like.  I take one taste and, like a kid, quickly take a drink to wash the taste out of my mouth.  Strange, too, because I like chickpeas.  Weird.  So when I saw a post for Avocado Hummus, I thought I'd give it a try since I like avocados so much.  I found it on Pinterest.  If you hover over the black bar on the right you can find my Pinterest link.  You can find the original Pin for this on my board called "Recipes That Look Really Good".  Although I did change the recipe just a tad from the original that's posted there.  I think technically it's not really a hummus because it's not made with chickpeas, nor does it have tahini. 

It must be really good because I told my daughter, Sami, to try it.  She sat down, and the next time I looked over she was gone and the bowl was nearly empty!  The kids think it tastes like my "famous" guacamole, with a little more kick.  I think it tastes similar, but different at the same time.  So much more economical, too, because the beans really stretch out one avocado.  So instead of spending $5 or $6 on avocados for our next Mexican dinner, I can buy 1 avocado and make mock hummus instead.  Yea!  Budget Saver that tastes good!  Score!

Here's how to make it:

1 can of white or Navy beans, drained and rinsed.
1 medium sized avocado, nice a ripe...not hard.
2 tsp lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Put everything in a blender and chop it all up.  Stop the blender and mix it up a few times.  You might leave in a few whole beans for good texture.

This will surely be a crowd pleaser!  I have it pictured here with Pretzel Crisps, but it would be so delectable with any chopped or sliced vegetable.  Great for a party, to top Mexican foods, pita chips, or if you just feel like snacking instead of making dinner, have this and still get the nutrition of a small meal with those fresh, crisp veggies.  My avocado was 4.8 oz.  With that size plus the can of beans, I was able to get about 5 servings of about 1/4C each.  The stats for that are:  144.3 calories, 6.7g fat, 1g saturated fat, .8g polyunsaturated fat, 4.6g monounsaturated fat, 74.5mg sodium, 110mg potassium, 16.3g carb, 6g fiber, 5.4g protein. (4 Points Plus) Just make sure to add the calories and stuff for whatever you dip it with. 

I really hope you try this, either as a dip or as a topping.  I bet you get rave reviews for it.  Leave a comment here, and you can also drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

Party It Up!
Lisa
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Eggs on the Go (Recipe, Pics)

I was going to make a recipe one day last week that called for egg substitute.  When I went shopping I picked up a little container of Egg Beaters, but what I didn't realize is that I picked up the Southwestern Style Egg Beaters instead of plain.  oops.  I don't think the dessert I was going to make would taste good with peppers and spices.  So it sat in my refrigerator for a while.

In the meantime, I have received several emails from Hungry Girl with recipe ideas for Eggs in a Mug.  I didn't have the directions in front of me when I did it, but how hard could it be, right?  I sprayed a coffee mug with pan spray.  Then I shook up the Egg Beaters, measured out 3/4 C, which is equal to 3 eggs in baking, and poured it into the cup.  I got 2 slices of Jennie-O 98% Fat Free Turkey Ham and cut it up into pieces.  I added that to the eggs and gave a little stir.  I did not know how long to cook it for, so I just put it in for about 45 seconds.  It was not near done, so I just gave a quick stir and put it back in.  I put it in for another minute and checked again.  Still didn't seem to be done.  Stirred it again.  Put it back in for another 30 seconds.  I think I ended up cooking it for about 3 1/2 minutes.  At the last little bit I put a little sprinkle of grated cheese on top and nuked it for about 15 seconds with the cheese on it.

My eggs look a little small in this mug.  That's because it's a pretty big mug.  It was more than enough to fill me up.

Caution:  The mug was VERY hot.  After I let it cool a bit I was able to eat it, because right out of the microwave it is entirely toooooo hot.  Good thing there's a handle on the mug!  The Southwestern Style flavor of the Egg Beaters was really good.  Nice little kick to it, but not overly so.  The turkey ham was also a good idea.  I like meat in my eggs.  The one thing that is not so good about Egg Beaters?  The price!!!  I can't remember the exact price but for a small container it was something like $3.79, and it's only the equivalent of 7 eggs!  That's an expensive dozen eggs, for sure. 

The nutritional information, though, is very different on the Egg Beaters vs regular shelled eggs. 
1 Real Egg                               1/4 C Egg Beater (1 egg equivalent)
70 calories                               25 calories
fat 5g                                       fat 0g
saturated fat 1.5g                      saturated fat 0g
cholesterol 185mg                    cholesterol 0mg

Having 3/4C of the Egg Beaters saved me 135 calories over 3 regular eggs.  That's a pretty big difference.  For the price it's not something I would do all the time, but I'm sure there are those out there who can afford it.  Maybe what I might do is mix 1/4C egg beater, 1 whole egg and 1 egg white.   An egg white only has 17 calories in it, so that mixture would save (over 3 real eggs) about 98 calories, and 370mg cholesterol, which is still pretty significant.  That might be a good choice, and a little more economical.  If you get the plain flavor you can do all sorts of things with your Eggs in a Mug.  Add anything you would to an omelet.  I am going to try a wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese in one, cut up into pieces and melted as it cooks.

Oh, I was going to mention that I checked the directions Hungry Girl gives for the Eggs in a Mug, and she says to cook it for 1 minute, stir and cook for another 30-45 seconds.  Mine definitely weren't done in that amount of time.  Maybe it's because I used more Egg Beaters, or maybe my microwave is different....or a combination of both.  Point is, just try it and see what works with your oven.

If you're a little short on time but want still want to have a healthy, filling breakfast, try cooking up some Egg Beaters in a mug with your favorite fillings and take it with you.

Have a Good Morning and Don't Skip Breakfast!

Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com or leave a comment with your suggestions, thoughts and ideas.

Chicken A La King and Garlic Beans (Recipes, Pics, Review)

I came across this recipe on dLife and it brought back memories of one of my favorite childhood dinners.  Except when I was a kid it came out of a can, and I'm sure was out the roof with fat and sodium.  This recipe is not.  I was very excited to try this one, and I was even more excited that it looked so easy.  If you haven't noticed by now, I really like easy cooking.  I mean, really, who says it has to be complicated and take forever for it to taste good?  If the contestants on "Chopped" can make gourmet entrees with weird ingredients in 30 minutes, then I should be able to make something with ingredients as basic as chicken and a recipe in front of me in about the same, right?

The ingredients you will need are:

4 oz mushrooms
2 Tbsp canola oil
3 C fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 C powdered nonfat milk
1/8 tsp white pepper (I don't keep that in my cupboard so I just used black pepper)
1 lb diced up cooked chicken breast
1/4 C pimento peppers, diced or chopped

And it's super easy to make...

1.  Put oil in saucepan.
2.  Chop up mushrooms in small pieces and put in pan.   Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix together broth, cornstarch, dry milk, and pepper until smooth.
4.  Add mixture to mushrooms and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally.
5.  Add cooked chicken and pimento to the sauce and heat to serving temperature.
6.  Serve over whole grain toasted bread.

I served this with a side of garlic beans.  They are super way easy to make, too.

4 oz chopped up mushrooms
1 Tbsp minced garlic (I used 2 good sized cloves)
Black pepper to taste
1/2 C fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
1 lb fresh or frozen green beans

1.  Put chicken broth into the crock pot that was sprayed with pan spray.
2.  Put minced garlic in the pot.
3.  Put the green beans in the pot.
4.  Sprinkle with pepper.
5.  Put mushrooms in pot.
6.  Cook covered on high heat for about 3 hours.  Serve.

How easy is that???  I love crock pot dishes that you dump everything in and leave it to do its thing.  Here's what my dish looked like, with a few explanations.  First, I didn't have any really good, wholesome whole grain bread on hand, so I just used generic store brand wheat.  Second, the chicken looks a little skimpy because I unexpectedly had extra mouths to feed and had to stretch it a little.  To make additional sauce I whisked together 1C milk (1%) with 1 Tbsp cornstarch and threw it in with the chicken broth sauce.  I probably could have let it get a little thicker, too, but I was getting crunched for time.

This is super good on the nutritional stats!  For just the Chicken A La King, chicken and sauce, without the bread here are the facts for 1/6 of the mixture, about 3/4C or so, give or take:  193 calories, 7.4g fat, .6g saturated fat, 1.3g polyunsaturated fat, 2.7g monounsaturated fat, 64mg cholesterol, 369mg sodium, 77mg potassium, 2.3g carb, 27g protein.  (5 Points Plus)

The green beans are (for about 1/2C):  36.5 calories, 47.5mg sodium, 214mg potassium, 6g carb, 2g fiber, 1.8g protein.

Add in your favorite whole grain bread, toasted, and you've got yourself one healthy meal.  My family loves biscuits and gravy, which is off our list now because of the fat, calories, carbs, etc.  This, for them, was reminiscent of that.  I served theirs with a jumbo biscuit, but when I realized how that one biscuit totally decimated the health stats, I opted for a couple slices of wheat bread for a fraction of the calories, carbs and fat.  But some good, dense whole grain bread would have been even better.  For me, the taste was even better than what I remembered as a kid getting from the canned chicken a la king.  It sure does make a difference when you use real ingredients!  My whole family, plus our guest, really ate up this dish quickly.  I would have liked it even better if I had the time to let the sauce get a little thicker.  The garlic beans were a big hit with everyone, even the kids. 

I hope you try this recipe.  I think you will really enjoy it.  And, bonus, it was so easily converted to vegetarian for Sami.  Before I added the chicken to the sauce, I scooped out a cup of it and put it in another little pot with her cut up Quorn brand vegetarian chicken.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy!  Oh...I forgot!  When I cooked up the chicken I sprinkled it with pepper and just a little garlic powder to season it.

If you would like to leave a comment here, please do!  I can also be contacted at happyfairylove@live.com.

Eat Healthy!
Lisa
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Vegetables Are Best With Cheese (Recipe, Pics, Review)

Here is a quick and easy side dish to go with any meat and potato-less dinner.  I will say, as easy as it is to make, it's also a little easy to mess it up.  My tip to make this perfect...go easy on the liquid!  Do you like cauliflower?  Not a lot of people do because I think it's, well, bland and blah.  This is a way to make cauliflower yummy, and take the place of mashed potatoes.  It's mashed cauliflower.  Ok ok, so it doesn't taste like mashed potatoes, but if done right it will have the consistency of mashed potatoes and give you that feeling of eating those starches.  This serves about 6.  Here's what i did...

1 head of cauliflower...mine came to about 2 lbs.
1/2-3/4 C low fat, low sodium chicken broth
6 oz shredded cheese
Pepper to taste

All you have to do is steam up the cauliflower until it's good and tender.  I put about 1/2 C chicken stock in a bowl, rough chopped the cauliflower and put it in the bowl, covered it lightly and cooked it in the microwave for about 15 minutes.  You may want to check it after 10, and then go in 2 minute increments after that.  If you chop your cauliflower smaller than i did mine it will probably get done faster than 15 minutes.  On the other hand, if you cut it bigger, well then 15 minutes might not be quite enough.  The point is, steam it until it's fork tender.

Then transfer the cooked cauliflower and broth from the bowl to a blender.  Blend on a high speed until thick and relatively smooth...no big lumps.  You will more than likely have to stir it a few times to get all the cauliflower chopped up.  WARNING:  Turn off your blender BEFORE sticking a spoon down into the blender to avoid a BIG mess.  Like I did. lol  Mashed cauliflower went everywhere, and it got on me and didn't feel too good since it just came out of the microwave.  If it is difficult to blend, and it looks like it may need a little more liquid, add just a little at a time.  The last thing you want is watery mashed cauliflower.  I've done this before, too, and believe me, it's not good.

Here's the nutritional info for 1 serving (about 1/6 of total recipe):  139 calories, 8.2g fat, 5g saturated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 347mg sodium, 458mg potassium, 9.1g carb, 3.8g fiber, 9.25g protein. (4 Points Plus)  Pretty good for a tasty side dish!  If you want to cut down a few calories and fat, just use a little less cheese than I did.  I'm having a hard time personally with cutting down on cheese...I love it!

It tastes very good, and it passes the kids' taste test.  They eat it all, and I think it may be because of the added cheesiness, because let's face it.  Cheese makes everything taste good! :)

If you'd like to leave a comment here, I like getting comments.  Or, if you want you can drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

UPDATE:  Jeff made a comment that although he really likes the flavor of this side dish, he's not crazy about the texture.  We pinned it down to that he thinks it's like eating baby food because it's so smooth.  So, here's my tip...to enjoy the flavor and NOT have a baby food texture, don't over blend it.  Maybe it would be ok to leave in a lump or two.

Eat Well!
Lisa
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Pork It's What's For Dinner (Recipe, Pics, Review)

I don't know about you, but I LOVE pork.  Any of it.  All of it.  I think it's my favorite kind of meat.  And I like it in very specific ways.  I'm picky, and so is my family.  So it was a little scary when I went outside our comfort zone and made pork in a whole new way (for us, at least).  Usually I use Shake N Bake pork chops, or if I feel like making a really big mess I use eggs, flour, fry on each side and then bake.  Haven't done that in a while, though.  It is VERY messy and takes a long time.  Tonight's dinner was easy, no fuss no muss.  That's the way I like it!  I made Apple Mustard Glazed Pork Chops.  How does that sound?  I've always heard that apples go well with pork, but I've never tried it.  So tonight was a first for us.  Here's what you need:

1 lb Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops 3/4" thick (trim fat if there's a lot)
Pepper
1 tsp Canola Oil
1/4 C Apple Juice
2 Tbsp Apple Jelly
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

My regular grocery store (Fry's) didn't carry any apple jelly.  I found a jar, though, at Super Wal-Mart for just $1.50.  I'm sure healthy food stores would carry it, too.

Here's what you do to make the chops:

1.  Season with a little pepper.  Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and brown chops on one side.
2.  Mix juice, jelly and mustard in a little dish.  I used a fork to mash up the jelly to get it mixed together well.
3.  Turn chops.  Add juice/jelly/mustard mixture to skillet.

4.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for about 10-12 minutes.  To check doneness, cut into the middle of the thickest chop and make sure it's cooked through before removing from heat.

That's it!!!  One little dish and one pan!  wooo hooo!  I was very nervous to serve this to my family since they are not used to the flavors.  But my kids came through for me.  They loved it!  Matthew had a 2nd piece, and Sara went and got extra pan sauce for hers.  My husband, Jeff, ate his up pretty quickly.  It was a success!  Yea!  It was even easier and less messy than Shake N Bake.  I love easy and no mess.

Here are the nutritional values for 1/4th of recipe (4 oz piece of meat and 1/4 of pan sauce):  300 calories, 5.8g fat, 4.1g saturated fat, 2.2g polyunsaturated fat, 84mg cholesterol, 418mg sodium, 490mg potassium, 8.4g carb, 32g protein.  (5 Points Plus) It's a little high in calories, but definitely worth it.  The carb count and grams of protein are phenomenal, though.

So go ahead and try something new....Apple Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops is a good place to start!  If you'd like to leave a comment, please do.  You can always reach me, too, at happyfairylove@live.com.

UPDATE:  I made 8 pork chops, and after everyone ate, there was just one left.  Matthew, my 12 year old, came in about 2 hours after dinner and asked me if he could have another dinner.  So, he ate the last one.  Jeff had I think 3 chops himself.  I wanted more, but I stuck to 1 serving like a good girl.  Jeff said numerous times throughout the evening how good the chops were.  Point is, the family REALLY loved these chops.  I hope yours does too!

Eat Happy!
Lisa
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A Savory Side (Recipe Pics & Review)

I've been giving you recipes for main dishes, like the Honey Pecan Chicken, Tilapia, and Chicken Eggplant Casserole.  I've given you some good recipes for sweet treats like Strawberry Dream Mousse and Diet Soda Cake.  Now I thought I should give you a recipe for a side dish.  One of my family's favorite vegetables is broccoli.  We have it a lot, just steamed, no butter or salt or anything.  I got them used to eating it plain and they like it that way.  Sometimes, though, a little cheese and seasoning is a nice switch.

I got this recipe from one that I pinned on Pinterest.  I am not real good with Pinterest yet, and I don't know who the original recipe was from.  But the pin is on my Healthy Cooking board if you want to figure it out.  (To find me on Pinterest, hover over the black bar on the right and look for the Where to Find Me tab.  My links are on there.)

The ingredients are:

16 oz fresh or frozen broccoli, steamed and chopped
1 C Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 Eggs
1 C shredded colby/jack or cheddar cheese (the original recipe calls for 1/2 C, but I don't think that's enough cheese for that much broccoli)

Preheat oven to 375F

Put everything into a bowl and mix it up.  I tried mixing it with a whisk (definitely didn't work) and a spatula (not good either), and it came down to just getting my hands dirty and mixing it up the best I could.

Then the original recipe says to line a pan with parchment, but I didn't have any of that.  I used aluminum foil with pan spray on it.  Now, mine did stick to the foil a bit, so if you have it try the parchment, or maybe even waxed paper.

Anyhoo, make some patties...it was a little difficult because the mixture kept sticking to my hands when I tried to "pat the patty" (hehe)  So I ended up just putting a small mound on the pan and then shaping it from there.  There will be enough mixture to make 8 patties of a fair size...a little bigger than a golf ball maybe.

Bake for 15 minutes, turn patties over and then continue to bake for another 10 minutes.  I served 2 patties per person.

I made a pork chop dinner tonight.  Whenever I have pork chops it seems that all my target numbers for calories, saturated fats, proteins, etc. all fall in line.  I don't know what it is about pork.  I think maybe because it fills me up well enough that I don't feel like snacking at all.  I also made mashed potatoes and gravy.  One serving of pork chops is about 4 oz, mashed potatoes are 1/3 C and gravy is 1/4 C.  I used Walmart brand instant potatoes and Walmart brand Mushroom Gravy packet.

For just the broccoli patties, the nutritional information for 2 patties (of 8 total) is:  118 calories, 3.8g fat, .9g saturated fat, 73mg cholesterol, 248.8mg sodium, 228mg potassium, 2.48g fiber and 6.6g protein. (3 Points Plus)

If you'd like to have this entire dinner, the nutritional info (including pork flavored shake & bake) with the serving sizes I mentioned is:  577 calories, 8.6g fat, 4.9g saturated fat, 157mg cholesterol, 754mg sodium, 1005mg potassium, 42g carb, 4.5g fiber and 41.6g protein. (10 Points Plus for whole dinner)

Now, what did my family of taste testers think of the broccoli patties?  They were a success!  Everyone liked them and ate them up just fine.  To me, they seemed a little dry, but that could be from a couple different things.  1) I was in a super hurry and didn't have time to really mix the ingredients well, so the eggs and cheese weren't evenly spread throughout the broccoli.  and 2) the directions say to cook at 375F.  I cooked mine at 400F because that's what my pork chops were cooking at.  I could have turned down the heat on the chops and cooked those 5 minutes longer, but the way I did it the broccoli patties somehow got a little dry.  But that didn't take away from the flavor.  And, I don't know about you, but when I've got a plate of potatoes, meat, gravy and vegetables, everything goes in on a bite, so the gravy moistened up the broccoli perfectly.

My family and I do recommend trying this recipe.  It was a nice switch up from the plain steamed broccoli we normally have.  I hope you enjoy it!  Leave a comment here or drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

Merry Meals,
Lisa
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