Turtle Pumpkin Mousse

1 cup of low fat milk
2 (3.4 ounce) boxes of sugar free vanilla instant pudding mix
1 can (15 ounces) of canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces of sugar free Cool Whip thawed
Sugar free caramel and chocolate ice cream topping (a teaspoon of each is about 40 calories)
chopped pecans






Whisk together in a large bowl, pudding mixes, milk, pumpkin and spices Stir in 1 ½ cups of the thawed sugar free cool whip. Mix together and pour into serving bowl. Chill. Spoon into serving dishes and drizzle with sugar free caramel and sugar free chocolate sauces, top with additional cool whip and about a teaspoon of chopped pecans.

Makes 10 servings, 125 calories per serving.

Loaded Baked Fauxtato Soup

We've tried loaded baked potato soup at several restaurants and its always been a favorite. I've combined the best of loaded baked potato soup but with a fraction of the calories by trading the starchy potatoes for cauliflower!

This recipe serves 4 with 133 calories per serving compared to traditional baked potato soup with over 300 calories per serving. I used lean ham steak in my soup but I've also made this recipe with turkey bacon and its equally delicious.

Here is what you'll need....

2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of cauliflower (I used frozen)
1/3 cup of minced onion
1 stalk of minced celery
¼ cup of grated carrot
2 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups of 1% milk
2 TBLS flour
½ cup low fat shredded cheddar or cheddar/Monterey jack blend
4 slices of turkey bacon or extra lean ham steak

I used frozen cauliflower and let it thaw partially and cut it into small bite sized pieces, removing any large stems.

Bring first 7 ingredients to a boil in a pan over medium high heat, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.



If you are using turkey bacon, cook it now and crumble it, if you are using ham dice it, set aside

Whisk the milk and flour together in bowl or large cup and then whisk it into the pan, stir in the cheese, add in bacon or ham.

Reduce heat to a simmer (medium low) and stir for about 5 minutes or until thick, if you are using ham, stir it in now to let it warm through, if you are using bacon wait to sprinkle it on top of each serving. I've found that turkey bacon gets really soggy if you mix it in and I like the taste of it better on top of the soup.

Serves 4
Calories: 132.7
Fat: 4.8g
Cholesterol: 20mg
Sodium: 580mg
Total Carbs: 12g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 10.6g


The full recipe for your cutting and pasting pleasure:





2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of cauliflower
1/3 cup of minced onion
1 stalk of minced celery
¼ cup of grated carrot
2 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups of 1% milk
2 TBLS flour
½ cup low fat shredded cheddar or cheddar/Monterey jack blend
4 slices of turkey bacon or ham

Bring first 7 ingredients to a boil in a pan over medium high heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you are using turkey bacon, cook it now and crumble it, if you are using ham dice it, set aside

Whisk the milk and flour together and then whisk it into the pan, stir in the cheese, add in the ham if you're using ham, if you're using turkey bacon, keep it set aside for now. 

Reduce heat to a simmer (medium low) and stir for about 5 minutes or until thick...mine took about 8 minutes to thicken up the way I wanted. If you use turkey bacon, sprinkle it on each individual bowl so it doesn't get soggy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal

When I was a little girl my Mom had to have an operation and she was in the hospital for a week. Dad was in charge of cooking breakfast and he was determined to send me off to school after eating a hot breakfast. He made oatmeal with salt and put a dab of butter on it and put it in front of me told me to eat it and the breakfast table battle began. When he visited Mom that night in the hospital she told him to mix a spoon of sugar in the oatmeal but the next morning I didn't want any part of it...pass the Cheerios please, this girl wasn't eating THAT. But my Dad was not going to let this picky eater win. I get my stubbornness from my Dad so he knew he was in for one heck of a battle but he had a magic weapon, he knew my Achilles heel. ...CHOCOLATE! This is a little recipe my Dad came up with to please me and I'm still enjoying it all of these years later.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal

(thanks Dad)

Here's what you'll need....

1/2 cup of oats
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
1 TBLS Splenda
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp creamy peanut butter

In a small pot, bring milk and water to a boil, add oats and cook over medium heat according to package directions. I used "old fashioned" oats and they cook for five minutes.

During the last minute of cooking, add in Splenda and cocoa powder. Stir well to combine and cook for the last minute.

Put oatmeal in serving bowl and top with a teaspoon of peanut butter.

Enjoy!!

Serves 1

Calories 249
Fat 7.4g
Cholesterol 6mg
Sodium: 480mg
Potassium 377mg
Carbs: 35g
Fiber 6g
Sugar 6g
Protein 13g

Chocolate Kissed Cherry Oatmeal

Warm goodness on a cool morning, after dinner snack or any time of the day. After my morning walk I wanted something warm but sweet. I came up with this little creation and I think you're going to love it as much as I do.

There are so many ways to change this basic recipe. Use raisins or craisens in place of the dried cherries, top with cinnamon or nutmeg instead of chocolate or use both. You could also add a few teaspoons of chopped nuts to the oats and toast them with the oats, just be sure to adjust your calories.

Here's what you'll need for Chocolate Kissed Cherry Oatmeal

1/2 cup dry oats
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 TBLS dried cherries chopped
1/2 tsp brown sugar splenda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder
nonstick cooking spray





Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray over medium high heat, add the oats and stir. Allow to toast to a light golden brown, about 3 minutes.



Add in milk, water, vanilla, cherries and brown sugar splenda. Allow to cook for about 4 minutes over medium high heat or until most of the liquid is absorbed




Pour mixture into serving bowl and using a small sifter/strainer, dust the top with cocoa.

This tastes like an indulgence but this filling bowl of creamy sweet goodness with just a hint of chocolate has just 245 calories.



Nutritional info:

Serves 1

Calories: 245
Fat 3.8g
Carbs 40g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 11g

Enjoy!

Apple Crisp - reduced sugar, reduced calorie

Yes its as good as it looks and under 180 calories per serving. Other apple crisp recipes I saw had calorie counts of 300 to 400 calories for the same size serving but they also included nuts. I left those out. This one is full of flavor but with a fraction of the sugar.

I had never used the Splenda Brown Sugar blend before and it has a slightly stronger molasses flavor than regular brown sugar. You don't save much on the calories if at all but you save on the sugar content so if aren't watching your sugar you can use regular brown sugar.

I'm quite pleased with how this reduced calorie apple crisp, reduced sugar apple crisp turned out and Ken did mumble his seal of approval as he left the room to head to the kitchen for a second portion.

Ready to make some? Preheat your oven to 375 and gather the following ingredients

4 large apples (about 5 cups sliced)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar splenda
2 tablespoons of sugar free maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons splenda
3/4 cup rolled oats
5 tablespoons smart balance

So here most of it is, the maple syrup was late to the photo shoot

Peel, core and slice the apples. Don't slice them too thin. I cut each apple into about 24 slices. Toss in a bowl with lemon juice. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar splenda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. If you use fresh nutmeg, don't use a 1/2 teaspoon, it will overpower the flavor. I used about 10 grates on the microplane of the nutmeg nut.

add to the apples, add the sugar free maple syrup and toss to combine

In another bowl combine flour, splenda and oats. Add in the smart balance, and cut it into flour with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly.

Spray with nonstick spray a 9x13 inch square baking dish. My 9x13 pan had a previous engagement so I've used a 2.5 quart baking dish and I really think I like it better because I felt like I got a thick layer of apples and lots of topping. Spread apple mixture in bottom of baking dish then sprinkle with flour, oat, sugar and smart balance mixture.

Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is lightly browned.

Oh yeah, doesn't THAT look yummy!!!


Serve warm or at room temperature. We like it warm. You can also add a few tablespoons of whipped cream or low fat frozen yogurt or no sugar added ice cream. A little goes a long way, just be sure to add it to your calorie count.

Serves 8

Calories 179.4

Total Fat 7.5 g

Saturated Fat 2.0 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg

Sodium 143.3 mg

Potassium 117.8 mg

Total Carbohydrate 25.8 g

Dietary Fiber 3 g

Sugars 4.5 g

Protein 2.1 g

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm including the whole recipe and instructions without pictures below so you can copy and paste to your printer

INGREDIENTS:

4 large apples (about 5 cups sliced)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar splenda
2 tablespoons of sugar free maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons splenda
3/4 cup rolled oats
5 tablespoons smart balance

PREPARATION:

Peel, core and slice the apples; toss in a bowl with lemon juice. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar splenda, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add to the apples, add the sugar free maple syrup and toss to combine.

In another bowl combine flour, splenda and oats. Add in the smart balance, and cut it into flour with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly.

Spray with nonstick spray a 9x13 inch square baking dish or 2.5quart dish. Spread apple mixture in bottom of baking dish then sprinkle with flour, oat, sugar and smart balance mixture. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is lightly browned.

Serve warm or at room temperature. You can also add a few tablespoons of whipped cream or low fat frozen yogurt or no sugar added ice cream. A little goes a long way, just be sure to add it to your calorie count.

Serves 8

Calories 179.4

Total Fat 7.5 g

Saturated Fat 2.0 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg

Sodium 143.3 mg

Potassium 117.8 mg

Total Carbohydrate 25.8 g

Dietary Fiber 3 g

Sugars 4.5 g

Protein 2.1 g