Umm let me just say how much I hated this book. I am so sorry to the author for hating her book but I hated it!!! Yes it's worthy of 3 exclamation points.
Girls Poker Night by Jill Davis was almost exhausting to read through. Not because of great story line or amazing writing, but beause of sheer lack of organization. Maybe that's what Ms Davis was going for but it was just not my cup of tea. In fact I won't waste any more typing time on this one....simply put...Don't Read It!
Happy Monday Everyone!
Next on my list is the Alternate Book: Cleaving by Julie Powell, it came a lot quicker from the library than I expected. I am starting it tonight. Another one I'll probably be disappointed in from what I've heard but I just have to read it out of curiosity!
March 29, 2010
March 28, 2010
I'm a Beautiful Blogger?!?!?! Why THANK YOU Tracy!!!
Today when I checked my email I had such a great suprise. I had an email alerting me of a comment that Tracy over at Tracy's Treasures award of Beautiful Blogger!! I was so suprised and touched! I think blogging is so much fun and I think it's so neat to have people think it's cool :-)
Part of being a beautiful blogger you are supposed to share 10 things about myself and share this award with 10 other people!! No problem!!
10 blogs I love and award a Beautiful Blogger to are:
1. My Mom's blog because I love her and I LOVE how creative she is and how awesome every Scrapbook page and every card turns out! Crafts & Critters
2. Tracy - because I love how funny she is. Her life sounds so amusing just on a daily basis! And she always seems to be doing something fun either with her shopping trips or with her daughters!! Tracy's Treasures.
3. Alycia - a friend of mine who is Blogging her way through her wedding planning which I love! She's not your typical bride and it offers another side to wedding plan that is so cute and fun!! And her other blog gets a nomination too because I love her reviews on movies and books!! Her and I have similar tastes so it's nice to get a review before I spend money and time on a book or movie that sucks! Driving Blind and The Wonder Wall!
4. Gina over at Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes! Her sub title shouldn't just be Cooking up Skinny Recipes it should say Cooking Up AMAZING Skinny Recipes! Her recipes and pictures are so awesome! I tried her Cauliflower Puree and I recommend it!! Go check it out!!!
5. Sara who shows off her awesome decorating skills and ideas! I love checking this blog for new and inspirational ideas! Delightful Dwelling
6. Dalayney over at Dalayney's Doodles! I love love love this blog! She has such cute crafts and then all the fun stuff she does with her Sons!
7. Princess Flufferbutt - I don't know this person in real life but her blog is so cute and funny! I stumbled along her blog awhile back when she was chronicling her adventures of New York! It made me want to go to New York and try a Crumbs Cupcake! Now she's pregnant and I can't wait to hear all about her adventures of being a new mommy!!
8. Rachel over at I Love My Three Sons has a variety blog that I love. A little mix of DELICIOUS recipes and an array of cute scrapbook layouts! I love it to just get inspired every once in awhile!!
9. And other then the Title need I say more? Thrifty Decor Chick!! A highly popular blog because it offers great ideas on how to decorate on the cheap :-)
10. A brand new blog I am following but am loving so far is: Finesse Your Nest! Not only does she have a great name :-) but her decorating skills are amazing!! Go check it out!
Now the 10 things about me:
1. I love my dogs Buster and Roxy and my cats Belle and Jasmine as if they were children instead of pets! They are the cutests things in the world and yes I am totally bias!
2. I manage a website in my 9-5 job :-) and as my boyfriend said tonight "I'm working late" with my other "job"
3. We tape reruns of the King of Queens because we can seriously relate to the way Doug and Carrie are.
4. I wish I could scrapbook and cook for my day job and do it the rest of my life. It would be the best "Job" ever!
5. I played clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, and piano. I no longer play but I hope when we buy a house I can get a piano.
6. My boyfriend and I could play Guitar Hero for hours and we have. We've ignored phone calls for our game!
7. I love Major League Baseball! Let's go A's!
8. I bought my first home when I was 22 with my boyfriend!
9. I love fixing up and decorating our home. Even though it's taking awhile it's going to be so worth it!
10. I love shopping at thrift stores or off Craiglist, buying furniture and refinishing it. It's so calming!
Thanks again to Tracy for Awarding me this award and providing me with the opportunity to give this award out to other bloggers!! :-)
Spring has Sprung!!!
I first have to say I love the Safeway/Kohls Promotion. Last week or was it the week before? I can't remember as I feel like I'm always at the grocery store!!! Safeway and Kohls teamed up and gave Safeway Shoppers a Reward!! I got $20 Kohls cash and on Friday my coworker Laura wanted to go to Kohls to buy Easter stuff and I was so happy to tag a long since Easter is one holiday that I love but don't decorate for! Our other coworker Jamie came along too!!
And did Kohls have the deals???? I got all my Easter decorations at 60% off!! What a score!!
I got 2 cute spring placemats that I can leave out until the end of May for Spring!
These adorable vanilla smelling candles with egg shapes in them! So cute right?
Here the placements are on the table!! See that bag to the right, that is still my Scrapbooking Convention purchases! I've been so busy I haven't been able to play with them or at least put them away!!
I also picked up this adorable table runner! And instead of on the table, the placemats being enough, we moved somethings around on the TV Stand to make it fit!!!
And did Kohls have the deals???? I got all my Easter decorations at 60% off!! What a score!!
I got 2 cute spring placemats that I can leave out until the end of May for Spring!
These adorable vanilla smelling candles with egg shapes in them! So cute right?
Here the placements are on the table!! See that bag to the right, that is still my Scrapbooking Convention purchases! I've been so busy I haven't been able to play with them or at least put them away!!
I also picked up this adorable table runner! And instead of on the table, the placemats being enough, we moved somethings around on the TV Stand to make it fit!!!
I love it this way because we can still have our flowers out but also some pretty Easter decorations! Granted the colors don't really go together but it's only for a week now!
Anyone else out there decorate for Easter? With all the cute Easter stuff I've seen around town while shopping makes me want to start collecting to go all out next year!! Hmm maybe I should do some more shopping tomorrow on my lunch break!!!
Anyone else out there decorate for Easter? With all the cute Easter stuff I've seen around town while shopping makes me want to start collecting to go all out next year!! Hmm maybe I should do some more shopping tomorrow on my lunch break!!!
Sneak Peak!!
Will I ever get a free weekend???? I doubt it but I'm okay with that. This was one of those weekends where I was working on a Home Improvement!! Since I redid my scrapbook room awhile back I really wanted Chuck to get his own space and make it his own! This weekend I got started on that project. I begin with Painting it!!!
Check out these before pictures:
The blue in this house makes me want to vomit! I am so tired of blue! I couldn't wait to get this room repainted!!
Since Chuck wanted to make his room a sports themed room, of course what else could a man cave be???, he picked red and cream, well a white but with the red he picked we didn't want to get a blinding white so we went with a Heavy Cream color!
Still a little blue lingering around.......
TA DA!! Welcome red!!! This wall has turned out so great and Chuck couldn't be happier with the colors!!
Now I just have to finish up a few trim spots and paint the shelves. Today we went on a mission to find his futon but we didn't find anything we really liked so we are back to the drawing board! Keep your eyes peeled for the Final Reveal in a few weeks :-)
Check out these before pictures:
The blue in this house makes me want to vomit! I am so tired of blue! I couldn't wait to get this room repainted!!
Since Chuck wanted to make his room a sports themed room, of course what else could a man cave be???, he picked red and cream, well a white but with the red he picked we didn't want to get a blinding white so we went with a Heavy Cream color!
Still a little blue lingering around.......
TA DA!! Welcome red!!! This wall has turned out so great and Chuck couldn't be happier with the colors!!
Now I just have to finish up a few trim spots and paint the shelves. Today we went on a mission to find his futon but we didn't find anything we really liked so we are back to the drawing board! Keep your eyes peeled for the Final Reveal in a few weeks :-)
Cin-A-Licious Nuggets!!
Another new breakfast recipe? Oh yes....Another new recipe I LOVE??? You betcha!!
This morning I tried out a recipe I've been eyeing since the first time I looked through this book! The Cinnamon-Vanilla French Toast Nuggets!!!
Gathering all the delightful ingredients: Hot Dog Buns, yes I said Hot Dog Buns!, Sugar Free French Vanilla powder creamer, egg substitute, and cinnamon!
You chop up 2 Hot Dog Buns to make 16 pieces. You combine the french vanilla creamer, 1 tablespoon warm water, a dash of cinnamon, and 1/3 cup egg substitute.
Next dip the nuggets into the mixture. And then put them in a medium-high heat pan sprayed with nonstick spray!!
I must have put too much mixture on one or two nuggets because I had one lone nugget left with no mixture to soak it with!! Poor little nugget....the dogs got a little bread with their breakfast this morning!
Oh my YUM!!! The little french toast nuggets were better than a big piece of french toast. And dipping them into some amazing warmed up syrup! And how fun to have breakfast you can dip!!!
A healthy alternative to french toast is a must have in this household! I love getting up on the weekends and cooking a big breakfast for Chuck and I and now I don't have to give up the goodness of french toast.
This morning I tried out a recipe I've been eyeing since the first time I looked through this book! The Cinnamon-Vanilla French Toast Nuggets!!!
Gathering all the delightful ingredients: Hot Dog Buns, yes I said Hot Dog Buns!, Sugar Free French Vanilla powder creamer, egg substitute, and cinnamon!
You chop up 2 Hot Dog Buns to make 16 pieces. You combine the french vanilla creamer, 1 tablespoon warm water, a dash of cinnamon, and 1/3 cup egg substitute.
Next dip the nuggets into the mixture. And then put them in a medium-high heat pan sprayed with nonstick spray!!
I must have put too much mixture on one or two nuggets because I had one lone nugget left with no mixture to soak it with!! Poor little nugget....the dogs got a little bread with their breakfast this morning!
Oh my YUM!!! The little french toast nuggets were better than a big piece of french toast. And dipping them into some amazing warmed up syrup! And how fun to have breakfast you can dip!!!
A healthy alternative to french toast is a must have in this household! I love getting up on the weekends and cooking a big breakfast for Chuck and I and now I don't have to give up the goodness of french toast.
Another plus to this recipe they go great with a cup coffee with French Vanilla creamer!!
Cinnamon-Vanilla French Toast Nuggets
Ingredients:
2 hot dog buns
1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
1 teaspoon Coffee-mate Sugar Free French Vanilla powdered creamer
2 dashes cinnamon
Optional topping, sugar-free pancake syrup
Directions:
Split each bun in half and cut each of those halves into 4 pieces, leaving you with 16 chunks of bread.
In a small bowl, dissolve powdered creamer in 1 tablespoon warm water. Add egg substitute and 1 dash cinnamon, stirring until mixed well.
Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Dip or soak bread pieces in egg mixture, covering them completely. Place egg-dipped bread pieces in the pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, flipping occasionally to cook all sides.
Remove from heat and plate your nuggets. Sprinkle with another dash cinnamon. If you like top with some sugar free pancake syrup.
Makes 2 servings
Per serving (8 nuggets): 151 calories, 2.25g fat, 299mg sodium, 24g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 3.5g sugars, 8.5g protein.
And only 3 weight watchers points per serving! WOO HOO!!
Wrap-A-Licious
Today Chuck and I had a few errands to run and when we got home we both were STARVING!! Instead of resorting to getting something while out we made sure to come home so I could make something healthy!!
I chose to try the BLT Salad Wrap from Hungry Girl!!
I gathered all the ingredients: Lettuce, Ketchup, Mayo, Tortilla, Tomato, and Extra Lean Turkey Bacon! Okay so the ketchup isn't part of the Hungry Girl recipe but I wanted to mix the mayo with it!
You warm the tortilla up in the microwave and spread the mayo and ketchup mixture leaving room around the edge.
Make sure to cook your bacon and then chop it up. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon to the tortilla.
Then have you Sous Chef Chuck (A.K.A Boyfriend) wrap it up for you, the enjoy!!
This was so light and fresh! It was perfect for lunch!! I highly recommend it to anyone as a lunch choice!!
I chose to try the BLT Salad Wrap from Hungry Girl!!
I gathered all the ingredients: Lettuce, Ketchup, Mayo, Tortilla, Tomato, and Extra Lean Turkey Bacon! Okay so the ketchup isn't part of the Hungry Girl recipe but I wanted to mix the mayo with it!
You warm the tortilla up in the microwave and spread the mayo and ketchup mixture leaving room around the edge.
Make sure to cook your bacon and then chop it up. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon to the tortilla.
Then have you Sous Chef Chuck (A.K.A Boyfriend) wrap it up for you, the enjoy!!
This was so light and fresh! It was perfect for lunch!! I highly recommend it to anyone as a lunch choice!!Ingredients:
1 Large La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb/High Fiber tortilla
4 slices extra ean turkey bacon
1 plum tomato (preferably roma), chopped
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1 tablespoon fat free mayonnaise
Directions:
Cook bacon according to package directions, either in the microwave or in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.
Microwave tortilla until slightly warm. Lay tortilla flat and spread mayo over it, leaving about 1 inch of space around the perimeter.
Place lettuce in the center of the tortilla. Top with chopped bacon and tomato.
Wrap tortilla up by folding in the sides first, and then rolling it up tightly from the bottom. Enjoy!
Makes 1 serving
Per Serving: 185 calories, 5.5g fat, 983mg sodium, 23.5g carbs, 13g fiber, 4g sugars, 20.5g protein.
Yikes on the Sodium, but great on the fiber and protein!!!
Eggless Stuffed Breakfast Burrito
Saturday I was painting Chuck's mancave and I decided I needed a good healthy breakfast before I started! I made an Eggless Stuffed Breakfast Burrito from Hungry Girl's book, duh of course I did.
To get started you need Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, 1 Wedge Laughing Cow Light Swiss, tomato, Green Pepper, fresh spinach leaves, mushrooms, tortilla, and extra lean Turkey Bacon!
A big THANK YOU to my sous chef that morning, my honey Chuck! He volunteered to chop up my veggies for me!
With my veggies and bacon chopped I started cooking them in a pan. It started smelling so good!!!
After the bacon looks to be fully cooked you add the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Then top with cheddar cheese and let it melt.
While the cheese is melting you warm the tortilla up in the microwave and then spread the 1 wedge of the Laughing Cow cheese onto the tortilla. After the Cheddar cheese has melted over the mixture remove it from the pan and place it in the center of the tortilla. Top with the tomatoes....
And have your awesome boyfriend roll it for you :-)!!! I can't seem to roll tortilla shells to save my life but he can make the perfect burrito...What a great Sous chef! I should give him a raise :-)
While I had a great assistant even he couldn't save the recipe! I think if I added egg, thus changing the title, and took away half the spinach it'd be much better. Even dipping it in my all time favorite condiment, ketchup I still couldn't eat the whole thing. For those who like spinach enjoy!
To get started you need Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, 1 Wedge Laughing Cow Light Swiss, tomato, Green Pepper, fresh spinach leaves, mushrooms, tortilla, and extra lean Turkey Bacon!
A big THANK YOU to my sous chef that morning, my honey Chuck! He volunteered to chop up my veggies for me!With my veggies and bacon chopped I started cooking them in a pan. It started smelling so good!!!
After the bacon looks to be fully cooked you add the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Then top with cheddar cheese and let it melt.
While the cheese is melting you warm the tortilla up in the microwave and then spread the 1 wedge of the Laughing Cow cheese onto the tortilla. After the Cheddar cheese has melted over the mixture remove it from the pan and place it in the center of the tortilla. Top with the tomatoes....
And have your awesome boyfriend roll it for you :-)!!! I can't seem to roll tortilla shells to save my life but he can make the perfect burrito...What a great Sous chef! I should give him a raise :-)
While I had a great assistant even he couldn't save the recipe! I think if I added egg, thus changing the title, and took away half the spinach it'd be much better. Even dipping it in my all time favorite condiment, ketchup I still couldn't eat the whole thing. For those who like spinach enjoy!
Eggless Stuffed Breakfast Burrito
Ingredients:
1 Large La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb/High Fiber tortilla
1 slice extra lean turkey bacon
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/3 cup diced mushrooms
1/4 cup diced plum tomatos (preferably Roma)
1/4 cup green bell pepper
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss Cheese
2 tablespoons shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
Directions:
Cut bacon into small, bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Spray a small pan with nonstick pan and bring to medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces, mushrooms, pepper, and onion to the pan. Stirring occasionally, cook until bacon begins to crisp, 4-5 minutes.
Add spinach leaves and cook and stir until the leaves have wilted. Add shredded cheese and stir until just melted. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
Warm tortilla in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Lat tortilla flat and spread cheese wedge on top of it. Evenly layer spinach and mixture over the cheese - topped tortilla. Place diced tomatoes on top of spinach mixtures.
Fold in the sides of the tortilla and then carefully roll tortilla up from the bottom to the top.
Makes 1 serving!
Good Ol' Home-Made BBQ Sauce!
Saturday night we had BBQ Hamburgers which made me want to try out with Hungry Girl's Not-So-Secret BBQ Sauce! This recipe is super easy and takes only a few ingredients!
You need Canned Tomato Sauce, Ketchup, Brown Sugar, Cider Vinegar, and Garlic Powder.
Dump all the ingredients into the bowl and just mix away!
Doesn't that look great>>? This turned out so good! I usually use mayo and ketchup on my burgers but this time I only put mayo on the burger and dipped it in this BBQ Sauce. It was delish! I can't wait to BBQ Hamburgers and Hot Dogs again so I can spread this over them while they BBQ!!!
Check it out:
You need Canned Tomato Sauce, Ketchup, Brown Sugar, Cider Vinegar, and Garlic Powder.
Dump all the ingredients into the bowl and just mix away!
Doesn't that look great>>? This turned out so good! I usually use mayo and ketchup on my burgers but this time I only put mayo on the burger and dipped it in this BBQ Sauce. It was delish! I can't wait to BBQ Hamburgers and Hot Dogs again so I can spread this over them while they BBQ!!!
Check it out:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons brown sugar (not packed)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Mix all ingredients.
And that's it!
Thanks again Hungry Girl for the great recipe!
March 24, 2010
Party in a Shell!
Tonight I made Hungry Girl's Little Taco Salad in a Shell! I just can't express how much I love any type of Mexican food! And I am so happy that Hungry Girl provides so many recipes with Mexican Food...it makes it so much easier to eat healthy and want to eat healthy!
All the ingredients: Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Taco Seasoning, Sour Cream, Salsa, Tortilla, and Ground Beef. Now the Recipe calls for Frozen Ground Beef Style Soy Crumbles but I knew that Chuck wouldn't eat them and I don't mind eating ground beef! But in order to substitute them out I promised myself I would only eat up to 1/4 of the tortilla shell and throw the rest away!
To start you preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a casserole dish and put the tortilla in making a bowl shape.
Bake for 12 minutes or in my oven 15 minutes and get it nice and toasty!!
Then you let it cool and start building your salad! The way I layered it was ground beef, cheese, ketchup (instead of salsa), and then a bunch of lettuce and light sour cream on top! After taking this picture I of course just mixed all the goodies into a big mess and ate it that way :-)
Yes yes while I didn't stick strictly to the rule, I pretty much just made a low fat taco salad, but it was s yummy and since I added more lettuce than ground beef I didn't feel so bogged down after eating it. I feel good and just that little bit of ground beef sprinkled in there was more than enough for me! And as promised I ate less than 1/4 of the shell, which was so HARD!!!!! I wanted to chow it down but I dumped it in the trash as soon as I finished the salad part and I was satsified! A must try for those Mexican Food lovers!!
I just had to share because it was such a SUPRISE!! Do you ever forget some of the magazines you subscribe to? I definitely do! I completely forgot about my Taste of Home Subscription and today in the mail I got my second issue!!!! WOO HOO!! I started to go through it while eating dinner and it's got healthier recipes in it :-) And some AMAZING desserts that while they aren't healthy you better believe you will still find them making an appearance on this blog! I'll just make sure to bake them the night before work and take them into coworkers :-)
Happy Hump Day Everyone! I am so glad it's over!! And I cannot wait for this weekend! We picked the paint out for Chuck's mancave and I am attacking that room on Saturday getting it set up for him just the way he wants!!
All the ingredients: Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Taco Seasoning, Sour Cream, Salsa, Tortilla, and Ground Beef. Now the Recipe calls for Frozen Ground Beef Style Soy Crumbles but I knew that Chuck wouldn't eat them and I don't mind eating ground beef! But in order to substitute them out I promised myself I would only eat up to 1/4 of the tortilla shell and throw the rest away!
To start you preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a casserole dish and put the tortilla in making a bowl shape.
Bake for 12 minutes or in my oven 15 minutes and get it nice and toasty!!
Then you let it cool and start building your salad! The way I layered it was ground beef, cheese, ketchup (instead of salsa), and then a bunch of lettuce and light sour cream on top! After taking this picture I of course just mixed all the goodies into a big mess and ate it that way :-)
Yes yes while I didn't stick strictly to the rule, I pretty much just made a low fat taco salad, but it was s yummy and since I added more lettuce than ground beef I didn't feel so bogged down after eating it. I feel good and just that little bit of ground beef sprinkled in there was more than enough for me! And as promised I ate less than 1/4 of the shell, which was so HARD!!!!! I wanted to chow it down but I dumped it in the trash as soon as I finished the salad part and I was satsified! A must try for those Mexican Food lovers!! I just had to share because it was such a SUPRISE!! Do you ever forget some of the magazines you subscribe to? I definitely do! I completely forgot about my Taste of Home Subscription and today in the mail I got my second issue!!!! WOO HOO!! I started to go through it while eating dinner and it's got healthier recipes in it :-) And some AMAZING desserts that while they aren't healthy you better believe you will still find them making an appearance on this blog! I'll just make sure to bake them the night before work and take them into coworkers :-)
Happy Hump Day Everyone! I am so glad it's over!! And I cannot wait for this weekend! We picked the paint out for Chuck's mancave and I am attacking that room on Saturday getting it set up for him just the way he wants!!A New Twist on an Old Favorite!
I am on a roll this week with new recipes! Last night I tried out another new Hungry Girl recipe!
I made a BLT Quesadilla...and can I just say that I really love how in the Hungry Girl - 200 Under 200 Calories book it's catered towards low serving amounts! I eat dinner by myself Tuesday - Saturday since Chuck doesn't get home until after dinner time and I hate making huge meals that go to waste. It has been so nice just cooking for one out of this book! Now back to the recipe!
All the ingredients: Lettuce, Ketchup, Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, Light Mayo, Turkey Bacon Extra Lean, Tomato and of course a Tortilla. Granted she calls for the La Tortilla brand but I love Mission!! Chuck's Mom and Sister would die if they knew, as they work for La Tortilla!
You mix together the ketchup and mayo to make a dipping sauce. And after cooking the bacon you chop it up and I just mixed the tomato up with the bacon! And then of course some chopped lettuce. one thing I've noticed about eating healthier is that the food is way more coloful and bright then other foods! It makes for some awesome pictures :-)
After you have all your prep work done it's time to start putting the BLT together! You warm the pan up to about med-high heat and spray it with nonstick spray. Place the tortilla in the pan and sprinkle cheese on top. And then just wait until the cheese melts!
Once your cheese is melted pour the bacon and tomato mixture on one side of the tortilla.
Then you fold over the cheese only side and seal it up. You continue warming it in the pan until both sides of the tortilla are toasty! Then remove from heat!
Once its out of the pan you cut it up into four triangles. Next comes the lettuce topping and the dipping sauce. Granted it's supposed to be a dipping sauce but I know I love it so I just poured it over the lettuce!! There was actually a lot of the sauce which suprised me!!Just look at how bright that is!!
This recipe is a huge success and a keeper! It would even be good for a weekend lunch item or on those nights I want something quick and easy...here it is! It took me literally 15 minutes, maybe 20 to put this together, which was great cause I had taken Buster on an hour walk and gave him a bath and me a shower before making dinner. So I ate a little late and was starving!!!
I made a BLT Quesadilla...and can I just say that I really love how in the Hungry Girl - 200 Under 200 Calories book it's catered towards low serving amounts! I eat dinner by myself Tuesday - Saturday since Chuck doesn't get home until after dinner time and I hate making huge meals that go to waste. It has been so nice just cooking for one out of this book! Now back to the recipe!
All the ingredients: Lettuce, Ketchup, Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, Light Mayo, Turkey Bacon Extra Lean, Tomato and of course a Tortilla. Granted she calls for the La Tortilla brand but I love Mission!! Chuck's Mom and Sister would die if they knew, as they work for La Tortilla!
You mix together the ketchup and mayo to make a dipping sauce. And after cooking the bacon you chop it up and I just mixed the tomato up with the bacon! And then of course some chopped lettuce. one thing I've noticed about eating healthier is that the food is way more coloful and bright then other foods! It makes for some awesome pictures :-)
After you have all your prep work done it's time to start putting the BLT together! You warm the pan up to about med-high heat and spray it with nonstick spray. Place the tortilla in the pan and sprinkle cheese on top. And then just wait until the cheese melts!
Once your cheese is melted pour the bacon and tomato mixture on one side of the tortilla.
Then you fold over the cheese only side and seal it up. You continue warming it in the pan until both sides of the tortilla are toasty! Then remove from heat!
Once its out of the pan you cut it up into four triangles. Next comes the lettuce topping and the dipping sauce. Granted it's supposed to be a dipping sauce but I know I love it so I just poured it over the lettuce!! There was actually a lot of the sauce which suprised me!!Just look at how bright that is!!
This recipe is a huge success and a keeper! It would even be good for a weekend lunch item or on those nights I want something quick and easy...here it is! It took me literally 15 minutes, maybe 20 to put this together, which was great cause I had taken Buster on an hour walk and gave him a bath and me a shower before making dinner. So I ate a little late and was starving!!!
If you are looking for a healthier version of the wonderful BLT, look no further Hungry Girl has provided us with a yummy solution!
BLT Quesadilla
Ingredients:
1 Large La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb/High Fiber Tortilla
2 tablespoons fat-free shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)
2 slices extra-lean Turkey Bacon
1/2 plum tomato (preferably Roma), diced
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
Directions:
Cook bacon according to package directiosn, either in the microwave or in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop and set aside.
Bring a pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Lay tortilla flat in the pan. Top evenly with
cheese.
Once cheese begins to melt, cover half the tortilla with bacon and tomato. Using a spatula, carefully fold the cheese-only side over the other half, pressing down with the spatula to seal. Cook for about 1 minute.
Flip and continue cooking for about 1 minute, or until both sides are toasty. Remove from heat.
To make the sauce, combine mayo and ketchup in a small dish. Cut quesadilla into triangles, top with shredded lettuce and serve with sauce on the side.
Makes 1 serving
Per serving (entire quesadilla): 175 calories, 4.5g fat, 1026mg sodium, 26.5g carbs, 12.5g fiber, 7g sugars, 18.5g protein.
March 23, 2010
Canned Pumpkin is Full of Magic Tricks!!
My final new recipe for last night was of course a dessert recipe! I made the Hungry Girl recipe: Iced 'N Spiced Pumpkin Puddin' Cupcakes!! I was nervous about some of the ingredients but I was still determined to make them delicious!
I gathered all the ingredients:
ooooohhhh look at how pretty it is!!!
I swear I am going to paint a room this color! It was so beautiful! Might be a good bathroom color or maybe our Master Bedroom!
Smell that>>>>>>>>>>Fresh out of the oven! The second batch that is...........
Yes I had to make two batches. The first ones didn't cook long enough and were too moist for me. Luckily the recipe only takes half the cake mix and half the pumpkin leaving me with enough ingredients to whip them up real quick! And VOILA: the second batch looks delicious right>?
I gathered all the ingredients:
ooooohhhh look at how pretty it is!!!
I swear I am going to paint a room this color! It was so beautiful! Might be a good bathroom color or maybe our Master Bedroom!
Smell that>>>>>>>>>>Fresh out of the oven! The second batch that is...........
Yes I had to make two batches. The first ones didn't cook long enough and were too moist for me. Luckily the recipe only takes half the cake mix and half the pumpkin leaving me with enough ingredients to whip them up real quick! And VOILA: the second batch looks delicious right>?
Next it was time to prepare the frosting! More whipped topping?? I am loving Hungry Girl ingredients!
Whipped all the ingredients together and then popped the frosting into the fridge while the muffins cooled! And right after dinner I went to smearing the frostings goodness over the cupcakes!
Whipped all the ingredients together and then popped the frosting into the fridge while the muffins cooled! And right after dinner I went to smearing the frostings goodness over the cupcakes!
These were so good that Chuck ate TWO!! And he's not about the low fat foods, although I do believe I'm bringing him over to the good side. As I'm typing he's eating the last of the Double Trouble Chocolate Trifle I made the other night. These were really yummy and the cinnamon adds just the right spice to balance out the whipped cream and cream cheese! This is a must share recipe:
Ingredients:
For Cupcakes:
2 cups moist-style spice cake mix (1/2 of an 18.25 ounce box)
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
1/8 teaspoon salt
For Frosting:
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Cool Whip Free, thawed.
2 tablespoons Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
2 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon canned pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon sugar-free fat-free vanilla instant pudding mix
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the frosting ingredient, stirring until well mixed. Refrigerate until cupcakes are ready to be frosted.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the cupcake ingredients with 1/2 cup water. Mix until blended.
Line a 12-cup muffing pan with caking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute cake mixture among the cups.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes (I had to cook them for 20 minutes) until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Cool cupcakes completely, and evenly distribute frosting among the tops.
Makes 12 servings
Per serving ( 1 Frosted Cupcake): 112 calories, 1.75g fat, 200mg sodium, 22g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 12 g suars, 2g protein.
2 WW Pts/Serving
ENJOY!!
DIP-ity Do Da!
Last night I also made a new dip! A nice sweet dip this time! I made the Hungry Girl's Fluffy Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Dip!!
You need Splenda, Fat Free Whipped Topping, Fat Free Cream Cheese, and Cinnamon!!!! Doesn't it look great already?
When the cream cheese is to room temperature you combine all the ingredients until it's nice and smooth and fluffy!!!
You need Splenda, Fat Free Whipped Topping, Fat Free Cream Cheese, and Cinnamon!!!! Doesn't it look great already?
When the cream cheese is to room temperature you combine all the ingredients until it's nice and smooth and fluffy!!!
YUM!!!! This recipe makes quite a bit of dip which is AWESOME! I took a little finger tip full of it last night and it tasted alright! Well today I paired it with sliced apples!!! Can you say A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! This is a weekly on hand dip! I loved it and will be making some every sunday to have some on hand for the week for snacks!
Here's the recipe
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Cool Whip Free, thawed
1/4 cup fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix until thoroughly blended and smooth.
Chill for at least 10 minutes before dipping!
Makes 4 servings
Per Serving (3 tablespoons) : 43 calories, 0.5g fat, 107mg sodium, 6.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g fiber, 2g sugars, 2.5g protein.WW Points Per Serving = 1
Pepper SKINS!!!
Last night I made 3 new recipes from the Hungry Girl Book!!! We had Chuck's soon to be ex brother in law over last night for dinner! It was so nice to catch up and have a relaxing dinner! Plus Brad (the brother in law) is on the same healthy eating kick that I am which made him the perfect guinea pig ;)
For our appetizer (which we ended up just eating with dinner) I made Bacon N Cheese Bell Pepper Skins!
The ingredients were cheddar cheese, supposed to be fat free but we only had regular, Lean Turkey Bacon, red pepper, yellow pepper, and sour cream for topping!!
First you cut the peppers in half, remove the stem and seeds, and then slice into 4ths, or 8ths if you are me! Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your baking sheet with nonstick spray and place the peppers on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the peppers are soft.
Once the peppers are in the oven you can fry up the bacon!
After frying the bacon, let it cool and then chop it up. And get a handful of cheese!
When the peppers are soft top them with the bacon and cheese and then put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.
These smelled so good when they were baking in the oven and I was really anxious to try them. I'm not a huge pepper fan, at least not big chunks of peppers but I was ready to try them.
Unfortunately I was not impressed by these. I want to try them again and chop the peppers up smaller but I just couldn't eat them. Chuck and I and Brad all tried them and they were a huge FLOP! But if you are a fan of bell peppers than load them up and enjoy! And unlike me remember there is sour cream as a topper!!!!
For our appetizer (which we ended up just eating with dinner) I made Bacon N Cheese Bell Pepper Skins!
The ingredients were cheddar cheese, supposed to be fat free but we only had regular, Lean Turkey Bacon, red pepper, yellow pepper, and sour cream for topping!!
First you cut the peppers in half, remove the stem and seeds, and then slice into 4ths, or 8ths if you are me! Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your baking sheet with nonstick spray and place the peppers on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the peppers are soft.Once the peppers are in the oven you can fry up the bacon!
After frying the bacon, let it cool and then chop it up. And get a handful of cheese!
When the peppers are soft top them with the bacon and cheese and then put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.
These smelled so good when they were baking in the oven and I was really anxious to try them. I'm not a huge pepper fan, at least not big chunks of peppers but I was ready to try them.
Unfortunately I was not impressed by these. I want to try them again and chop the peppers up smaller but I just couldn't eat them. Chuck and I and Brad all tried them and they were a huge FLOP! But if you are a fan of bell peppers than load them up and enjoy! And unlike me remember there is sour cream as a topper!!!!