Christmas Gifts--Coffee Mixes

Vanilla Almond Coffee Mix

• 1 (1 ounce) bottle of pure vanilla extract
• 1 (1 ounce) bottle of pure almond extract
• 1 pound ground coffee (regular or decaf)

Mix ingredients together and store in mason jars.

Christmas Gifts: Spice Rub

Ingredients

Makes 1 1/4 cups (enough to season 5 to 10 pounds of meat, poultry, or seafood)

• 1/3 cup coarse salt
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients, using your hands to break up the sugar.
Store in an airtight container, away from heat and light, up to 6 months.

Taken from Martha Stewart's webpage.

Christmas Gifts: Hot Chocolate Mix

Ingredients:
11⁄2 cups skim milk powder
11⁄2 cups white sugar
3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3⁄4 cup non-dairy creamer

To Make this Jar Gift:
Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well. For a finer mix, combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix well.

Store in an air tight container mason/canning jar-quart size.

Add the following directions to a cute stick-on label or note card. Decorate with a ribbon, raffia and maybe a side bag of mini marshmallows.

Directions:
Place 2 or 3 tablespoons in a mug and add boiling water.

French Onion Pork Chop Skillet

I got this from the Kraft Food and Family Holiday 2008 magazine.

Ingredients:
-6 boneless pork chops
-2 onions thinly sliced
-2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
-1 pkg. of Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
-1 cup shredded low-moisture/part skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
-Heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chops and onions, cook 10 minutes or until done (160 degrees F), turning chops and stirring onions after 5 minutes. Remove chops. Cook and stir onions 5 minutes or until golden brown.
-Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Return chops to skillet; top with onion mixture.
-Mix stuffing mix and 1.5 cups hot water; spoon around edge of skillet.
-Top with cheese; cover. Cook 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Taco Salad

I had all the fixings for a taco salad and I was craving it, so here's what I did.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
red leaf lettuce, torn into pieces (you could also use the leaves as wraps)
sliced black olives
diced tomatoes
ff shredded cheddar cheese
ff sour cream

Put desired amount of lettuce on your plate/bowl. Top with the above ingredients. Eat and enjoy!
Note: This was kind of bland when I made it. I need to add more spice/seasoning the next time I make it. I probably should have tossed in some taco seasoning to give it that zip.

Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Cups

Breakfast is a hard meal of the day for most people. Some skip it all together, some grab something light, and some (like me) use it to get in their fair share of carbs for the day. In the past, I've grabbed cereal, bagels, pop tarts, etc. because I need something to grab and go in the morning. Most of the "breakfast food" on SBD needs preparation the morning of or beforehand. I'm so not in the mood to cook a hard core breakfast in the morning so cooking the day before is much better for me.

4 oz. turkey sausage or crumbled turkey bacon
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
5 large eggs
1 can (12 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (I forgot this at the grocery store!)
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar Cheese

*Chef's note: I hate chopping veggies because it seems to make the prep time so much longer. I bought pre-diced green bell pepper and onion and things so much easier!

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a 6 cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups (I recommend the baking cups if you're going to eat these on-the-go).

In a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat, cook the sausage, pepper, and onion for 5 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and cool slightly. Stir in the eggs and mushrooms. Evenly divide the mixture among the prepared muffin cups (the hardest part, in my opinion). Sprinkle with the cheese

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the egg is set.

Nutritional Info (per serving):
140 calories, 9g fat, 3g sat. fat, 12g protein, 4g carbs, 1g dietary fiber, 195mg cholesterol, 400mg sodium.


Source:
Agatston, Arthur. The South Beach Diet Cookbook. 2004 edition.

Going back to the "Beach"

This little blog has struggled and so has its writer. What started off as an attempt to cook Weight Watcher friendly meals (mostly dinners) and help me keep focused on my weight loss journey has turned into a neglected little thing. Its writer has also suffered and most likely has put back all the weight she had previously lost (maybe even a little more). However, I'm not going to dwell on the past, but instead focus on the future. I realized that while Weight Watchers helped me take off weight, I was eating way too much processed stuff and not enough "fresh" stuff. So I went back to what I know had worked for me in the past...the South Beach Diet. The first two weeks are tough...no fruit, bread, pasta, etc. It's mostly veggies and meat for phase 1. There have been a few changes since I last did this diet, so I'm thinking the first 2 weeks may not be so bad after all. I also want this blog to be an inspiration to other South Beach Dieters. Some place where they can look up ideas for recipes and hints. Let's see how this turns out!

Sausage Corn Chowder in Italian Bread Bowl

Ok, it's been awhile since my last update. Today was the perfect day to try out a new recipe. The "spring" weather has been rainy, cold, and windy--great time for a comfort food dish. I don't know the WW points for this because I'm too lazy to figure them out right now.

Italian Bread Bowls
Ingredients
2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
2.5 c. warm water (110 F)
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
7 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tbsp. water

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add salt, oil, and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.
3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
4. Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.
6. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
7. To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice from top of each loaf, scoop out centers, leaving 3/4 inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.

Sausage Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
1 lb. bulk pork sausage
1 c coarsely chopped onion
4 c. peeled potatoes (1/2 inch cubes)
2 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 (15.25 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14.75 oz) can cream-style corn
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

Directions:
1. In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the potatoes, water, salt, marjoram, and pepper
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Add the corn, cream-style corn, and milk; heat through.

Cheesy Chicken Biscuit Cups

This recipe originally came from the Meals that Matter website

Ingredients

1 (7.5oz) can	Homestyle or buttermilk biscuits
1 5oz	Chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 can	Healthy request cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup	Shredded fat free cheddar cheese
1 tsp	Dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp	Black pepper

Preparation

Place biscuits in muffin pan, pressing dough into the pan to form cups. In a bowl, combine chicken, soup, cheese, parsley, and pepper.

Mix well. Spoon mixture into cups. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.

10 Servings...2Pts each

Apple Crumb Pie

I made this pie for Thanksgiving and everyone raved about it, so I'm making it again for Christmas!

9 inch unbaked pie shell
6 cups pared, sliced apples (5-7 apples--I use McIntosh)
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. flour
1/3 cup butter

Placed sliced apples in unbaked pastry shell. Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar with flour; cut into butter until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool.

Cookie Extravaganza Part 2

So I've been baking up a storm. Seriously, I don't know what got into me. I must be channeling Martha Stewart or something because this is so atypical of me.

Best Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies (also known as the "BBFCCCs" on TheNest
2 c. all purpose flour
.5 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 c. packed brown sugar
.5 cup white sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips (I used one cup of Reese's peanut butter chips and 1 cup of Hershey's dark chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 c. at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Red's Ultimate M&M's Brand cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
.5 cup granulated sugar
.5 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
.5 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 12 oz. package of M&Ms (since it's Christmas, I used the red and green kind--ain't I festive?)
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt; blend into creamed mixture. Stir in M&Ms. Drop by heaping tablespoonsful about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 13 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container

Makes about 3 dozen

Cookie Extravaganza

It's Christmas time and I want cookies!!! I have to admit that I've never made cookies myself other than those "place and bake" types, so it was imperative to find some easy recipes for this cookie baking virgin ;)

I have 3 recipes to share and they are NOT WW friendly!!! Drink extra water, run a few laps around the block, and take some fiber tablets to counteract all the taste testing you'll be doing with these recipes.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
*The word "easy" is in the title for a reason!*

1 c. peanut butter (I used creamy)
3/4 c. white sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a bowl. Roll cookies into 1" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down with a fork to flatten. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are brown.

*If the dough looks too runny, just add a bit more sugar. The dough should be stiff.*

Quaker Oats Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I guess you could search high and low for another, comparable oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, but why bother? This one is awesome!

2 sticks butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1.5 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
3 c. Quaker Oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)
1 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Stir in oats and raisins; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen.

Almond White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
*So rich and good, serve with a glass of milk*

2 sticks butter, softened
1.5 c. sugar
2 eggs
1.5 tsp. pure almond extract
2.25 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped (or you can use the morsels)
6 oz. slivered almonds

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer on medium until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extract; beat until well blended. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat into butter mixture until well mixed. Stir in chocolate and almonds. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand for 2 minutes on cooking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Cranberry and Herb Turkey Burger (5 WW Pts)

Ingredients:
-6 tablespoons whole wheat couscous
-1/2 c. boiling water
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I omitted this, but it might help the burger hold up better)
-1 small onion, finely chopped
-1 stalk celery, minced (I omitted this)
-1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (I used ground)
-1.5 teaspoon chopped sage (I used ground)
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. pepper
-1 can whole cranberries (or you can use 1/4 c. dried cranberries, finely chopped)
-1 pound 93% lean ground turkey

Directions:

1. Place couscous in a large bowl. Pour in boiling water, stir and set aside until the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. If grilling the burgers, preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add thyme, sage, salt and pepper; cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds more. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the couscous, add cranberries and stir to combine. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add turkey and stir until combined; do not over mix. Form the mixture into 6 patties.
3. To cook on the stove top: Coat a large nonstick skillet, preferably cast-iron, with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the patties, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 4 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for 2 minutes. Cover and continue to cook until lightly browned but still juicy (the juices should run clear, not pink), about 4 minutes more. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center should read 165 degrees F.) To grill: Oil the grill rack (see Tip) and grill the burgers for 5 to 6 minutes per side, flipping gently to avoid breaking them. Serve immediately (I put them on whole wheat hamburger buns)
   

Yield: 6 servings

Halloween Brownies

Ok, I'll admit that my idea of "baking" usually means stirring up the contents of a package into a bowl and then dumping it into a pan and baking it in the oven for about 30 minutes. This recipe was a little more involved than that.

I wanted something with chocolate, relatively easy to make, and low in points. A quick search on WW and behold! I found it!

SCREAM! CHEESE HALLOWEEN SWIRL BROWNIES
Filling

2 packages (3 oz each) Fat Free cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
4 drops red food color
4 drops yellow food color
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Brownies

1 box Betty Crocker® Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used vanilla fat free yogurt to reduce the points by 1)
1/4 cup water
2 eggs

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In small bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, stir brownie ingredients until well blended. Spread 3/4 of brownie batter in pan. Spoon filling by tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter. Spoon remaining brownie batter over filling. For marbled design, pull knife through batter and filling in wide curves; turn pan and repeat.
3. Bake 26 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until chilled. For brownies, cut with plastic knife into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Quick Fix Cheeseburger Meatloaf (7 points)

Meatloaf is a compound word that I think is weird. Meat doesn't come in loaves. This is wrong. I found this recipe from the Kraft Foods website and I really enjoyed it. The best part is that it didn't taste like meatloaf at all. It tasted like a cheeseburger. Yummy :)

1 lb. lean ground beef

10 PREMIUM Saltine Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

2 Tbsp. GREY POUPON Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup ketchup

3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix meat, cracker crumbs and mustard until well blended.

PAT meat mixture into 8-inch loaf pan. Bake 40 min. or until cooked through (160°F).

SPREAD meat loaf with ketchup; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Makes 4 servings at 7 points each.

No Fuss Tex Mex Roll Ups

This week's dinners has been taken from the Kraft Foods Website. They have a wonderful feature under the "Dinner" tab called "1 bag, 5 dinners." This is EXACTLY what I need--preplanned dinners for Monday-Friday. Okay, so Friday is always "pizza night" at Kraft Foods, but you can always substitute other meals. Enough chit chat, here's the recipe:

1/4 c. Italian Dressing (substitute a "lite" kind for fewer points--I had to use what I had on hand)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 c. salsa
2 c. chopped red peppers (about 2 peppers)
8 medium flour tortillas (6-inch)
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 c. light sour cream
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (use Fat Free for lower points values)

Brown meat and drain. Add peppers and chili powder. Cook over medium-high heat until peppers are tender crisp. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and 1/4 c. of shredded cheese. Spoon about 1/3 of mixture onto tortillas. Wrap up and place in a 13x9 inch casserole dish. Drizzle with Italian dressing. Top with salsa and shredded cheese.

Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat source for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Makes 8 tortillas
2 tortillas per serving

*To cut calories and points value, I just had one tex mex roll up (5 points)

Bran Muffins (1 WW per muffin!)

These babies are LOADED with fiber. You can also add fruit to make them more tasty!

1.5c. wheat bran
1.5c. wheat flour
1.25c. milk
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 c. fruit (juicy--pineapple, raspberry, blueberry, etc).
1/2c. packed splenda brown sugar

mix all the wet ingredients with brown sugar and wheat bran. Let sit 15mins. Mix in flour and baking powder. Put into muffin pan. Cook 18-20 mins (until toothpick comes out clean).

Guilt Free Alfredo (6 WW Points)

After a long summer, I'm back at work and meal planning is key! Tonight I made linguini alfredo and this recipe is definitely a keeper!

1.25 cup chicken broth
3 tbsps. unbleached flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. fat free plain yogurt
8 ounces linguini, cooked (I used the whole wheat kind)
1/4 c. parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, combine broth, flour, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Over medium heat, cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add yogurt. Fold in cooked linguini and parmesan cheese.

176 calories, 2g fat, 1g fiber. Makes 6 servings.

Meatballs (5 WW Pts.)

This recipe originally came from the Cooking Light magazine's January 1997 issue, but I got it online somewhere.

1.5 pounds ground round
1/4 cup finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed (I used minced garlic)
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine all ingredients except cooking spray in a bowl; stir well. Don't be afraid to get in there with your hands and blend it all together! Shape mixture into 30 (1.5 inch) meatballs. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until done.

I went overboard on the crushed red pepper (3/4 tsp.) and garlic (2 big spoonfuls). I made meatball subs out of this meal (topped them with pizza sauce and parmesan cheese and served on whole wheat sub rolls). I'll either keep the leftovers and use them in spaghetti or let Rich make more meatball subs with them for lunch.


Nutritional Info:
5 per serving (1 point per meatball)
228 Calories; 8.8g Fat, 27.4g Protein; 8.2g Carbs; 0.8g Fiber; 73mg cholestrol; 3.4mg Iron; 370mg Sodium; 95mg Calcium

Company Chicken (6 WW points)

I'm not having company over tonight, but this recipe is so good if you want to share. It will definitely be a hit if you serve it at a party. It's also good comfort food. So yummy--cheesy, salty, crunchy goodness. Serves 6.

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 slices of fat-free Swiss cheese
1 can 98% fat-free condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup skim milk
pepper
garlic salt
1 3/4 cup herbed stuffing mix (I used Stove Top Chicken flavored mix)

Preheat oven to 350 F
Place chicken breasts in well sprayed cooking pan
Season with pepper and garlic salt to taste (this is optional--the soup, cheese, and stuffing have enough flavor in them, in my opinion)
Place cheese slices on top of chicken
Mix soup and milk together
Pour mixture over chicken and sprinkle with stuffing mix
Bake uncovered for 50 minutes