Pumpkin Pancakes

After deciding that the easiest way to make Pumpkin Pancakes would involve using the already low-fat, low cal mix we use for regular pancakes, we came up with this recipe variation.

• 2 cups Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 1/14 cups cold water
• 1 ½- 2 t pumpkin pie spice
• ½ c canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not pie filling)

Stir together pancake mix, brown sugar and spice. Add water and canned pumpkin. Stir together with a whisk until blended. Pour enough batter onto a lightly greased (Olive Oil spray) griddle pre-heated to medium heat. Cook 1 minute or so per side, turning only once. This recipe should make about 11, 6” pancakes. 2 points+ each.

Watermelon Martini

We’re always playing around with cocktails to see what we can come up with that’s both tasty and low in calories. In addition, we don’t use chemical sweeteners so it adds an extra challenge. We’re loving this one!

Try our fabulous Watermelon Martini… all natural and only 2 WW points per Serving!

Recipe is for two:

~ 6 oz Dole 100% Natural Watermelon drink (a delicious juice drink I recently discovered in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.)

~ 2 oz Hint Watermelon Essence unsweetened water (the secret to cutting out some calories from sugar and getting a little extra watermelon flavor with no calories or chemicals!)

~ 2 1/2 oz Skyy Vodka (just shy of two shots)

Mix together in a cocktail shaker. Pour in to martini glasses rimmed with Green Watermelon sugar rimmer (this one’s from Stirrings.) Garnish with Watermelon wedge. (My apologies for the pale watermelon wedges, I was a little late in the season for this one, folks!)

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Here's one of my creations I'm particularly proud of. When made with Oroweat's Sandwich Thins this yummy little sammie is only 3 points!

Each 1/3 cup serving of chicken salad is a mere 2 points. This recipe makes about 5 servings.

• 1 large can (12.5 oz.) chicken breast (we get the Kirkland brand from Costco)
• 2 T Reduced Fat Olive Oil Mayo
• 15 gr (approx .1/4 cup) chopped walnuts
• 30 gr (approx. 1/4 cup) dried cranberries
• 1 apple, chopped (I use Gala or Fuji)

Simply mix all ingredients together in a bowl. I use a fork to separate the chunks of chicken. Spread on your bread of choice. 

Margarita Sipper

This Margarita version is designed to give you a low calorie/low point drink you can sip on for a long time.  Unlike the traditional Margarita made with a mix, this cuts out all that extra sugar, not to mention artificial ingredients. Although there are other "2 point" Margaritas out there, they rely on chemical sweeteners, something I do not use in any of my recipes.

Combine in a large glass (salt rim optional):

• Trader Joe's or Crystal Geyser Sparkling Lime Mineral Water - one bottle or less
• Fresh squeezed lime juice - 1 medium lime
• Agave Nectar - 1 t
• Silver tequila-  1 1/4 oz (just a 1/4 oz less than a shot)
• Cointreau/Grand Marnier or Triple Sec - 1/4 ounce
• Lots of ice
• Garnish with lime

Only 2 WW pts!

Pear Brie Foldover

This yummy little lunch boasts a low total of 4 WW points!

All ingredients are from Trader Joe's.

• 1 Sonoma Original Carb Cutting tortilla
• 1 oz. Lite Brie Cheese
• a handful of arugula
• 1 T Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola dressing
• 1 S-M Sliced pear

Simply melt your brie onto one side of the tortilla in a skillet. Remove from heat, spread the brie, throw on your arugula along with several thin slices of pear (you'll be eating the rest on the side) and drizzle with dressing. Fold over and enjoy!

Caesar Salad

 

This is usually a fat and calorie nightmare when you order it at restaurants, but mine is unbelievably low fat and low calorie. How unbelievable? The WW points = 2.  That's right, 2! How on earth could I manage this, you ask? Well, making my own dressing is the pretty much the secret. The only items that really add points are the cheese and croutons. The Parmesan Reggiano cheese is so flavorful even 1/2 ounce goes a long way, especially when "shaved" as I've done here (it looks like so much more!) This picture is an actual representation of the correct amount; 1/2 ounce which is 1.5 points. Then you add 3 large Trader Joe's Garlic Cheese Croutons (cut into smaller pieces) for a mere .5 point you get a total of 2 points. 

Here is the dressing recipe:

• Several garlic cloves- finely chopped
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1/2 t Worcestershire
• 2 t Olive Oil

Simply shake together in a glass jar. This makes enough for about 4 salads. (Since you are allowed 2 t of oil per day w/o points, the tiny amount in one serving will not count at all.)

Caprese Salad

If you grow your own tomatoes and basil this summer, the only thing you should have to buy at the store is your fresh mozzarella. This is simple to make, delicious and makes an impressive salad or appetizer at parties.

• Heirloom tomatoes (regular are fine, too)
• Basil
• 3 oz. sliced, fresh mozzarella (cut thin to get more slices)
• 2 t olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Sea Salt (omit if you are watching sodium)

Simply slice your tomatoes, chop your basil and assemble on a plate. Sprinkle a little sea salt on each tomato to really bring out the flavor. Drizzle with your olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you are done!   6 WW points

Greek Pasta

Here is an easy recipe for one of my favorite pastas.
For ease in calculating points for a serving, amounts are shown for one serving only. To make for your family simply multiply by the number of servings you wish to make.

• Pasta - any variety, Angel Hair pictured
• 2 t olive oil
• 1 t butter
• Several cloves minced garlic
• Capers
• Several artichoke hearts in water (not oil)
• 5 Kalamata olives, sliced
• 1/3 oz. shaved parmesan

While cooking the pasta, simply melt the butter into the olive oil in a medium saucepan, sauté the garlic and add the other veggies to just warm them up. Once your pasta is cooked, measure out a 1 C serving into a pasta bowl and toss with the sauce. Add your shaved parmesan on top. Total WW points for this dish = 7.

I should mention a few things here for your info:
Parmesan: You’ll want to buy good quality cheese for the best flavor and thus, the most bang for your points/calories. I like Parmesan Reggiano which I buy at my local Trader Joe’s. This is a dish where sprinkling some of the powdered stuff out of can is not going to do.

Food amounts: You’ll notice I use weights in some of my recipes. The reason being is it tends to be more accurate than simply measuring. While I don’t want to end up with more than I should, I also don’t want to cheat myself by measuring something inaccurately when I could have received a larger portion if it had been weighed. Shaved and shredded cheeses are good examples of this.

Oil: The Weight Watcher’s program does not have you count the points for 2 t of healthy oil per day; this is part of the foods they want you to have daily and this amount is considered “free”. However, if you use more than this you are suppose to count it.

Tostadas

This is a family favorite and we have this once a week. Unlike a tostada in a Mexican restaurant, this version is very low calorie and low fat with all the flavor.

· Baked corn tortilla to make your tostada shell (Bake in 400 oven for @ 15 minutes, spray each side of tortilla lightly with OO cooking spray) [1 point each]
· Fat Free Refried Beans (make your own or buy them canned such as Rosarita) [1/2 c = 1 point]
· RF shredded cheese (we like Trader Joe’s Lite Shredded 3 Cheese Blend) [1 oz = 2 points]
· FF Sour Cream or FF Plain Green yogurt [a T is only 20 calories, so does not count]
· Chopped lettuce
· Diced or Sliced tomato
· Diced white or yellow onion
· Chopped Green onion
· Jalapenos
· Salsa
· Any other veggies you like!

Example:

· Three tostada shells
· ½ cup beans
· 1 oz cheese
· load on the produce

This is only 6 points! Now if you want to be adventurous, add guacamole. Yes, this adds points, but it’s filling and healthy not to mention flavorful and delicious! So, maybe you end up with 9 points if you use 1 oz guac per tostada. Still, a low point yummy meal!

For my delicious homemade guacamole recipe see the post: Holy Guacamole! over at SAHM: Surviving Assorted Home Mayhem.

Mochas and Lattés and Calories, Oh My!

I love coffee and certainly enjoy lattés and mochas as much as the next girl, but they pack a lot of calories, even when you order them with non-fat milk! I’ve discovered some tricks to cut the calories, keep the flavor and even save money.

A Vanilla Latté or Mocha in just a Medium/Grande Size is 4 WW points.

Legally Yummy Solutions:

Option A: Order a Cappuccino; with more coffee flavor due to less milk and more of the milk being foam which you can top with Vanilla powder or Chocolate powder. A few shakes of powder won’t even equal a point but will give you the flavor as you take a sip. If you order it “dry” (more foam, less liquid milk) then you can get the large/Venti size for barely a point!

Option B: Order a brewed coffee or an Americano (espresso with more water added) and ask for about 2-3 inches of non-fat foam on top. Then add your powder as with the Cappuccino above, but this option gives you more coffee overall, so you have your drink to sip longer. Here again, a large/Venti size is technically less than 1 point. (There’s not enough milk to count for the ½ cup that equals 1 point, and the powder, unless you empty half the shaker, is not going to count.) Both these options also cost less than ordering a flavored latté or mocha.

A delicious Iced Vanilla Latté is great on a hot day, but it has 5 points!

Legally Yummy Solution:
Order a Large/Venti iced coffee or iced Americano “with room” and ask for 2 or 3 pumps of Vanilla (or whatever flavor syrup you want). Then add your own non-fat milk which will be maybe a couple tablespoons worth. The total for this drink is just 1 point! And it costs less than ordering a Flavored Latté. This drink is full of flavor; you taste the coffee, you taste the vanilla and get a hint of creaminess from the milk but have saved a ton of calories.

Now, some of you might be wondering what’s the harm in having the milk since you need dairy and are suppose to be getting a certain amount each day on the Weight Watcher’s plan. Well, while this is true, I personally prefer to get my dairy in the foods I eat such as yogurt, cheese, etc. and don’t want to add extra calories in my drinks. If you want to get your coffee drinks with all the milk and count it as your dairy that’s fine, too, it’s just that you’ll have less points you’ll actually be able “eat” because of this.

As I stated in my introduction, I don’t use chemical sweeteners. Not only do I think they are unhealthy I think they taste nasty as well. Therefore, I don’t order the sugar-free or "skinny" versions of coffee drinks, I simply decrease the amount and enjoy the sweetness of using just a little real sugar.

Blue Cheese Dressing - without the guilt!

I have always loved Blue Cheese dressing. Of course, it's incredibly high in fat and calories. In fact, a "regular" version is 4 WW points for a mere 1 oz. of dressing! I've scaled mine down to only 1 point for 2 ounces of dressing! I've played around with using fat free sour cream but usually use Greek yogurt due to better health benefits and creaminess. As far as the blue cheese itself, I've also tried using a reduced fat version, but for not that many fewer calories the flavor is just not there. If you use a good strong blue cheese (Danish, Maytag, etc) it really packs in lots of flavor.

• 1 C FF plain Green Yogurt (or FF sour cream)
• ½ C LF buttermilk
• 1 T RF Olive Oil Mayo
• 1 oz Blue Cheese
• Several cloves fresh garlic, chopped or minced
• A pinch or two of sea salt
• A squeeze or two of lemon

Mix together all ingredients. Store in container in fridge for up to 1 week. Recipe makes about 14 oz.

SAHM Salad

This is one of my favorite salads!

(The amounts below are calculated for a single serving of this salad and equal 6 WW points for the serving.)



· Baby spinach or baby spring mix (pictured)
· Candied pecans ½ ounce
· Mandarin Oranges 2 ounces
· Dried cranberries 1/8 c
· Purple Onion (to taste)
· Blue Cheese crumbles 1.5 ounces or 1/8 c
· Litehouse Tangy Citrus Orange Dressing 2 T (hopefully you’ll have good luck finding this in your area! FYI: it’s in the refrigerated section as it has no preservatives.)


Toss and Enjoy!