Not So Big Bad Banana Muffins

I made 4 batches of these today. I tricked the kids with the 50/50 whole wheat and white flour and they loved them. I am freezing the rest for an easy breakfast on a busy morning this summer!

Not So Big Bad Banana Muffins

3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour

3/4 Cup White Flour
3/4 cup Sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Egg

2 Large Bananas, mashed

1/2 cup Applesauce

1/4 cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease entire cupcake or muffin tin including the top of the pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another bowl mix egg, sugar, applesauce, and bananas. Add wet to dryand stir just until combined. (A few lumps are fine.) Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared tin, filling all the way to the top. Fill unused cups with 1/3 cup water to prevent burning. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack and allow to cool before serving.

Notes: You can freeze these muffins and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds for a great, easy breakfast.

Makes 10 servings at 3 Weight Watchers Points each.

Easy Pizza Sauce

Easy Pizza Sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
4 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups water
Combine tomato paste, garlic, parsley flakes, onion, oregano, basil and water in 2 quart saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Cool a little and spread on your pizza crust and proceed with remainder of your toppings.
Makes 4 servings
Calories 80 Fat 0.5 Fiber 4.5
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This was really good on the pizza. I don't know about the serving size, but I can get at least 2 pizzas out of this one batch of sauce and maybe a third one.
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Note: This pizza sauce freezes really well too.

Basic Pizza Dough

I have been trying out new recipes and the thing I really like about Weight Watchers is we still have those extra 35 points to spend as we want. Sometimes, we just need to have a "treat." This is one such treat for me. I found this recipe on Mom Advice.

Basic Pizza Dough (from"How to Cook Everything,")

1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea slat, plus extra for sprinkling

1 to 1 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

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To make this dough in food processor: Combine the yeast, flour, and 2 teaspoons salt in the container of a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons of oil through the feed tube. Process for 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If it is dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for another 10 seconds. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Grease a bowl with the remaining olive oil, and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm draft-free area until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. You can cut this rising time short if you are in a hurry or you can let the dough rise more slowly in the refrigerator for six to eight hours.

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To make this dough by hand: Combine half the flour with the salt and yeast and stir to blend. Add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons olive oil; stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add remaining flour a bit at a time; when the mixture becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, begin kneading, adding as little flour as possible- just enough to keep the dough from being a sticky mess. Knead until smooth but still quite moist, about ten minutes. Proceed as above.

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To make this dough with a standing mixer: The machine must be fairly powerful or it will stall. Combine half the flour with the salt, yeast, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 cup water; blend with the machines paddle. With the machine on slow speed, add flour a little at a time until the mix has become a sticky ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl (switch to the dough hook if necessary). Knead for a minute by hand, adding as little flour as possible, then proceed as above.

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To make this dough with the bread machine: Add ingredients as follows- warm water, olive oil, flour, salt, and then add yeast at the top. Turn machine on and select the dough setting. When the machine beeps, you can roll out the dough onto your pizza stone/pan.

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I made this dough in my bread machine. I watched it and it seemed really wet so I added some more flour to it. It was still a little sticky when I took it out of the machine so I added some more flour. This was really good and once I took care of the stickiness, it was easy. I added a sauce, cheese and other toppings and cooked for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Some people like to pre-bake there crust before putting on toppings and you can do that too.

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If you cut your crust in 8 pieces this is 4 points per slice, but you also have to add points for sauce, cheese and other toppings. Try to stick with filling food toppings to keep this pizza lower in points.

Fruity Playdough

This week is suppose to be rainy, that's right for the entire week! So, I planned to do this little activity with my kids when they got home today. They are hot to the touch after you make them, so I am putting them in the refrigerator and tomorrow we will get out the cookie cutters and play with the playdough. It really does smell fruity! The colors are so vibrant compared to the playdough you buy at the store too. I first saw this recipe on MomAdvise and then at Day By Day. I used the suggestion from Day By Day to use 1 tbs. flour instead of the 1 tbs cream of tarter because cream of tarter is expensive and guess what it works just fine without the cream of tarter. We will definitely be using this recipe again!

Here's the recipe!
Fruity Play Dough (courtesy of Recipezaar.com)
1 cup flour
1 package Kool-Aid (any flavor)
1 tablespoon cream of tartar or 1 Tbs flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup boiling water (the original recipe called for one cup of boiling water, but I found it made the dough too loose- aim for 3/4 cup and add more if needed)
Mix all dry ingredients in bowl then oil, then pour boiling water in and mix thoroughly. Wrap in cellophane or air tight container and store in fridge. The play dough should last a few months.

Mom Advise Notebook Experiment- Who Bread: White vs.Wheat

Bread 1: Bread Flour

Bread 2: All-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour

So, I decided to give the Mom Advise Notebook Experiments a try. Amy has a notebook where she list all kinds of great ideas she finds online. Many of them are projects that I really want to do. I've looked through her past notebooks and have booked marked lots of things to try. So, I'll be back for the weekly experiments. I really like how Amy makes them look like an experiment when she post them, so hopefully she won't mind if I do mine the same. I got a bread machine with our income tax refund this year and I love it. Although I still have a lot to learn! This is the first recipe we tried and really love, Low-Fat Bread Machine Italian Bread . I was really excited to try a different one.

Experiment: Can I make Who (pronounced hooo, like an owl) bread and will my kids and husband will still like it if I substitute 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the bread flour?

Experiment taken from: Notebook Entry 02.14.07

Materials needed: Here's the recipe that I used from SouleMama.

WHO Bread
(makes 1.5 lb loaf, set to 'basic' with medium crust)
1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter @ room temperature
1 tsp salt
3 cups of flour (we do 2 cups unbleached white, 1 cup whole wheat pastry)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or, one package)
Add ingredients to pan in order listed according to bread machine instructions. Makes 1.5 lb loaf, set to medium crust and basic.



Results:
Part 1: The first loaf we made was with just the bread flour. This bread rose quite a bit in my machine and looked more like a 2 lb loaf. I was worried that my lid would come off of the top of my machine, but it did not. I thought maybe I did something wrong, but I followed the instructions exactly! So, I thought? After rereading the recipe, it called for plain flour and not the bread flour, which is probably what made it rise more. My kids ate the bread fine and said they liked it okay. I liked it.

Part 2: The second loaf I made was the one that I substituted 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the white flour. Now why would I want to do this? Well, first it is healthier for my kids and second since being on Weight Watchers, I noticed that using the whole wheat flour lowered my points sometimes and after running the recipe through the recipe builder (you have to be an e-tools subscriber to get this service) on the Weight Watchers Website, I found that it did indeed lower it by one point. If it tasted just as good, that was the one I wanted to use. The bread rose more like it was suppose too since I used the all-purpose flour. (I did not have any unbleached white.) The top fell, but the results were that my bread's crust was crispier and the bread really did taste better to me than the first one I tried. But how did my kids like it? Well, my oldest one said it's okay. I asked him what he did not like about it and he said it taste like wheat. The others are 4 years old and 2 years old and basically they will eat warm bread with butter on it.


Conclusion: Well, I guess my kids will eat the bread with the wheat in it, although they seem to like the white flour bread better. My dh and my 9 year old refuse to eat wheat bread. I don't have any other answers as to how to get them to eat healthier and to eat wheat. Personally, I liked the second one and if I make this bread again, that will be the one I choose. This however is not my first pick for my favorite bread.
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For more experiments go here.

Low-Fat Bread Machine Italian Bread

Well, my dh bought me a bread maker with our income tax money. I have really wanted one forever! But, with Weight Watchers, I wondered if I was going to be able to use it. So, I have been on the search for recipes I could still eat and stay on plan. My kids love the bread! I do too. I love the ease that the bread maker gives me! So, here is one that I made that I really like! I make it with my Spaghetti Casserole that we eat weekly. My dh wants us to try to use this as a pizza crust dough or even bread sticks. I think it would be fabulous as either! I have learned though that with a bread maker, you really have to deal with portion control, luckily I have a large family and usually there is not a lot left over!

Low-Fat Bread Machine Italian Bread

1 1/8 cups water
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried onions
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
2 tablespoons butter
Add ingredients to pan in order listed according to bread machine instructions. Program as desired.
Per serving: Calories, 184; Fat 3g; Fiber 1.3g

Tasty Thursday-Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Casserole (It's more like a stuffing)
1 can French style green beans
1 box Stove Top Stuffing(don't add anything to it)
1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
Mix all ingredients and place in an 8 X 8 pan Cook in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.
9 Weight Watcher points for the whole pan.
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Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!
See more Tasty Thursday recipes here.

Menu Plan Monday September 8-14

This week, I am going to start something new. I am going to have a soup and sandwiches night and a breakfast dinner every week. These are two really cheap meals to help keep the cost down. So, I am going to be trying some new soups! Come back for the recipes as I make them and post them throughout the week. I am still doing Weight Watchers Flex plan!
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Dinners
Spaghetti Casserole Bake, salad
Soup (Cheesy Vegetable) and Sandwiches, Yum Yum Muffins
Corn Dog Casserole, salad, Chips Ahoy Dessert
Breakfast Dinner, fruit
Pizza Cups, salad, Quick Zucchini Bread
Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, salad, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Stovetop Meatloaf Muffins, green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats

Breakfast
Waffles, fruit, yogurt
Baked Sugar Doughnuts, fruit
Chocolate Chip Pancakes, fruit
Omelets, fruit
Eggs, Biscuits, sausage links
Cereal, yogurt, fruit
Waffles, fruit

Lunch
BLT Sandwiches, fruit
Leftover Pasta Bake, salad
Broccoli Soup
Sandwich and fruit
BLT Sandwich, fruit
Find What You can (hopefully leftovers)
FF Hot Dogs, tater tots, corn
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Go here to see more plans.

Tasty Thursday Mexican Edition

Easy Enchiladas

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast or very lean ground beef (can also use shrimp or crab)

1 can FF cream of chicken soup

2 cans Old El Paso red enchilada sauce, divided

1/2 c. RF shredded Mexican Weight Watchers Shredded Cheese

6 FF flour tortillas

If using chicken, cook and shred. If using beef, brown and drain. Preheat oven to 350. Reserve 1 c. enchilada sauce; set aside. Reserve ¼ c. cheese; set aside. Mix chicken or beef with all remaining ingredients except tortillas. Spray a 9””x13”” baking dish with Pam. Spoon enchilada sauce in bottom of baking dish, just enough to cover bottom, saving rest to top enchiladas while baking. Place mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place enchiladas, seam side down, in dish. Cover with reserved enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
6 servings at 6 Weight Watcher Points each. (The points reflect that I used lean beef in this recipe. You will need to check your ingredients because you could get different points on this one)

See more Tasty Thursday recipes here.

Slow Cooking Thursday- Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

It's time for Slow Cooking Thursday! I think this is by far my favorite recipe since I started Weight Watchers! It makes you feel like you are cheating! So yummy!

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Serves 12 ( one cup each)

16 oz. dry spaghetti, cooked

1 lb. Velveeta Light (2%)Cheese

12.5 oz can chicken breast, drained & flaked

1 can 98% FF cream of mushroom soup

1 can 98% FF cream of chicken soup

10 oz. can diced tomatoes & green chilies (Rotel)

4 oz can mushroom stems & pieces, drained

1/2 cup water

1 small onion, diced

1 med. green pepper, diced

salt & pepper to taste

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to mix well. Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours. Stir again just before serving.

Nutrition Info:286 Cal., 5.7 g Fat, 2.7 g Fiber

Recipe From: halfmysize

Slow Cooking Thursday is sponsored by Diary of a SAHM go look there for more recipes.

Please come back and visit me for my new meme Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday next week as we share healthy recipes. The theme next week is Fruits. To see yesterday's recipes from Watchin' What We Eat go here.

Tasty Thursday- BBQ Edition

Today Tasty Thursday is all about BBQ and since I have been doing Weight Watchers, I really have not tried a lot of barbecue recipes, not that I can't have them, lol. Some of you might not know this, but I made a decision when I started Weight Watchers that I would only share recipes on my blogs that fit into my healthier lifestyle. I believed this would help me stay on track, and it has! When I was researching a recipe for this, I was shocked to read that according to Hungry Girl, "The average BBQ meal contains an astonishing 1,300 to 1,800 calories. That's more calories than some of us need in an entire day. Eeek!" I would love to find a healthy bbq recipe because I love it, but since Tasty Thursday is all about tried and true recipes, I have decided to share a recipe that goes well with bbq! I have made this and really love it, I made it without the almonds. I will be making it for my many summer events!

Oriental Cole Slaw
Serving Size : 12 (3/4 cup each) @ 3 Weight Watchers POINTS® each
(My points were 2 without the almonds)
1 package beef flavored Ramen noodles (I used a 35% less sodium packet)
1 large package coleslaw mix
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 bunch green onions -- thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds (I did not add these, taste great without)
Break noodles into pieces and mix with coleslaw, sunflower seeds, onions, and almonds in a large bowl. Combine ingredients for dressing in a cruet. Pour over vegetable mixture.

Dressing
2 T oil
½ c water
½ flavor packet from noodles
2 T cider vinegar
¼ c sugar or Splenda (I used Splenda)

For more bbq recipes go to The Pumkin Patch.



Please come back and visit me for my new meme Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday next week as we share healthy recipes. The theme next week is Fruits. To see yesterday's recipes from Watchin' What We Eat go here.

Happy Father's Day and a Recipe

For Father's Day, we gave DH an ice cream maker. I knew I could find some point friendly ice cream maker recipes and here is the one we used. We ate it right out of the maker and have plenty left in the freezer. It was soft serve yummy!!! We just made vanilla.

Vanilla Homemade Ice Cream

2 (14 oz) cans fat free sweetened condensed milk (12 points)

2 (1oz) box instant sugar free, fat free vanilla pudding (4 points)

10 1/2 cups fat free milk (18.5 points)

Mix all together and place in electric ice cream maker container add ice and rock salt around freezer container as directed in manufacturer's guidelines book that comes with ice cream maker, usually makes in less that 30 minutes. Will be soft serve, freeze for thicker ice cream.

For Flavored Variations add:

-----Cherry Vanilla 1 large drained jar of chopped up maraschino cherries

----Vanilla Banana Add 4 mashed up banana

----Strawberry or Peach Chop up in small pieces 1-2 cups fresh strawberries or peaches, amount depending on how fruity you want it.

Total points= 34.5 divide by number of servings(16 cups)=2 Weight Watchers points per serving!!!! You will need to add points if you use fruits. Also you can use chocolate pudding mix to make chocolate or any flavor pudding you want. this was a nice treat and I was able to control what went into my ice cream.

Tasty Thursday Burger Edition

Today's theme for Tasty Thursday is Burgers. This weekend a lot of people will be grilling out and burgers will probably be on a lot of grills. Since joining Weight Watchers, I do not eat a lot of burgers unless they are soybean. I never would have thought to try the Boca burger until I saw this recipe for Hungry Girl's Whoppers on her website. I also found a similar recipe, although it uses less Miracle Whip and ketchup, in her new book, that has been on the best seller list, on page 106 called Big Bopper Burger Stopper. My family loves this burger. The burger itself is only 1 point and there are 1 point hamburger buns. So, just think you could have a burger for 2 points without adding anything else. My dh and kids love these! I get over my craving for a burger with these too. There are also other brands of soybean burgers out there, so you might be able to find a different brand if you do not find Boca. I really like the original but the flame grilled is my favorite! I plan to take a Boca burger and a low point bun and ask them to put it on the grill for me. This will help me stay on points. I also LOVE her onion rings on page 104 in her book to serve as a side with this burger.

Trista over at The Pumkin Patch is the host of Tasty Thursday, head on over to her blog to see more tasty recipes

Tasty Thursday(a little late!)

Beef Stroganoff Casserole
1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
12 oz. uncooked egg noodles
1 pound lean ground beef
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Brown ground beef and drain. Combine soups and sour cream. Add beef and noodles, mix well. Add cheese on top and cover with foil and bake in a 10 X 13 dish at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.
Serves 8.

7 WW points (Please check your ingredients and your points, this one can have different points for egg noodles, etc.)

We really liked this. Next time I will add some more seasoning s because it really needed some. I think it needs some garlic, salt and pepper.

Trista over at The Pumkin Patch is the host of Tasty Thursday, head on over to her blog to see more tasty recipes

FIF-Weight Watchers Edition!

This week the theme for Favorite Ingredient Friday is WeightWatchers. I have been doing Weight Watchers since January and have lost 46.6 pounds! Here is my favorite main dish and dessert recipe!
Doritos Casserole
6 ounces Velveeta Light(I use Weight Watcher Mexican Shredded Cheese)
2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning mix
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Chicken Soup, 98% fat free
1 can (11 ounces) Rotel tomatoes
6 ounces Baked Doritos, Nacho Cheese8
ounces 95% lean ground beef
Cook meat, drain and add taco seasoning. Mix the tomatoes and soup together. Then, layer meat, soup mixture, crushed Doritos, and cheese. Keep layering until done. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.Makes 6 servings, 7 WW points
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We bought some strawberries and I decided to make this low point dessert! It is so easy and very yummy!

Crustless Strawberry Pie
4 cups sliced strawberries
1 small box sugar free cook & serve vanilla pudding
1 small box sugar free strawberry jello
2 cups water
1 small container cool whip free
Layer sliced berries in bottom and up sides of 9 inch pie plate or round pan. Mix pudding mix and water and bring to a full boil. Remove from heat and add dry jello mix. Let cool down some about 5 minutes. Pour over berries in pan. Put in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight to chill. Serve with fat free cool whip free add points if needed.
Special Notes
* Make sure pudding mixture is thickened enough or berries will rise to the top. The strawberries are the "crust" This is a very yummy pie!
*I served this with 1 tbsp of FF cool whip and did not even have to add points for that! This makes 8 servings at 1 point each and worth every bit of that point.
*I am going to try this with other fruits and jello flavors. To make a dreamsicle pie add Mandarin oranges instead of strawberries and orange SF/FF Jello. To make a peach pie add peaches instead of strawberries and peach SF/FF Jello. I have not figured out the points on either of these yet.
*You can also put this in a pie shell if you want, but I am telling you my family loved it without the shell.
*If you are doing the CORE program, you could add FF milk instead of water to the pudding. you can add this on FLEX too, but you have to add the points and that's a lot of points! It was really good with just the water though and I did not have to add those points!
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Chips Ahoy Dessert

1/2 cup fat free milk

18 reduced fat Chips Ahoy Cookies

2 cups fat free milk

1 8 oz. fat free Cool Whip

1 small box chocolate fat free, sugar free pudding mix

Pour 1/2 cup of the milk in a shallow bowl. Dip cookies in the milk very briefly and line 8 X 8 dish with them. Take 1/2 the Cool Whip and spread over cookies. Mix the chocolate pudding with 2 cups milk. Layer over top of Cool Whip. Dip next 9 cookies in the milk and lay on top of pudding. Top with remaining Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.Makes 9 servings, 2 WW points.

For more great Weight Watcher recipes go to Overwhelmed With Joy!

Monday Menu Plan

I so hate when I miss planning my meals. It just makes it so much easier, so I am going to try to get caught up! "Fail to Plan...Plan to Fail"
This week I am trying these new recipes: Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole, Peanut Butter Holy Cow Cake, and the Crockpot Brown Sugar Chili.
Saturday-Diet Coke Sloppy Joes on 1 pt buns, corn
Sunday- Dh is cooking and I am sure I will have to use FLEX points because I think it is steak. He ask me to give him a GREAT dessert recipe, he picked the Peanut Butter Holy Cow Cake(recipe below)
Monday-Swiss Chicken Casserole- 6 points, green beans, mashed potatoes
Tuesday- Fat Free Hot Dogs on wheat buns-3 points; Baked Doritos-2 points, corn
Wednesday- Boca Burgers, Baked Doritos
Thursday-Brown Sugar Chili (See Recipe Below)
Friday-Mom's Pizza - 4 points, salad
Saturday-Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole (Recipe below), salad
Sunday-Doritos casserole- salad
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Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole
1 pound lean ground beef
1 can enchilada sauce
1 small can tomato sauce
1 small can sliced black olives
1 can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits
Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, shredded (I plan to use the WW Mexican Shredded Cheese)
Brown ground beef, drain. Mix in a can of enchilada sauce and a small can of tomato sauce. Then add a small can of sliced black olives. Cut up the refrigerated biscuits and stir them in. Then you just dump it all in a greased casserole and bake until the biscuits are brown. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until biscuits are done. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
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Crockpot Brown Sugar Chili
8 Servings
240 Calories 4 g. Fiber 6 g. Fat
FROM: “Fix it and Forget it Lightly” Cookbook
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
½ c. brown sugar
2 T. prepared mustard 1
medium sized onion, chopped
2 cans (14 oz. each) kidney or red beans
2 c. low-sodium tomato juice
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 t. chili powder
Brown ground beef and onion in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and mustard. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on HIGH 2-3 hours. If possible, stir several times during cooking.
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Peanut Butter Better Than Sex Cake
Serving size: 20, 4 pts per serving
18 1/4 oz chocolate cake mix - devil's food, 1 box
10 oz. Diet Coke
1 egg white
7 oz. FF sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons low fat peanut butter
8 oz. (1 tub) Cool Whip Free, thawed
7 Nestle Fun Size Butterfinger candy bars
Combine cake mix, diet cola, and egg white. Bake according to cake mix instructions in a floured 9x13 pan. A few minutes before the cake is to be done combine sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter in sauce pan. Cook and stir on low to make creamy and warm. When cake is done and still hot, poke holes in top of cake with knife and pour peanut butter mixture over top of cake. You may have to spread the mixture a little to help it go down into the holes. Sprinkle top with half of chopped Butterfingers. Cool cake completely. Cover with Cool Whip and sprinkle remaining Butterfingers over top. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.
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Go here to see more plans.

Menu Plan Monday

Time to plan another week. At my last Weight Watcher weigh in, I lost another 2 pounds which means that I have now lost over 40 pounds. Planning my meals really helps me stay on points. I usually plan 7 meal and then decide throughout the week when I want to fix them. This is my plan until I go back to the grocery so it is a little longer than a week.

1. Beef Stroganoff Casserole(see recipe below)

2. Salisbury Steak(see recipe below), mashed potatoes, green beans

3. Deep Dish Pizza Casserole, 6 points; salad w/lite dressing, 2 points

4. Swiss Chicken Casserole- 6 points, green beans, mashed potatoes

5. Fat Free Hot Dogs on wheat buns-3 points; Baked Doritos-2 points, corn

6. Chili Dog Casserole(see recipe below)

7. Ranch Chicken- 8 points, salad

8. Spaghetti Casserole Bake (7 points), salad

9.Doritos casserole-7 points; corn

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Beef Stroganoff Casserole

1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup

8 oz. reduced fat sour cream

12 oz. uncooked egg noodles

1 pound lean ground beef

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Brown ground beef and drain. Combine soups and sour cream. Add beef and noodles, mix well. Cover with foil and bake in a 10 X 13 dish at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 8. 7 WW points (Please check your ingredients and your points, this one can have different points for egg noodles, etc.)

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Salisbury Steak

1 pound lean beef

1 pack onion soup mix

1 can Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup water

1 cup FF beef broth

2 tablespoons quick oats

small can mushrooms, drained

Mix water, meat, quick oats, and onion soup mix. Make into 4 large patties. Cook on med/high heat and brown both sides. Combine other ingredients, pour over patties. Reduce heat to med/low. cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

4 servings, 5 WW points

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Chili Dog Casserole

5 Low fat Hot Dog Bun

8 Fat Free Hot dogs

1/4 cup diced onions(optional)

2 tablespoons mustard

1 (15 ounce) can Turkey Chili

2 cups Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the bottom of the casserole pan with butter-flavored Pam. Break buns into bite size pieces, and place in bottom of pan with outside of buns on bottom. Slice hot dogs into bite size pieces and place on top. Mix mustard, onion, and chili and pour on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Serves 8, WW points per serving 4

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Go here to see more plans.

Favorite Ingredient Friday

Awesome Fruit Dip
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12 oz ff cream cheese
7 oz marshmallow cream
1 orange
Get cream cheese room temperature, mix together with marshmallow cream add juice from orange. You can even add a little of the pulp. Dip any fruit you like in it.
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We used to make this at Pampered Chef parties when I was a consultant. It is really good. it is 20 WW points for the whole recipe, but I do not know how many servings it makes? This would be a treat for me now.
For more great recipes go to Overwhelmed With Joy!

Slow Cooking Thursday-Swiss Chicken Casserole

This is another recipe that I enjoyed the full fat version before doing Weight Watchers, but this one is really just as good! Enjoy!
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Swiss Chicken Casserole
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1 pkg. Stove Top stuffing mix
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 slices non fat Swiss cheese
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
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Place Stovetop stuffing mix(dry ingredients) in a sprayed crockpot (with fat free PAM). Add chicken breast over stuffing mix. Add the 4 slices of non fat Swiss cheese over chicken pieces.Spread cream of mushroom soup over the top of the chicken and cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup warm water around the edges. Cook on LOW in crockpot for 6 hours. If you prefer you can cook in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Makes 6 servings (1 breast and 1/2 cup stuffing) at 6 WW points each.

Slow Cooking Thursday is sponsored by Diary of a SAHM go look there for more recipes.

Tasty Thursday

You will be amazed at how much this taste like a Snickers candy bar who would have thought and it is made with low fat ingredients and Grape Nuts. Enjoy!
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Snickers Pie
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12 ounces (1.5 cups) fat-free vanilla frozen-yogurt, slightly softened
1 small box sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup Cool Whip Lite
3 ounces nugget cereal (Grape Nuts)
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Mix all ingredients together and pour into 8" dish and freeze.
Yields 8 servings
Nutritional Info: (per serving) 131 calories, 4 g. fat, 1 g. fiber (3 WW points)
Note: Once the pie has sat in the freezer for a few hours, it gets incredibly hard. If the frozen pie is too hard for your tastes, you can let it sit out for 10-15 minutes, or microwave for 15 seconds, before serving.
Trista over at The Pumkin Patch is the host of Tasty Thursday, head on over to her blog to see more tasty recipes