Soda Pop Peach Cobbler

This is another little recipe leftover from our vacation.  I think we've made it four times in the last month! It's easy and low cal because it's made with diet soda and no butter or oil.

The top of the cobbler gets nice and crispy, and the middle is sweet and gooey with a peachy-cinnamon flavor. You can top it with low-fat whipped cream or vanilla ice cream...so good!  I kinda want some right now!! :)

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (yellow, white, or spice)
1 large can peaches in juice or light syrup
1 can diet soda (pretty much any flavor)
cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray.  
2. Pour canned peaches, including juice, into the pan. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.  
3. Shake dry cake mix over top of the peaches. 
4. Pour one can of diet soda over the top of the cake mix. Drag a knife through the mix a few times (do not stir).
5. Place in 350 degree oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes.  Cobbler is done when the top is crispy and the middle is gooey, but not juicy.

Nutrition info: (serving size 1/12 of the cobbler and does not include topping)

177 calories, 3.5g fat, 0g fiber, 2g protein

Positive thought for the day:

"Three Simple Rules for a Happy Life:

1. Start each day with a grateful heart.

2. Focus on the positive aspects of every person you encounter.

3. End each day with a grateful heart."

Lucy MacDonald

Diet Soda Birthday Cake

I love cake! It is one of my weaknesses when it comes to staying on a diet.  Every once in a while I just need a piece of cake or a cupcake! When my daughter celebrated her birthday this month she wanted a low-cal cake that was low in Weight Watcher points as well.  I found a couple of different options online and so I combined a couple of the recipes to come up with a yummy birthday cake.

Ingredients:

1 box strawberry cake mix
10 oz. lemon lime diet soda
2 egg whites (lightly beaten)
1 container Cool Whip
1 small box sugar-free/fat-free cheesecake pudding mix
1 1/2 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup finely chopped strawberries
8-10 strawberries for decoration

Directions:

1. Mix cake mix, diet soda, and 2 egg whites together until well blended - batter should be smooth.
2. Spray bundt pan, or 9x13 pan, with cooking spray.  Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Follow the directions on the box for baking times.
4. Let cake cool before frosting the cake. If using a bundt pan, invert the cake onto a plate or platter.

Frosting:

1. Combine pudding mix and milk until well blended.
2. Add Cool Whip and strawberries to pudding.
3. If you want more of a "pink" color to the frosting just add a drop of red food coloring and fold into the mixture.

Serving size: 1/12th of the cake
Weight Watcher points: 4.5pts

Nutritional info:

Calories 213, 1.5g fat, 0 fiber


Note:  You could make this cake with any combination of cake/soda:  diet cherry coke and chocolate cake; diet lemon lime and lemon cake; diet root beer and spice cake; etc. :)


Positive thought for the day:

Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.  –Victor Kiam

Frozen S'Mores

It seems that now that Summer is here I have even less time than I used to when I was going to work everyday. I thought that once school let out I would be able to have all this time to work on my special projects, but it seems that doctor appointments, the laundry, and a broken dishwasher have gotten in the way!  I also have both my daughters here so we've spent a lot of time going to the movies, the beach, shopping, playing games, etc. -- which is all good!!

I've been a little remiss in keeping up with my blog as well, but I'm hoping to make up for that in posting several  recipes this week.  The first is an easy, cool little dessert that is great for Family Home Evening.  You can whip it up in less than 10 minutes, stick it in the freezer for an hour while you're having FHE, and then it's ready for dessert by the time you're done!

I adapted this recipe from a Hungry Girl recipe I had on hand.

Frozen S'mores

12 sheets (48 crackers) honey graham crackers
3 cups Cool Whip Free, thawed
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Directions:

1. Lightly stir together Cool Whip, chocolate chips, and marshmallows.
2. Break graham cracker into two squares. Place one square on plate and put approximately 1/4 cup of the Cool Whip mixture on top of cracker. Place another graham cracker square on top. Make 12 s'mores.
3. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour.  You can store these in the freezer until ready to serve -- they're even better the next day!

Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition Info: (one sandwich)

124 calories, 4g fat, 99mg sodium, 26g carbs, 0.5g fiber

Note:  You can make these lower in fat if you use low-fat graham crackers. It would then be 2.5g fat.

Weight Watcher points:  3 points each

Positive thought for the day:
"We often spend so much time coping with problems along our path that we only have a dim or even inaccurate view of what’s really important to us."  –Peter Senge

Coconut Meringue Cookies

I just got back from visiting my daughter in Utah so I haven't blogged in awhile. Stephanie and I had a great time together just "hanging out". We went out to eat a lot, but we still tried to eat healthy. I had a yummy vegetarian sandwich at Jimmie John's, fish tacos at Rumbi's, and a big turkey sandwich on focaccia bread at Kneader's - though we did succumb to the pastries at Kneader's and took home a creme-filled Neapolitan! Yum!

While I was there, Stephanie made some delicious, low-fat/low-cal cookies for me. The basic ingredients are just egg whites, coconut, and sugar. She found the recipe online at a weight-loss forum when she was looking for low-point snacks for her Weight Watcher's diet. Steph made them with chocolate chips, but if you didn't add the chocolate chips they would be even lower in calorie. You could also use Splenda instead of the sugar to reduce calories even further. These cookies are so delicious - you might want to make a double-batch!

Coconut Meringues


Servings: 24
Weight Watcher Points per serving: 0.5


2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
2. In small bowl with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Beating at high speed, gradually sprinkle in sugar, 2 Tablespoons at a time, beating until sugar is completely dissolved. (Whites should stand in stiff glossy peaks.) With rubber spatula, fold in coconut and extract until mixed.
3. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto large cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart.
4. Bake 1 hour or until dry. Remove to rack to cool.


Per Serving: 40 Calories; 1.1 Fat; 0.6 Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber 1mg cholesterol; 7mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Positive Thought for the Day: "Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not! " ~Author Unknown

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - Light

My mom recently sent me this recipe for Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies that she pulled from her Cooking Light magazine. I made them last night and thought I'd share the recipe too.

The cookies are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside with a good buttery/oatmeal flavor. I also liked the flavor of the pecans instead of the usual walnuts. I'm still not sure if they are my favorite oatmeal cookie, but I would probably make them again - they probably just need more butter and sugar! lol

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup regular oats

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips (or regular will work too)

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk, set aside.

3. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in pecans and chips.

4. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls (or small scoop) 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks. Yield: 3 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

Calories: 81; Fat: 3g; Protein: 1.1g; Carb: 12.9g; Fiber: 0.5g; Chol: 10mg; Iron: 0.5mg; Sodium: 76mg; Calc: 12mg

Healthy Fruit Trifle

I made this dessert for Family Home Evening last night. It's simple to make, delicious, and healthy too! It's great with any kind of berries and bananas, but you could use just about any fruit you have on hand. The angel food cake is low in fat, the Cool Whip is fat free, and the pudding is sugar-free and fat-free -- and it's still yummy!

The only bad thing was that they were gone in seconds. :)

Ingredients:

Store-bought Angel Food Cake (I used a strawberry flavor this time)

Fat Free Cool Whip (thawed)

Sugar-free Fat Free Jello Instant Pudding Vanilla (or chocolate, banana, or cheesecake)

Bananas

Fresh blueberries

Fresh blackberries

Fresh strawberries

Directions:

Prepare the pudding mix as directed. Break the cake into bite size pieces and put a small handful in the bottom of the glass. Layer cake, pudding, fruit, Cool Whip and then repeat.

Enjoy immediately or eat by the next day! Yum!