Chicken Shishkabobs!

How can you not eat healthy with sticks of grilled veggies and Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast???
Well we marinated them in a pineapple teriyaki marinade..ok..we marinaded the chicken :P. But we then skewered pineapple, mushrooms, onions, red peppers, and tomatoes as well. Grilled to yumminess and enjoyed them!
Heat your grill to med/high..skewer your meat and veggies alternating. You can use any that you like, we used our faves..though..we all agreed we just don't like tomatoes grilled lol they popped and weer a little gross in your mouth :P but..the rest was fantastic! grill til done and enjoy!! I didn't figure points on these, but I know there wasn't really a whole breast of chicken on 1 skewer. So i would say 2 skewers would be a serving to get in a complete breast of chicken. Very tasty and pretty stinking healthy too =)

Pumpkin Cupcakes

At one of our meetings it was discussed Making cupcakes from just a box mix and can of pumpkin. So we thought it sounded intriguing. I browsed the web and found a couple different ones and decided on one to test out. We decided to try it as a Chocolate recipe and then as a simple Pumpkin recipe.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
1 box triple chocolate fudge cake mix (do not use Dark Chocolate Cake mix!)
1/3 cup applesauce
1 can plain pumpkin (15 ounces)
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
PREPARATION
Preheat oven per directions on Box.
Mix all ingredients. Divide batter to make 24 cupcakes.
Bake about 20 min, til toothpick comes out clean.


Pumpkin Cupcakes
1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 cup applesauce
1 can plain pumpkin (15 ounces)
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup chopped Pecans
Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste...you will need about 1tbl cinnamon 1/2 tbs nutmeg
PREPARATION
Preheat oven per box.
Mix all ingredients. Divide batter to make 24 cupcakes.
Bake about 20 min til tooth pick comes out clean.

We bought fat free cool whip to use on them, alas we didn't get that far haha..but we did enjoy them. The white ones stuck a bit to the paper, the chocolate came out nicely! pretty good flavor, I may play with the idea's of them more to maybe make a better cupcake, but either way we really liked them, and they were only 2pts each!

Coconut Curry Shrimp and Asparagus

Browsing the Weight Watchers site..my new favorite place to search for healthy low point recipes I came across this one that I was itching to test out. I wasn't even sure the family would let me try it, I mean not only was there coconut in it..but curry as well. 2 items on that ..are you nuts that is weird no way list they seem to randomly create!! but ..I emailed it to Mom..and she said they sounded weird..but..that it also sounded kinda good so I got the go ahead!! To make matters even more daring..I added some roasted asparagus!


Ingredients

• 2 spray(s) cooking spray
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp curry powder, mild or hot, to taste
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 3 medium scallion(s), thinly sliced, green and white parts separated
• 1/2 cup(s) light coconut milk
• 1 pound(s) shrimp, large, shelled and deveined
• 3 cup(s) cooked brown rice

Instructions

• Coat a medium to large skillet with cooking spray; add oil and set over medium heat. When heated, add curry powder and salt; cook, stirring constantly, until curry is fragrant, about 1 minute.
  
  
• Add white parts of scallions; cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes more. Add coconut milk; stir to blend. Add shrimp; cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp turn pink, about 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green parts of scallions; serve. Yields about 5 to 6 shrimp, 3/4 cup rice and 1 to 2 tablespoons sauce per serving.

For the Asparagus..I heated the oven to 350..drizzled a small amount of olive oil and then sprinkled generously with seasoned pepper..and kosher salt. I roasted until tender but still with a slight crunch ( I like my veggies with a bite!!) maybe..15-20min? They were tasty!

So.. I serve..and it was a hit! The Brother loved it all, only request..how about you pull the tails off all the shrimp before you cook it?? I was like pssh lazy :P and Mom..tried 2 pieces of the asparagus with hers..and even said she liked it!! She liked it all!! YAY!! I have permission to make it again.

Now what would I change?? I am thinking of adding some crushed red pepper to the curry for a little bit of heat. Either way.. it was soo yummy!! the shrimp and rice were 7pts..and hmm I didn't look up the asparagus..but I doubt its more than..2-3 points..(assuming cause atm too lazy to look it up :P) a great meal either way!

A meal!!

Scallops and Basmati Rice with some veggies of course. Total the meal was 10 pts, which is pretty good for a Dinner meal! We did it for Lunch because my Grandmother was in town, and she really wanted me to cook. My brother had been begging for 2 things...Scallops and Risotto..the Risotto will come another time. Scallops were for Yesterday!

Scallops with Chipotle-Orange Sauce

Yield

4 servings (serving size: about 4 1/2 ounces scallops, about 1 tablespoon sauce, and 1 tablespoon onions) (pts. per serving: 5)

• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preparation

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops with paprika and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add scallops to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan, and keep warm.

Add orange juice and chile to the pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 1 minute). Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1/8 teaspoon salt, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Serve the sauce with scallops, and garnish with the onions.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 218 (29% from fat) Fat: 7.1g Protein: 28.9g Carbohydrate: 8.1g Fiber: .4g Cholesterol: 72mg
Iron: .6mg Sodium 488 mg Calcium: 47mg

Citrus-Scented Rice

Yield

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• Garnishes: orange and lemon slices, orange zest, and lemon zest

Preparation

Stir together chicken broth, butter, orange zest, fresh orange juice, and lemon zest in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in basmati rice; cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

This one didn't have the nutrition facts, but the nifty Weight Watchers site has this cool tool
called Recipe builder!! you put in the ingredients and measurements and it gives you the points value!! for this one it is 5 pts!

the out come..Scott did not like the Rice. I loved the rice, Mom!! (omg!!) Loved the Rice, Grandma Loved the Rice!! Robby (step dad) is unsure about the rice lol..they simply don't know how to eat new things. This rice was fantastic!! SO good!! The scallops were a hit all the way around. My next time I will add at least 1-2 more chili's to the recipe..just not enough heat for us ;). Either way it was a great meal!! Very light and filling and wonderful. I would definitely use these for an evening meal with company!

Apple Oatmeal Cookies..

I found a recipe for Apple Oatmeal Cookies to help use up my Apple Pile. It looked like it was a bit healthy, and I tweaked it to make it a bit more still.
I have the original recipe below. What I did was.. used 1/2 cup white flour 1/2 whole wheat flour, instead of Shortening (eww!!) I used equal amounts of unsalted real butter. And I increased the Apple by 1/2c.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup diced apple without peel
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Beat in the eggs until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture until well blended. Fold in the walnuts, oats and apples. Drop dough by spoonfuls about 2 inches onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool on wire racks.

Calories: 69 Total fat: 3.3g Cholesterol: 12mg Sodium: 50mg Total Carbs: 8.9g Dietary Fiber: .4g
Protein: 1g (this is for the original recipe, not with my changes, am still figuring out how to do that!! but..as is..the points for weight watchers are 2pts per cookie!! so my little tweak can't possibly change much if anything maybe..1 more point, still not bad!!)
]Now..what I noticed of the cookies.. great texture!! but lacking in flavor. I would definitely increase the cinnamon and nutmeg greatly, maybe even a little vanilla..I have even thought of decreasing the white sugar and using some brown sugar. Something, will play with it for sure!!

Healthy Apple Crisp!

Ok on a mission to do things that will fit in the points value of Weight Watchers I thought I would post the first thing made with Points in mind.
We went as a family to Glen Oak Apple farms Yesterday and Picked up 2 huge bags of apples. How many ways can we take a healthy apple and make it bad..SO MANY WAYS!! so I went looking. And on the Weight Watcher Site I found a recipe for one that was only 4 pts. YAY!! well.. looking at it one thing was left out that My mother and I both love about a Crisp and that is the oatmeal! so.. taking that nutritional information and worked out the points and tweaked the recipe to give you a 6 pt apple crisp! Here is the link to the original http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=134331
(Though I believe you have to be a member to use it. )
here is 6pt Apple Crisp:

• 4 large apple(s), peeled, cored, cut into 1/8-inch slices (6 cups sliced apples)
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup(s) packed light brown sugar, divided
• 2 Tbsp Minute Tapioca, or other brand
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, or freshly grated nutmeg (fresh preferred)
• 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup(s) Oat meal
  
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place rack in bottom third to middle of oven.
  
  
• In a large bowl, toss together apple slices, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of sugar, tapioca, cinnamon and nutmeg; let stand for about 30 minutes.
  
  
• Spoon apple mixture into an ungreased 9-inch square baking dish, or glass or ceramic pie plate; cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  
  
• Meanwhile, to make topping, in a small bowl, combine flour and oat meal with remaining 1/2 cup of sugar (I also added an extra sprinkle of cinnamon!!); mix until completely blended. Add melted butter; work in thoroughly with fingertips.
  
  
• After pie has baked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and discard foil. Sprinkle topping over apples and bake, uncovered, until apples bubble and topping turns golden, about 35 to 45 minutes. Cool at least 2 hours before serving. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 slice per serving.

I am typing this as it bakes now..and wow does it smell amazing!!!
and..wow was it a hit, I think this will be the only Apple Crisp recipe I will ever use!! the only thing that would up the awesomeness of it would be some nuts in the topping, and vanilla ice cream haha..but those would both up those points!!

Awesome butterscotch brownies!

1 lb White Chocolate Chips
6tbsp unsalted (sweet) butter
3 eggs
3/4 light brown sugar
1 1/2 c self-rising flour
1 1/2 c walnuts, chopped
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Line the base of 1 11/7in shallow tin pan with baking parchment. Lightly grease the sides. Melt 3.5 oz of the chocolate chips with the butter in a bowl set over a pan of hot water. Leave to cool slightly.
2. Put the eggs and brown sugar into a large bowl and whisk well, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture.
3.Sift in the flour into the bowl and gently fold in along with the chopped walnuts, vanilla and the remaining chocolate chips. Be careful not to over mix.
4. Spread the mixture out in the prepared tin and bake for about 30 min. Or until risen and golden brown. The center should be firm to the touch but will be slightly soft when it cools down.
5. Leave to cool in the tin, then cut into twelve bars when the brownie is completely cool.

Blue Berry Energy Cookies

I saw this recipe had to try it, wow are they great!! GO Betty Crocker! now.. I am gonna try to make a fully homemade version..but for now this will work.. Also.. plan to test it with Cranberries and White Chocolate!

1 pouch (1lb1.5 oz) Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie mix
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tbsp. butter, softened (I melted it)
3 tbsp. canola oil
3 tbsp. water
1 egg white
1/2 c dried blueberries
1/4 cup whole almonds, chopped
2 oz bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped

Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, wheat germ, butter, oil, water and egg white until soft dough forms. Stir in blueberries, almonds and chocolate.
On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded Tablespoon fulls ( I flattened mine down a bit) 2 inches apart.
Bake 11-13 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 5 min, remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack.

am I back?? hmm maybe..

The urge struck me that I wanted something special for dinner tonight..Shrimp to be exact. So I made my own Shrimp Scampi with Linguine!



3 Tbsp unsalted butter (approximately lol)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
a bunch of tender asparagus tips (they were on sale at martins!!) cut in half, I discarded the bottoms and just kept the top halfs..
1/2 red bell pepper sliced thin and cut in half ( I hate green bell peppers, love red, yellow, or orange all of which would be great or mix em!)
1/2 lb. 70-91ct cooked shrimp tails on
1 lemon.. for zest and juice to taste
handful of parsley chopped
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
salt, pepper and red crushed pepper flakes to taste
1/2 lb pasta.. linguine or spaghetti

prepare spaghetti per usual preparation. DO NOT add oil to the water.. horrible idea people, sauce just runs off and such, you want your sauces to stick to your pasta!! DO salt your boiling water, is the only time you get to really salt your pasta ;).

In large skillet, heat oil and butter together. once melted and hot, add your peppers and asparagus. Saute for about 5 min til they are almost tender, and add your garlic. (adding your garlic in the start can lead to burnt garlic which is rancid.. GROSS!!! ruins the dish. do it half way !!) Continue to saute until veggies are tender. Add your shrimp and toss to coat evenly in that yummy garlic oil/butter mix!! when they start to curl and get pink, squeeze in your lemon juice.. if you like a lot have at it, I just like a hint. continue to cook a couple more minutes until shrimp are just done. Add your Hot Pasta to the skillet and toss to mix. Add your parsley and lemon zest and toss well keeping stove on. Add salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste. I like a good tbsp min for some heat ;). Remove from heat, toss well serve with lemon slices...YUM!!!