Pumpkin Bread

My mom makes a delicious pumpkin bread, and I crave it every fall. The only downside is the calorie content. I found this recipe on Pinterest, and there were tips on how to make it less fattening. I decided to give it a go. It came out very well! The original recipe made two loaves. I halved it, because I only wanted one. 

This is what you'll need:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup granulated sweetener (generic splenda)

10 ounces canned pumpkin

1 egg

3 tablespoons egg whites

1 cup apple sauce (I added a bit more, recipe called for 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one bowl.

Mix both sugars in a separate bowl. 

Add the apple sauce, and mix. 

Add the egg, and egg whites and mix.

Add the pumpkin.

Mix. 

Add half of the dry ingredients...

Add the rest of the dry ingredients.

Spray a loaf pan with pam.

Spread into the loaf pan, and bake for about one hour. (Mine took a bit longer)

Enjoy!

This recipe came out surprisingly well. I wasn't too sure about the apple sauce. The other substitutions seemed pretty normal, but apple sauce for butter made me think twice. I definitely put in a bit too much apple sauce, it was much denser than I'm used to, but it tastes so good! Also, I don't have a hand mixer, only muscle power. I think the hand mixer would have made a mild improvement!

Chicken with Garlic Tomato Sauce & Goat Cheese

I was in a horrible state of hunger, and this was something delicious my roommate had concocted a few days before that I decided to recreate. I had frozen chicken tenders that I defrosted, the only other ingredients needed are pasta sauce and goat cheese. 

Start by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. When I refer to salt, I always mean garlic salt because I have an obsession with it. 

After 4 minutes or so, flip the chicken. 

When the chicken is just about cooked through, add the pasta sauce and goat cheese to the top. 

Cover until the cheese is melted, and the sauce is hot!

Serve, and enjoy!

This recipe is so simple, but so delicious. It is a great alternative to chicken parmesan, which is breaded and not so good for you. This takes no more than 10 minutes to make, and cleanup is a breeze. The garlic salt and the pepper add a lot of flavor to the chicken, and the melted goat cheese is so tasty. If you're not a lover of goat cheese, any other cheese can be substituted. You could also use a different kind of sauce! Overall, wonderful... will be making this or a variation of this very soon.

Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Quiche

I was in a pinch to find something to make, and I came across this recipe on Pinterest. I have had a bag of quinoa in my pantry for a couple months now, but never made it. This was the perfect recipe to make on a weekend morning! I did not have a mini muffin tin, so I recalculated the point value, and came up with 3 weight watchers points per quiche! It made 10 in total.

All you need is:

1 cup shredded zucchini

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup cheddar cheese (I used mexican blend)

2 eggs

6 tablespoons egg whites

1 cup diced ham

3/4 cup dry quinoa (2 cups cooked)

Start by cooking the quinoa, 3/4 cup quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a rigorous boil, and then simmer for 12-15 minutes. 

Combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl. 

Mix.

Add quinoa to the mixture, and mix in. 

Combine well...

Spoon into well greased muffin tin.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are browned. 

Let cool for a couple minutes...

Enjoy!

These came out very well! I will definitely be making them again. I also froze some, and will have to update on how they came out! They were very easy to make, and hardly take any time. The only problem is trying not to eat too many! 

Eggplant and Zucchini Lasagna

This is a weight watchers recipe that I found online. I decided to make a smaller lasagna than the one suggested. After recalculating the points, it is 7 points per serving. The lasagna came out very well! It was delicious, and low carb.

What you'll need:

1/2 medium eggplant

1 zucchini

2 cups tomato sauce

8 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup basil

1 egg

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese 

1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Trim and cut the zucchini and eggplant and place on baking sheet (sprayed with pam).

Roast for 7-8 minutes on each side. 

Meanwhile, combine the egg, basil, ricotta, and parmesan cheese together in a bowl.

Spray the bottom of an 8 X 8 casserole dish (or aluminum pan).

Add 1/3 cup of sauce to the bottom.

When the eggplant and zucchini are done roasting, take them out of the oven. Line the eggplant on top of the sauce, even if it is overlapping. 

Add another layer of sauce and cheese...

Layer all of the zucchini on top of the sauce and cheese...

Add the remaining sauce and cheese to the top...

Reduce the oven heat to 350 and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

I was surprised by how much flavor this dish had. Despite there being no noodles, it surprisingly tasted a lot like lasagna. I was very happy with the way it turned out, and will probably be making it again in the future. Definitely a good dish to make when having people over, or for a family meal! I used garlic tomato sauce which I think added quite a bit of flavor. Overall a success!

Crockpot French Onion Soup

I am a lover of french onion soup, but have never made it myself. I'm not sure why, because it is so easy. I conquered it this weekend and it turned out pretty well. I decided not to use as many photos in this post simply because of it's simplicity. Hah. Anyway, it only had 2 weight watchers points per serving. I cut the original recipe in half, and it makes 4 servings of soup. 

All you'll need is: 

1 package of Swanson less sodium beef broth (32 ounces)

1 full onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoon butter 

3 tablespoons of flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon pepper

I did end up adding a bit more worcestershire sauce for more flavor, but only about a 1/2 teaspoon.

1. Start by chopping the onion, and adding the onion and butter to the crock. Mix together and in about 30-35 minutes the onions will begin to cook. 

2. Add the flour, the worcestershire sauce, sugar, and pepper to a bowl and mix together. 

3. After 30-35 minutes, add the mixture to the onions.

4. Pour the whole container of the beef broth into the crock.

5. Cook for 7-9 hours on low heat setting, or 3-4 hours on high.

I decided to cook on high for a couple of hours, and then I turned the setting to low, because I was not going to be ready to eat for a while. The soup came out very well! I only wish I had made the broiled cheesy french bread that I saw to go along with it... That would have made it incredible. Needless to say, I think I will be making my own french onion soup from now on, and no longer buying it. 

Stuffed Peppers

This was by far one of the best things I have made so far. They're very easy to make, too. I found the recipe per usual on Pinterest, and I modified it slightly. There were quite a bit of dishes to do at the end, but totally worth it. I read online that they freeze well too. We'll see how the frozen ones reheat! Also, they are only 5 weight watchers points, which is fabulous. The peppers I got were pretty small. The stuffing mixture made much more than I was able to fit into these peppers. So, I would suggest using a few more peppers, or keeping the mix and making a burrito out of it... I plan to do that this week!

This is what you'll need:

4 or 5 peppers, any colors you'd like

1/2 pound 99% fat free ground turkey

1 can low sodium black beans

1 jar mango salsa

1 heaping tablespoon reduced sodium taco seasoning

1 package (2 cups) rice of your choice

1/2 chopped onion

1 cup frozen corn

Cheese to taste!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with pam.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and take out all the seeds.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until almost cooked through.

While the peppers are cooking, cook the onion, and the turkey in separate skillets. 

Drain and wash the black beans...

When the onion is cooked, add the package of frozen corn. 

Cook the rice in the microwave for 90 seconds, and add to the onion and corn. 

Add the taco seasoning, turkey, black beans, salsa, and corn rice and onions together in a large bowl. 

Mix it all together!

Take the peppers out of the oven, and let them cool enough to handle them.

     

Stuff the peppers with the mixture and put them back in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are cooked through.

When a minute or two remains, add the cheese to the top of each pepper. When the cheese is melted, take them out of the oven.

Enjoy!

These were delicious and I will definitely be making them again, especially if the freeze well. They're perfect for a small meal. I added a bit of plain greek yogurt, like a sour cream. They would be very quick and easy to make if the stuffing were made ahead of time, but they were not too involved this way. Very good! Next time, I'm going to attempt Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers. Yum.