Breakfast Berry Parfait.

I am in love with Greek Yogurt!  A lady at Weight Watchers first turned me on to it and now I eat it almost every day.  I love that one serving has the same amount of protein as two eggs, and now Trader Joe's has a "high fiber" version that has 3 grams of fiber.  My favorite flavor is the vanilla (I love that you can see the specks of vanilla) which I layer with a half cup of defrosted frozen berries from Trader Joe's- The Berry Cherry mix and 2 tbsp. of low fat granola.  My favorite bites are the ones with the cherries and that vanilla yogurt- that is such a classic flavor combination.

1 cup (yogurt cup, not measured cup) of Trader Joe's High Fiber nonfat vanilla yogurt (3pts.)

1/2 cup frozen berries, defrosted (0 pts.)

2 tbsp. low fat granola (I used Cascadian, which counts for one point)

4 points total- isn't it pretty?  :)

On The Road Again.

I have been traveling a lot this month, sorry there haven't been very many posts.  A couple of weeks ago I stopped at a Carl's Jr. to try one of their new Turkey Burgers.  While it tasted great, and was a good choice, it still cost me a lot of points. 

But it was good enough to make me crave another turkey burger, only this time I made it at home, and replaced the bun with organic butter lettuce leaves.  With summer and a wedding approaching, I'm cutting as many carbs as I can.  I made four 5 ounce patties out of one package of Extra Lean Ground turkey from Jenny O and made them according to a recipe I had in my Weight Watchers Momentum cook book.  I grilled them indoors and they came out awesome!

Turkey Burger and Potato "Chips".

Turkey Burgers:
1 20 oz. package of extra lean ground turkey by Jenny O.
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients by hand, and divide into four equal portions (on my scale each patty weighed 5.5 ounces with all ingredients incorporated).  Form into patties and pre-heat grill.  Spray with non-stick spray and grill 6-8 minutes on each side.  Build with desired toppings-  today I used butter lettuce, sliced tomato, 1/4 avocado sliced, yellow mustard and 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce.  With no bun it was messy, but it tasted so good!

Potato "Chips"- these look like a thick kettle chip, but really they're slices of baked potato that I crisp in a non-stick skillet with Pam.  I start by baking the potato in the microwave.  When cooked, remove and let cool for a few minutes.  When cool enough  to handle, cut in half length wise then slice.   Spray skillet and heat, cooking potatoes for about 3 minutes on each side.  Sprinkle with salt and serve with ketchup.  Tastes like french fries but much better for you.

Point Plus total- 4 points my my turkey burger patty, 2 pts for the avocado, 2 pts for 4 oz of potato- 8 points total.

Secretly Low Fat Red Velvet Cupcakes.

While in Santa Barbara this weekend for "spring break" we visited one of my favorite restaurants (The Palace Cafe) and made some of my favorite low fat recipes.  I brought spaghetti squash casserole, made whole wheat blueberry pancakes for breakfast one morning, and for dessert one night, my delicious Secretly Low Fat Red Velvet Cupcakes.  These are made just like the chocolate ones I shared once before- a box mix, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of pureed pumpkin.  Then I frost them with a low fat cream cheese frosting.  They are so moist and yummy, no one knew they were low fat until I told them- and this included men, women and children!

Secretly Low Fat Red Velvet Cupcakes

1 box Red Velvet cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup water

1 8oz. package low fat cream cheese
1 box powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 12 cup cupcake pan with non-stick cooking spray.  In mixing bowl add cake mix, pumpkin and water.  Stir by hand until well mixed and no lumps are visible.  Spoon evenly into 12 cupcake spots, and bake 18-22 minutes.  Test with a toothpick.

For frosting, in a mixing bowl add room-temp, softened cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla and one box of powdered sugar.  Mix with electric mixer and beat just until smooth.  Transfer frosting to a piping bag (or Ziploc bag with corner cut out) and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.  Decorate with red crystals if desired.

Each cupcake is 6 points.  These are really good, and can be a red light food (pun intended) so I bake them to share, making sure I only get one or two for myself.

Tomato, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Omelet

Sunday mornings I enjoy having a bigger breakfast like most.  But that doesn't have to mean that it's full of fat and calories.  The veggie drawers in my refrigerator had tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach, and my cheese drawer had some low fat goat cheese and mozzarella cheese.  I also had one tablespoon left of one of my favorite condiments- Crema di Pepperoni by AG Ferrarro. It's a delicious roasted red bell pepper tapenade that I like to use on pizza, pasta, and in appetizers, I knew it would be great in an omelet too.

Tomato, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Omelet

3 egg whites
splash of nonfat milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes,
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp Crema di Pepperoni (roasted red bell pepper tapenade)
2 tbsp low fat goat cheese
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
2 tbsp shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
2 oz. polenta

Spray two non-stick skillets with no-stick spray.  In the larger one lightly saute the tomatoes and mushrooms.  When cooked, turn off heat, and turn on heat for smaller skillet.  Pour scrambled egg whites in to prepare omelet.  Flip and fill with mushroom and tomato mixture, and top with crema di pepperoni and goat cheese.  Close omelet and top with spinach and mozzarella cheese.  If serving with polenta, heat up next to omelet in the skillet- cover to steam spinach and warm polenta.  Transfer to plate and enjoy.

The Points Plus value is as follows, 1 point for the egg whites, 1 point for the red bell pepper sauce, 1 point for the goat cheese, 1 point for the mozzarella, and 2 points for the polenta- 6 points total, and servings of lean protein, whole grains, dairy and vegetables.  Enjoy!

Saturday Night Salmon.

Now salmon might sound boring on a Saturday night, but not when it's made this way, and enjoyed with a glass or two of pinot noir.  A friend of mine shared this recipe, and it is probably my favorite way to prepare salmon.  Had it not been a cold, rainy night we would have grilled this on the BBQ.  But it was, so we simply broiled it and it came out perfect.

Grilled Salmon with Dijon and Shallots

4 6oz. salmon fillets (center cut, skin on)
2 tbsp. minced shallots
1 tbsp. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
3 tbsp. agave nectar or honey
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

For the sauce, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.  Spray grill (or foil if broiling) with non-stick cooking spray and lay the salmon skin side down over medium-high heat.  Spoon most of the sauce over the fish and grill with the lid closed.  Don't turn the fish, and grill 6-8 minutes.  Doneness depends on size of the fillets and how well you like your salmon cooked.  With lid closed the shallots will caramelize into the sauce and become sweet and mild.  When the fish is done, slide spatula between the fish and the skin, leaving the skin on the grill.

I usually serve this with roasted garlic potatoes and steamed broccoli, but this time had a 1/2 cup of creamy polenta and garlic sauteed broccoli with kosher salt and Parmesan cheese.  For the dinner shown on my plate I counted 9 points for the 6 oz. piece of salmon, 1 point for its sauce, 2 points for the polenta, and 1 point for the olive oil and cheese on the broccoli.  This dinner also delivered a serving of lean protein, a healthy oil, a whole grain, and a vegetable- you can't have a more complete meal than that!  Total was 13 points for dinner, and 8 points for my two glasses of pinot noir.  Good thing it's Saturday, I have 49 Points Plus Allowance to use this week!  Make it a great week!

Salty and Sweet Snacks.

SALTY SNACK


I love to entertain and am always on the look out for low calorie appetizers.  Who doesn't love Spinach and Artichoke Dip?  I do and have a really killer recipe, but it calls for real butter, cream cheese, jack cheese, and Parmesan cheese- and spinach and artichokes.  It's delicious, but really high in fat and calories.  In the April issue of Cooking Light I came across a much lighter version and tried it.  It's creamy base is made of pureed white beans and low fat mayonnaise versus all that cheese and butter.  The beans give it more protein which makes it heartier and healthier.  I served it with toasted pita chips which I made myself, both recipes are below.

Artichoke, Spinach and White Bean Dip

1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise (I prefer Best Foods)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper ( I used cayenne)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 ounce can of white beans, rinsed and drained (I used Bush's Cannellini beans which are white kidney)
1 14 ounce can baby artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (I actually used grilled artichoke hearts which I find in the produce section at Whole Foods- the grilled flavor really boosted the overall dip flavor.)
1 9 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry.
Cooking spray
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  place Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, peppers, garlic and beans in food processor and process until smooth.  Spoon into a medium bowl and stir in the artichokes and spinach.  Spoon the mixture into a 1 quart glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and brown.  1/4 cup of dip equals 2 points.

To make pita chips, place Alternative Whole Wheat Pitas on a cookie sheet and spray with olive oil.  Sprinkle with preferred seasoning and salt and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cut into triangles.  One whole pita equals 3 points.

SWEET SNACK

In addition to entertaining, one of my biggest passions is to bake.  And one of my specialties are cakes.  I have awesome recipes for chocolate, red velvet and carrot- and have found a great way to make an easy, low fat version.  My indulgent cakes are made from scratch, but my easy, low fat versions all start with box mixes.  Then I simply add one cup of pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) and one cup of water- stir and bake.  I got this recipe from a Weight Watcher meetings three years ago and make them often- it's my way of having cake and staying on plan!

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Sugar Free Devil's Food cake mix (any chocolate cake box mix will work)
1 cup pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cupcake pan (12 cupcakes) by spraying with non-stick spray (or lining with papers and spraying).  In medium mixing bowl mix cake mix, pumpkin and water.  Stir by hand and mix until smooth.  Fill each cupcake space evenly.  Bake for 18-22 minutes, and insert toothpick to make sure they are done.  Let cool and enjoy.  1 cupcake is 5 points.

Diner Food Done Right, A Healthy Tuna Melt.

One of my favorite splurge sandwiches is a classic Tuna Melt, served with French fries.  But they are so high in calories and fat that I rarely order them or make them at home.  I have a half of one a year at Brophy's Brothers in Santa Barbara, and they make it so delicious that it's worth every calorie (they use lots of real mayonnaise and a thick piece of Texas toast, grilled with butter- heaven!).

But I found a lower calorie, lower carbohydrate way to have it as often as I like- and today I was craving it.  I make my own low fat tuna salad, use low fat cheddar cheese and put it on a Whole Wheat Alternative Pita which I use as a pizza crust.  I first saw a Tuna Melt Pizza on the California Pizza Kitchen menu back in the 90s but they don't make it anymore.  So my version is also a great substitute for that item which is no longer available.  I know everyone likes their tuna salad a certain way, so whether you like onion or celery, put it in and count accordingly.  I like dill relish in my tuna salad and it's free!

Tuna Melt Pizza

1 Whole Wheat Alternative Pita (3 pts)
1/2 cup of tuna canned in water, drained (3 pts)
2 tbsp. low fat Best Foods mayonnaise (2 pts according to my WW calculator)
1 tbsp. dill pickle relish (0)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (0)
1/4 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese (2 pts)

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix tuna with mayonnaise and relish and put down on pita.  Top with chopped tomatoes and cheddar cheese.  Bake 12-14 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly browned.  Cut into four pieces and enjoy!  10 points for the whole pizza and it includes a serving of whole grains, a lean protein and a dairy.  This one will fill you up and keep you satisfied all afternoon.