Birthday Cake

• 1 box brownie mix (any variety)
• 1 can black beans, drained (save can)

filling:

• 2 Tbsp polaner all fruit seedless raspberry sugar free preserves
• 3/4 cup fat free cool whip
• 1/4 cup cream cheese frosting (recipe below)

frosting:

• 8 oz light cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup light butter or margarine - I used Best Life tub spread
• 1/2 cup splenda
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

After rinsing and draining black beans, place back in the can and fill the can (with beans in it) with water to the top. Place in blender or magic bullet and blend until it's all liquid. Pour brownie mix in bowl and stir in bean mixture. Bake according to package directions. I split the batter between two heart shaped cake pans.

Beat cream cheese and margarine together til well mixed, add sugars and continue blending til a spreadable consistency.
Take 1/4 cup of the frosting and place in a separate mixing bowl, stir the preserves into it, then fold cool whip in.
Once brownies are removed from pans and completely cooled, spread the jam filling on one of the cakes and top with the other cake. spread with cream cheese frosting.

I melted 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and wrote on the cake with that.
All 6 of us raved!

Hungry Girl's Lord of the Onion Rings

• 1 large onion
• 1/4 cup egg beaters
• 1/2 cup crushed Fiber One
• salt, pepper, garlic, any other seasons you would like to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut edges off onion, and remove outer layer. Cut onion into 1/2 inch wide slices, and separate into rings. Next, fill a small bowl (just large enough for onion rings to fit in) with Egg Beaters. Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Pour crumbs onto a small dish. Stir in seasonings of your choice. One by one, coat each ring in egg and then crumbs (give each ring a shake after the egg bath). Place on an oven-safe baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping rings over about halfway through. Serves one!

Sounds nuts, but so delicious! All the kids chowed down on these!

If you eat the entire onion - I used a vidalia, and it filled two large cookies sheets with rings, it is 3 POINTS PLUS

Hungry Girl's Sloppy Janes

• 1 lb. raw extra-lean ground turkey
• 5 small light hamburger buns
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 1 cup canned tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup canned no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dry steak seasoning blend
• dash salt

Directions:

Spray a large pan with nonstick spray, and bring to medium-high heat. Add turkey to the pan. Spread the meat around in the pan to break it up a bit.

In a small dish, combine Splenda, salt and steak seasoning. Sprinkle this mixture over the meat, and continue to stir meat in the pan. Once the meat has browned, reduce heat to medium.

Add onions, peppers, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar to the pan. Stir, and then continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauces and paste to the pan and stir well. Reduce heat to low, and cook the mixture for an additional 5 minutes.

Toast the buns, if desired. Put 1/5th of the mixture on each bottom bun, and then finish off with tops of the buns.

NOTE: I cooked my onions and peppers down along with the meat - didn't want the kids biting into any crisp chunk of vegetable and complaining! Also, I didn't have any red wine vinegar, so used balsamic.

MAKES 5 SERVINGS                 POINTS PLUS per serving (with bun) = 5

Weight Watchers Cookies n Cream Shake

SERVES 4 (3 points each serving)

• 2 cups fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt
• 1/2 cup fat-free skim milk         
• 4 items cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies    

Place yogurt and milk in a blender; blend until smooth and creamy. Add cookies; blend for a few seconds until combined. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

Weight Watchers Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash

SERVES 4 (4 points each serving)

• 1 spray cooking spray, or enough to coat skillet  
• 2 cups mushrooms, coarsely chopped    
• 1 small onion(s), chopped 
• 1 clove (medium) garlic clove, minced    
• 1 small sweet red pepper(s), diced    
• 1 tsp paprika    
• 3/4 tsp table salt    
• 1/2 tsp black pepper    
• 1/2 cup canned chicken broth    
• 1 pound Chicken, breast, raw, without skin & bone    
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour    
• 1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream    

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic and pepper; saute 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, salt and pepper; cook 30 seconds more. Spoon mixture into a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker; add broth.

Cut each chicken breast into 4 long strips; add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 to 6 hours.

Stir together flour and sour cream in a cup; stir into chicken mixture. (Note: We stir flour into the sour cream to prevent the cream from curdling in slow-cooked dishes.) Cover and cook on low until the mixture is thick and hot, about 10 minutes more. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Notes: I opted to cook egg noodles and serve the paprikash on top. A cup of whole wheat egg noodles is 4 points. So a cup of those along with one serving of the paprikash was an 8 point dish - it filled our bowls nicely - very hearty.  Also - I substituted fat free plain yogurt for the sour cream (had an abundance of it on hand due to couponing, ha!) and this worked great.  Up the 1 clove of garlic to 3.

Weight Watchers Tex-Mex Rice and Bean Casserole

SERVES 6 (5 points each)

• 1 spray cooking spray
• 1 cup canned yellow corn, drained OR frozen, thawed corn kernels
• 1 Tbsp canned green chili peppers, chopped mild or hot
• 15 oz canned pinto, black, or kidney beans, rinsed and drained - I used black
• 1 cup cooked brown rice, fresh or day old
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar or mexican style cheese
• 3/4 cut fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp scallions, chopped - dark green part only
• 2 Tbsp shredded reduced fat cheddar or mexican style cheese

Preheated oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 2-quart glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine corn, chilies, beans, rice, 3/4 cup of cheese, sour cream, chili powder, salt and pepper; stir in scallions.

Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tablespoons cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and casserole is slightly bubbly, about 10 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes to firm up before slicing into 6 pieces.

Kevin, Jay, and I really loved this. I ate mine with a spicy salsa verde and shredded a good amount of lettuce to go along with it, and Jay of course doused his with Franks. Definitely a keeper.

Hungry Girl's PB 'n Chocolate Bread Pudding

MAKES 4 SERVINGS (4 pts each)

• 3 slices light bread (40 to 45 calories each with at least 2 g fiber per slice), lightly toasted and cut into 1/2 inch cubes  -  I was doubling the recipe and it seemed easier to cube the bread then toast it on a sheet pan in the oven instead
• 1 cup light vanilla soy milk
• 1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute - I used 1/3 cup egg whites since I didn't have the substitute on hand
• 2 Tablespoons reduced-fat peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar (not packed)
• Optional: fat free whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place toasted bread cubes in a 1-quart baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top.

In a blender, combine soymilk, egg substitute, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Process at medium speed until smooth. Pour mixture over bread cubes, making sure all the bread cubes are covered. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Place dish in oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until pudding is firm. This is best served warm. If you like, add some whipped topping before serving.

Served this tonight to my 3 boys, one of their friends, and Kevin - we all loved it!

Weight Watchers Chicken Burritos

Ingredients

 1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced (medium)    
 1 small red onion(s), chopped    
 14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, with chiles    
 15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed    
 1/2 tsp chili powder    
 1/2 tsp table salt    
 1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed    
 1/4 tsp black pepper    
 1 pound(s) skinless chicken thigh(s), cut into bite-size pieces    
 3/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth    
 12 medium whole wheat tortilla(s), about 7-inches in diameter each    
 3/4 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese 
 
Instructions
Place garlic, onion, tomatoes, beans, chili powder, salt, oregano and pepper in a 3-quart slow cooker; stir well. Add chicken and broth. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 hours; drain off liquid (there should be about 6 cups of burrito mixture).

To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup of burrito mixture down center of each tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Fold bottom 1/3 of tortilla to center. Fold left side to center; fold right side to center, covering filling. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Yields 1 burrito per serving.

Each serving is 5 points plus value. These were really good! The boneless skinless chicken thighs stayed very moist.

WW Lasagna

1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)   
 1 small onion(s), chopped    
 1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced (medium)   
 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes    
 15 oz canned tomato sauce    
 1 tsp table salt    
 1 tsp dried oregano    
 1/2 tsp dried basil    
 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste    
 1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese    
 1 1/2 cup(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheeses, divided    
 6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook    
 1/2 cup(s) shredded parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano    

Instructions
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.
Notes: To boost your vegetable intake, add a can of zucchini in tomato sauce to the meat mixture. You can also add 2 cups of sliced shiitake mushrooms to the beef mixture.

I used 97 % lean ground turkey and a couple of turkey italian sausages instead of ground beef, not sure how this affects the points plus value. The original recipe says 1/6 is 10 points - I know it sounds like a lot, but it's a very hearty portion and REALLY delicious!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

 

 

Serves 16

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup splenda
• 2 eggs
• 1teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 8 ounces fresh or frozen blueberries
• About 2 tablespoon milk
• 1/8 cup splenda
• 2 Tbsp splenda brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan. In a large bowl, cream butter, splenda, egg and vanilla with an electric mixer, then set aside. Separately, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in 1/3 the flour mixture, then 1/2 the sour cream, then 1/3 the flour mixture, then the remaining sour cream, then the remaining flour. The batter will be quite thick. With a spoon, spread half of the batter in the pan. Top with the blueberries. Thin the remaining batter by stirring in the milk. Arrange over the top of the berries. Combine the 1/8 cup of splenda , the 2 Tbsp of splenda brown sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over the top. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until cooked through.  Let cool before serving. 4 WW points plus per serving.
This was SO good, I served it at Bible Study tonight and no one thought it tasted 'diet'. (I had to tell them because of the splenda in case anyone had a sensitivity to it). Next time I plan to use egg beaters and a light butter and see if that reduces the points plus value.

Tortilla Roll-ups

1 brick of light cream cheese softened3 large green onions sliced thin
1/2 bell pepper (any color)
1/2 cup shredded cheese - whatever kind you want. 

Mix together. Spread on tortillas, roll tortillas up tightly in saran wrap.
Refrigerate at least 4 hours, slice and serve. You can put anything in these. I've had them with roasted red peppers as well, and they're good.