Weight Watchers Mini Cheesecakes

Weight Watchers Mini Cheesecake Recipe (3 P+)

These little beauties were my treat that I brought to our Play Group on Valentine's Day. There are about six  mommies who get together and three of us happen to be on Weight Watchers. So, I decided to bring this Weight Watcher version of mini cherry cheesecakes. They were delish and at just 3 P+, they were easy on the our waistlines too. Here is the recipe if you'd like to make them too!






First, crush graham crackers until you make crumbs. You need 3/4 of a cup. Add 2 Tablespoons of melted light butter (or margarine). I mixed it all in the bag so that it would be easy clean up - just throw away the bag!

Spoon 1 Tablespoon of graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of a lined muffin tin. These are NOT mini-muffin tins but rather regular sized muffin tins. Press crumbs into the bottom of the liners. 

Separate two eggs and set aside the egg whites. (Yes, you are counting three egg yolks. I goofed but caught myself before actually adding the extra egg white to my recipe.)

Beat 2/3 cup of light cream cheese with 6 Tablespoons of fat free cream cheese until fluffy. Add in egg whites, 3 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. Blend until smooth.

Pour equal amounts of filling onto graham cracker crusts. I used 1/8 measuring cup and what was left over was portioned equally into the cups. 

Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes and then let cool.

Top with 1 Tablespoon of light cherry pie filling. Eat and enjoy! One cheesecake is 3 Points Plus! Yum!!

And just for fun, here is a picture of me in my Valentine's Day get up. Any excuse for an at-home mommy to get dressed up is a win in my book! ;) 


*Complete recipe at the bottom of the post. 

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes


2 Tablespoons Light Butter
3/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
2/3 Cup of Light Cream Cheese
6 Tablespoons of Fat Free Cream Cheese
2 Egg Whites
3 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla 
1/2 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Light Fruit Pie Filling, Cherry

• Place 12 cupcake liners in a cupcake pan. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  
• In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Spoon 1 tablespoon of crumb mixture into bottom of each liner and press down gently; refrigerate until ready to use.
  
• In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat both types of cream cheese until fluffy. Add lemon juice, egg whites, vanilla extract and sugar; beat until smooth.
  
• Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly into muffin liners; bake until set, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  
• Top each cheesecake with 1 tablespoon cherry pie filling. Yields 1 cheesecake per serving.

4th of July Fun

Hi all! I hope you are enjoying this Monday! Thunder is rolling in the background as I type and the sky is incredibly grey. Oh how I love storms! I really, really do! When I'm done typing this post, I'm going to hop offline and enjoy it. It's times like this that I wish I had a covered porch. One day maybe!

Part of today's post is a repost of a craft my Mom did last year for the 4th of July. It's as cute as can be and really simple. I'm also including a recipe for July 4th Salad that I just can't get enough of. Enjoy!
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I came home to find that my mom had mad me these cute firecrackers. Aren't they adorable? I'm inlove!

Here is a quick rundown of how to make them.

Supplies:
Dowel rod - I think this is a 3/4 inch rod
Saw
Drill
Jute string
Hot glue
Paint: cream, navy, red
Stain

Begin by cutting your dowl rod into equal sections. I think these are about 4 or 5 inches long. Drill a hole in one end. Paint the ends of the dowel rod navy blue. Don't forget the bottom! Paint the body of the firecracker white with red stripes. Add stain to age the firecrackers. Add a dab of hot glue to the hole. Poke your jute string inside. Set out to enjoy!

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July 4th Salad

Ingredients:
1 small head of cauliflower, chopped
1 small bunch of broccoli, chopped
Half an onion, minced
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup bacon, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup salad dressing (like Miracle Whip)
1 tablespoon vinegar

Combine veggies, cheese and bacon in a large bowl. Toss well. Combine sugar, salad dressing and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk together well. Pour over veggies in the large bowl and stir to combine. Put in fridge until serving! Yum!

Best served with BBQ chicken. :)

To see some other great 4th of July inspiration, head on over to

Centsational Girls Stars and Stripes Party!

EASY Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

During this pregnancy I haven't had many cravings. One was for my father-n-law's hamburgers (and he did make them for me!) and then I find myself longing for warm, buttered biscuits (I've made a number of batches already!), mashed potatoes and those down home comfort foods. Trying too hard not to indulge those wants too much as I don't want to many of the extra padded pounds!

But last night I made one of our favorite recipes in this house. It's for an EASY Chicken Pot Pie. It's comforting, yummy, and so incredibly easy. While it may not be a recipe you whip out midsummer - we have been in a bit of a cold snap lately and it seemed all to perfect to make last night. Here's the recipe and how-to!


I start with this, one of my favorite cookbooks. It's a Gooseberry Patch cookbook - one that I was given by my mom when I got married. It's full of easy, tasty recipes that are perfect for people on a limited budget (5 ingredients or less!), or new to cooking (like I was as a new bride) and who like fast, easy, yummy recipes. I think a lot of us could fall into one of those categories.

Chicken Pot Pie
2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
15-oz. can of mixed veggies, drained*
2 10-3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
10-oz. tube refridgerated biscuits (such as Pillsbury)

* I use about 1 1/2 cups of mixed frozen veggies (like California Blend and some corn). Cook according to package directions. Drain and use in recipe as follows.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Place in an ungreased 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes. While baking, slice uncooked biscuits into quarters; set aside. Remove dish from oven and stir. Arrange biscuit pieces on top of hot chicken mixture; bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden. Enjoy!  Yields: 6 servings

Gather your ingredients. And yes, that is my milk in a bag. :)

Combine your chicken soups, milk, veggies and chicken in a bowl. Mix well. Put into an ungreased 2 quart baking dish. Pop in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Cut your biscuits into quarters. Place on top of your chicken mixture when your 20 minute timer beeps. Arrange on top of chicken mix. Pop back into oven for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Today I'm hooking up with Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for Tasty Tuesday. Yum! Head on over for other delish recipes.

Homemade Pizza Recipe - Way Too Easy!

Homemade pizza with ham and two cheeses.

K, so I'm a pizza lover. I truly could eat it every day. All day. And then I'd blow up. But it wouldn't matter because I would die happy. Eating pizza.

But even when we get good deals on frozen pizza or at the pizzeria itself, pizza can be so expensive. So I dared to try to make it myself. With yeast and everything. (Making anything with yeast has always scared me because I just wasn't sure how to do it or wasn't sure about making the water the right temp or that it bloomed. I know, making a mountain out of a molehill.)

I found this great recipe and my love of pizza and cheap outweighed my fear of yeast. And I discovered that it was so easy. EASY! And delish! My hubby loved this pizza.


Pizza Dough

1 Tablespoon (or 1 packet) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon each garlic powder, rosemary*, Italian seasoning

I didn't have rosemary on hand so I substituted oregano.


Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil to water mixture. Combine dry ingredients and then add wet. Stir well. Knead in bowl - adding extra flour if necessary - until dough is smooth.

Press evenly onto very lightly greased pizza stone. Add sauce and toppings. Top with mozzarella cheese. (We also added a bit of cheddar.)

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned. Enjoy!
 
 
Pizza Topping Ideas
Pepperoni
Sausage
Onion
Bacon
Black Olives
Ham
Pineapple
Veggies
 

Prepping Ahead

"If you fail to plan, plan to fail."

So, I'm planning.

I've mentioned briefly that I'm plugging away at Weight Watchers. My hubby has gained a few pounds that he'd like to get rid of and though he's not doing any sort of weight loss program, I am doing my best to set up a healthy environment for us. He just finished trade school where he was living out of town and he told me to tell you that all he could afford was MGD and chicken wings. Sheesh. :)

So to help us manage this weight loss thing better, I'm setting up our environment. Here's what I'm doing.


1. Kicking The Junk To The Curb

I purposly DON'T buy junk. Potato chips, ice-cream and candy have not passed the threshold of this house in a few months. We've opted for pretzels instead of chips. And here's something - I love dip. Heluva dip. I'm even it's fan on Facebook. I haven't purchased any in awhile because it's just one of those treats that I could literally sit and eat the whole container. So I've decided that when I do buy it - I'll forgo the chip dipping and dip my veggies in it instead. And honestly, I'm excited about it!


2. Preparing For A Chocolate Fix

A girl has to have chocolate right? So here's how we are handeling that fix. The hubby bought some Nature Valley granola bars at Walmart for $2. They are actually called Dark Chocolate Nut. Yum!! And...dark chocolate is supposed to be good for you, right? I'm also anxious to try this recipe for Black Bean Brownies. Sounds gross, right? But apparently they are amazing! I have the beans and the brownie mix - so when I hit a chocolate fix, I'll definatly be making them. I also have the ingredients for this Hungry Girl Yum Yum Brownie recipe using just a box of devil's food cake mix and solid pack pumpkin.


3. Preppin' My F & V

I wash my grapes and then spin them dry in my salad spinner.

Important to get them really dry so they don't spoil too quickly.

I prep my veggies and some fruit ahead of time. I set some time aside shortly after I go grocery shopping and wash and chop my produce.

Inevitably, it ALWAYS happens that I'm running behind in my day and never want to chop my veggies and such before lunch.

Lettuce - washed and cut in a bag (add a wet paper towel to help keep lettuce fresh),

Grapes, Cucumbers, Green Onions

I usually grab what is convenient and already made. Now I have no excuses when it comes to making healthy lunches. Everything is all ready for me! I can't even tell you how many wonderful salads and meals I've made with these already prepped ingredients.


4. Preparing Some Protein

At the top of the week, I prepped ahead this chicken. These quarter chickens were only a little over $5. Rinse chicken and cut away any visible fat.

Brush tops with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper. Roast in oven at 350 F for about 45 minutes. Give or take. Check your meat thermometer for doneness. I grabbed this idea from Ina Garten. She roasts up chicken and then uses the meat (minus the skin) for things like chicken salad and shredded chicken meat for whatever recipe she is making.

Leaving the skin on during cooking seals in the juices and you are left with such a nice moist chicken full of flavor. After the chicken has cooled slightly, remove the skin, shred and either eat or stock away for later. You can even put the shredded chicken in a freezer bag or container and store in the freezer for a later time. Convenient!


So there you go! A little prep ahead saves a world of time in the long run. I think our waistlines are thanking us.

Do you have any planning tips to pass along? I'd love to hear them!

I'm hooking up with Keelie and her Food Faves and Finds party!

Food Faves and Finds - Salmon and Greek Salad

Today I'm hooking up with Keelie from Real Fat. She's blogging about her weight loss journey. She's so transparent and stinkin' funny! Her blog is packed with all kinds of tips and food ideas. She's transformed her body in just two months. It's been really awesome to see. Plus, she's just plain sweet! She's started posting her Favorite Foods and Finds every Friday and has asked us to hook up with her. So, I'm doing just that! (And because I'm just not that smart, I can't figure out how to ever add those cute buttons that people make to link back to their blog - HELP! - so I'll just provide the old fashioned link so you can hop over to see everyone else's fun finds.)

Oh, by the way, I've started Weight Watchers again. Just thought I'd throw that in there. :)


I absolutely love salmon. I can't get enough of it. I hate all things fish related so this is a really weird one for me. But I honestly could eat the whole package I love it so much. After counting the points, I realized that each fillet is less than 2 points each so I guess it wouldn't be that bad but I'm trying to put gluteny on the back burner.


I start with a frozen package of wild Pacific salmon. I let it thaw in the fridge overnight.

I then brush the top with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper.

Bake on a lined baking sheet at 450 degrees for 10 to 14 minutes.

(The package says 10 minutes but I usually add a couple minutes on to the cooking time.)

The salad is a version of a Greek Salad. Here is what I did:

• Chop one cup of cucumber.
• Chop one cup of tomato. 
• Chop one small red onion into bite sized pieces.
• (You can add Calamata olives but I didn't have any on hand.)
• Sprinkle salad with dried orageno. (The recipe calls for fresh but I didn't have any of this either.)
• Top with feta cheese. (Mine had gone bad - stinky!! - so I used some mozzarella cheese cut into small pieces. )
• Whisk two teaspoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of red wine vinegar together until emulsified. Pour over salad. Toss.

Because I'm goofy, I decided to put this into the oven during the last few minutes of the salmon cooking. It melted the cheese, softened the veggies and warmed everything so nicely. I loved it that way!

I couldn't eat all of the salad during one sitting - so I saved it for my dinner. But I did mow down two salmon fillets. LOVE them!!

Points Breakdown:

One Salmon Fillet - 2 points (4 for me since I had 2)

Salad - 2 points for oil (I didn't eat all of the oil as a lot was left in the bottom of the bowl but I still counted it as 2 points since I added oil to the salmon.)

              Veggies - 0 points
              Cheese - 4 points (I had had two serving sizes as I was really low on points this day.)


An eight point super filling lunch! Yum!!

Mashed Potato and Black Friday Tips!

What a title for a post! But......

Don't fret over the mashed potatoes. Seriously. Mash those bad boys up with some butter, a bit of milk and a pinch of onion powder, salt and pepper. Then, stick them in the crock pot about two hours before dinner. Stir every so often so the sides don't burn - but seriously, this is one of the best tips I have learned from my Mom. No bother waiting until the last minute to make the potatoes so that they are served hot. No double boiler. Just the crock pot. A free stove. Now that's beauty!

There are seventeen people coming over tomorrow - that includes my new nephew and my neice - there will be quiet a crowd. I'm anticipating a lot of laughter, amazing food, the best company and a great time. Around 3 o'clock I may be passed out due to the turkey overload, but it will all be worth it.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

And if you have a few minutes to spare and want to read a post I did last year on the most comprehensive guide to Black Friday shopping, check this post out! Lotsa information if you are new to the game.

A Quick Summer Treat

Image Courtesy of: GraphicsHunt.com

Ahhhh....can you feel the heat? I know I sure can! It's driving me out of my kitchen because who wants to turn on the oven? Not me! But I still need some sweet treats to put into my hubby's lunch. Here is a quick recipe that requires no oven. (Well, you may need to use a burner to melt two ingredients if you don't have a microwave...which I don't.) This recipe makes a ton. And if you keep it in the fridge, they are always nice and cold. Something yummy to nosh on on a hot day like today.


CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BARS
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup graham crackers, finely crushed (I use one sleeve of crackers)
16 oz. package confectioners/icing sugar
2 cups chocolate chips

Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Spread into a greased 15x10 pan. Melt chocolate chips. Spread overtop of graham cracker mixture. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Score bars. Put back in the fridge for an hour or until solid. Enjoy!

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A note to Jill who won the 18x24 giveaway: I have sent a few emails your way but they keep coming back as undeliverable. Please email me (my address is on my sidebar) by tomorrow so I can get the prize info out to you . If I don't hear from you, I'll have to draw another name. Thanks!

WW TuttiFrutti Re-Do

This morning, my hubby called from work to ask if I wanted to go to breakfast. I sure did! He said that he was on his way home and to get ready. We were going out for a treat.

Shane has been working 7-10's (7 days a week, 10 hour days) for the past month. On top of that, he has night school until 10:30 pm twice a week. And, this is our busy season as we are getting ready for the big craft show next weekend. Needless to say, we needed a date.

We went to a new restaurant here in town called "TuttiFrutti". It's a breakfast/lunch place that specializes in crepes and serves a lot of fruit with their meals. The place was just packed with people and when we arrived around 11:30, there was a twenty minute wait. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait that long and were seated fairly quickly.

I haven't quiet stuck to my WW points as I should have been and lately, I've really slacked on my exercising. Well, today I decided that even though I was out to eat (a real treat in my book), I was going to do my best to choose healthy options for my eating. So, here's what I had.

I chose a cappuccino for my beverage. I believe that a cappuccino is very low for WW points (I don't have my little book on me so I'm not positive how many points it actually is.) and it also counts as a milk. I asked for a glass of water on the side. Mental note to self: Next time, ask for the cappuccino to come out with my meal.

I then ordered this feast:

Crepes, French toast and fruit....in other words, The V.I.P. Breakfast.

I nibbled the crepes a bit but mostly left them. The French toast was delish! No syrup so I didn't have to contend with those calories and the fruit was incredibly filling.

So, how do I recreate this recipe at home?

Well, here's what I was thinking.

I'd leave off the crepes. To me, they weren't necessary and without fruit and creme, aren't too tasty to my palate.

I would then make myself some French toast. Below I will include a recipe for WW French Toast that has gotten some great reviews.

Now, instead of syrup, sprinkle your French toast with a light dusting of cinnamon and a very light dusting of icing sugar (powdered sugar). Just a bit ads a nice touch of sweetness. As you can see in the photo, it wasn't exactly a light dusting on my plate, but the restaurant did that, not me. :)

Here are all the different fruits that topped my meal:

• Pineapple
• Honeydew Melon
• Cantaloupe
• Red Apple Slices
• Granny Smith Apple Slices
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Watermelon

Everything was sliced nicely. Can you imagine all of the other fruits you could ad?

The presentation was great! This is a meal that can easily be created at home. Think of all the delicious and filling fiber you are getting from the fruit. I almost wouldn't even be afraid to use real French bread when making my own French toast. I would just weigh it out. Last time I had a bag of French bread, it was 2 points per so many ounces. They were thick slices. Sometimes it's just worth it to get the real thing.

So there's some weekend inspiration for ya! If anyone tries something like this, let me know. Have a great weekend!

Weight Watcher's French Toast Recipe

Some WW Lunches and a Recipe

Today I wanted to share a couple of WW lunches that have carried me through this weight loss journey and a recipe for a soup. It was adapted from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook, "Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen". I put my own spin on it and maybe you can spin it a bit your own way. It's so good, I crave it all the time!

One reason I love the WW magazine so much is that they put in different menu ideas. I love to see what others are noshing on for their lunches and breakfasts. I need ideas! Especially things that are filling, delish, and are relatively easy to put together. So, here are some ideas that I've come up with.

Veggie Pita
This is such a filling lunch! I start with a large whole wheat pita, split and cut in half. I add a tablespoon of Miracle Whip to each half. Miracle Whip is only 1 point per serving...it may be 1 point for two servings...but I really can't remember at this moment. Either way, it's low. You could also use fat-free Italian dressing or maybe another salad dressing you like. Dijon mustard would be great too as would just plain ol' yellow. No points with the regular mustard!

Then chop chop chop your veggies. Here I used:

• Cucumbers
• Red pepper
• Spinach
• Grape Tomatoes

You could also use:

• Green Onion
• Green and Yellow Peppers
• Romaine Lettuce
• Shaved Carrot
• Roasted Red Pepper

I added a half a serving of Mozzarella cheese (1.5 points) and a serving of pretzels. Wala!! Tasty and filling.

Fruit Salad

I couldn't get enough of eating a giant fruit salad for my lunches one week. I mean, that's all I seemed to want. Yummy fruit! This day I ate a giant bowl of it, two rice cakes for 1 point, two WW muffins (2 points each) and jam (1 point). This day I didn't eat breakfast. Can you tell?

* Yummy alert! Have you ever added vanilla yogurt to your fruit? Wow, is that ever good! Mix one cup of vanilla yogurt (a milk serving and if you choose fat-free I think it's only 2 points per serving). Mix that in with a cup of grapes or a sliced banana or both. Wow. Sooo good.

Waffels with Fruit Topping

I've never ever been one for waffels. Ever. For whatever reason, I'm just not a fan. But, in the name of trying things new, I bought myself a box of frozen whole wheat fat-free blueberry waffels. Wow, what a long name. To elimante the calories of sugary syrup (the sugar-free doesn't interest me) and butter, I decided to smash a banana and use that as my topping. I don't think I'd want waffels any other way now! One banana was plenty for both waffels. I even added a bit of blueberry to the mash. When I have fresh strawberries, I'm going to try those mashed on my waffels. The day I ate this, I satisfied all the way until lunch. Very filling.

The Soup

I don't know what you'd call this but boy, it is so easy and good. It's kind of a dump and heat kind of thing. Anyone can make it. First you gather your ingredients.

• One box of chicken stock (you could use two if you prefer a more brothy soup)
• Veggies - loads of them! (I keep lots of frozen veggies on hand to dump into dishes I am making. I used half a bag of California blend veggies and half a bag of corn.)
• Potatoes -peeled and cubed (I used a combo of red and white - use whatever you have. I used about 6.)
• One can of stewed tomatoes (diced if you have them, if they are whole, just dice yourself.)
• One onion - minced finely (Half if you're not an onion lover)
• Bean (if you feel like it. This was the first time I added beans [black eyed peas] Doens't need it if you don't like it.)
• 3 cloves of garlic - minced finely (I love the flavor it gives - add less if you want, but definatly have 1 clove)
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or non-stick cooking spray (I have the non-stick spray in my photo but I think I used EVOO)

In a large stockpot, heat oil and add onion. Cook until translucent. Add garlic. Do not burn the garlic. It can taste bitter. Next, add your tomatoes, beans, potatoes and chicken stock. Simmer for a few minutes. Stir. Add your frozen veggies. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Serve hot. This is also great for serving the next day. Mmm, mmm good!

Do you have any good ideas for lunches or breakfasts?