Pumpkin Cheesecake (as low as) 2 pts

Over the past years its has become expected of me to make a cheesecake for the family Thanksgiving dinner. Last year I did a Peanut butter cheesecake. That has become a favorite of our family. But I do chocolates and mint. This year my brother recommended a pumpkin cheesecake. I found a recipe in the Cooking Light Magazine. It was already a healthy cheesecake (as cheesecakes go), but with a few adjustments I made it even more healthy.

• Use 2 pre-made graham cracker crust or use the following to make your own.

• 3/4  cup  graham cracker crumbs (about 5 cookie sheets)
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped pecans* or almonds
• 1  teaspoon  granulated sugar *can substitute Splenda (or like product)
• 1  tablespoon  butter, melted *substitute spray butter

To make your own mix the above items, then press them on the bottom of a 9"spring form pan or pie tin (I like a pie tin because you can have smaller pieces)

the actual cheesecake:

• 1  cup  (8 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened *substitute fat free cream cheese
• 1/2  cup  granulated sugar *can substitute Splenda
• 1/4  cup  packed light brown sugar *can substitute Splenda light Brown Sugar (follow directions)
• 1  (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
• 2  large eggs *can substitute egg whites 
• 2  tablespoons  bourbon *optional
• 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground allspice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your crust, if you made it yourself make sure you brown it first. To make the cheesecake, beat cream cheese, add the sugar and brown sugar in mixing bowl. Mix till smooth. Then add the pumpkin and eggs. Mix some more, add the remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour smooth mixture cover the graham cracker crust. If using a spring form pan and cooking all the cheesecake together (not doing to pie tins) its recommended to place the spring form pan in a roasting dish with 1 inch of water in it. Bake for 35 mins or until the center is cooked, do the tap test (tap the side-does the middle jiggle if so then its not done) or the toothpick test. Remove from oven and let cool, refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve with Whipped Cream.

As the recipe is written without substitute suggestions: cals: 284 fat:14 fiber: 2.7 cut into 6 servings, slightly over 6 points per serving (if you had 2 slices it would be 13 points) This includes homemade whipping cream that is 1.5 per serving with slice.

With my suggestions and using the light can whipping cream 2points for each slice in a pie tin or 3 points for a spring form pan slice.

Happy Holidays!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Try the Alfredo in the Orzo stuffed Peppers- 3pts per half

The other day I tried making the Orzo Stuffed Peppers for dinner (see previous post) instead of red sauce I used  the Alfredo sauce. It was tasty. And it only adds 1 point per full pepper or 3 pts total for each half. Another great way to mix things up. I have an Alfredo recipe for making it from scratch that is a low-fat version. I need to see if that could cut points down.
Hope you are all doing well in your low-fat cooking. Thanks for reading.

Spinach and Pasta Stuffed Peppers (5pts or 2.5pts)

I have wanted to try these for a while now. The idea came to me one night when I made made traditional Stuffed Peppers for dinner and had been talking about my lasagna. Its the rice in the Stuffed Peppers that make you feel full, the meat gives it that hearty taste, and the peppers that give the range in flavor. So on that day I was thinking, I wondered, 'how would it work if I used orzo pasta (rice like pasta) instead of rice. It intrigued me and I started thinking what would be different and what would work, and what would it taste like. The more I thought about it the more I was sure this was going to taste wonderful and they did. Here is what I came up with.

Spinach and Pasta Stuffed Peppers 

(5pts whole or 2.5pts halves)

• 3/4 orzo (make according to box directions)
• 2 cups steamed spinach
• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1 tbs Italian seasonings
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 chopped large tomato (Sun dried would also work well)
• 4 peppers (red, yellow, orange, green-your choices)
• 2 tbs parm cheese
• 2 cups pasta sauce

Directions:

Turn on the oven to 375 F. While the oven heats, heat the water for the orzo pasta, start steaming the spinach. Steam only until starting to wilt. Start cooking the onion, minced garlic, and ground beef. Prepare the peppers by cutting out the center. You can leave them whole (just cut off the top) or cut them in half. A whole one is 5 points each or 2.5 for the halves. I like to cut them in half. When the oven is heated, place the peppers into the oven to start cooking, cook for about 10 minutes. When your pasta is cooked, also the the ground beef, and the spinach. Mix them together, add the pasta sauce and tomato. When your peppers are ready, spoon the pasta-meat mixture into the peppers. Place in oven. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle a little parm on each, and serve. Can be served as a half or as a whole. Can be a great meal as a half with two low point sides.

suggested sides: salad, zucchini, baby carrots. 

Chicken Alfredo (6 points)

This is a modified from the Campbell's Soup recipe book. My mother-in-law found it and we were so shocked that it was so low points and so filling.
Chicken Alfredo
(4 servings, 6pts each)

• 1/2 package of linguine (8 oz uncooked)
• 1 cup Fresh or frozen Broccoli floweretes (I like to make it more filling, I use 2 1/2 cups broccoli
• 1- 8oz boneless skinless Chicken breast
• 1 can- Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 cup milk (2% or healthier)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

Prepare pasta according to directions on package. When there is only 4 minutes remaining, add the broccoli to the pasta and water. In a skillet, on med heat, cook up the chicken chopped into small bites. Make sure you spray the pan with a non cal cooking spray. Once chicken is browned, drain, add soup, milk, cheese, pepper. Melt and mix it all together.  Drain pasta and broccoli, then add to the skillet. Mix it all well and serve.

Ideas to cut more fat and points: Use Skim milk, use the light Cream of Mushroom Soup, use more broccoli and less meat. 

Sorry again for no picture. We've made it so many times now that I keep forgetting to take a picture. Maybe someday.

Chicken Enchilada Lasagna (6 points)

I love chicken Enchiladas. I've only made them once since we started doing Weight Watchers. I love tortillas too, but they are so many points. Sure there are some low-carb and high-fiber ones that are one or 2 points, or you can use the smaller ones that are one point each. But when it comes down to it all of those tortillas are more expensive when it comes to your purchasing cost. I hate spending more for items that aren't too much worse and cost SOOO much less. However, if you won't use those items before they go bad, because you don't want to eat the extra points,  it wasn't worth the lower cost of those items. Tortillas are one of those items for me. I can get the unhealthy ones for almost nothing, but hate paying a ton of money for the reduce point ones. But in the end we won't eat the fatty tortillas before they go bad.
Chicken Enchilada Lasagna was my solution, just like with pasta lasagna, it gives you the taste, without needed as much of the tortilla as you would to wrap it all. IE 3 tortillas for 4 servings. This idea actually came from a Pamper Chef party I went to, although their enchilada lasagna was so fatty and would be a ton of points.
Chicken Enchilada Lasagna
(4 servings, 6 points)

• 1 can canned chicken (I love the Kirtland Sig brand)
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 can Green Chilies (we like a kick, if that isn't your family, then use however much you desire)
• *optional Green Chili sauce
• 1/2 cup of Milk (anything but Whole won't really change the points)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• 3 tortillas
• 1 quart square baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, mix the cream of mushroom soup, the canned chicken, Green chilies. Mix them well. Take one of the tortillas, I sliced mine up to have them spread over more space and fix the awkward  circle square thing, but do as you want. Layer over the tortilla 1/3 of the chicken-chili mixture. Layer another tortilla over that. Then another 1/3 of the mixture layered over the 2nd tortilla. Layer on the last tortilla.  Then add the 1/4 c of the cheese to the chicken-chilli mixture along with the 1/2 cup of milk. Layer the last of the mixture over the last tortilla and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Cook for 25 minutes. Serve warm, 4 servings, at 6 points each. Can serve with Sour Cream on it, count the points on the sour cream.

Side suggestions: Rice, bean mix, green beans.

Ways to make it lower if desired: Use a low-fat, whole wheat, or high-fiber tortilla. Check them out, there are a few out there with better calorie counts, and fat counts. Campbell Soup makes a low-fat Cream of Mushroom- it takes 2 points off of the entire can. Low-fat Cheese and skim milk (don't make much of difference on their own but using both makes some difference. So if you used 3, 1 point tortillas, it would be 18 points for the whole meal which is 4.5 per serving. Use the Low-fat Soup and dairy you are easily to 4 points per serving maybe even 3. Check you nurt. values.


Sorry no picture. I wasn't sure if I was going to post it till afterwards. I'll have to make it again and take a picture that time.

Pineapple Glazed Pork Chops

Yummy Yummy Yummy- sorry my picture didn't turn out very good, but it sure tasted good
Pineapple Glazed Pork Chops
serves 4, 5 points each
4, 4 oz boneless pork chops
1/4 tsp salt and pepper (each)
6 oz can unsweetened pineapple juice (I blended up 1 cup of pineapples in the food processor)
2 tbs dry cooking sherry (optional)
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp dried crushed rosemary
1/4 tsp garlic power


What you do: Mix pineapple, sherry, brown sugar, rosemary, and garlic- then set aside. Salt and pepper chops, then place meat in a skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray, brown meat on high then turn down heat and cook till done. Remove meat from heat, in the little bit of grease left, add the pineapple mixture to skillet. Cook on low heat until mixture thickens. Put meat back into the pan, turn it over around in the glaze, remove from heat, place glazed meat onto serving place drizzle remaining onto the meat and serve.
Suggested sides: potatoes, couscous, carrots, peas.