Pumpkin Spice Cake

Note to self: Don't pick a Weight Watcher's Wednesday recipe while super hungry - you will most likely pick a random, fall inspired cake that will make everyone wonder about you. This cake was really good, although not as good as this one. I thought the oil was really high in this recipe so I cut it down to 1/3 cup. You could also cut the sugar down to 1.5 cups, but maybe that's just me :) Here's the original recipe, edit as you see fit!

Pumpkin Spice Cake - 6 points plus

Cake Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 eggs
1 15 oz can Pumpkin (real, plain pumpkin)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

Glaze
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
In a bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and spice. In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, oil and milk. Slowly combine wet and dry ingredients until mixed through. Pour into greased bundt pan and bake 55-60 minutes or until a knife pulls clean. Cool in pan about 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together glaze and pour over warm cake. Serves 20.

Calories: 239, Fat: 7, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 4g

Weight Watcher's Wednesday 6/22

This was a really good soup - although next time I think I'll use a can of RoTel instead of the Fire Roasted Tomatoes and fresh ears of corn instead of frozen so it will be a little less sweet. If you want a flavorful, filling soup then this is for you! I thought 7 pts seemed high for one bowl of soup, but after the 1.5 cup serving I was really full.

Mexican Style Chicken and Corn Soup - 7 PointsPlus

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
3 cups chicken broth/stock
1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 4 oz can green chiles
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp chili powder
1 10 oz bag frozen corn
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped (i used green)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 avocado chopped
8 baked chips, broken into pieces

In a large pot, saute onion and bell pepper in oil until softened, about 7-8 minutes. Add garlic and saute a min or two more. Add chili powder, stock, tomatoes, chiles, corn and chicken. Bring to a simmer. Stir in cilantro and avocado. Pour into four bowls, 1 and a half cup servings each.

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups and 2 baked chips

Calories: 295, Fat: 7g, Carbs: 33, Sugar: 9g, Fiber: 7g, Protein: 28g

Weight Watchers Wednesday 6/15

Today's Weight Watchers Wednesday recipe is sooo yummy! I don't care if you follow Weight Watcher's or not - this is a fantastic side dish! If you want extra spice, use the drained RoTel juice in place of the water. If spice just isn't your thing, be sure to purchase the mild. I'll be making this a lot!

Tomato Rice with Chiles and Corn - 4pts plus

Ingredients
1 cup white rice (I used parboiled, brown would be great too)
14.5 oz can reduced sodium chicken broth or 1 3/4 cup of your own
1/2 cup water (or drained rotel!)
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles, like Rotel, drained
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp chili powder
1 onion, minced
1 carrot minced
1 celery stalk minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 tsp salt

In a large pan, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add uncooked rice and saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder, stir to coat. Add broth, water, carrot, celery and salt, simmer for 15 minutes. Add drained tomatoes with chiles and corn. Simmer covered an additional 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Serve with your favorite grilled main dish and enjoy!

Serving Size 3/4 cup. Calories: 149, Fat: 2g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 4g, Total Sugar: 4g
*I threw all of the vegetables in my chopper until they were finely minced

$1/5 Weight Watcher's Yogurt Cups

Head over here, use zip 90210 and grab a great $1/5 Weight Watcher's Yogurt Cups coupon! This high value coupon will be great at Target or Walmart as well as any grocery store!

Weight Watcher's Wednesday - June 1st

If you are in a cooking rut or need some flavorful sides other than plain steamed broccoli, here are two fantastic recipes for you! Both are sure to satisfy your taste buds. The cookbook says you can toss either with 1 cup whole wheat spaghetti for a 4 point meal. I only used 1tsp of the oil or butter called for and found it to be more than enough but you can have the full amount for only 1 pt per cup.

Broccoli with Garlic - 1 pt

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli, coarsely chopped

2 tsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup jarred roasted red bell pepper (NOT in oil)

Bring 1/2 inch water to boil in large non-stick skillet. Add broccoli, cook covered 5 minutes, remove and drain, set aside. In same skillet, dried, add oil over medium heat and then add broccoli, garlic, oregano, stirring until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in roasted pepper, cook about 1 minute longer. Servings size: 1 cup.

Lemon-Butter Broccoli Spears - 1 pt

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut into thin spears (can also used bagged frozen!)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tsp lemon juice

zest of one lemon

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Steam broccoli 3 minutes, set aside. In a skillet, melt butter until it foams, add lemon juice, broccoli, salt and pepper and cook about 1 minute longer, tossing to coat. Serving Size: 1 cup.

Weight Watcher's Wednesday - May 25

These were really, really good. I plan on making them again! They were very filling and I served them with a bag of steamfresh corn and it was perfect! I did have to add a little salt and pepper but after I did they were just fantastic!

Stuffed Bell Peppers - 6 Points

Ingredients
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 small onion, finely minced
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan
3 garlic cloves, minced (I used my press)

1 tsp minced fresh basil

1 tsp minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 bell peppers, tops removed and seeded
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Rinse peppers, cut off tops and remove seeds, set aside. In a large bowl combine ground beef through paste, mixing well. Stuff peppers with beef mixture and top evenly with tomato sauce. Place in a baking dish and fill dish with water, about half way up the peppers. You can use any peppers you like but a variety is nice!

Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes and then uncovered for an additional 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

*For added decorative presentation, return tops of bell peppers to the dish when you remove the foil and finish baking with the rest of the dish. Serve on top like in the picture above.

*I was out of fresh basil and thyme so I used 1/4 tsp dried instead and added some parsley :)

Weight Watcher's Cookbook - $7.52 after rebate!

I know several of you are interested in the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook that I have been posting from each Wednesday. Here is a deal I discovered yesterday as I was flipping through it.

With the cookbook comes a card for a free subscription to Weight Watcher's Magazine for 1 Year - that is awesome if you are interested BUT if not, you can put refund on the card and get a check for $9.99!! That means the $17.51 cookbook will be just $ 7.52! That is a steal for a great, healthy cookbook filled with tons of tips, tricks and Points Plus recipes that retails for $29.99! Head here to order yours!

Weight Watcher's Wednesday - May 18

Welcome back to the second week of Weight Watcher's Wednesday. I made this for dinner last night and my husband really liked it and requested I make it again. I have a hard time with "orange" things so next time I think I'm going to use lemon and an extra clove of garlic. The texture was very good and it definitely did not feel like I was eating something light.

Orange Crumbed Baked Chicken - 6 pts

Ingredients
2 Tbs Orange Juice
2 Tbs Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup crushed whole wheat crackers (half sleeve wheat ritz)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 scallion, finely chopped (I used a garlic clove)
1 tablespoon orange zest
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large ziploc or bowl mix together orange juice, mustard and salt. Cover chicken with mixture and sit at least 30 minutes (overnight would probably be really good!). Mix together crumbs, zest, scallion and pepper, press marinated chicken into crumb mixture, pressing well to coat. Place chicken on a well sprayed baking sheet, bake 15 minutes on one side before turning and baking an additional 20 minutes on the other side. Serve with steamed broccoli and enjoy!

Weight Watcher's Wednesday - May 11

 Welcome to the very first Weight Watcher's Wednesday! I'm so excited to share recipes out of my Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook with everyone and even though I don't follow the Weight Watcher's plan, I love their healthy recipes! Today as a kick-off I'm going to give you a Main Dish and a Dessert - both were delicious!

Best Ever Black Bean Soup - 3 points per 1 cup serving

This really was fantastic. I love Black Bean soup. The only thing I would do differently is add another can of rinsed and drained black beans - yum!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5 oz reduced sodium chicken broth (like Swanson)

1 cup water

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 scallions, thinly sliced

lime wedges

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. (I had to add some of the chicken broth about 3 minutes in because mine was browning too quickly). Stir in beans, broth, water, cumin and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or transfer to blender (do in batches if needed). Return soup to sauce pan, serve with cilantro, scallions and lime wedges. Ladle up and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - 3 points each

These were really good. I would use this recipe in the future regardless of Weight Watcher's points - they had a wonderful texture and flavor. I thought you could easily make this batch with just 1/2 cup of chips but my husband said he "respectfully disagreed" - ha!

Ingredients

1/2 cup Quick Cooking Oats

1 cup white whole wheat flour (I used unbleached all purpose)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled (I used Smart Balance)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Put oats in a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Whisk together ground oats, flour, salt and baking soda, set aside. In another bowl cream together butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla with a mixer until well blended. Add in dry ingredients until just mixed through. Stir in chocolate chips and drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes on 350, cool serve and enjoy! Makes 24 cookies.