Zucchini & Goat Cheese Penne

1-1/2 cups whole wheat penne
olive oil cooking spray
2 medium zucchinis, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook the pasta, drain. Reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid.

While pasta is cooking spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add the zucchini and salt. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally until very soft about ten minutes.

Stir in the penne and reserved liquid. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is slightly reduced. Reduce heat and stir in the cheese. Simmer, breaking up the cheese just until melted, about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Makes 2 servings: 6 points per serving

Sugar Free Angel Food Cake

2 cups Splenda
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2-1/2 cups egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 375. Line bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2-3 inches to extend over the sides of the pan. (Do not grease pan or foil.)

Sift together Splenda, flour, and salt.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in Splenda mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, folding just until blended after each addition. Fold in vanilla and almond extract. Spoon batter into prepared pan. (Pan will be very full. The batter will reach almost to the top of the pan.)

Bake at 375 on an oven rack 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Invert cake onto a lightly greased rack; let cool, with pan over cake, 1 hour or until completely cool. Remove pan; peel foil off cake. Transfer cake to a serving platter.

1/12 cake = 1.5 points

Roasted Blue Cheese Figs

2 figs
2 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 400.

Remove stems. Slice figs in half. Sprinkle blue cheese on top.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Makes 1 serving: 2 points

Smoked Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
olive oil cooking spray
sea salt

Spread asparagus on nonstick foil. Spray with cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Smoke on grill for 1 hour.

0 points

Grilled Onion Soup

This picture doesn't look very appetizing. But it is delicious!
Small Vidalia Onions
Chicken Bouillon Cubes
Fat Free Butter
Seasoning Salt

Cut tops and bottoms off on onions. Core out center almost all the way to the bottom of the onion. Place one bouillon cube in onion. Place a small dollop of butter on top. Sprinkle seasoning salt on onion. Wrap tightly in foil. Grill until done. (We were smoking meat. I cooked the onions about 3 hours at 200-225.) Dump into a bowl and enjoy!

1 small onion = 1 point

Slow Cooker Black Beans

1 bag black beans
1 tablespoon chicken soup base
1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning
water

Soak beans in water overnight. Drain water. Sort beans. Place beans in slow cooker. Cover with water two inches over top of beans. Stir in soup case and seasoning. Cook on low 8 hours.

3/4 cup beans = 1 point

Roasted Chickpeas

3/4 cup chickpeas (I make them in the slow cooker. You can also use a can.)
Olive Oil Spray
Seasoning

Preheat oven to 400.

Spray a small casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray. Spread chickpeas in bottom of dish. Spray tops with olive oil. Sprinkle desired amt of seasoning on top. Shake pan around. Add more seasoning if needed.

Bake for 15 minutes. Shake dish. Bake an additional 15 minutes.

3/4 cup (made from dry beans) = 3 points

Orange Cakes

Large Navel Oranges
1 box cake mix plus ingredients listed on box (cake picture is a funfetti mix)

Cup top 1/4 off of orange. Carefully scrape out the insides of the oranges without splitting the peel.

Mix cake mix according to directions on box.

Fill oranges 3/4 full with cake batter. Place tops back on oranges. Wrap tightly in foil.

Place on fire 20-25 minutes or until center or cake is done.

Pumpkin Cupcake Cones

1 box cake mix (I used funfetti)
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup All Whites
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butterscotch flavoring
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 box flat bottomed ice cream cones

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine cake mix, pumpkin, All Whites, water, butterscotch, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl until well combined.

Place ice cream cones in muffin tin. Fill ice cream cones with batter about 1/2 full. (1/3 cup is a serving of batter. I made two cupcake cones out of each 1/3 cup.)

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Cool completely. Decorate if desired.

1 cupcake cone no icing = 2.15 points

Creamy Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash (sliced in half, pulp and seeds scraped out)
2 wedges of Light Laughing Cow (1 per half)
Spray Butter
Seasoning Salt

Wrap spaghetti squash halves tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 20-25 minutes. Use a fork to scrape out squash into spaghetti looking pieces onto a plate. Repeat with other half placing on another plate. Place one Laughing Cow Wedge on top of each plate. Spray with spray butter and sprinkle seasoning salt on top. Stir together and enjoy!

Makes 2 servings: 1 point

Vanilla Coconut Frosting

Recipe from Bon Appetit1 cup butter, room temperature
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup reduced coconut milk, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, sliced in half seeds scraped

To reduce coconut milk: Bring coconut milk to boil in large deep saucepan over medium-high heat (coconut milk will boil up high in pan). Reduce heat to medium-low stirring occasionally, cook 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat; cool completely. Transfer to small bowl. Cover; chill (coconut milk will settle slightly as it cools). Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, 1/3 cup reduced coconut milk, and seeds from vanilla bean. Beat on medium-low speed until blended, scraping down sides of bowl. Increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.

Roasted Banana Cake

Adapted from Lots-Of-Ways Banana Cake pg 204-205 in Baking From My Home to Yours
2-2/3 cup flour
1-1/4 baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 stick light butter
1/2 stick regular butter
1 cup Splenda Blend Brown Sugar (not packed)
3/4 cup Splenda Blend Sugar
1/2 cup All Whites (2 eggs worth)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons coconut rum
4 roasted bananas (Bake at 350 for 20 minutes in peels)
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup unsweetened toasted coconut
1 batch Vanilla Coconut Frosting
1 can fat free dulce de leche

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray 3 9 inch cake pans with cooking spray.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; set aside.

Beat butter with mixer fitted with paddle attachment until creamy. Add in sugars and beat for two minutes. Slowly add in All Whites mixing until well combined. Mix in vanilla and rum. Carefully squeeze roasted bananas out of peel and into batter. Make sure to do this over the mixing bowl so you get all the juice from the bananas in the bowl. Mix 1 minute. Mix in toasted coconut. On low speed slowly add the flour mixture and coconut mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour.

Divide batter evenly among pans.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool five minutes. Then turn out of pans onto cooling racks and cool completely.

Mix dulce de leche with 1/2 cup frosting to thicken it up a little; set aside.

Snip a corner off of a plastic bag and put a little bit of frosting in the bag.

When cakes are completely cooled put a small dollop of icing on your cake board. Place first layer on board. Using the plastic bag of frosting pipe a thick circle of icing 1/2 inch in from the edge of the cake. Pour enough dulce de leche on to completely cover the cake. Make sure you don't run over the top of the icing! Repeat with second layer. Place third layer on top. Frost top and sides of cake.

Peach Pudding Jars

I used my kitchen torch to brown the marshmallow creme after I took it out of the oven. Be careful it will catch on fire just like a regular marshmallow. :)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups fat free milk
1 (14-oz.) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, sliced in half and seeds scraped
1 peach per jar
1 serving (8) per jar reduced-fat vanilla wafers
1 tablespoons marshmallow creme

6 pint jars

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine flour and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in milks, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened.

Arrange 1/3 diced peach in bottom of jar. Top with 3 tablespoons pudding mixture and 3 vanilla wafers. Repeat layers twice ending with 2 vanilla wafers. Dollop marshmallow creme on top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

1 serving: 8.6 points

*Variations*
Just pudding (2/3 cup) = 5.6 points
Skip the vanilla wafers = 5.6 points
Even out the points with just a little under a 1/2 cup blueberries or blackberries = 9 points
Add in 1/2 banana per jar = 9.6 points
Make in 1/2 pint jar (still using a whole peach but only 1-1/2 tablespoons pudding between layers) =4.3 points

Ovenight Pear Zucchini Steel Cut Oatmeal

1 golden zucchini, shredded
1 pear, shredded
1/4 cup steel cut oatmeal
1-1/4 cup water
1 vanilla bean, sliced and seeds scraped
1/8 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Spray inside of small slow cooker with cooker spray. Combine above ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours.

Makes 1 serving = 3 points

Overnight Peach & Blueberry Steel Cut Oatmeal

1 peach, peeled and diced
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup steel cut oatmeal
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tablespoon french vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine above ingredients in a bowl that will fit in your slow cooker with the lid on. Place bowl in slow cooker. Fill slow cooker with water almost to the top of the bowl. Cook on low 7-8 hours.

Makes 1 serving: 3 points

Limeade Pie

1 6oz can frozen limeade concentrate

1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 8oz container fat free Cool Whip

1 reduced fat graham cracker crust

Thaw limeade and cool whip. Mix together limeade, milk, and cool whip. Spread evenly in pie crust. Freeze until firm.

Whole Pie = 55 points

1/8 pie = 6.9 points

1/6 pie = 9.2 points

First Ever Giveaway Funky Monkey Snacks!!!!

This is my first ever blog giveaway! I got an email this week from Hungry Girl about Funky Monkey Snacks. Jennifer at Funky Monkey was nice enough to send me a sample pack. One lucky entry will also get a sample pack.

We just broke into our first pack, Pink Pineapple. My kids are sitting beside me begging for more. It is so good! The flavor is great! It is by far the best freeze-dried fruit we have ever tried! I am going to try some of the Bananamon in my oatmeal in the morning.

Funky Monkey snacks do not have any added sugar, preservatives, color, or flavoring. I am super pumped about the no added sugar! The kids and I love dried fruits. But it is so hard to find it without a bunch of junk on it. Each pack contains 3 servings of fruit!

There are seven scrumptious flavors...

Applemon (Apple with Cinnamon) Points 1

Bananamon (Banana with Cinnamon) Points 2

Carnival Mix (Banana, Pineapple, Apple, and Papaya) Points 2

Jivealime (Pineapple with Lime) Points 2

MangOJ (Mango with Orange Juice) Points 1

Pink Pineapple (Pineapple with Guava) Points 2

Purple Funk (Banana with Acai) Points 2

For those of you that do Weight Watchers I listed the points value for a whole bag beside the flavors. This is an awesome healthy snack!

To enter the contest please leave a comment telling me:

-Why you should win the sample pack

-Which flavor you would like to try the most

-How you are going to eat it (plain, in some type of recipe, etc)

Contest ends Tuesday, June 15th at noon.

Overnight Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

Adapted from Une-deux Senses

1/4 cup steel cut oatmeal
1 cup water
1/4 cup Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 medium zucchini, grated
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tbsp crunchy almond butter
1 tsp Splenda blend brown sugar


Combine oatmeal, water, milk, zucchini, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a bowl that will sit in your slow cooker with the lid on. Place bowl in slow cooker. Fill slow cooker with water almost to the top of the bowl. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Stir in almond butter and Splenda blend brown sugar.


Makes 1 servings: 4 points

Best Banana Pudding Ever!!!!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living June 2010
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Dash of salt
2 1/2 cups fat free milk
1 (14-oz.) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, sliced in half and seeds scraped
3 bananas, sliced
48 reduced-fat vanilla wafers
4 egg whites
1/4 cup Splenda

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine flour and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in milks, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened.

Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add Splenda, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form (2 to 4 minutes). Spread meringue over pudding sealing the edges.

Arrange 1 cup bananas on bottom of an 8x8 dish. Top with one-third pudding mixture and 16 vanilla wafers. Repeat layers twice, ending with pudding. Arrange remaining 16 wafers around inside edge of dish, gently pressing wafers into pudding. Spread meringue over pudding, sealing edges. Bake 20 to 25 minutes

Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Note: You can make this in 8 individual ramekins or Mason jars. Layer 3 banana slices, 3 1/2 Tbsp. pudding, and 3 vanilla wafers in each of 8 (1-cup) ramekins or ovenproof glass dishes. Top each with 6 banana slices, 3 1/2 Tbsp. pudding, and 3 vanilla wafers. Spread 1/2 cup meringue over each pudding.

1/8 of recipe = 5.5 points

1/6 of recipe= 7.3 points

Super Simple Butterscotch Rolls

Original Recipe 2 packages Rhodes frozen rolls (12 count each)
1 package cook and serve butterscotch pudding
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray. Place the rolls in the bundt pan forming an inner and outer layer. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over rolls.

Place butter and brown sugar in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on 30 second increments until it stirs smooth. Pour over rolls.

Place in cold oven oven overnight.

Turn oven on to 350. Bake for 25 minutes. (Do not count time to preheat.)

Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out of pan on a foil lined jelly roll pan for easy clean up.

Caramel Pear Apple Baked Oatmeal

I was in the Fresh Market yesterday and saw this pear apple. I have never seen one of these before. I was very intrigued. It tasted a lot more like a pear than an apple. It was super sweet!

1 Pear Apple, cored and diced

1/2 cup multi grain oatmeal

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp fat free caramel

Preheat oven to 400.

Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray. Combine pear apple, oatmeal, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg in baking dish. Drizzle with caramel.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 1 serving = 4 points

No Sugar Added Pumpkin Butter

1 (15oz) can pumpkin

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ginger

Stir together above ingredients in a small slow cooker. Cook on low 7-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove lid for last hour of cooking time to allow the pumpkin butter to thicken up a little more.

Makes 1 small jar

Baked Peach Cobbler Oatmeal

1 peach, diced

1/2 cup multi grain oatmeal

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp sugar free butterscotch flavoring

1 tsp Splenda blend brown sugar, packed

Preheat oven to 400.

Spray a baking dish with PAM.

Spread peaches in bottom of dish.

Combine all remaining ingredients except for brown sugar in a bowl. Pour over peaches; spread evenly. Sprinkle brown sugar on top.

Bake 30 minutes.

Makes 1 serving = 2 points

Baked Apple Dumplings

1 apple, cored & sliced
1 can reduced fat crescent rolls
cinnamon-sugar grinder
2 tablespoons Brummel & Brown Spread
1 teaspoon Splenda blend brown sugar, packed

Preheat oven to 375.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Separate crescent dough into triangles. Grind cinnamon-sugar over dough triangles. Place an apple piece on each triangle. Wrap dough around apple; seal edges.

Place butter and brown sugar in a small ramekin. Heat for 45 seconds. Stir mixture. Brush over dough.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

1 apple dumpling = 2.5 points

Individual Light & Easy Butterscotch Banana Pudding

1 package sugar free/fat free instant butterscotch pudding2 cups fat free milk

3 bananas, sliced

32 reduced fat vanilla wafers

4 small bowls

Fat Free Reddi Whip

Combine milk and banana pudding in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Divide 1/2 of sliced bananas evenly among the 4 bowls. Spoon 1/4 cup pudding on top of bananas. Place 4 vanilla wafers on top of pudding mixture in each bowl. Repeat layers one more time.

Chill until ready to serve. Top with Reddi Whip if desired.

Makes 4 servings: 6 points each

Baked Almond Blackberry Steel Cut Oatmeal

1 cup blackberries

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup steel cut oatmeal

1/2 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 400.

Spray small baking dish with cooking spray.

Place blackberries in dish.

Stir together extract, cinnamon, oatmeal, and milk in a cup. Pour over blackberries.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 1 serving = 3 points