Mini Cheesecakes only 3 Points Plus each!

I am always in search of delicious desserts that are low in Points and do not taste "diet" or fake. This recipe is definitely a winner.  These individual sized cheesecakes taste good & are easy to whip up. These are great to keep in the house or bring to a party; no one would even know that its a Weight Watchers recipe :) I took this from the WW website but tweaked it a little to fit my own taste.

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (5 whole graham crackers crushed)
2 Tbsp light butter, melted (I used Smart Balance, Light Buttery Spread with Flaxseed Oil)
2/3 cup low fat cream cheese
6 Tbsp fat-free cream cheese
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I used 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice)
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup light fruit pie filling, cherry (I used premium raspberry pie filling & it still came out to 3PP!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put 12 cupcake liners in cupcake pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs & melted butter until crumbs are nice & moist. Spoon 1 Tbsp of crumb mixture into the bottom of each liner & press down to form a crust. I baked the crust for about 3-5 minutes just to solidify it & and give it a more crunchy texture. You can do this or skip this step & put it right into the refrigerator until ready to use.

Using an electric mixer, beat both types of cream cheese until fluffy. Add lemon juice, egg whites, vanilla extract and sugar; beat until smooth.

Remove muffin tin from refrigerator and spoon cream cheese mixture evenly into muffin liners (about 2 Tbsp of mixture per muffin liner). Bake until set about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on counter. Top each cheesecake with 1 Tbsp of pie filling of your choice. 1 of these little cakes is 3 Points Plus each! Enjoy!

Breakfast Wrap for Lunch

I went to BJs and found this delicious wrap called Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Square Lavash. As soon as I got home I had to try it. I was in the mood for eggs and veggies that day so I came up with this recipe. It tastes heavenly & it is only 7 Points Plus! You can make it with meat or you could omit it & enjoy it vegetarian style for 6 Points Plus.

1 Lavash square (3 Points Plus)
2 garlic & herb laughing cow cheese wedges (1 Points Plus)
1 egg + 1 egg white (2 Points Plus)
2 oz Applegate Farms Natural Turkey Breast, shredded (1 Points Plus)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion diced
1 small tomato diced
1 handful of baby spinach, chopped
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Italian seasoning, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt & pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste

On medium heat, in a non-stick skillet saute peppers & onions until slightly soft. While peppers & onion are cooking, scramble egg & egg white in a small bowl. Add Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, & garlic powder and mix well. Set aside. Now, add the turkey to the skillet and let heat for about a minute. Pour the egg mixture on top of peppers, onion, and turkey and scramble until eggs are just about cooked. Add the chopped spinach, basil leaves and diced tomatoes and toss. Leave on heat only for about a minute longer so that the spinach and tomatoes do not get too soft or wilted. While everything is heating through, take the Lavash bread & spread the cheese over it to cover the entire piece, then pour egg & veggie mixture onto the bread & wrap it up! Then you mangia!

Quinoa Veggie Salad

Quinoa is one of the healthiest foods we can eat! It's rich in protein, fiber, iron and magnesium. Here is a link to an article discussing 7 benefits of this supergrain: 7 Benefits of Quinoa. Truthfully, I used to be afraid of Quinoa... I always heard people say that if it is not prepared correctly it tastes like dirt, so I never really wanted to try my hand at making it. It was only this past year that I even tasted it... people at work brought it in and it was amazing! But, I still didn't have the confidence to cook it myself... until yesterday. For my first time, I think I did a pretty good job! I want to experiment with it more but I am happy with my final results. Here is what I used:

1 cup of cooked Quinoa
Curry powder (to taste)
Hoisen sauce, 1 Tbps
Soy sauce, 2 tsp
Garlic, diced (to taste)
Red pepper flakes (to taste)
Onion, chopped (to taste)
Yellow squash, diced, 1/2 of a medium
Green pepper, diced, 1/2 of a medium
Tomato, diced, 1/2 of a medium
Baby kale (or baby spinach) 1 1/2 cups
Turkey breast (cut up) (2 oz)

First, cook the Quinoa according to the package in either chicken broth or in water with curry powder mixed in (this depends on how spicy you like it). Meanwhile, in a frying pan on medium heat, saute the garlic and onions until slightly tender. In a separate bowl, mix Quinoa, soy sauce, hoisen sauce, curry powder, & crushed red pepper. Add mixture to the skillet. Then add the squash, green pepper and turkey breast and stir. I only left the mixture on the heat for about 3 minutes because I like my veggies crunchy, but if you enjoy softer vegetables then I would suggest cooking it for longer. After everything is cooked, pour the Quinoa mixture onto a bed of baby kale or baby spinach and top with tomatoes. This whole meal was filling, healthy, and only 6 Points Plus on Weight Watchers!

Notes: I apologize that my measurements are not accurate, but I generally just cook "to taste." Also, this picture does not do the dish justice. I actually put the tomatoes on top of the kale first and then added the Quinoa mixture, that is one you only see one little tomato peaking through. I hope you all like it!

Attempt #1

Attempt #2: I made it again for lunch today except I put the tomatoes on top this time!

The Best Banana Bread

I don't have much to say in this entry except that I just made the best banana bread I have ever tasted! It was super simple & super delicious! I don't think it is very point friendly but in my opinion, it is worth the splurge. Here is the link to the recipe... The only change I made was that I added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I hope you all make this & enjoy!

Best Banana Bread

Chocolate Sunflower Seed Rice Crispy Treats

I came up with this recipe by accident. I had an idea of what I wanted, but I pretty much just took out a few ingredients from my pantry and produced this delicious treat! I call it Chocolate Sunflower Seed Rice Crispy Treats. My favorite part of these is the texture. I love the crunch of the rice crispies enveloped by the smooth chocolate and sunflower seed butter mixture. I initially made these for myself as a special snack for the times I crave something chocolaty but my husband took one bite and now they are almost all gone! Here is what you will need:

1 cup of crispy rice cereal
2 oz of dark chocolate
1/2 cup of sunflower seed butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Melt chocolate over medium/low heat on the stove. Mix in sunflower seed butter, vanilla and powdered sugar until well combined. Remove from heat and add crispy rice cereal. Stir until cereal is completely covered in chocolate/seed butter mixture. Press into an 8 x 5 glass pan and refrigerate or freeze until firm. Cut into 14 squares and enjoy for only 2 Points Plus each! I personally enjoy eating these right out of the freezer :)

Flat Bread Pizza

I love a quick and simple week night dinner! One of my favorite things to make is flat bread pizza. It's low in points, easy to make, and pretty versatile. I have made this using, bacon, pineapple, ham, pepperoni, mushrooms and any other topping that would be delicious on a pizza! Here is what you will need:

1 Flat Out Light Italian Herb Wrap (2 Points Plus)
1/4 cup Tuttorosso Crushed New World Style Tomatoes with Basil (0 Points Plus)
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (1 Points Plus)
1 Weight Watchers mozzarella string cheese (1 Points Plus)
2 pieces of cooked bacon (chopped) (2 Points Plus)
Diced pineapple (as much as you like)
Red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the wrap on a non stick baking sheet and bake for about 7 minutes or until wrap is slightly crispy. Remove from oven. Cover wrap with tomato sauce and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Then top with parmesan, mozzarella, bacon, and diced pineapple. Put back in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until edges are crispy and cheese is melted. Remove and enjoy for only 6 Points Plus!

This time around I made my pizza with bacon and pineapple. Other great combinations are onions and turkey pepperoni, ham and pineapple, mushroom and onion, etc.

Oatmeal Wheat Germ Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love to bake and the weekends are when I finally get the opportunity. This weekend I found a healthy and delicious cookie recipe! These cookies are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and full of flavor. I followed the instructions as listed, the only change I made was that I browned the butter because I have decided that browned butter can make almost any cookie taste delicious! Here is a link to the recipe:
Oatmeal Wheat Germ Chocolate Chip Cookies

It made 42 cookies. 1 cookie equals 2 Points Plus Value and 2 cookies equal 3 Points Plus Value.