Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

What you need....
5-6 Chicken Breasts
1 cups (16 oz container) Fat Free Sour Cream
1 can Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 stacks Low Sodium Ritz Crackers (smashed into crumbs)
2  Tablespoons Poppyseeds

How to make..
Boil Chicken. Cut into bite-sized pieces and place in baking dish.
Mix together: sour cream and cream of chicken soup and half of crackers. Pour over chicken.
Mix ritz crackers (smashed into crumbs)  and poppyseeds. sprinkle on top of casserole.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Calories: 265
Double recipe for 9x13 pan

Italian Pasta Salad

What you need...

10 ounces fusilli pasta

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Cherry Tomatos

1 cup chopped mushrooms

3/4 cup fat free Italian-style dressing

How to make it...

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, rinse under cold water and drain.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes and mushrooms. Pour enough dressing over to coat; toss and refrigerate until chilled.

Nutrition info: Calories: 181 | Total Fat: 0.7g | Cholesterol: 0mg
ADD GRILLED CHICKEN! That will balance out the noodle carbs. And feel free to add as many veggies as you want! cucumbers, more bell peppers, and olives are really yummy. And I didn't do the mushrooms but I'm sure it's great either way!

The best COCONUT CREAM PIE! (SUGARFREE!)

Ingredients:
1 baked 9-inch pie crust (can be reg. or graham cracker)
1 large pkg. sugar-free instant vanilla pudding (make sure its the INSTANT kind) 
1 3/4 cup cold skim milk
1 carton (8-oz. size) Light Cool Whip
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted and divided

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat pudding and milk for 2 minutes on low speed. It will be very thick.

Fold in the whipped topping and 3/4 of the coconut at once. Pour into the baked and COOLED pie crust. Sprinkle the remaining coconut on top. Chill well.

Pumpkin Pie

My family had a pie night last week and I made a sugarless pumpkin pie and was really impressed with how it turned out! I was nervous about it but it was good. Here's the recipe.

What you need....

CRUST:

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, finely ground (I just did 1 & 1/4 cup ground oats. I didn't have wheat flour)
2 teaspoons Truvia

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

2 teaspoons honey
2 to 3 tablespoons very cold water

COMBINE flour, ground oats, sweetener and salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle with water; blend together with a fork until mixture holds together. SHAPE dough into ball; place on lightly floured sheet of wax paper. Top with additional piece of wax paper; roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. DO NOT ROLL TOO THIN, IT WILL BURN. Remove top sheet of wax paper and invert dough into 9-inch deep-dish (4-cup volume) pie plate; slowly peel away wax paper. Trim excess crust. Turn edge under; crimp as desired.

FILLING:

3/4 cup sweetener

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Fat Free Evaporated Milk
Fat Free Whipped cream or topping (optional)

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. POUR into pie shell.
BAKE in preheated 425ºF. oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream or topping before serving.

The crust was the hardest part. I did mine too thin so it burned the top, and I am not good at crimping so it wasn't the prettiest. But it tasted so good!

Hungry Girls Fettucini Alfredo!

This recipe is from Hungry Girl! It is so yummy...

Ingredients:

1 Package Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Tofu Noodles
1/2 Wedge The Laughing Cow Light Cheese
1 teaspoon Fat Free Sour Cream
2 teaspoons Kraft Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper (if desired)
Rinse fettuccine noodles VERY well.  Microwave them for one minute, then drain them and pat dry. Add cheeses and sour cream.  Mix thoroughly.  Microwave to help melt cheese further, and mix some more.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy.  Serves 1.


Here are the Tofu noodles. Give them a try! They can be found at good earth!

Chicken and AVOCADO and rice!

This is on bread. Just imagine it on brown rice! (substitute the brown rice for a slice or toasted whole wheat bread or or pita pocket OR a whole wheat tortilla!) 

THIS IS MY FAVORITE WAY OF MAKING IT

1/2 cup of cooked brown rice (or a piece of toasted wheat bread) (or even a pita pocket or whole grain tortilla)

3 oz of grilled chicken

1/3 sliced or chopped avocado

your choice of tomatoes (sun dried, stewed, fresh, chopped - just remember if they are canned or jarred check the back. especially the sodium content)

3 Tbl of fat free mozerella cheese

2 Tbl of salsa

1 Tbl of sour cream

I like copping up the chicken and adding a little bit of lime juice and a good amount of salsa to the chicken and cook it in the pan untill cooked! (makes for a better seasoned chicken!)

Feel free to ADD, extra tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, peppers, cilantro, lime, green chilies, switch out chicken for tuna or turkey bacon. switch out mozzarella for i light laughing cow cheese (any flavor)

A good side dish with this is grilled zuchinni or yellow squash! (use spray butter and pepper! :) yum)

you can make this into any sort of pita, rice dish, wrap you want. choosing meat, and flavoring options. 

I think you can figure out how to put any of these combos together!

Jalapeno Chicken!!!

Jalapeno Chicken!

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
• 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing
• 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 6 slices bacon
• toothpicks

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in a dish with the Italian dressing. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Stuff each jalapeno half with cream cheese. Roll chicken breasts around jalapeno peppers. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange wrapped chicken breasts on the prepared grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning frequently, or until bacon is browned and the chicken juices run clear.

A few changes I made was, i used lite laughing cow swiss cheese, and forgot to marinate the chicken. and I used crunched up fat free wheat things and egg whites to crust the chicken with. its was YUMMY. I added more jalapenos too. very very good.

Eggnog-HELP!

This is me trying to take a gourmet picture of my eggnog.... ha! It was ok but the rum extract gave it a weird after taste. So I want to know your favorite eggnog recipe's or if you have any advice of how I can make this better without adding a bunch of calories or sugar! HELP PLEASE! here's the recipe.

5 cups light vanilla soy milk (I just used skim milk)
1 small package sugar fre fat free vanilla pudding mix
6 no calorie sweetener packets (truvia)
1 teaspoon imitation rum extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a blender on high until mixed thoroughly. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow nog to thicken.

Like I said, I think it would be really good without the rum extract but I don't know if I should replace it with something or if there's something missing that I should add? I'm going to try to make this again over thanksgiving break because if I can perfect it I want to keep some in the fridge all through the holidays!

Banana cookies

• 
  
• What you need is...
• 
  
• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/3 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in oats, dates, apple sauce, and vanilla. Mix well, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown.

Cheese Chicken Quesadilla. and other quesadilla ideas.

	Ingredients:2 La Tortilla Factory Low Carb, Low Fat Whole Wheat Tortilla (small size) 1/4 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese (or ff mozzarella, ff american, ff jack) 2-3 oz. chicken breast, grilled and sliced 1 Tbsp. green onion diced OR green peppers 1 Tbsp. salsa 1 tsp. light sour cream Feel free to add peppers, white or red onions, jalapenos, ect.. Directions: In a pan lightly spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, set down your tortilla. Spread the cheese, chicken and green onion evenly on top. Let set (cheese will just be beginning to melt), then fold over. Cook on medium heat for a minute or so, flipping quesadilla halfway in between. Slide your quesadilla onto a plate and serve with the salsa and sour cream. Enjoy! Other Quesadilla ideas... BLT quesadilla- turkey bacon, laughing cow cheese, shredded lettuce, and tomatoes. (again feel free to add more vegetables) BBQ Chicken- Shredded chicken, Stubbs BBQ sauce, red onion, shredded lettuce and FF mozzarella cheese. Tuna quesadilla- Mix tuna, onion, cole slaw mix, mustard and FF mayo together. sprinkle FF mozzarella cheese! YUM!

No Harm Parmesan Chicken!

	No-Harm Parm!
	Ingredients: 5 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast (raw) 1/3 cup Fiber One cereal (or crushed up wheat thins are my favorite!! :) 1/4 cup Egg Beaters, Original** (or egg whites) 3/4 tsp. reduced fat grated parmesan cheese 1 oz. (approx. 1/4 cup) shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese 1/3 cup canned tomato sauce Optional: garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Add parmesan to crumbs (if desired, season crumbs with optional spices, as well). Place crumbs in one small dish and Egg Beaters in another. Next, pound your chicken so it's a bit flattened. Coat raw chicken on both sides with egg substitute, and then coat with crumb mixture. Place chicken on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray a light mist of nonstick spray on top of chicken and place in oven. Cook for 10 minutes, and then turn chicken over. Add another light mist of nonstick spray and cook for an additional 10 - 12 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked and coating looks crispy). Meanwhile, if desired, mix tomato sauce with your seasonings of choice. Remove chicken from oven, top with sauce and then cheese, and return chicken to oven until cheese is melted. Enjoy! Serves 1.
	Serving Size: 1 chicken breast (entire recipe) Calories: 295 Fat: 3.5g Sodium: 890mg Carbs: 27g Fiber: 11g Sugars: 3.5g Protein: 46.5g *5 Points

Spicy Cilantro Dressing

This dressing is soooo good! It's comparable to the cafe rio dressing but this is more light and fresh tasting so I actually like it better. You can put it on tacos, wraps, salads, sandwhiches, use it as a veggie dip, or pretty much anything you can think of.

What you need...

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 whole green onions, coarsely chopped
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

How to make it ...

Place lime juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro, green onions, and jalapeno peppers together in a blender or food processor. Process until well blended and smooth. Add sour cream and mayonnaise. Process again until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the container as necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Alterations (will make the nutritional info lower)....

I used fat free mayo instead of regular

I substituted low fat plain yogurt for the sour cream

And I added extra cilantro cause it's delicious

A friend from work Bree Ammons gave me the link and the alteration suggestions a while ago and I fell in love with it. Here's the link from allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Cilantro-Dressing/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

Calories: 106 | Total Fat: 11.2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | makes 20 servings

Fruit Nut Muffins- Sugarless

These muffins are so easy and so yummy!

What You Need...

• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

How to make them...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a muffin pan, or use paper liners. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine dates, raisins, prunes, and water. Boil for 5 minutes, then stir in butter and salt; set aside to cool.
2. When fruit mixture is cool, transfer to a large bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, baking soda and baking powder, then blend into fruit mixture. fold in nuts. Spoon into muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Alterations...

Applesauce instead of butter (or half applesauce half butter)

Ground oats instead of all purpose flour

If you don't have walnuts, almonds or unsalted peanuts are good too. anything to make it crunchy!

And I substitute apples and bananas in for the raisins cause both raisins and dates makes it too chewy for me.

It sounds more complicated then it really is. These take about 15 minutes to prepare and then 15-20 to cook and then I have them to eat throughout the rest of the week so it makes for a quick breakfast or snack. I usually eat with a protein shake or string cheese on the side.

Calories: 225 | Total Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Serving : 1 muffin

I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sugarless-Fruit-Nut-Muffins/Detail.aspx

Banana-Butter Oats

1/3 Cup oats
2 Tablespoons protein powder (vanilla is best)
2 egg whites
1 Tablespoon natural crunch peanut butter
1/4 banana, sliced
2 Tablespoons water (not exact)

add sugar or sweetener to taste

Mix all ingredients except peanut butter in microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1-3 minutes or until no longer runny. Mix in peanut butter and enjoy!

This is a really fast yet filling breakfast. The crunchy peanut butter adds a great texture but you can do creamy as well.

Apple Yogurt Parfait!

 

Apple Yogurt Parfait!

3/4 cup of dannon lit n fit vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
3/4 or 1 small apple
2 carmel rice cakes
sweetner
cinnamon

optional topping (sometimes i like it, sometimes i don't) (not exact measurements. play with the amounts)
1tbl cornstartch
2 tbl oat flour
2 tbl sugar substitute
2 tbls maple syrup (optional)
water...

mix yogurt and cottage cheese in bowl and seat aside. chop up apple and top with sweetner and cinnamon and microwave for 40 seconds. let apples cool, then add to yogurt mix. crumble rice cakes and sprinkle on top! ENJOY!

optional topping
bring water, corn starch, oat flour, stevia, and syrup to a boil and stir, turn down to a light boil, and stir until mixture thickens. add more cornstarch to help thicken.
*if you like (or eat sugar) adding brown sugar to this mixture will give it a richer flavor! if not just put in the vanilla stevia!
you can drizzle this topping on top of yogurt mix or on very top of the rice cakes.