After making chili yesterday, I’ve been on a bit of a fall kick.  So today I decided to experiment with a few different recipes and came up with Apple Crisp Cake.  It’s divine.  Literally, straight from the Lord.

It makes 12 servings at 8pts a piece, which is a little hefty, but totally worth it.  Hey, what are flex points for anyway?  With that said, if you have any ideas on how to make it more figure friendly I want to hear them!  My brain was tired today.  Probably because I spent the first part of the morning grocery shopping at Super Wal-Mart.  That place can suck the life out of you faster than anything.  Ugh.

My plans for this dessert are to have a small piece after dinner (in additional to the tablespoon(s) fulls I had when it came out of the oven – HOT) and then get rid of it as fast as possible (i.e. give it away to a skinny unsuspecting friend).  It’s so good, it simply musn’t be left in the house.  I bet your wondering about that white stuff.  Well, yes that does make it more points, kinda.  It’s Blue Bunny Fat Free Sugar Free vanilla frozen yogurt  (click here for a printable coupon) and I had less than 1/4c. which isn’t even 1 pt!  I love you Blue Bunny.

Apple Crisp Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Cake Mix (I use Dunkin Hines French vanilla)
2 1/2c. Rolled Oats
3/4c. & 2 TBSP Butter, melted (I use Smart balance)
6 Apples, diced
1/3c. Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Coat a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Add diced apples, cinnamon, sugar and flour and toss until evenly coated.

2. Cut 2 TBSP of butter into 8 equal portions and place on top of apple mixture.

3. In a separate bowl combine cake mix, rolled oats and 3/4c. of melted butter and stir until crumbly.

4. Spread mixture on top of apples evenly and press down with your hands (yep, roll up your sleeves ladies).

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

Enjoy! 

(if your quiet you can hear the angels singing in Heaven)

WWP:  8

Servings: 12

Click here for a printable version of this recipe!

Mac N’ Cheesey (click for printable recipe)

One of the keys for me staying on track is having dinner already prepared and ready.  If I make extra of something, I preportion it, and put it in the freezer for a quick meal. 

Lately though I’ve been falling into the convenience trap.  Well we’ve been traveling a lot, so we’ve been constantly going out.  It’s been hard to get back into the swing of things when you get out of it for a few days…weeks. 

In an effort to get back on track I made two things yesterday:  Mac N’ Cheesey (my absolute favorite recipe) and shredded chicken for tacos.  I’ve already portioned each and put them in the freezer for the week.

I’ve also climbed back on the ‘ol treadmill.  It was tough, but I felt GREAT after my workout.  *Bonus* I always workout to an online show (my computer faces my treadmill) and guess what I found on CBS?  Full episodes of Family Ties and other classics.  Woohoo!

I’m also working on my meal plan for the week.   Weight loss is definitely all about planning ahead!

Shredded Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Packet Taco Seasoning (low sodium)
• 1c. Fat Free Chicken Broth
• 1lb.  99% Fat Free Boneless Chicken (all fat trimmed)

DIRECTIONS:

Place ingredients in a crock pot on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours until chicken falls apart with fork.

WWP:  3pts per 1/2c.

Chicken Cordon Blue Bleu

Tuesday is golf day around here. After work I pick up my husband (we commute together) and he drops me off at home then speeds north to the driving range. On these nights we don’t eat together, he usually eats on the road (read: fast food) and I take the opportunity to make something I like for dinner (it’s so nice not to ask the age old question – “What do you want for dinner?”). Tonight it was Chicken Cordon Blue. Yum, right?

Most CCB is really high in calories and fat because it’s deep fried, but this version is baked. It’s not exactly like the real thing, but its still really good. I served mine with 1% cottage cheese, but it would go great with mashed sweet potatoes. That was just way too much effort tonight though.

INGREDIENTS: (for one)

• Boneless chicken breast, fat trimmed
• Deli ham (I use Healthy Choice – it’s 40calories for 3 slices)
• 28g. Weight Watchers Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4c. Corn flakes, crushed
• 1/4c. Egg Beaters

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat trimmed chicken with a mallet until flat.
2. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
3. Lay ham & cheese in the center and roll up.
4. Fasted tooth pick in the middle to keep from unrolling.
5. Dip in egg beaters then roll in crushed cornflakes.
6. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.

WWP: It depends on how many grams of chicken you used. I had a HUGE piece (200g) so the recipe came out to 8pts. Half would have been plenty.

I hymned and hawd all week about what to make for tonight’s Good Friday Potluck at church. I was going to make chicken stuffed with spinach, but chicken is really expensive right now, so I opted not to do that. Then I thought “maybe I’ll make chili”, but its annoying to carry a plate and a bowl through the buffet line, so I opted not to do that either. Finally, I decided to make an old standby with a twist: Macaroni with four cheeses. Sounds naughty doesn’t it?

Not this recipe!

Macaroni and 4 Cheeses
by: Ellie Krieger

INGREDIENTS:
Cooking spray
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups 1 percent lowfat milk
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)
2 ounces Monterrey jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

4. Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally.

5. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, jack cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine.

Shredded cheese

6. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.

7. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil in a small bowl.

8. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Serving size: 2 cups (recipe serves 8 total)

Calories: 392
Fat: 11
Fiber: 3.5
WWP: 8