Olive and Tomato Dip

Looking for something to take to a picnic or perhaps a food day at work? Well, look no further because this olive tomato dip comes together in a matter of minutes and is delicious with the summer ripe tomatoes. Enjoy!!

Source: Weight Watchers

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped tomato
6 large green olives, chopped
2 Tbl onion
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve with veggies or light crackers.

So simple!

Grilled Lettuce

Yep...that's correct! Grilled lettuce. I heard about this at a Weight Watchers meeting so when I had a few girls over for a small supper club I decided to give it a try. I'm happy to report...at the end of the night, there was no leftover lettuce left on any plates!

Simply take a head of romaine lettuce and cut it down the middle. Give it a quick rinse and a splash of almond or grape seed oil (these hold up to the heat of the grill much better than olive oil). Once grill is warmed....place the lettuce cut side down and grill for just a few minutes. Five or so.

Slice it up, hit it with a little cracked black pepper and some sea salt and bam! A nice and tasty salad with none of that creamy salad dressing to hide the flavor. I also mixed in some feta crumbles and some fresh heirloom tomatoes. Delicious and I'll definitely be having this one again.

Enjoy!

4th of July revamped

Before you pack the cooler and head off to the lake or the family picnic….really think about how you can have a wonderful holiday weekend with delicious healthy foods and not the normal fat and calorie ridden repeats.

Here are some ideas to get those brain juices flowing!

*Fresh fruit bowl- cut up a bunch of your favorite fruits and put them in a bowl all together. I know I am much more likely to enjoy fruit if it’s already cut up and ready to go. My favorites to put together are: grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries and pineapple. If you want to put a dip out try this greek yogurt fruit dip.

*We all like something salty and crunchy, so instead of a bag of potato chips, try veggie straws. A serving size is 38 straws!! For a total of 3 points plus. A pretty good alternative if you ask me.

*Black bean salsa: this is very easy to put together and you can feel comfortable knowing it doesn’t have any dairy that will spoil if left in the heat. To save on even more calories, don’t serve it with chips! It’s just as good right off the fork.

*Start up the grill!! Rather than sauce laden barbeque brisket or a bucket of fried chicken try turkey bratwursts, 97% fat free Hebrew National hot dogs, or even some grilled turkey burgers! Lots of alternatives to make this holiday different than a week night meal.

*Crystal light lemonade- Instead of the regular Country Time Lemonade that is full of sugar, make a big batch of Crystal Light. Very refreshing in this heat and very low in calories.

Most importantly: have a wonderful holiday weekend, enjoy the people that you’re with and stay safe!

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

I was recently faced with the task of bringing an appetizer to a friend's home. One would think...."What's so hard about that?!" Well, I normally wouldn't either but when that hostess happens to be vegetarian, lactose intolerant and gluten free.....I started to panic just a little.

Normally I would whip up something with cream cheese, sour cream or sausage, but I obviously couldn't do that in this situation. So my wheels started turning and I came up with this great alternative that happens to be very health friendly, vegetarian, gluten free, lactose intolerant AND delicious!

Ingredients:
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can white corn (drained)
1 can yellow corn (drained)
1 red bell pepper, sliced and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 tsp garlic salt
juice of 1 lime

Mix all and serve with corn chips (for gluten free) or tortilla chips if no preference!

Enjoy

Roasted Pears with Balsamic Glaze

There is only one word to describe this dessert. WOW!! I mmm mmm’d out loud when I took my first bite! If you like pears, please wow your spouse, significant other, yourself, a dinner party or guests with this easy to do dessert. You won’t regret it and they will think you are absolutely amazing in the kitchen.

Source: Weight Watchers Momentum Cookbook
Ingredients: serves 4

2 tsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp lemon juice
4 ripe pears, halved and cored
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbl balsamic vinegar
4 (1/2 ounce slices soft goat cheese)

1. Preheat the oven to 425
2. Stir together the butter and lemon juice in a small bowl.
3. Place the pears, cut side up, on a large baking sheet. Brush the cut side of the pear halves with the butter mixture. Roast until softened when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking until dissolved. Increase the heat to high and boil until thickened, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a cup.
5. Arrange 2 pear halves on each of 4 plates and place a slice of goat cheese next to each pear. With a teaspoon, drizzle the balsamic glaze over the pears. Serve warm.

Note: Because the pears are ripe, I didn’t think they needed 30 minutes to roast, I only roasted them for about 15-20 minutes. Serve with warm goat cheese. It melts in your mouth with the warm pear. If you’re only serving two, this is can be easily halved. Delicious!

SUNDAY SLOWCOOKER: Baked Potatoes

The slow cooker/crock pot has to be one of the most versatile cooking utensils. I put this thing to work at least once a week and it continues to amaze me. I had NEVER thought of putting potatoes in the crock pot to turn them into baked potatoes....but one food day discussion at work, it was decided we would try it.

So the night before our food day, I packed my crock pot full of potatoes wrapped in foil. No butter needed.....just a little washing and some sea salt. Turned them on before I went to bed and let them cook on low all night. I kept them on low for about 10 hours and then to warm until it was lunch time.

The result: the softest baked potato ever! No hard spots in some places...no constant squeezing to make sure they're done....the easiest baked potato I've ever prepared.

Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles

These little cuties are easy to make ahead and stick in the fridge until you’re ready to pop them in the oven before all your guests arrive.

Ingredients:
Canned Whole Green beans
Thinly sliced bacon
Catalina dressing (I used light)

Wrap 4-5 green beans with half a slice of bacon. Make the bundles and lay them in a casserole dish. Once all made, pour some dressing in there and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve warm!

SUNDAY SLOW COOKER: Super Bowl Salsa-Bean Dip

With Super Bowl Sunday looming around the corner, it's time to start planning that menu. This one is a quick fix you can throw in the crock-pot so you can concentrate on your other items. Requires little time to prep and easy to find ingredients.

Source: Weight Watchers Nov/Dec 2010 issue

Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 c salsa

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

Grated zest and juice of 1 lime

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 c crumbled low-fat goat cheese

2 Tbs finely chopped red onion

1. Combine beans, salsa, garlic, cumin, and oregano in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook until beans are hot, 1-2 hours on high or 2-4 hours on low.

2. At end of cooking time, stir lime zest and juice into slow cooker. With large spoon or potato masher, coarsely mash bean mixture. If making ahead, keep warm on low or warm up to 2 hours. Stir in cilantro. Serve sprinkled with goat cheese and onion and garnished with cherry tomatoes (if using)

*I totally forgot the chopped onion and I thought it was still good. Oops!

Honey Bun Cake

Today I celebrate my birthday as well as being with Weight Watchers for six years!! No, it did not take me six years to lose my weight; but I still go to meetings on a regular basis, track what I eat and follow the Weight Watchers plan. Someone cannot be on a “diet” for six years….Weight Watchers is truly a way of life and I feel like I am living proof of that every day.

So…in celebration of two milestones in my life…I decided to make myself a cake! Of course I made alterations from the original recipe but I have been waiting for a special occasion to make this cake and it turned out GREAT!

Source: AllRecipes Cookbook
Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix
¾ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbl ground cinnamon
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup milk
1 Tbl vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream. Stir by hand approximately 50 strokes or until most large lumps are gone. Pour half of the batter into an ungreased 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan. Spoon the other half of the batter into the cake pan, covering the brown sugar and cinnamon. Swirl the cake with a knife until it looks like a honey bun.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Spread frosting on cake while it’s still warm. Serve warm.

Substitutions:
Applesauce for oil
Fat free sour cream for regular
Egg beaters for eggs
I also found that 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar with 2 tsp vanilla and 1/8 cup milk was sufficient for the icing

Happy whatever you may be celebrating!

Spiced Honey Pretzels

It never fails, after the Christmas/New Year’s season is gone and all of the chex mix making is complete….I find myself with a bag of pretzel sticks that I will never eat just by themselves.

So getting ready for some of my friends to get into town to help me celebrate my birthday, I decided to look for a way to “spice” them up and to have a nice new improved snack for us. I found a great new recipe in “Taste of Home’s Comfort Food Diet Cookbook” that turned boring hum drum pretzels sticks into something with a little hmmm, what is that?

Ingredients:
4 cups thin pretzel sticks
3 Tbl honey
2 tsp butter, melted
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder

Line a large baking pan with foil; coat with cooking spray. Place pretzels in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, combine honey, butter, onion powder and chili powder and mix well. I warmed mine up for about 20 secs so it would pour easier. Pour over pretzels; toss to coat evenly. Spread onto the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes, stirring once. Cool on a wire rack, stirring gently several times to separate.

*Note: I did find it quite odd putting sticks on a wire rack (hello! they’re just going to fall through), so I put a plate underneath to catch them when they did indeed fall through. It doesn’t take these interesting sticks long to cool off….so start breaking them up as soon as you take them out of oven. Also, don’t overcook them! They have honey and the sugars will burn.

Enjoy!

Lemon-Blueberry Bread

After a long and stressful day at work, I decided to try one of the recipes I discovered looking for new material. I had all the ingredients on hand so it worked out great. In my eyes, there is nothing more relaxing than putting a few simple ingredients together and watching it turn into a wonderful smelling beautiful looking and magnificently tasting treat.

If you like the taste of lemon then you are sure to love this easy to make bread.

Source: All Recipes Cookbook
12 servings

Ingredients:
5 Tbl melted butter
1 cup white sugar
3 Tbl fresh lemon juice
2 eggs (1/2 cup egg beaters)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbl grated lemon zest
½ cup milk
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 Tbl lemon juice
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar


1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a bowl, beat butter, 1 cup sugar, 3 Tbl lemon juice and eggs. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk. Fold in nuts and blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 2 Tbl lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Remove bread from pan and drizzle with glaze. Cool on wire rack and serve!


Notes: I used egg beaters instead of eggs. Used chopped pecans instead of walnuts. I also used frozen blueberries. If you let them thaw, they’re going to turn your batter purple so use straight from the freezer or fresh.

Leek and Potato Soup

This versatile soup is good as a side dish, a warm creamy appetizer at a party or even as a main course.

Serves: 2-3 for main dish
Ingredients:
10 oz potato, peeled and chopped, about 2 cups
2 cups sliced leeks, about 2 leeks if using the green parts
3 cups water
¾ tsp salt
Pepper to taste
3 Tbl heavy whipping cream

Bring leeks, potatoes, water and salt to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until tender. To finish the soup, puree the soup through a food processor or blender and add cream. You can serve right from the blender or put back in the soup pot.

I tried to just use a potato masher but the blender is the way to go to get a thick creamy stick to your ribs soup.

*Note: If you don’t mind a green tint to your soup, feel free to use the stalks of the leeks. I also used a can of chicken broth in place of 14 oz of the water.

Caramel Corn

Nothing says holidays better than peanut brittle and caramel corn....so this year was my time to try my hand in it. I think both of them turned out pretty good!

Ingredients:

12 cups air popped popcorn

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup light karo syrup

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

Put popcorn in a big roasting pan.

Mix the brown sugar, butter, syrup and salt in a sauce pan over med. heat until it's a foamy boil. Quickly stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla and then 1/2 tsp baking soda (in that order). Mixture will foam. Pour quickly over popcorn (stir well) and bake 1 hr at 250. Must stir every 15 minutes. Cool in pan and then break up.

Fruit Dip

There are tons and tons of different fruit dip recipes out there using ingredients such as: jello, yogurt, cottage cheese (yes, I found one), cool whip and the list continues. My favorite...and the favorite of a few of my friends happens to use:

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme

1 pkg of reduced fat cream cheese, softened

2-3 Tbl orange juice

Using an electric mixer, whip the marshmallow creme with the cream cheese. Once those are nicely incorporated, stir in the orange juice. If you drink orange juice on a regular basis and keep it in the fridge...use that. If you're like me and never have the stuff around, feel free to buy ONE orange and juice it yourself! For an extra flare, stir in some orange zest.

Use with fruits of your liking!

*If you're using apples, sprinkle them with some lemon juice to help them from going brown. Using bananas....soak in pineapple juice! Enjoy

Microwave Peanut Brittle

WOW!! I can't believe this was the first time I've ever made peanut brittle but it definitely won't be my last. Super easy, super fast and super yummy!! Try it with your family...they'll thank you.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw peanuts (found in the produce area)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light karo syrup

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

Place peanuts, sugar, syrup and salt in a microwave safe dish. Cook in microwave for 4 minutes. Remove and stir and then cook for 4 more minutes. Stir in butter and cook for 2 more min. Remove and stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray and let cool. Break in pieces.

Shower Punch

1 quart Pineapple juice

1- 2 liter Sprite or 7 up
Frozen sherbet

Mix juice and sprite together and then scoop sherbet on top! It's as easy as that. Add sherbet throughout shower or party so people will still get chunks of it. I like the mixed sherbet but it's to your taste.

Beer Margaritas

I know...very interesting combination but surprisingly good and refreshing.


Source: taste of home


Ingredients:
3/4 cup thawed limeade concentrate
12 oz beer
3/4 cup vodka
3/4 cup water
ice


Combine limeade, beer, vodka and water. Serve over ice and garnish with lime wedges!


*This can be made ahead of time. Just add ice when you're getting ready to serve. I've had this with Corona but if you don't have that on hand, just use a light beer.

Tailgaiting Cupcakes

We all know there is a ton of food at pre-game parties....if you're in charge of bringing a side, try to make some changes to the normal guilty pleasures we all fall victim to. Hopefully I can provide some tips all week long in an attempt to get ready for the college game day kickoff!!! Starting with dessert of course.Ingredients:
1 box devils food cake mix
1 can diet coke

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix cake mix and diet coke together. Pour into cupcake pan and cook for 15 minutes. Makes approx 18. 2 pts each

*Feel free to frost anyway you prefer or leave them plain! Good either way.

Homeade Chips

Now, don't be overwhelemed by the thought of making your own chips...it's much easier than you would think, easy to portion control and extra good!





Ingredients: 16 chips 1-2 pts depending on the brand of corn tortillas
Corn tortillas
Sea salt


Directions:

1. Cut the corn tortillas into 8 triangles. Get a big stack of them at one time and cut with a bread knife.

2. Spray your cookie sheet with cooking spray and lay out your triangles (you will only spray the sheet for the first batch). Try to fit as many on the sheet without overlapping. Lightly spray the chips with cooking spray and then sprinkle salt on top.

3. Cook in a 375 degree oven for 8-12 minutes. Be very careful with cooking times...they go from raw to burnt in a matter of a minutes. Golden brown is what you're looking for...

4. Cook as many as you want.

5. Let cool and store in an air tight container!

Veggie Dip

Every party needs a good veggie tray and I normally get lots of compliments on this one....feel free to make it your own with variations you may like.

Ranch Veggie Dip:

1 envelope ranch dip

16 oz sour cream

1/4 c bacon bits

Mix all together and chill! Serve with your favorite veggies.

*I always use half fat free and half light sour cream instead of the full fat stuff. Imitation bacon bits seem to work the best.

*On this tray, I used carrots, cauliflower, green peas (found by the bagged lettuce) and small tri-colored bell peppers.

*My husband has also been known to use this on baked potatoes and it's quite good!