Creamy LowFat Chicken Divan

So I really love creamy, yummy comfort food and as you know, when you are trying to lose weight those kinds of dishes don't fit into the diet. So, I made up this recipe as next to no fat and lower in calories. Then on my Weight Watchers online I fed in the recipe into the recipe builder and wah-la, it figured the points for me. This recipe is YUMMY! I am really proud of myself for coming up with it. Give it a try. You will probably like it too. I usually add a little more curry to mine cause I like it to have a kick! This recipe serves 4 and is only 6 points+ per serving.









The main ingredients. If you have never tried fat free half and half, you have to give it a try.












Mix the cornstarch with the broth and half and half. Stir over medium heat until it starts to boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream cheese. Add the lemon juice and curry powder. Stir til combined.












Layer in a casserole the broccoli, the chicken and top with the sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly.











After sprinkling the parmesean cheese on top I turned the oven to broil just so it would start to brown a little. MMMM This recipe really hits the spot. Even if you aren't trying to lose weight, why not try something wonderful without all the calories. You can serve with noodles, baked potato or rice-Whatever you love. Give it a try.


Creamy Low Fat Chicken Divan

Weight Watchers 6 points+ per serving
Serves 4


1/4 cup cornstarch
1-1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup fat free half and half
2 Tbls. Neufchatel Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 to 3 tsp. curry powder (depending on how hot you like it)
2 cups frozen or fresh chopped broccoli. (If you use fresh you might want to cook it part way. If frozen just add it right from the freezer)
2 cups cooked chopped chicken
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Mix the cornstarch, broth and half and half together and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the Neufchatel cream cheese, the lemon juice and the curry powder.

Layer in a casserole dish, broccoli, chicken and pour the Sauce over the top. Cover and bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Uncover and top with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Bake until melted.

Serve with noodles, rice or a baked potato

Super Moist Low Fat Chocolate Cupcakes

Do you LOVE cupcakes? Who doesn't LOVE cupcakes? These are wonderful little babies that I found off a really cool blog called Skinnytaste. They work wonderfully for Weight Watchers and they curb your cravings for a treat. They are made with very little ingredients and they are so moist. They are just yummy! I thought I would share. No need to give up everything when you are trying to lose weight, right? Give them a try. Your kiddos will love them and so will you.








Not many ingredients here. You can use any brand chocolate cake mix. The darker the better as far as I'm concerned but with prices the way they are you might have to buy what you can afford.











Mix the water and pumpkin. Add in the pudding mix and mix well. Dump in the cake mix and mix well. The batter will be pretty thick. No worries-these cupcakes will be really moist and yummy!









Fill the cupcake papers about 2/3 full. Use all the batter to make 24 cupcakes. Bake at 350* for 25-28 minutes depending on your oven. Cool.








Mix the glaze ingredients together with a fork. Put the glaze in a zip-loc bag and cut a tiny piece of the end off. Pipe the glaze onto the cooled cupcakes.






These little cupcakes are absolutely wonderful. Whether you are trying to lose weight or just want to eat more healthy, these help the craving for sweet and for chocolate without adding all the fat. Give them a try. Add mini chocolate chips if you would like but it will make them more points and calories. Sometimes you just have to go with it though. :) Have fun!!!


Super Moist Low Fat Chocolate Cupcakes (with Chocolate Glaze)

Servings: 24 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 104.6 • Fat: 2.3 g • Protein: 1.2 g • Carb: 20.2 g • Fiber: 1.4 g • Sugar: 12.3
Sodium: 288.5


Ingredients:
• 18.25 oz Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix
• 1.4 oz sugar free, fat free, instant chocolate pudding
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 1/3 cups water
For the chocolate glaze:
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2-1 tbsp 1% milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
Bake at 350* for 25-28 minutes. Cool. Drizzle with chocolate glaze.

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies or Muffins

Have you had these cookies before? If yes, this is just a friendly reminder. If no, this recipe will change your life :) These cookies are fabulous, easy and work in the weight watchers point system for treats that I can have (sparingly). It's just a throw together and yet tastes so good. There is also a variation you can use that I have not tried out but it is using a chocolate cake mix instead of spice and making them into 12 muffins. I will be trying that at a later date. Whether you are trying to watch your weight or not, these little gems are amazing.







Only three ingredients.










Using a medium sized bowl mix the dry cake mix and the pumpkin together well by hand. Add the choco chips. I love the mini chips because then you have an explosion of chocolate in every bite but the regular ones work too. I use semi-sweet because they are my favorite.








Drop by spoonsful onto a cookie sheet and bake. I used a little toddlers spoon so they are smaller. They are about two bites or you can just shove the whole thing in your mouth at once. Just sayin.







YUMMY!!! Try them out. If you love pumpkin and chocolate together you will LOVE these.



Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (or muffins)

1 Spice Cake mix
1 15 oz. can Pumpkin
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix dry cake mix and pumpkin by hand. Add chocolate chips. Drop by spoonsful onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 12 minutes.

Weight Watchers Broccoli Beef

Well, so I jumped on the Weight Watchers band wagon and I guess if I am going to keep this blog going, I'm going to have to try recipes that fit into my new lifestyle. I hope you will still try these out. I will be a good judge of if they are good or not and I probably WON'T be posting anything that is not good. So I tried out this broccoli beef recipe and totally loved it. It is easy to make and very very tasty. I love this kind of stuff anyway so it will fit right into my recipe book. I was lazy and didn't take a bunch of pics with this one but I hope you will try it anyway. I did make a couple of changes though. Some out of necessity and some out of laziness. It calls for fresh ginger and I didn't have any so I used my ground ginger and used only about half. I used beef broth instead of chicken-that just seemed like a no brainer to me. And I used garlic powder instead of the fresh stuff-that was the laziness. I also added onions because I didn't have enough broccoli and didn't want to go out into the cold to buy more (the laziness again). I liked it and think next time I will also add fresh mushrooms. Add what you like or keep it simple. Just sayin:)




Give it try. Even if you aren't watching what you eat, this is a good recipe to hold onto. You can serve it with rice, noodles, or eat it plain. Have fun:)


Weight Watchers Broccoli Beef

Ingredients
2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch, divided
1/4 tsp table salt
3/4 pound(s) uncooked lean trimmed sirloin beef, thinly sliced against the grain
2 tsp canola oil
1 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
5 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, florets (about a 12 oz bag)
1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 cup(s) low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup(s) water


• On a plate, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and salt; add beef and toss to coat.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Add 1/2 cup broth to same pan; stir to loosen any bits on food on bottom of pan. Add broccoli; cover and cook, tossing occasionally and sprinkling with a tablespoon water if needed, until broccoli is almost crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover pan and add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• In a cup, stir together soy sauce, remaining 1/2 cup broth, remaining 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch and water until blended; stir into pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
• Return beef and accumulated juices to pan; toss to coat. Serve. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving

Apple Dumplins

My family had these wonderful little miracles a year ago at a party celebrating three wonderful kids lives. They were amazing and we happened to pick up the recipe. I didn't try them but always had them rolling around in my head. One day, I noticed them on The Pioneer Woman's website. This past week, Mike and I were able to spend some downtime with friends at a cozy cabin at Bear Lake. I made these as the dessert for one of our dinners and it was a hit. I hope you will try them out. They are easy and delicious. Your family will love them-I promise.







Just roll up an apple slice in the crescent roll large end to small end. Place seam side down pretty close together in a 9x13 inch pan. Pour the melted butter/sugar/vanilla mixture over the top and then drizzle the Mountain Dew around the edges and down the middle of the dumplings. Don't pour it over the top of them. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake. They are just that easy:)








These really are unbelievably delish and so easy to make. You can whip them up for any party and serve with a side of ice cream. Be sure to spoon the sauce over the top of the ice cream for extra yumminess. Try out this little gem of a recipe. I think you will LOVE it!!!!!!!


Recipe: Apple Dumplings
Ingredients
• 2 whole Granny Smith Apples
• 2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Cinnamon, To Taste
• 1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda
Preparation Instructions
Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

WARNING from Pioneer Woman: Prepare this dish at your own risk. It is beyond imaginable

Quick and Easy Taco Dip

So I found this recipe on pinterest and it is from the blog My Kitchen Addiction. The minute I saw the photo I wanted to make it. I tried it today and it's good. I definately will make some changes to it the next time I make it (I mention those changes at the end of this post) If you are gearing up for the holiday parties or looking forward to Super Bowl Sunday, this might be exactly what you are looking for. Give it a try. Pretty easy:)




The ingredients are pretty basic. Most of you will have what you need on your shelves and in your refrigerator.






Brown the ground beef and the onion. When it is not pink anymore add the seasonings, the cream cheese, the ranch dressing and half of both shredded cheeses. Mix to combine.






Spray a 9 inch pie plate and spread the meat mixture into the plate. Top with the other half of the shredded cheddar and the pepper jack cheeses. Bake at 400* for 15-20 minutes.





Ok! Does this just look yummy? This is the reason I tried this recipe in the first place-because I could almost taste it when I looked at the picture! MMMMMMM





This recipe is really rich and quite yummy. However, you know how I love to tweak my recipes. I will make this again but I will use taco seasoning because I really love taco seasoning. I would also cut the cream cheese in half and use only 4 oz. That said, let's hope my new ides works out. This is an easy recipe and I think your guests would love it. Good luck!



Quick and Easy Taco Dip
Ingredients:
• 1 pound lean ground beef (90/10)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup light ranch dressing
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
• Tortilla chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.
In a skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat. Drain, and return the beef to the skillet. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, ranch dressing, chili powder, and ground cumin. Add the beef mixture and half of the shredded cheese. Stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pie plate, and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips

Potato Pancakes

Have you ever had potato pancakes or Latkes? They are really so easy and a little different than just fried hash browns. If you don't mind a little fat in your diet, these are really fun to try. I really love them. They can be served with applesauce or sour cream or whatever you like. You can eat them just the way they are.











Mix the egg, shredded onion and seasonings together in a large bowl. Add in the shredded potatoes but be sure you squeeze the liquid out of them. Add the flour and mix all together. They are that easy and ready to cook.







Drop the potatoe mixture into a pan with a littl hot canola or olive oil and fry until crispy and browned. MMMMMMM





These little crispy yummies are very easy to make and they are just different enough to shake things up a bit. Hope you will give them a try!


Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
• 4 large potatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ground black pepper to taste
• oil for frying
Directions
1. Finely grate potatoes with onion into a large bowl. Drain off any excess liquid.
2. Mix in egg, salt, and black pepper. Add enough flour to make mixture thick, about 2 to 4 tablespoons all together.
3. Turn oven to low, about 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
4. Heat 1/4 inch oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Drop two or three 1/4 cup mounds into hot oil, and flatten to make 1/2 inch thick pancakes. Fry, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined plates to drain, and keep warm in low oven until serving time. Repeat until all potato mixture is used.