~ The best ever ~

The other day, Jack came home and said “I have a project for you”. That sentence always makes me nervous. Then he went on to say “ Today, I had the best cake I ever tasted ”.

Not a good thing to tell your wife if she hasn’t baked since Christmas. Then he handed me a packet of Amish Friendship bread batter. OH NO …..not the dreaded Amish Friendship cake…it’s right up there with chain letters and those annoying e-mails that tell you to forward to at least 10 people or you’ll have bad luck. All the days of smushing the bag, then adding ingredients, more smushing, letting the air out, adding, dividing….

But I agreed to do it, after all...
“ This was the best cake he had ever tasted ”.

On day ten, after more adding and then baking, I tasted the cake.
And I have to admit, it was pretty good.

So if a friend hands you a starter packet for Amish Friendship cake just give it a try. Who knows..... it might be the best cake you ever tasted .

The sun was shining this morning….

And then the wind kicked up and the dark gray clouds started to roll in. I could feel the temperature dropping. They are calling for the first snowflakes of the season tonight! I still had a few garden ornaments and pots to store away for the winter, so I got an early start on that.

All the while I was thinking… “ This is soup weather”!!!
So………
I decided to do some cooking for today and the rest of the week. I had a couple of chicken dishes I wanted to try. They are in a book called “The Low-Carb Bible” that I got for two dollars in the clearance section at the book store!

First, I thawed a bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I’ll cook the whole bag at once and use it in several recipes. Sometimes I just brown the breasts in a little olive oil in a large skillet or I melt some butter on a cookie sheet, dust the chicken with some whole wheat flour and bake it ‘til golden brown.

Here's the recipe:
Chicken and Vegetable chowder

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup sliced carrots
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup whole kernel corn
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cans of reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of potato soup
1/3 cup half-and-half

Slow cooker directions:
Combine all ingredients except half and half in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours until vegetables are tender and chicken is no longer pink in center. Next, stir in half and half. Turn to high. Cover and cook 15 more minutes or until heated through.
Variation: If desired, add ½ cup shredded swiss or cheddar cheese to thicken chowder, stirring until melted.
Makes 6 servings~
Calories:389
Carbs:13 grams
Fat: 17 grams

*****

Lemon Garlic Chicken

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts
Directions:
Combine oil, garlic, lemon peel, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Brush oil mixture over both sides of the chicken to coat. Lightly oil grid of outdoor grill to prevent sticking, (I think I’ll use my George Forman) Grill for 10 minutes, turning once.
Makes 4 servings~
Calories:199
Carbs:1 gram
Fat: 10 grams

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole


1 lg. onion, chopped

2#lean ground beef

1/2 cup brown rice (cooked)

1 large head cabbage, chopped

2 cups tomato soup

1/4 cup vinegar

1/8 cup splenda (or less)


Brown the meat. drain any fat. Add salt, pepper, onion and rice. Spray a 13 x 9 dish with Pam. Spread half of the cabbage in the dish. Top with meat mixture. Spread the remaining cabbage over the meat and flatten. Mix soup, vinegar and splenda and 3/4 cup of water. Pour over casserole. Cover with foil and bake 1 and 1/2 hours @ 350 degrees. Serves eight.


This is an old W.W. recipe. It is also acceptable for Southbeach - phase 2.

Not on a diet? You can use sugar in place of the splenda.

This is really tasty, and no cabbage leaves to roll!!


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Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken


4 chicken breasts

1 box frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup low fat mayo

1/2 cup low fat feta

4 strips turkey bacon

Cut a pocket in four chicken breasts.

Mix together the spinach, garlic, mayo and feta.

Stuff chicken with mixture and place in shallow baking dish.

Place a slice of turkey bacon on each piece of chicken and bake @375 for one hour.


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Delicious but Dangerous...
Can you believe that a Chili's Awesome Blossom contains 2,882 calories, 222 grams of fat & 191 carbs !!!

W.W. RECIPES......

WW Breakfast Cookie/Bar

3/4 cup Raisin Bran

3/4 cup Oatmeal

2/3 cup Dry Milk

1/2 cup natural applesauce

1 med banana

1 tsp vanilla

12 tsp cinnamon

Spray a cookie sheet and divide batter in half. Bake at 350 20 min ~ 6pts.

OR
Spray an 8x8 pan , turn the batter into the pan and Bake at 350 for 20-30 min.

Cut into four squares. 3 pts per bar.

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Oat Bran Applesauce Muffins
Makes 12 servings
1/2 cup brown sugar packed

1 1/2 cups Oat Bran

1 1/2 cups white flour, all-purpose, unbleached

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large egg whites

1 cup applesauce, canned chilled

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line 12 muffins cup with paper liners or spray cups.

Blend together dry ingredients.

Add eggs, applesauce and vegetable oil.

Mix until well blended. Spoon batter into muffin cups.

Let stand 10 minutes. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield 12 muffins- 3pts per muffin.

PER SERVING: 163.2 Calories, 5.5 g Total Fat, 0.6 g Saturated Fat,

0 mg Cholesterol, 337.0 mg Sodium, 28.2 g Total Carbohydrate,

2.5 g Dietary Fiber, 4.9 g Protein, 49.4 mg Calcium.

Cookies for Breakfast ?

Last Sunday, I posted a recipe for "Big breakfast cookies". Well, I made some this morning ! When I say big...these cookies measure almost 6 " across, that's why one cookie can fill you up.

Now I know that these are not Mrs. Field's, but...If you've been on a diet and are hankerin' for something chewy , I think these can do the trick.

These are great if you don't have a lot of time in the morning when you're getting ready for work. I like to grab something as I go out the door, but I have to eat fast , my job is only 7 minutes away from home.

~ Pinch of This ~ Dash of That

Took a few days off from my blog ( I hate the sound of that word ) ahh...let's see..on-line journal..that's better...to do some spring cleaning and catch up on laundry.
My Hubby and I have decided that we need to get more exercise, so we'll be walking at least 3 days a week for an hour or so. He and I both have arthritis so walking would be good for us. We live about 5 minutes from a County Park that has lots of paved walking trails. You see lots of people out there jogging, walking,and even roller blading!
Now, we just need to get started......

Here's a few Southbeach recipes that I use often. The Cookie recipe is an old W.W. recipe,but I got it from the Southbeach Forum :

Deluxe Crockpot Oatmeal - phase 2

2 cups skim milk
2 Tab. brown sugar
1 Tab. butter
1/4 tea. salt
1/2 tea. cinnamon
1 cup old - fashion oatmeal
1 cup finely chopped apple
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds

Directions:
Grease the inside of the crockpot with butter.
Add other ingredients to the crockpot and mix well.
Cover and turn on LOW.
Cook overnight or 6 to 8 hours.
Stir before serving

If I don't have an apple, I use 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

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Big Breakfast Cookie ( makes 1 BIG cookie )
1/3 cup oatmeal
1 Tab. raisins
1 Tab. pastry flour
1/3 cup fat-free dry milk
1/4 cup sugar - free applesauce
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tab. Splenda or no - calorie sweetener

Directions:
pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Mix all ingredients together and spoon a large mound on cookie sheet. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until golden brown on edges.
* I make enough for 4 cookies, they freeze very well.

South beach diet recipes

I've been thinking about Tori over at almost there and how well she's coming along with her diet.Stop by and give her a word of encouragement. I think she's doing great!

Here's a few recipes to try:

Country Salad - Phase one
2 eggs
3 cups shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce
diced onion
1/4 cup diced red or green pepper
Lawry's seasoning salt and pepper
" I can't believe it's not butter"(icbinb)

Put the eggs on to boil (8 minutes from rolling boil to hard cooked.) Put other ingredients except butter in a large bowl and toss a bit.when eggs are done,run them under cold water just enough so that you can handle them.Peel and halve each one and place a small pat of "icbinb"between the halves and lay it on top of the salad.As soon as it is melted,cut up the eggs into small pieces with a sharp knife right on top of the salad.Toss enough to mix in the eggs and coat the ingredients with the melted stuff.Serve immediately. Serves one as main meal.
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Spinach-cheese stuffed Chicken - Phase one
1-10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach,thawed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
4 skinless,boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons Cajun dressing
2 tablespoons melted Smart Balance spread

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Squeeze excess water out of thawed spinach.
In a large bowl, mix spinach with onion, garlic, and cottage cheese and set aside.
Season chicken breasts with cajun seasoning,then place 1/4 of the spinach/cheese mixture into the center of each breast and fold in half.Secure with toothpicks and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.Drizzle with melted Smart Balance spread and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Serve with a tossed salad. Makes 4 servings.

These are healthy recipes,whether your on the diet or not. Enjoy!

Any South Beachers out there?

Three years ago, I went on the South beach diet and was quite pleased with the results. Other diets that I had tried left me hungry all the time.On the S.B.diet,you're allowed 3 meals and 3 snacks each day,more than I would normally eat.I lost 25 pounds and have maintained it pretty well.I also started a weekly S.B.newsletter which ran for 74 weeks.So if you're interested,let me know,I would love to post a few recipes one day a week.

"Nothing Tastes as Good As Thin Feels"