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.

Mini Oatmeal Banana Muffins

I am currently obsessed with breakfast cookies. I love oatmeal and I love cookies, so mixing up some oats with other great ingredients then shaping them into cookie form is a winner in my book!

I am pretty much a fan of any food that is mini and portable so I decided to get some ideas from a few breakfast cookie recipes that I had on hand and tweak them to make my own mini muffins! They came out great! They are not only cute & delicious, but are really simple to make and pretty versatile because you can use any flavor oatmeal and whatever add-ins you want. Here is what I came up with:

2 large ripe bananas
2 packs of BetterOats, Blueberry Muffin Flavored Oatmeal (Use whatever flavor you like!)
1 egg
Brown sugar (to sprinkle on top of each muffin)

Mash bananas in a bowl. Add the oatmeal and egg and mix until well combined (I did this in a medium bowl with a spoon.. no need to dirty your mixer). Spoon mixture into mini muffin pan then sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool slightly and enjoy!

This recipe made 22 mini muffins.
1 muffin = 0 PPV
2 muffins = 1 PPV
3 muffins = 1 PPV
4 muffins = 2 PPV
5 muffins = 2 PPV

*PPV means Points Plus Value

Striped Delight

I had never heard of Striped Delight until I met met husband. It is his favorite dessert and he requests it every birthday. This year was no different, so Steve got his delicious treat :) I made the Striped Delight using all regular, full fat ingredients so I am warning you that it is not very point friendly. However, in the past, I have made it using low-fat ingredients. Both taste delicious! I am not a huge pudding fan but when I tried this dessert my taste-buds sang! The buttery graham cracker crust and the layer of cream cheese with sugar and cool whip is my favorite. All the ingredients really come together in this dish to make it taste great!

Striped Delight
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (I used one sleeve *9 graham crackers* put in the food processor)
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. melted butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. milk
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip (I always get the big 16oz tub & use half for the cream cheese layer & half for the topping)
2 pkgs. (4 serving size) Jello brand chocolate instant pudding (This time I used Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate pudding & now I can never go back! It was amazing!)
3 1/2 c. cold milk
Sprinkle with nuts, sprinkles, any topping you want (I always shave chocolate on top of mine)

*Combine crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into bottom of 13x9 inch pan. You can let the crust chill for a couple of minutes or if you want a firmer crust, bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes then cool. This was the first time that I actually baked the crust and it made all the difference! I would definitely recommend baking it first! 

Beat cream cheese with sugar and 2 tablespoons milk until smooth. Fold in half the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Prepare pudding as directed on package using 3 1/2 cups milk. Pour over cream cheese layer. Chill overnight. Spread remaining whipped topping over pudding and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

*One time I actually used crushed up Oreos in place of the graham cracker crumbs for the crust. Steve said it was too sweet for him but that was MY favorite way to eat this! You can also make it using your favorite flavor of pudding, it doesn't have to be chocolate.

Happy Birthday Babe!!

Flourless Peanut Butter Treats

I have a huge sweet tooth and it has definitely rubbed off on my husband. We love sweets but we try to be healthy about it so I am always on the hunt for dessert/snack recipes that have minimal amounts of sugar or are sweetened naturally. I stumbled upon this blog and felt like I hit the jackpot with these two recipes! Not only did I find two delicious recipes, but both are made with peanut butter... and we are big fans are peanut butter in this house!

The first one I made was called Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Muffins. These were delicious! I used chunky peanut butter because I like crunch in my food, but you could use smooth & add other things in like fruit or jam. These make a great snack and are 5 Points Plus each.

The second recipe I made was called Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies. These got rave reviews from my family! My husband loved them and my father-in-law (who can be a picky eater when it comes to sugary treats) could not get enough! The combination of peanut butter, honey, and dark chocolate chips was just right. I would suggest using your favorite peanut butter and your favorite honey (not the cheap stuff) because both tastes are pretty strong on this recipe. These are high in points due to all of the peanut butter but still a great treat! If you cut the blondies into 20 pieces they will be 5 Points Plus a piece.

Detoxinista has some other great recipes that I can not wait to try!