WW Angel Food Pineapple Cake

We certainly don’t have to give up desserts to have a healthy eating lifestyle.  This is a wonderful fat free dessert fit for serving company.  They’ll appreciate the lack of fat and calories too.  And with only 2 ingredients, what could be simpler???

ANGEL FOOD PINEAPPLE CAKE

1 box angel food cake mix

1 – 20 ozs. can crushed pineapple, in its own juice

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine cake mix and pineapple in a bowl.  Mix well.  Pour into an ungreased 9″ X 13″ X 2″ baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes or until brown.  Serve with fat free whipped topping if desired. Yield: 12 serving

A good-sized serving!

WW points per serving (minus topping) – 3 points

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Stressed Spelled Backwards…

I can’t think of February – with Valentine’s Day in the middle – and not think of chocolate too.  Want to wish you a great month and remind you that eating dark chocolate is actually GOOD for you!

I’m going to be gone on vacation – (pictures to come!) and this month is going to be a rather slow one for me here at The Better Baker blog, so I hope you’ll enjoy some old posts that will be shared…and certainly – enjoy some chocolate.  Who wants to wait for Valentine’s Day to roll around? NOT me!

Are you feeling stressed? Simply reading this article will make you happy – doing what it says will make you feel even better!  ENJOY!

Dark Chocolate – Stressed spelled backwards!

If you’re concerned about blood pressure, it might not be a bad idea to pop an occasional piece of dark chocolate in your mouth! A new study found that small amounts of the candy were as effective at lowering blood pressure as other non-pharmaceutical interventions. While not a substitute for hypertension medications, a small dose of chocolate brought results significant enough to be considered clinically beneficial to overall health – Source: Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter – October 2007

From ‘365 Reasons to Eat Chocolate’….Chocolate is not a drug, so there are no federal regulations to be afraid of. ENJOY!

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Irresistible No Bake Butterscotch Cookies

SAY YES! TO DESSERTS!

no bake butterscotch cookies

These cookies are fabulous!  I keep mine in the freezer and pop them in my mouth for a tasty and satisfying treat!  They don’t freeze hard, but tend to last a little longer than if I keep them in view….

NO BAKE BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES

1 cup sugar
1 cup splenda
3/4 cup light margarine
2/3 cup evaporated skim milk
1 ozs. pkg. (4 serv. size) sugar free fat free instant butterscotch pudding mix
3-1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup butterscotch baking chips

In a large saucepan, bring sugar, splenda, margarine and evaporated milk to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.  Stir in pudding mix, then oats, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in butterscotch chips, mixing until chips are melted.  Drop by heaping teaspoonsful onto waxed paper to cool and harden.  Yield: 36 cookies

Weight Watchers points per cookie – 2

Nutritional info per serving; Calories: 100; fat: 2 gr;

fiber: 1 gr.

-From “Halfmysize.com” cookbook

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WW Snickers Pie

I was elated when I tasted this dish that a friend made for the holidays last year.  I’m not a big ice cream fan, but this is one wonderful treat!(Thank you Cathy!)

SNICKERS PIE

1 pint (2 cups) vanilla non-fat frozen yogurt, softened
2 Tb. chunky (reduced fat) peanut butter
1/2 pkg. (1/4 cup) sugar free (dry) instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup fat free whipped topping

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well and pour into 8″ pie pan.  Freeze until set.  Before serving drizzle 1 Tb. sugar free chocolate syrup over pie. Serves 8

(I like to mix the yogurt and pudding together – stir in the whipped topping, then add the peanut butter in teaspoons and stir, but don’t blend. I enjoy having ‘ribbons’ of peanut butter throughout.)

Try doubling the recipe and put in a 9″ X 13″ pan.  Serves 16

WW points per serving – 2

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Salmon Patties

Fish is good for us – I should certainly eat it more often.  This is a good way to get those Omega-3 oils in us!

SALMON PATTIES

2 (7.1 ozs) pkgs. boneless, skinless salmon (I would use canned)
2 egg whites
1 Tb. minced onion
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
dash of black pepper
10 fat free saltine crackers, crushed
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. baking powder
nonstick cooking spray

In large mixing bowl, flake salmon; add egg whites and mix thoroughly.  Add onions and spices.  Stir in cracker crumbs.  Mix baking powder with water.  Stir water into salmon mixture, making sure all is thoroughly combined.  Heat skillet, coated with nonstick cooking spray, over medium heat.  Form six patties using a 1/2 cup measure.  Place patties in heated skilled and spray tops of patties with nonstick cooking spray.  Cook about 4 minutes on each side or until patties are golden brown.

Nutritional info per serving: Calories: 106; fat: 2.5 gr; fiber: .2 gr

-From Halfmysize.com cookbook

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Making Changes

Whatever food plan you’ve chosen to try to get into shape… here are a  few goals you might consider…after cleaning out your pantry and fridge of ‘no-no’s’ and filling them with ‘yes yes’ fooods…I suggest making changes slowly, so that you won’t be so overwhelmed with them.

It doesn’t make much sense to set a high goal, only to be defeated and then it’s too easy to simply give up!

Drink enough water – suggested atleast 6 – 8 ozs. glasses a day – 3 of those should actually be water – try my favorite…sugar free apple drink – MM! Tastes like real apple juice – grape tastes like fresh also.

Walk 10 minutes a day – park farther away from the door when you go shopping and then walk the length of the store (& back again=) atleast once.

Eat breakfast daily – have some protein with every meal. I enjoy cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast, but maybe you’d rather have eggs?

Decide early what you are going to ‘exchange’ for what you’re wanting to give up. Have celery and carrots ready to eat in the fridge when you need to crunch on something other than potato chips. (And it isn’t that you can never have that kind of snack again, but limit yourself. The easiest way I find is to bag up snacks into my own 100 calorie packs)

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Lowfat Pumpkin Spice Muffins – YUM!

These are great for a snack or with soup….De-Lish! You’ll never guess these are made with pumpkin! And they’re lowfat too!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

1 – 18 ozs. spice cake mix (chocolate is great also)
1 – 15 ozs. can pumpkin puree
2/3  – 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or line with 24 paper liners.  Combine cake mix, pumpkin and water.  With electric mixer, beat on low speed for 1 minute.  Beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes.  Divide batter evenly into 24 muffin cups.  Take 18 – 20 minutes or until done, being careful not to overbake. Cool on wire rack.  Top with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping to serve, if desired.

Weight Watchers points (without topping) – 2 pts. per muffin

-From ‘Halfmysize.com’ cookbook

P.S. – if you want to try a chocolate 50% reduced-sugar cake mix, be sure to check the muffins a few minutes early, because splenda tends to bake faster.  *-*

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Are you a Weight Watcher too?

Happy 2010!  I think we can all agree that trying to lose weight is among the #1 NY resolutions – ever!

I realize there are many different ‘eating plans’ and what works for one, may not work for another.  Lowcarb works well for my diabetic husband, and his sisters, but I find it difficult to lose at all that way.

Whatever option you chose – different strokes for different folks is certainly true in this aspect of life – I hope you’ll be able to use some of these recipes for helping you to become healthier.

Even though I’m no longer an actual member of Weight Watchers, I did lose 25# in 2008, and managed to keep it off in 2009. I couldn’t seem to drop that last 5#, but I try to live what I’ve learned while attending meetings.  I choose to follow a lowfat plan, but if you simply want to count calories, I hope you’ll add some of these recipes to your own collection.

I want to share some of my most favorite WW recipes with you this month – along with tips that help keep me on track. I welcome any comments or ideas too, so please feel free to share.

I have found many wonderful recipes in the ‘Halfmysize.com’ cookbook that I will share also.

I’ve learned to eat when I’m hungry, not just because ‘it’s time’ to eat again.

I’ve also learned to stop eating when I’m comfortably full.

Eating breakfast is very important to get your metabolism going for the day, so don’t skip that very important meal.

It’s amazing to me how even a little exercise, can make a difference in how I feel.  Keep watching for a post focusing on exercise….

Stay tuned for some easy and delicious recipes to help you shape up…starting now!

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MMM! Pumpkin Dip

From now through Thanksgiving, I’m going to share some of my most favorite pumpkin recipes, so stock up on pumpkin….and stay tuned…

I’ve been making this yummy dip for years and often share the recipe.  It’s a little different than many dishes, and easy to make.  Hope it is a hit at your place too!!

PUMPKIN DIP

1 – 8 ozs. pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 – 15 ozs. can solid pack pumpkin

1 T. ground cinnamon

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. frozen orange juice concentrate

In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.  Gradually mix in the pumpkin.  Stir in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and orange juice until smooth and well blended.  Chill until serving. Let stand atleast 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.

This is great to dip graham crackers, gingersnaps or apples in.

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HAPPY BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE DAY!

I love any kind of chocolate…especially dark chocolate!  AND…it’s actually good for you!  I don’t need an excuse to enjoy it, but do try to have a little bite or two every day.  Help me celebrate this beautiful food with a few bites yourself!
 

Mmmm Bittersweet Chocolate!!!

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