Super Scampi

I saw this on the Rachael Ray show the other day and decided it looked too yummy and simple not to make. We both really enjoyed this dish and I will probably make this again. I made several changes...

Added one can of diced tomatoes to the broth mixture.

Only added one cup of water instead of two since I added the tomatoes.

Omitted the anchovies- I was going to try these but I couldn't find them at Target. Rachael says they are the secret ingredient and taste like salted nuts in the background of the dish and aren't fishy.

Used whole grain thin spaghetti instead of linguine

Only used one pound of shrimp- got the raw frozen kind and rinsed and drained them before adding.

Added parmesan to the top.

Here's the recipe

Chocolate Espresso Pudding

I just threw this little dessert together today on a whim today when I was craving something sweet but didn't want to make something too high in calories or fat. Thought I would share it while I was thinking about it... So simple but soooo good!

1- 4 oz. pkg. Jell-O sugar-free chocolate pudding mix

1 3/4 cups skim milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 individual packet Taster's Choice instant coffee granules

Mix these four ingredients well with a whisk and let them set for 10 minutes in the fridge. Then, mix in about 4 oz. Cool Whip Free until completely combined. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash-YUM!

Man, I love this time of year with all of the yummy squash and pumpkin dishes! This is soooo delicious and just the right about of sweetness that I had it for dessert tonight haha! This is so simple, but soooo good! The only hard part about it was cutting open the squash. I used my largest knife and it still took some extra muscle. Too bad Chris wasn't home when I was making it! This comes out of the oven so soft that it falls apart. (I cooked mine for one hour at 400, just to make sure it was completely done.) I will definitely make this again at some point.

Here are my changes:

I only used one large butternut squash instead of three and cut it into three lengthwise sections.

I used brown sugar instead of maple syrup on top of the squash (about 2 tablespoons)

Here's the recipe

Healthy Ranch Dressing

So, my sister, Amy is the one who introduced me to this website- www.bethenny.com and I have enjoyed looking through the recipes on here. This was the first one I tried out and I thought it was pretty darn good for being nearly fat-free. Greek yogurt is such a lifesaver for those of us who are trying to lose weight and not sacrifice taste. The brand I used for this recipe was Chobani, which I found at Target and really like.

The next time I make this, these are the two things I will probably do differently--

Add one teaspoon of sugar or Splenda- I thought it was a little too tart.

Decrease the amount of lemon juice and zest by 1/2.

Other than that, I pretty great ranch dressing recipe for not a lot of calories or fat! I'm a happy girl! :-)

Here's the recipe

Lighter Chicken Piccata

This is another recipe I found on skinnytaste.com. Such an amazing site- I love it!

This is one of my favorite dishes, so I was excited to find a lighter version and try it out. We both thought this was very good- and it is so quick to make! Love that :)

Here are my changes:

I couldn't find whole wheat breadcrumbs at Target, so I used Japanese panko breadcrumbs instead.

Added a little lemon juice to the egg whites before dipping the chicken.

The salad in this picture has the homemade "healthy ranch dressing" on it that is in the above post.

Here's the recipe

Pumpkin "Butter"

I tried out this recipe this week and have really enjoyed this stuff. There is no butter in this recipe despite the title. It is like apple butter but with pumpkin. It is so versatile! You can add it to oatmeal, on top of toast, smoothies, pancakes, crepes and probably a thousand others.

My only changes:

Cut down the amount of brown sugar by about 1/3.

Used regular cinnamon instead of sticks.

In 1/4 cup of this, there are only 88 calories and hardly any fat. This will probably become a regular at our house, especially during the fall season!

Here's the recipe

Great Website for Recipes

While I was thinking about it, I wanted to share the link to a website that I found yesterday. This lady makes Weight Watchers recipes that look AMAZING and DELICIOUS! I love how she posts all of the nutritional information on each recipe. I plan on trying out many of these in the near future.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes

I made these this past Wednesday for my good friend, Connie's birthday. These are very chocolaty and dense, but pretty low in calories considering they are cupcakes.

Here are my two changes:

I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the canola oil.

Couldn't find espresso granules, so I just used Taster's Choice instant coffee granules.

http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/desserts/chocolate/chocolate-espresso-cupcakes.aspx

Pesto Chicken Wrap

I had one of these for lunch today and it was SO yummy! I used the leftover chicken from the Chicken Parm Pasta Toss below in this wrap. The chicken already had a little pesto on it, so I didn't add a lot of extra pesto to the wrap. I also cut down on how much gorgonzola I put on it since it wasn't fat-free.

This is a very easy and fast lunch!! Lots of flavor and simple to pull together when you're in a bind. You could also substitute roasted chicken or turkey lunchmeat if you don't have cooked chicken at home. Also, you may want to use whole-grain tortillas instead of the ones they suggest. Be creative and change it however suits you best!

Here's the recipe

Chicken Parm Pasta Toss

I made this a while back with the original recipe and really enjoyed it. This is a very easy go-to dinner!

Here is how I made it tonight:

Replaced the fresh basil with about 1/4 cup store-bought basil pesto

Didn't have any grape tomatoes or onion- so I left them out.

Used fresh spinach instead of arugula

This was delicious both ways- and I'll definitely make it again.

Here's the recipe

Healthified Banana Pudding

This picture is Chris's face after he licked the plate clean and didn't have any left. Hahaha! I'm thinking it was a success!

Wow, this a good fake out! This pudding tastes so creamy and rich with hardly any fat! I halved this recipe since we didn't need to make a big batch. It was so delicious!

My only change was:

Banana cream pudding mix instead of vanilla- it was very good and I would recommend it if you like a lot of banana flavor.

Hope you will try this one out :)

Here's the recipe

Smashed Sweet Potatoes w/ Honey

I served these along-side the barbeque chicken- what a great combo!

If you don't already know, sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious vegetables out there. Way more nutritious than white potatoes and have a whole lot more flavor. I will be making these again in the future! So easy!

Since I didn't have chicken stock, I used skim milk. That was my only change.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/smashed-sweet-potatoes-honey/

Skinless BBQ Chicken

Saw this on the Rachael Ray show yesterday, and just had to make it! The homemade barbeque sauce was really tasty! And since you make it yourself, you can control how much sugar goes in. I made several changes- here they are:

Only used three boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Halved the sauce recipe since I didn't need as much

Marinated the chicken in the sauce for about 4 hours in the fridge

Grilled it on the outdoor grill

This was some of the most tender barbeque chicken we had ever had! Seriously, folks- you must try this!

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/skinless-bbq-chicken/

Slow Cooker Pesto Spinach Lasagna

I made this the day after Chris and I returned from Japan, because I was reeeeally craving Italian food after all of the Japanese for two weeks! This definitely hit the spot. :)

My only changes:

Used all low-fat cheeses instead of the regular kind- used grated instead of sliced mozzarella.

Didn't use quite as much pesto as they ask for since it has a lot of oil.

This didn't take very long at all to cook in my crockpot. So I wouldn't recommend setting it and going to work the entire day. It would probably be burnt when you returned. Mine only took about 4-5 hours on low (but I have a very hot crockpot.)

I served this with some leftover fresh spinach that I had as a salad-- very simple- I combined spinach, sliced Fuji apples, sliced almonds and raisins. Then I tossed it with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper. Simple, but oh, so good!

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/09/slow-cooker-pesto-spinach-lasagna.html

Pigs in a "Bran"ket

I made these for breakfast this morning and we both really enjoyed this. I made a couple changes--

Since I didn't have Fiber One cereal, I used whole-wheat flour. Also, I halved the recipe since we didn't need as much as this called for. I served these with a side of strawberries. Very filling breakfast!

Here's the recipe