Guilt-Free Chocolate Cake

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Rachel.  I love this cake! It doesn't get much easier than this! I serve mine with Breyer's fat free chocolate ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 chocolate cake mix
1 can diet coke (any diet cola works, even generic brand)

Directions:

mix coke and cake mix and bake as directed. Do not add any other ingredients listed on the box!
Cool and serve with ice cream or top with fat free cool whip

This is 3 weight watcher points for 1/12 of the cake

*Note* you can use any combination of diet soda and cake mix.  For example: yellow cake mix and a can of Sprite or Diet Cherry Coke and a chocolate cake mix.

Iced Coffee At Home! :-)

I can't stop drinking iced coffee! I have a real problem! It was starting to take a toll on my budget, so I've been making it at home.  It's just as satisfying, and when I make it in my favorite Starbucks cold travel cup (pictured above) it just makes me happy! It did require purchasing a few things, but they will last for several batches!

What you need:

• Your favorite coffee.  For the me the bolder the better.  I used Starbucks Ethiopia Sidamo

• Flavored coffee syrup. This is available at most grocery stores, but Starbucks also sells their syrups by the bottle. ($6.95 a bottle...I think). Starbucks puts unflavored Classic syrup in their iced coffee. I like vanilla in mine
• Half & Half or milk.  I prefer half & half, and it's lower in points than I expected!

What you do:

Grind your coffee if it's whole bean. Brew a pot of coffee like normal, but make it DOUBLE strength.  Add double the amount of grounds, but keep the same amount of water as normal. Prepare a plastic drink pitcher by filling it half way with ice cubes.  When coffee is finished brewing, pour it over the ice.  The ice will melt, but your coffee will not be watery because it was double strength.

Fill your favorite cup about 3/4 way full with iced coffee.  Add desired amount of syrup and half & half.  Add more ice to fill cup, and Enjoy!!!

1 cup of iced coffee with 2 TBS of vanilla syrup and 1/4 cup of half & half is 3 weight watcher points.

Lightened-Up Chicken Stips and French Fries

This is too simple to really be considered a recipe, but it's a great way to satisfy that craving for fast food chicken strips.  My sister-in-law Rachel reminded me the other day about Shake-N-Bake.  I hadn't used it in a long time, but it's really point friendly!

Ingredients:
1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenders (trimmed of fat)
1 Box Shake-N-Bake (I used the garlic flavor)
1 Bag Frozen Steak Fries

Directions:
Coat chicken pieces in breading and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake according to package directions.  Place desired amount of steak fries on a cookie sheet and bake according to directions.

The brand of steak fries I bought were 16 fries for 4 weight watcher points.  The chicken is one weight watcher point per ounce plus one point per piece of chicken for the breading.

Chipotle/Qdoba Copy Cat Black Beans

We LOVE Chipotle! It's one of very few fast food restaurants we still go to. In my quest to make everything lighter and healthier, I set out to make my own version of their black beans. I served mine over cilantro lime rice, but they would be great as a side dish or added to burritos as well!

Ingredients:

1 lb dried black beans
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 jar of your favorite salsa

Directions:

Sort through dried beans and remove any pebbles.  Add beans to a large pot and cover with water. (beans will almost double in size so use a large enough pot). Allow to soak for at least 6 hours (I left mine over night).  Drain beans and add to crock pot.  Cover beans with fresh water.  Stir in salsa and taco seasoning.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beans are tender.

Each 1/2 cup of beans is 2 weight watcher points

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili is a big favorite on my husband's side of the family.  I'd never heard of it until I started dating Matt. Now, it's one of my favorites.  It is typically served over spaghetti noodles, but since starting Weight Watchers I eat mine with rice because rice keeps me full longer than pasta. (One cup of pasta and one cup of white rice are both 4 points.) You can also eat it on a hot dog bun and top it with cheese!

Ingredients:

2 lbs 93/7 lean ground beef
2 cans (8 ounce) tomato sauce
1 can (5 ounces) tomato paste
4 Tbs chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt
2 tsp steak sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2-3 dried bay leaves
1/4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions:

Brown ground beef on stove top; then add to crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients to crock pot and stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over warm spaghetti noodles and top with shredded cheddar.

One cup of chili is 4 weight watchers points.  Be sure to add points for pasta and cheese.

Cajun Dirty Rice

I hadn't made this in while, and I forgot how much I love it. I included the recipe for the creole seasoning, but you can also purchase it at the store.

 Ingredients:

1 pound  93/7 lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper (green or red)
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
4 cups long grain rice, cooked and drained
1/4 cup water (more as needed)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Directions:

In fry pan stir ground beef and bell pepper. Cook over medium high heat until beef loses its pink color and bell pepper is soft. Remove excess grease. Turn temperature down to medium or medium low. Add remaining ingredients; stir and cook together until ground beef is completely cooked and liquid is gone - about 25 to 35 minutes. More Creole seasoning may be added for taste.

Creole seasoning

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Each one cup serving is 6 weight watchers points.

Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls

This is my first time making this recipe. We're having breakfast in Sunday school on Easter morning, so I thought I'd give these a try! I doubled the recipe and also tweaked it to make "mini" rolls :-) This did make a mess in the muffin tins. I'm soaking them right now, so just be prepared to scrub!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fat-free caramel-flavored sundae syrup

cooking spray

1 8 ounce can refrigerated reduced-fat crescent roll

1/4 cup brown sugar -- firmly packed

2 tablespoons pecans -- finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons syrup into each of 8 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; set aside. Unroll crescent roll dough, and separate into rectangles. Combine brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over each rectangle, pressing gently into dough. Beginning at 1 long edge, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Pinch ends of dough to seal. Cut each roll into 6 slices. Place 3 slices, cut sides down, (in a clover type shape) in prepared muffin cups. Bake at 375 for 14 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cups; invert onto a platter. To make mini rolls: Add on 1/2 tsp of caramel to each muffin cup. Prepare the same, but add only one slice per muffin tin instead of three. Watch closely. They will bake much faster!

This recipe makes 8 large rolls at 4 weight watcher points a piece or 48 mini rolls at one point a piece.

Garlic & Dill New Potatoes (similar to Boston Market's)

Ingredients

 8 medium red potatoes

 2 tablespoons Brummel & Brown spread, melted

 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Cut the potatoes in bite-sized pieces.  Steam the sliced potatoes on a steamer rack over boiling water in a large, covered saucepan for 10 minutes, or until the tip of a knife encounters just a little resistance when stuck into the potatoes. The potatoes will cook a bit more after they come off the heat, so you want to be sure not to overcook them. Combine the melted butter, dill, garlic, and salt in a small bowl. When the potatoes are cooked, dump them into a medium bowl.  Pour the garlic butter over the potatoes and then gently toss the potatoes until they are well-coated.  Be careful not to toss the potatoes too much or they may start to fall apart, and you don't want mashed potatoes.

This recipe makes 4 servings at 2 weight watchers points per serving.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I haven't made this in a while, and I forgot how much I LOVE it! I served the stuffed chicken breasts with garlic new potatoes (I'll post that recipe tomorrow) and petite green beans.

Ingredients:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Tbs of crumbled feta per chicken breast
1/2 cup fresh baby leaf spinach

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim chicken of all fat.  Pound chicken to make it thinner or butterfly it if it is a large chicken breast. Place chicken in a cooking dish.  Sprinkle one Tbs of feta over each chicken breast and top with 5-6 spinach leaves.  Roll chicken from small to large end; secure with a toothpick if necessary. Bake chicken seam side down until it is cooked through and juices are no longer pink.

Weight watcher points depend on the size of the chicken breast.  Add one point for each ounce of chicken plus one point for the feta cheese.