Have you seen this site!

And just to prove how good it is....here's a favorite from the site!



MYO Instant Oatmeal Packets

(Do you KNOW how much I used to spend on these silly little convenience foods?) Oh, and be sure to try the variations!





3 cups Quick-Cooking Oats

Salt

8 Small sized Zip Baggies



Put 1/2 cup oats in a blender and blend on high until powdery. Set aside in a small bowl, and repeat procedure with an additional 1/2 cup oats. If you're using a food processor, you can do the 1 cup of oats in one batch.



Put the following ingredients into each zip baggie:

1/4 cup un-powdered oats,

2 Tbsp. powdered oats, and 1/8 tsp. salt.



Store in an airtight container.



To Use: Empty packet into a bowl. Add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir and let stand for 2 minutes. For thicker oatmeal, use less water - for thinner oatmeal, use more water.



Variations: Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp. chopped dried apples.



Sweetened Oatmeal- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar Brown Sugar/Cinnamon Oatmeal- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. brown sugar & 1/4 tsp. cinnamon



Oatmeal w/Raisins, Walnuts, & Brown Sugar- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar, 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts, and 1 Tbsp. raisins.

MMMMMMMM!!! Yummm O!

Well it's almost one year since I posted my last recipe and in honor of recent requests from my fan (that's right....only one) I'm posting another good one!!!
It's Delish!!!


Almost Jamba Juice!

If you've ever been to Jamba Juice you may have tried the Strawberry Nirvahna.....well this is close VERY close!


2 cups of water
2 single serve packets of Crystal Light Sunrise! On the Go
10-15 Large Frozen Strawberries
2 scoops of Vanilla Flavored Protein Powder
1 cup ice cubes (more if you like it VERY frozen and have a good strong blender)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until totally pureed and somewhat frozen. This is SOOOOOO Good. It makes two large shakes at about 170 calories each!

NOTE: If you prefer you can replace the water and Crystal Light with orange juice or orange pineapple juice.....just add the extra calories to the total.

Enjoy

Breakfast Casserole....NO GUILT!!!

Breakfast Casserole

8 servings @ 2/3 cup

2 cups Frozen Hash Browns
1 cup fat free Cheddar Cheese – shredded
8 oz Turkey Ham – diced
1 can Mushroom slices
2 cups Egg Beaters

Spray 9x9 baking dish w/Pam. Layer first 4 ingredients, beat Egg beaters and add salt & pepper to taste then pour over layered mixture. Cover and let stand over night. Bake @350 for 60 minutes until center is firm..
This recipe has approximately 150 calories per serving with the added bonus of being high protein which keeps you satisfied.

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

This recipe makes approximately 4 servings at 286 calories each and they are just delicious. I got this at a weight watchers meeting and love it for lunches!

16 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast half, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup reduced fat monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup hidden Valley Light Ranch Dressing
4 don marcos tortillas
1 1/3 cups shredded lettuce
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup salsa

1. Combine chicken, salt & hot pepper sauce tossing to mix
2. Spray skillet with cooking spray & heat over med heat. Add chicken mix & cook 4-5 min until no longer pink & liquid is evaporated
3. Combine celery, cheese, & dressing. Mix well
4. SPoon celery mix on each tortilla to within 1/4" edge
5. Spoon chicken down center of each tortilla, top with 1/3 c lettuce & 1 T carrot 6. Fold to roll up tortilla
Per Serving : 286 Calories; 8g Fat (33.3% calories from fat); 31g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 71mg Cholesterol; 463mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Other Carbohydrates. The Don Marcos healthy style whole wheat tortillas which are 60 calories and 0 grams of fat per tortilla. You may need to adjust the Nutritional information based on the tortillas you buy.

"Candy Bar" pudding

Makes 4 servings
Weight Watcher Points per serving = 3*

*I include WW points many times because I have used their recipe builder to get total points. You can convert points to calories by multiplying by 50 to get a very good estimate of total calories.
May top with additional topping if desired - add addl points though! This is YUMMY!

I give credit for this recipe to Joanna Lund author of some of the best low-fat cookbooks in the world!

4 serving fat-free sugar free instant butterscotch pudding and pie filling mix
1 3/4 cup fat-free skim milk
1 cup Cool Whip Free Whipped Topping
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
Coconut flavoring

Mix pudding and milk according to package directions, "set" pudding 5 minutes to thicken. Gently fold in the cool whip, flavoring, walnuts and chips. Divide among 4 dessert dishes

Breakfast!!!!! Only 4 WW points per serving!

I serve these topped with unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon, and Splenda as a topping with just a spoonful of fat free cool whip WW points = 4 for pancakes alone or about 200 calories.

2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1/8 cup SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 cup non-fat instant dry powdered milk
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl with a fork. In a separate bowl combine all moist ingredients. Carefully fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients stirring only until moistened. Use an ice cream scoop (approx 1/3 cup) to drop portions onto a 325 degree preheated lightly sprayed griddle. Turn when edges get slightly dry.

These are great for a brunch or even a snack. Trust me you'll love em!

It has to be sweet....

Let's face it, the minute we try to eat "healthy" all we want is something sweet. Try this one.....and give up the guilt!


5 minute "Cheesecake?"

2 cups organic lowfat vanilla or plain yogurt
1 package sugar free-fat free cheescake vanilla pudding mix
1 can sugar free cherry pie filling
1 reduced fat graham cracker (one rectangular sheet, 4 squares)

Combine the yogurt with the pudding mix using a wire whisk. Add the pudding to the yogurt slowly while whisking all the time. When it's thoroughly combined put bowl in the refrigerator while you crush the graham cracker....put about a teaspoon in the bottom of 4 small (1/2 cup) ramekins then remove the pudding from the refrigerator and spoon carefully on top. Top with about 1-2 tablespoons of the pie filling then sprinkle an additional 1-2 tsp of the graham cracker crumbs over the top if desired.


This is just the best! The yogurt makes the pudding much stiffer and much more like real cheesecake but if you don't like it this solid just stir in a little fat free milk till you get the consistency you like! Enjoy!

Makes approximately 6 servings at 100 calories each.....totally worth it!!!

High Fiber, Low Calories, but YUMMY Sidedish

Okay so it's already been two days since I decided to share some of my favorite "light" recipes with you all, sorry, I didn't forget, just been busy rearranging/redecorating and you know how one project can turn into another right?

Anyway..... here's something we have at our house that actually has no name but is one of our very favorites. It's actually a type of salad as it is eaten cold but we use it in place of a main-dish by just adding a few ingredients.

2 cans Green Giant Niblets corn
2 cans Black Beans drained and rinsed well (just so they dont discolor the corn too much)
1/4 cup salsa (we like ours HOT!)
1 T chopped cilantro (optional)
1/4 c very finely chopped red onion
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt if desired (I never need any but you may prefer it)

Basically you just mix everything together and serve. It's very low in calories and high in fiber. Approximate calorie count is 140 calories for 1 cup. Makes approximately 6 cups.

If you want to eat this as a main dish add left over cubed chicken sauted with a little taco seasoning an water, 1 can sliced water chestnuts, and garnish with guacamole, sour cream, and/or grated low-fat cheddar. Obviously this will alter the calorie count but it is very filling and can be warmed slightly if you wish. Add sour cream and guacamole AFTER heating slightly.

Hope you Love it! If you have suggestions for a name post me!

Okay, let's begin!

I think those were the words my first Home-Ec teacher used when we had our first "lesson" on how to crack an egg.....I've pretty much been hooked on cooking ever since. Unfortunately cooking results in ..... yup....eating, and therein lies the problem.

I am a smallish, oldish, sometimes thinner than other times, midwestern housewife who struggles daily with a lifelong love of food and a determination to eat better without sacrificing all I find meaningful and pleasurable in life.

Six years ago I lost 68 pounds and got into jeans smaller than I wore in High School....I did it by eating one meal a day and that meal consisted of a huge salad dressed with vinegar. It made me sick, I became horribly anemic, and learned a terrible lesson about how important food is for your body.....Now I weigh about 20 pounds more than I did then but I feel good, I have enough energy to exercise HARD for at least an hour every day as well as shop, clean, serve others, and enjoy doing whatever I want to do......at 50 years old. I'm happy with my life and feel good about learning to eat better.

I might as well tell you right now that although I said I love to cook, I actually love to bake and cooking just came along for the ride. I DO have to make dinners, lunches, and the occasional breakfast (but that can be cinnamon rolls!YUMMY!) so I've learned to cook other things besides cookies, pastries, pies, and cakes....please don't be too disappointed if I get sidetracked occasionally and dwell on the things I love the best.

Basically I'd like to share what I've learned about eating healthy, maintaining a fairly reasonable weight and enjoying life. I hope you enjoy the dishes I share and the levity with which I present them. Here's to looking good, and eating better! Cheers!