Skinny Slow Cooker Oats

Delicious and easy recipe for slow cooker oats that you can cook 

overnight using steel cut oats.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup steel cut oats 
• 4 cups water 
• 2 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• Splenda or Brown Sugar Splenda to taste 

Directions: Heavily coat slow cooker with cooking spray. Place oats in slow cooker and pour water over oats. Add in cinnamon and vanilla and stir to mix. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours overnight. Wake up and stir oats. Add Splenda and or Brown Sugar Splenda to taste. If the oats are too thick, simply add in skim milk or almond milk and stir to desired consistency.


Optional: Top with fresh blueberries, pecans, and milk. 

Nutrition Info Per Serving: (serves 4) Calories: 150, Fat: 2.5g, Carbohydrate: 27g, Fiber: 4g, Protein: 5g, Sugars: 1g

Source

Savory Mac & Cheese "Muffins" with Spinach

O............M..............G!!      LOOKEY WHAT I FOUND! 

Oh, how I love homemade macaroni & cheese! Unfortunately, I love it so much that I rarely make it for fear that I will lose all portion control abilities and end up eating far more than I planned. And then comes....The Mac & Cheese Muffin!! 

I'm so flippin excited right now - I can't pound my keyboard fast enough to get this out to you to share!!

These individual sized portions of creamy, cheesy pasta are the perfect solution to satiate your cravings without going overboard. Two of them for dinner with a side salad and you can be happily satisfied. 

I think one would also make a perfect side dish to chicken, beef or pork. There’s even spinach in these so you can feel good about getting in some veggies! Real, full fat cheese are used in these (at still only 4 WW Points+ per muffin that seemed worth it to me) but if you want to lighten them up further you could use reduced fat cheeses. These are made with sharp white cheddar and Gruyere but feel free to get creative and use any of your favorite cheeses instead! 

Super Easy Healthy Cranberry Raisin Cookies

A great way to conquer your sweet tooth is with these super yummy and super soft cookies! Although there is no sugar added, they taste as if there is! 

Ingredients:

• 3 mashed bananas (ripe)
• 1/3 cup unsweetend apple sauce 
• 1/4 cup almond milk (used unsweetened) 
• 2 cups oats 
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins or both!
• 1 tsp vanilla for taste 
• 1 tsp cinnamon

 Mix together and  drop on cookie sheet by the spoonful or make a double batch and put them in a cake pan for soft and chewy bars! 

Throw them in the oven at 325°F for 20 minutes

Re-Vamped Taco Salad (Healthy Style)

MMMMmmm Did someone say Tacos???????  I love, love, love tacos and it's been really hard for me to cut them out of my life. But NOT ANYMORE - Taco's here I come!! I found a great re-vamped taco recipe from a facebook page! Not just any old facebook page but a great one called Fit Life - Happy Wife (super cute name) Check it out if you get the chance, she has some great ideas! 

Anyhoo....Here is her recipe for Taco Salad (for one) 

Homemade Ranch Dressing - Whole Jar...255 Calories!

I love ranch, but it's so fattening!! Until now. This whole jar of ranch is only 1.75 grams of fat and 255 calories! 1 cup dannon oikos plain greek yogurt, 1 packet hidden valley ranch mix, 1/2 cup 1% milk. Whisk together, chill 1 hour before use. Perfect consistency and tastes better than bottled!

75 Best Snacks Under 50 Calories

I swear...it seems like FOREVER to me between meals - yes....I really like to eat - I think it's the whole needing to chew on something - I haven't really pin-pointed that out yet and I really don't buy snack foods because snack foods to me are Ho-Ho's and Ding Dongs and Twinkies.......OH MY!  So I went on a hunt for some low calorie snacks and compiled this list, because I'm sure I'm not the only one this happens to! 

Pina Colada Freeze

Tropical Treat! It's hot out. So, you really have no choice but to indulge in a frozen pineapple-coconut cocktail, right?! But rather than suck down a typical piña colada packed with crazy amounts of calories and fat, be a little creative and whip up one of ours. It's insanely creamy, super-delicious and we pretty much guarantee that you'll like it as much as any piña colada you've ever had. Don't believe me? Whip out that blender and give those blades a whirl!  Don't drink alcohol? Try swapping the liquor in this recipe with an ounce of water and another 1/2 oz. of coconut syrup. You'll get a virgin version with about 55 calories!

Blueberry Bliss Cheesecake

Do you think just because you're dieting, you can't have cheesecake....well, take a look again because for a slice of this little piece of heaven is only 168 calories baby!!  Add a delicious topping of blueberry goo, and it's irresistible! 

Red Velvet Shake

Better Off Red! There's no reason to get sucked in by scarlet-hued shakes with scary-high calorie counts. Toss a few no-guilt ingredients in the blender, and voilà! Red velvety goodness... 

How to make Really Good Hummus!

Hummus is pretty basic right? You have maybe 5 ingredients that you throw into a food processor and blend. Should be straight forward, but like making fresh mayo it ISN'T! Isn't a 1-2-3 in the bag dish that is. I've been wanting to make hummus for ages but only recently have I figured out how to do that! And thanks to this video I found on YouTube, now you can too!! Go grab a pen and paper and get ready to write down the ingredients! 

So what's the key to making fabulous hummus? Two things; balance of flavors and consistency. The balance of acid, fat, heat and aromatics is the first part. The consistency part has to do with, how much tahini you add, how long you blend it, and the amount of water you add. The water helps to break down the beans while processing the hummus to give it a creamier consistency. He used to add olive oil instead of water because he thinks the oil gives it more texture. Really the oil has no effect on the texture and it didn't do anything for the consistency. In fact it may have worked against both. Water helps open up the pores of the ingredients allowing distribution of flavor and achieving the right texture. As you'll see in the video, he make it a tad more loose then some of you might, but trust in the fact that it will firm up in the fridge.

See what you think and let me know how your next batch turns out.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Chili sauce and sesame oil add lively flavor to this easy stir-fry dish. It's a perfect solution for nights when there's no time to cook.

Red (Strawberry), White (Chocolate), and Blue (Blueberry) Nachos

These wonderful and beautiful snack is not gonna last long at your next BBQ!
Fresh flour tortillas are quick to cook up in a pan and produce unbelievably flaky chips when baked. This exquisitely flavored Italian cream cheese is worth the money. Slather it on cinnamon-sugar, baked flour tortilla chips. Then top with fresh fruit and white chocolate shavings for a snack or dessert that will start a celebration in your mouth. If you can’t find Mascarpone, substitute softened and sweetened cream cheese, or whipped cream cheese. For us calorie watchers we can use yogurt cheese or a low-fat Swiss cheese.

How to make Roasted Tomato Sauce

'Tis almost the season for TOMATOES!! yayyyyyy -  I can't wait!! Unfortunately, I didn't grow a garden this year and that really stinks...BUT...I am going to enjoy the Farmers Market this year to support my local growers. And one of the easiest ways to preserve that great unique flavor of your summer veggies from the market or your own garden, is to make a basic, roasted tomato sauce that can be adapted later on when we have that craving for summer tastes in the winter time.  Roasted sauce requires very little effort and roasting the tomatoes brings out a layer of richness in taste that fresh tomatoes do not have. Make a huge batch and freeze it for later on for all your pasta recipes, Mexican recipes or slap it on a fresh crust of Italian bread. OH!!  I can't forget about the eggplant dishes!!  Great, speaking of Eggplant, now I want that!! Roma Tomatoes are the best for roasting because out of the tomato varieties, they have the least seeds. 

Mexican Eggs in Tortilla Cup

Great for spicing up a vegetarian dinner or weekend brunch! This fast and easy recipe is full of zest, satisfying and nutritious. Ground cumin and a dose of chili powder combine with AllWhites® in a baked tortilla cup. 

Almond Crusted Walleye

Fishing season is here!! Send your man out to catch dinner while you get ready to bathe these walleye in Parmesan cheese and fresh basil! It creates the perfect crust for this favorite freshwater fish. 

Lemon-Blueberry Twist Pops

Reap the benefits of both dairy and blueberries with these 3-ingredient, low-

calorie frozen pops. Yogurt and milk offer calcium and vitamin D while blueberries are high in antioxidants.

Triple-Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Poppers

 Fill your wrappers with pizza toppings, bake, and chew -- you'll never go back to those frozen things from Totino's... 

Wonton Taquitos

Mexican finger food at its finest -- crunchy, perfectly sized, and with an ideal calorie count at only 202 calories for 4 of these bad boys!! So good and SO easy to make! 

Devil-icious Egg White Salad

This super-creamy salad is lighter in labor AND lower in fat than traditional deviled eggs... Weeee! 

Curried Chicken Salad

Mmmmm... Curried Chicken...Need I say more?? 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt (like the kind by Fage or Chobani) 
• 1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise 
• 1 tsp. lemon juice 
• 1 tsp. curry powder 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 8 oz. cooked and roughly chopped skinless chicken breast 
• 1 cup halved red grapes 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery 
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds 
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 
• Optional seasoning: cayenne pepper 

Directions: In a large bowl, thoroughly mix yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, and seasonings. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Chill before chewing, or just gobble it up! MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Nutritional Info: 1/4th of recipe (about 1 cup): 147 calories, 4.5g fat, 378mg sodium, 11.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 7g sugars, 17.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4

Source: Hungry Girl