Single Ingredient Ice Cream

Posted by Lori:

I've heard variations on this recipe several times, lately, but this one seems to be the best because it begins with an unfrozen banana.  Then either it the "cream" as is or freeze it to make it cold "ice cream".

Single Ingredient Ice Cream
from The Kitchn (at www.thekitchn.com)

4 bananas, just slightly overripe (brown spots good, completely black not so good)
2 tbsps creamy peanut butter (optional – thus 2 ingredient ice cream)
2 tsps cocoa powder (Dutch process), (optional – thus 2 or 3 ingredient ice cream depending on peanut butter)

DO NOT FREEZE THE WHOLE BANANA, you’ll have a hard time blending it frozen.

Peel the bananas and slice them up into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick disks. Place the banana slices in the freezer for about an hour or until they are frozen solid. Put the frozen slices in a food processor and pulse. First they will start to resemble gravel, but keep going. The bananas will soon turn into a frozen mush – at this point, start scraping the sides down (you will do this a lot). Or you could add a dash of milk since the liquid will help the blending. I’m lactose-intolerant, so after a few minutes of stopping to scrape the sides down, the banana begins to blend into a creamy texture. When the bananas look like whipped ice cream, you can add your mix-ins like peanut butter and/or cocoa powder, chocolate chips, toffee, raspberries, anything goes! Straight out of the food processor, the ice cream is like soft serve. You can also freeze it for a firmer texture. I find it’s pretty hard (and therefore, brittle) when I scoop it immediately after removing it from the freezer. Just give it a minute or two to soften up. Makes a pint.

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Blueberry Angel Food Cake (Weight Watcher's Recipe)

Posted by Lori:

This sounds yummy!  Got it from a friend and look forward to trying it! Not sure about points, but when I find out I will add them on here.

Blueberry Angel Food Cake (Weight Watcher's Recipe)

Take an angel food cake mix and mix it with a can of blueberry pie filling and mix well.  Pour into a 9 x 13 cake pan and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

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Weight Watchers Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

Posted by Lori:

I am looking forward to making these muffins!  A friends said they are really, really good!  So simple to make, too, which is always a plus.

Weight Watchers Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 15 ounce can pumpkin (100% pumpkin....not pie filling)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir ingredients together in small mixing bowl.  Scoop into 12 cup greased and floured muffin pan.  Bake for about 20 minutes. (3 points each - using new point system).
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Creamy Lemon Pie (Weight Watchers)

Posted by Lori:

Yesterday afternoon I put out a plea to my Facebook friends for recipes to post.  I was pleased to get three new recipes to share with all of you.  Here's the first one....a Weight Watchers, low-fat lemon dessert.

Creamy Lemon Pie

6 whole reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers
2 tablespoon butter
11 ounce fat-free sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350.

Grind graham crackers in a food processor until find crumbs form or place in plastic bag and crush with rolling pin. Place crumbs in a small bowl.

Melt butter on stovetop and pour over graham cracker crumbs, mixing with a fork until completely moistened. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom of a 9 inch pie pan and place in refrigerator while preparing lemon filling.

In medium bowl, combine condensed milk and eggs; mix until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest; stir until incorporated and pour into prepared crust.

Bake pie for 15 minutes. Cool completely and for best flavor serve chilled. 10 servings at 4 points per serving. Pin It Now!

Weight Watchers Potato Soup

Posted by Lori:

A friend gave me this recipe years ago, but it's been years since I've made it!  I'm thinking I need to try it again.  It's not just for the weight-health conscious.  It's good for everyone!

Weight Watcher's Potato Soup

2 cans fat free chicken broth
2 cups water
1 package frozen Ore-Ida O'Brien potatoes
1 package Fat Free Pioneer Country Gravy Mix

In medium saucepan, bring chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil.  In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup water and gravy mix until well blended. Add potatoes and gravy mix to boiling liquid. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.  1 cup of soup =1 Weight Watchers' point

*Can be cooked in Crock Pot.  Soup can be frozen.
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Pan-Fried Flounder (Weight Watchers)

Posted by Lori:

I'm not much of a fish eater, but most likely many of you are.  I thought you might like this Weight Watcher's recipe.  It's only 4 points per serving....not too bad!

Pan-Fried Flounder - 4 servings

1 pound(s) flounder fillet(s)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 large egg white(s), whipped until stiff
1/4 cup(s) uncooked yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp thyme, fresh, finely minced (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
2 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium lemon(s), cut into 4 wedges

Wash fish; pat dry. Place fish on a plate and spread both sides of fish with mustard; dip into egg white and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, thyme, salt and pepper; dust fish with cornmeal-mixture, making sure to cover both sides.

Coat a large oven-proof skillet with cooking spray and set over medium to medium-high heat; heat oil until shimmering. Add fish to skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on one side; flip fish and cook until done on other side, about 2 to 3 minutes more.*

Serve fish with lemon wedges. Yields about 3 ounces of fish per serving.

Notes
*Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your fillets. Small fillets will cook in about 4 minutes total, flipped once, when cooked on the stove. But if you use 1 large fillet, we recommend that you cook it for 3 minutes on the stove and then place it under the broiler for 3 minutes. This will cook the top side since the fish will be too difficult to flip.

Use this recipe on any flat fish such as flounder, fluke or sole (could affect POINTS values).

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Texas Caviar (Weight Watchers)

Posted by Lori:
I found this Weight Watchers recipe in a packet that had been sent to me from being in WW several years ago. It sounds so good and I can't wait to try it! An added bonus is that it's ZERO points per serving! Yes, you read that correctly - Z E R O.

Texas Caviar
1 (14 ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; stir until well blended. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1/4 cup).
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Taco Soup (Weight Watchers' Recipe)

Posted by Lori: 
This is another Weight Watcher's recipe, passed along to me by a friend.  Weight Watcher's recipes are good and healthy for everyone!

TACO SOUP

1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey meat
1 large chopped onion
3 - 16 ounce cans Mexican style chili beans undrained
1 - 16 ounce can whole kernel corn undrained
1 - 16 ounce can chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 - 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 - 4.5 ounce can chopped green chilies
1 package (1.25 ounce) taco seasoning mix
1 envelope Ranch Style Salad Dressing Mix

(My friend substitutes a can of Rotel for the chopped green chilies and can of tomatoes.)

Cook beef and onion in large dutch oven or stock pot until meat is brown, then drain. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.

May be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition facts per serving: 170 calories, 5 g fat, 13 g fiber
Makes 3 1/2 quarts. 1 serving of 1 Cup = 3 points

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Shepherd's Pie

Posted by Lori:
Even though I have done Weight Watchers in the past, I haven't done it faithfully in several years. I asked my friend, Renee' (who is a great cook, by the way!) to send me some of her recent Weight Watcher's or low-fat recipes. I know many of you will enjoy them and this one sounds good enough those who aren't trying to eat low fat, too. This recipe came from a Weight Watcher's book, but Renee' changed it just a little bit.

Shepherd's Pie - serves 4
4 teaspoon canola oil
12 ounces (which equals 3/4 pound) 93% lean ground beef (I used 97% fat free ground turkey)
1 cup onions (If your husband eats onions! Mine doesn't.)
4 cups frozen mixed veggies (I only used 3 cups)
2 cups Italian-style tomatoes (I used 2 whole cans)
4 potatoes
3/4 cup skim milk
1 cup fat free cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add oil. Brown meat, breaking up into small chunks. Add onion, veggies and tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes or a little longer. Turn mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Cook potatoes in microwave (they are bigger and fluffier if you do this) then peel them and smash with milk. Cover meat mixture with mashed potatoes; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is browned and bubbling. 12oz serving = 7 Weight Watcher points

Renee' mentioned that her husband doesn't like onions. I cook with them some, but more often I use onion powder - especially when browning hamburger meat. My kids and I really like the smell of the onion/beef mixture as it cooks together. So, that's a thought!

Thanks, Renee'!
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Key Lime Pie

Posted by Donna:

For years I had heard of Key Lime Pie, and knowing that it was green absolutely turned me off completely. Green is my favorite color, but in a pie-----no, thank you. However, the year I retired from teaching, my mind was changed about the pie. A teacher friend was going to Weight Watchers at the time, and brought this pie to school for our team to try. To my shock, I really liked it. I fixed it several times for Larry and me. He wasn't that thrilled about it, but I enjoyed it very much.

1 small box sugar-free lime-flavored gelatin

1/4 cup boiling water

2 ( 8 oz.) containers key lime pie-flavored light yogurt

1 container ( 8 oz.) frozen fat free whipped topping, thawed

1 prepared 9" reduced-fat graham cracker pie crust (I couldn't find the reduced-fat graham cracker pie crust, so I used the regular.)

In a large heat-resisitant bowl, dissolve the gelatin in boiling water. With a wire whisk, stir in the yogurt. Next, fold in the whipped topping with a wooden spoon.

Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust; refrigerate overnight, or at least for 3 or 4 hours.

I haven't made this in a while because it's been lost among all my "tried" recipes. I stumbled into it a couple of months ago and, as usual, wondered why I haven't made this. Of course, the answer is simple, I've become very lazy in my "golden years."

I haven't done this, but I'm sure the lime flavor could be switched out very easily to another flavor.

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Squash Soup

Posted by Lori:
Sunday night after worship a little boy came up and asked if I would like some squash. His family has a big garden this summer and they were sharing the bounty. The back of their van was filled with HUGE squash like these. I took one of each, since my family only likes fried squash and I'm trying to keep us eating healthier. I know that the yellow squash is regular summer squash and the green one is zucchini, but WHAT IS THE WHITE SQUASH? The little boy told me it was "hand" squash, but the site I read says that's not in America. I looked at squash pictures, but found nothing that looked like this.
I decided to make a squash soup. It was really good! I tallied up the whole pot and it's only 5 Weight Watcher points, so one serving isn't even one point.

SQUASH SOUP
10 cups squash, cut in chunks
2 cans (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 carton (32 oz.) chicken broth
1 T. Italian seasoning (you may prefer less)
1 T. onion powder
1 T. garlic powder
1 t. salt
pepper, to taste

Place ingredients in large pot. Simmer until vegetables are tender - about 45 minutes.

I don't make soup too often in the summer time, but it's a proven fact that soups are more filling, so that's always a good thing. My youngest son probably would have tried it, but he had already eaten when it was ready. My oldest would have tried it, but she's at camp this week. The two middle boys and my husband - not a chance!

I didn't use the white squash, just the yellow summer squash and zucchini. Do you know what it is? I think it's so pretty! It looks like a flower :). I'll think I'll just save it until fall and put it out with our pumpkins.

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