Vanilla Nutella Cupcakes - (as low as 1pt each cupcake)

I found these through pinterest. I adapted it from this site's recipe.
Here is their recipe: 

Self-frosting Nutella Cupcakes

adapted from these ones.

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola or mild vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. The batter will be thick. It needs to be in order to swirl in the Nutella!

Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of Nutella on top of each, and swirl through the batter with the tip of a bamboo skewer, knife or other pointy object. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until springy to the touch. Tilt them in the pan to help them cool. Makes a dozen cupcakes.

The recipe as is- 12 cupcakes is 229 calories each cupcake or 30 mini cupcakes 92 calories. Or for 12 cupcakes is 5 points each or 30 mini cupcakes is 2 points each (under the old point system).

I made some adjustments to the recipe to cut out as many calories and as much fat as possible. 

Vanilla Nutella Cupcakes (Self-frosting Nutella Cupcakes)
1/2 c Applesauce (no sugar added)
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 TBS flax meal
4 TBS water
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c Nutella (no added to mixture)
Mix all but the Nutella in a bowl. Use paper liner. Mixture makes either 12 large cupcakes or 30 mini cupcakes. Bake at 320 degrees F for about 25 minutes for full size cupcakes, and 12 minutes for minis.

Using these substitutes-
12 cupcakes- 155 calories each or 3 points each
30 mini cupcakes- 62 calories each or 1 point each

if you substitute a no calories sweetener (like Splenda)
12 cupcakes- 107 calories each or 2 points
30 mini cupcakes- 43 calories each or 1 point each

if you don't have flax you can use a 3rd egg instead, this changes your calories (using sugar)
12 cupcakes- 160 calories each or 3 points
30 mini cupcakes- 64 calories each or 1 point each
the advantage of flax is- more fiber and Omega-3

Teriyaki Meatballs- 1pt meatball

photo courtesy of budgetbytes.blogspot.com

This is an adapted recipe from Budget Bytes site. It is a cool cost of making the meal.
I adjusted their recipe to make it healthier by adding fiber. You can adjust it as you fit ways to cut calories (ie-less sugar, ground turkey, chicken, pork, halving with lentils~has the same calories/fat as the beef but more nutrients.)
Here is the recipe as given by Budget Bytes

MEATBALL INGREDIENTS		COST
1 lb.	ground pork	$3.50
1 large	egg	$0.23
1/2 cup	plain breadcrumbs	$0.17
1 clove	garlic, minced	$0.07
2 inches	fresh ginger	$0.52
1/2 tsp	soy sauce	$0.02
2 whole	green onions	$0.25
10-15 cranks	freshly cracked black pepper	$0.05
TERIYAKI GLAZE INGREDIENTS		COST
1/2 cup	soy sauce	$0.48
1/2 cup	brown sugar	$0.12
1/2 cup	water	$0.00
1/2 Tbsp	toasted sesame oil	$0.28
1 Tbsp	rice vinegar	$0.04
2 inches	fresh ginger	$0.52
2 Tbsp	corn starch	$0.12
1 Tbsp	sesame seeds	$0.17
RICE BOWL INGREDIENTS		COST
2.5 cups	dry jasmine rice	$1.10
3.75 cups	water	$0.00
2 whole	green onions	$0.25
TOTAL		$7.89

I substituted  90% lean beef for pork, and 1 cup Oats for the breadcrumbs (or using 1/2 c oats 1/2 c flax~same cals/fat/fiber). I also added a 1/2 finely chopped celery (I used it instead of green onion).
Calories per meatball-- 67 gram, Fat-- 1 gram, Fiber--3 grams
1 pts (old system) per meatball plus your rice points/calories
Directions (adjusted from Budget Bytes):
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place ingredients for the meatballs in bowl, mix it up.
STEP 2: Cover a baking sheet with foil. Roll the meatball mixture into small balls, about one tablespoon each. You should yield about 30 meatballs. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet as you roll them. Bake until golden brown (about 35-40 minutes).
STEP 3: While the meatballs are in the oven, begin cooking the rice according to the package directions
STEP 4: While the meatballs are in the oven, also prepare the teriyaki glaze. In a medium pot combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger and sesame oil.Heat over a low flame until the brown sugar is dissolved (just a few minutes).
STEP 5: Dissolve the cornstarch in just enough water to make it pourable. Pour it into the pot with the glaze ingredients. Turn the heat up to medium high, stir and cook until thickened. It should thicken as soon as it begins to simmer.
STEP 6: When the meatballs come out of the oven, transfer them from the baking sheet into the pot with the glaze. Stir to coat.
If you eat the recommended serving size by Budget Bytes of 1cup cooked rice with 5 meatballs- it would be 10 pts (5 for 5 meatballs, 5 for 1 cup rice).

Pasta Primavera- 7 points

This is a family favorite of my husband's side. It works best with no long pastas, such as penne or shells. 
Serves 4, 7 points per serving.

• 1/2 box of pasta
• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1/2 chopped onion (optional)
• 1 jar of pasta sauce
• 1 large bag of frozen California mixed Veggies (broccoli, carrots and cauliflower)
• 1/4 c parm cheese

It can be made 2 ways no difference in points.

Stove and Oven: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook up the ground beef and the chopped onion. Suggestion to use the Italian Sausage Seasoning mix to give your meat more flavor. Cook up pasta to almost done -still a bit hard. Defrost bag of veggies in the microwave. Mix pasta, meat, and veggies in a oven baking dish. Pour the pasta sauce over it and cook in oven for 15 minutes. You can sprinkle Parm on before or after putting it in the oven. 

Stovetop: Cook up ground beef and onions (suggested Italian Sausage Seasoning Mix) and then pasta in a separate dish. When pasta is ready drain off water and mix in the cooked ground beef. Mix in thawed veggies. Pour in Pasta sauce, mix and let sizzle. Serve hot off stove with parm sprinkled on it.

ideas for lowering points:

Double recipe, serve 8 but still only use 1/2 lb of ground beef. It would take each serving down to 5 points. To make up the difference and fill it more, add more veggies- specially more broccoli and cauliflower. Maybe us one mixed bag and one bag of all broccoli or cauliflower. If you did it just pasta and veggies it takes the serving to 4 points per serving. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Turkey/Chicken Veggie Cobbler (6pts)

I used too much water & milk and  my biscuits are mixed in.

I found and have modified this recipe in the Pampered Chef "It's Good For You" recipe book.


Its is a good recipe to use leftover turkey or chicken.
Turkey/Chicken Veggie Cobbler
(6 points per serving, 6 servings)
filling:
2 c diced cooked turkey/chicken
1 c diced carrots
1/2 c chopped onion
2 c broccoli florets
1 c cut green beans
1/2 c chopped celery
1 garlic clove, minced
Any other veggies you like in a pot pie or soup
1 can reduced fat and sodium condensed Cream of Chicken (or Mushroom) soup
1/2 c chicken broth (I precook all my veggies, by boiling in water then I use 1/2 of that as my broth)
1/2 c Milk (reduced fat/skim)
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp salt
biscuit top:
1 1/4 c reduced-fat all-purpose baking mix (I often substitute pancake mix)
1/2 c milk (reduced fat/skim)
1 egg white 


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut up meat and veggies. Precook veggies (salute, boil, steam, microwave) otherwise they end up way to crunchy. Mix soup, milk broth, and spices blending them together. Then place veggies and the soup-milk mixture in a deep baking dish. Mix up biscuit topping and pour it over the veggies (do not cook soup-veggies mixture before placing biscuit on it, if you do the biscuit mixture will sink into the soup-veggies) OR spoon drops over mixture for best results. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes, until biscuits are plump and browned. 
Serve warm. I serve it in bowls because the consistence has come out more runny sometimes.

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.