I am loving canned pumpkin So nutritious and easy:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin - 42 calories (NOT pie filling)

1/2 tbls. lite margerine - 25 calories

1 tbls. suger free maple syrup. - 7 calories

shake of cinnamon (optional)
salt/pepper (optional)

Microwave pumpkin in the a bowl for one minute. Add margerine and sf maple syrup for another 30 seconds. Add some cinn, salt & pepper, if desired.

You can change the amounts/kinds as you wish. For me, it's a good way to get in more vegetables

And fewer calories and carbs as sweet potato - with a similar taste.

1/2 cup canned pumpkin Nutrition Facts
Calories 42 (174 kJ)
% Daily Value 1
Total Fat 0.4g 1%
Sat. Fat 0.2g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 6mg < 0.1%
Total Carbs. 9.9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3.6g 14%
Sugars 4g
Protein 1.3g
Calcium 31.9mg
Potassium 252.4mg

Comparing to sweet potatoes

1/2 c.Sweet potato cooked
Calories 125 (521 kJ)
% Daily Value 1
Total Fat 0.2g < 0.1%
Sat. Fat 0.1g < 0.1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 44mg 2%
Total Carbs. 29g 10%
Dietary Fiber 4.1g 16%
Sugars 9.4g
Protein 2.2g
Calcium 44.3mg
Potassium 377.2mg

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes,
mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile
peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

(I consider the tortillas [see below] "extra" and have never made them! Bet they'd be good though...)

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Butternut, Spinach, Blackbean Enchiladas!

I ammended this recipe from one a friend gave me... I apologize for not being super specific on the amounts of each ingredient.

Ingredients:
Splash of olive oil
1 medium onion
chopped garlic (amount per your taste- I used 3 tablespoons)
Bag of frozen or fresh spinach
can of black beans
bag of cubed butternut squash
Small corn tortillas (they are lower calorie than flour tortillas)
PAcket of taco seasoning (omit if you want to avoid the sodium)
Jar of enchilada sauce
Feta cheese

Pre-heat oven to 375

Line baking dish (I used a 8' X 13') with a layer of corn tortillas (there will be space between them- I used 3 per layer)

Cook butternut until soft. (optional- add 1/2 packet of taco seasoning with 1/2 cup water and cook until sauce thickens) Layer on tortillas and cover with more tortillas

Saute onions and garlic until soft. Add spinach and black beans and continue to saute until spinach is wilted. Layer over second layer of corn tortillas. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Cover with a third layer of tortillas, and pour enchilada sauce over the entire dish.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.... Enjoy!

Creamy Banana "Ice Cream"
(This completely satisfies my craving for full fat ice cream!)

Ingredients:
Very ripe bananas
Peanut Butter
Honey

Slice bananas to 1 inch chunk, and place on cookie sheet
Freeze banana slices until solid (about 3 hours)
Put frozen bananas into food processor- add a tablespoon or two of PB (depending on how many bananas you're using) and a squeeze of honey (both are optional)
Blend until smooth and enjoy! (number of servings=number of bananas you used)
Leftovers stay well in freezer

These are fantastic- got this from allrecipes.com and modified a bit. I made the original recipe last night and a bit of a different version this morning. (Had to use up the rest of the bananas!)

Whole Grain Banana Muffins- the second time I made these I used oatmeal instead of oat bran and used 1/2 cup of applesauce, no maple syrup and no raisins. They were a little less sweet but good too.

* 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
* 1 cup oat bran
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
* 3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
* 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 1/4 cup maple syrup
* 1 egg white
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3 small ripe bananas, mashed
* 1/4 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, oat bran, sugar, and baking powder. Stir in raisins. In another bowl, mix together yogurt, applesauce, maple syrup, egg white, vanilla, and bananas. Pour yogurt mixture into flour mixture, and mix just enough to combine. Add nuts. Spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake muffins in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool.

Many times I will tweak a recipe a bit. I increased the cocoa powder to 1/2 c, added 1/4 c egg whites (now it's not vegan), 1 tsp (scant) each of baking powder and baking soda. I find 2T of dark choc chips added at the end add to the taste but don't do too much calorie damage. They do crack when baking but after they cool they serve up and look just fine~Deb


Nutritional Info: 85 calories, 1g fat, 16g carbs, 4g protein (without optional sugar)

Black Bean Brownies RecipeServings: 9
Description:
Dense, fudge-y and ultra-healthy, these brownies are a great alternative to traditional brownies! It's amazing how they taste like chocolate and fudge and not beans! Chef's Notes: Rolled oats run through the food processor may substituted for the instant oats. Use optional sugar if your bananas are still green and not very ripe.


Ingredients:
15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
2 whole bananas
⅓ cup agave nectar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup raw sugar (optional)
¼ cup instant oats
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8x8" pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing. Chef's Note: if you find these brownies are too soft or too fudge-y, add another 1/4 cup oats or flour.


Happy Herbivore, Lindsay S. Nixon is a rising star in the culinary world, praised for her ability to use everyday ingredients to create healthy, low fat recipes that taste just as delicious as they are nutritious. Lindsay's recipes have been featured in Vegetarian Times, Women's Health Magazine and on The Huffington Post. Lindsay is also a consulting chef at La Samanna, a luxury resort and four-star restaurant in the French West Indies. You can learn more about Lindsay and sample some of her recipes at happyherbivore.com

Veggies and Pasta

This is more method than recipe and it's a terrific way to use up seasonal veggies that are overflowing the refrigerator.

Start with lots of veggies -- even more than you think you could possibly eat. This is the dish that got us to realize that we really will eat quite a lot of veggies. Pre-cook any of the ones that make sense in any way that makes sense. I often roast chopped zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, and tomatoes in the toaster oven--sometimes early in the day before it gets hot. In the winter, that might be broccoli and carrots, and just use tomatoes directly from the can. I'll sometimes throw veggies on the outdoor grill or the Griddler to use later in the day or week in this dish. I'll usually roast 3 or 4 cloves of garlic per person -- it's a healthy veggie, too, and roasted it's mild enough to put a lot in. If I have greens and fresh basil, I wash and prep them, but don't pre-cook them.

Then, make a sauce. A bit of oil, some good vinegar or fresh lime or lemon juice, something sweet like honey or agave nectar if your plan allows it, perhaps some mustard or ketchup or barbecue sauce or hoisin or worcestershire or tomato juice or tomato paste or pesto or soy sauce or some combination of the above. Set it aside for later. I would say aim for 1/4 to 1/2 cup per person.

This is also the time to think about what goes on top, if anything, since the cooking goes pretty quickly. I usually grate some good flavorful cheese and sometimes toast pine nuts.

Put the water on to boil and weigh 1 oz of pasta per person. We've settled on Al Dente brand Whole Wheat Blend with Flax Fettucine.

In a large skillet, saute lots of onion--it's a veggie, too! I'll also saute peppers with it when my garden is producing.

When the water is boiling, throw in the pasta.

Press the garlic into the skillet with the onions. Gradually add the pre-cooked veggies to the skillet, firmest first, and later things like tomato and, at the last minute before the pasta is done, the greens and basil.

Drain the pasta, then put it in the skillet with the veggie mixture. Add the sauce and heat and stir everything until the sauce is bubbly. Serve and top with cheese, pine nuts, salt, and pepper.

If you have determined meat eaters, this dish accommodates chicken nicely. Cut it up and cook it with the onions before adding the vegetables. When we do that, I skip the pine nuts and use only the tiniest amount of cheese for flavor.

Egg White Salad

I love egg salad. Peeling hard boiled eggs isn't too bad if the eggs you are using aren't very fresh. But - often my eggs are too fresh. So this is what I do.

I cook the egg whites in the microwave, put them in the fridge to cool off, and chopped them up for egg salad - with some miracle whip light and a dab of mustard. (sometimes chopped pickle too)

What took me so long to figure this one out.

I know that some folks eat the yolks... I choose to just eat the whiltes.

15 6-inch tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
1 1/2 t olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, sliced thin
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t cumin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 poblano, sliced thin
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup stock
1 1/2 c salsa fresca (or any salsa, if you can't find something labeled salsa fresca)
4 oz mexican melting cheese, grated (I used oaxaca, but you could use any cheese that melts well.)

Preheat oven to 450. Spray an 11x7 pan with pan spray and layer half the tortillas into the bottom.

Heat a 10-inch skillet over med-high, spray with pan spray, and add oil. When oil is hot, add garlic and saute one minute. Add onions, salt, pepper and cumin and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add peppers and saute until limp. Add beans and chicken, stir well, taste and correct seasoning. Layer half this mixture onto the tortilla strips in the pan. Top with the other half of the tortilla strips, then the rest of the bean mixture.

Return skillet to stovetop and deglaze with stock, then add salsa, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer 5 minutes. Pour this mixture over the casserole evenly. Top with the cheese, spread evenly. Bake 15 minutes. Serves six very generously. ~350 calories per serving.

My DW makes this about once a month during winter - we both love it.

1 can (14.5 oz) pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 onion
1 tomato
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 cup 2% milk.

Sautee onion, add diced tomato and other ingredients except milk.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Blend.
Add milk and serve hot.

Serves two.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower
10 min to prepare & serves 4

(Weightwatchers 1 pt for 1cup)

INGREDIENTS
1 small cauliflower head, cut into small florets
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove minced

1. Preheat oven to 450F

2. Combine cauliflower, oil, curry powder and salt in large bowl; toss to coat.
Spread cauliflower in single layer on large rimmed pan/baking sheet.

3. Roast, stirring once, at 15 min mark. Then sprinkle cauliflower with parsley and garlic; toss to coat. Roast until cauliflower is just tender, about 5 min more.

Bonus: add 1 cup of grape tomatoes to this for added flavour.

NOTE: when I made this I read it wrong and added the garlic into the curry/oil/salt. It didn't burn as I feared. I also didn't have any parsley to add and the whole thing was great. I can see this as a wonderful alternative to a bowl of popcorn.

Quick Manhattan Style Clam Chowda
5-6 servings

1 lg onion, finely chopped
1 sm clove garlic, minced
2 lg ribs of celery including leaves, diced
2 tbsp butter or margarine
2 cans (6 1/2 oz) chopped clams, undrained
water
1/2 lg green pepper, diced
1 lg potato, diced
1 can (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/8 tsp pepper
pinch of cayenne
Salt, to taste

1. Saute onion, garlic and celery in margarine in large saucepan until onion is tender, about 6 minutes.

2. Drain clams, pouring liquid into a measuring cup; add enough water to make 1 3/4 cups.
Add liquor mixture, clams, and remaining ingredients, except salt, to saucepan; heat to boiling.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf;
season to taste with salt.

Per Serving
Calories: 106
Protein: 7.2
Carbohydrates: 17.6
Fat: 2.2

One of the best drinks you can use is water. Water has no calories or fats, drinking a lot of it will help you to feel full. You should try your very best to drink at least eight glasses of water everyday for a good healthy life-styleBut nobody wants only drink water - we must eat... so here it is:

Home Made High Protein Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
4 scoops whey protein - Vanilla flavored
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
½ cup water (add a little more if needed)
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Prepare a square baking pan by lining it with wax paper.

Once the dough is well mixed, spread it into the pan using a spatula.

Freeze for 30 minutes, then take it out and cut it into 8 bars.

Nutrition Facts -

Serving Size: 1 bar, Number of Servings: 8

Per Serving -

Calories: 228, Total Fat: 10.6 g (16 %), Total Carbohydrate: 18 g (6 %), Dietary Fiber: 3 g (13 %), Protein: 15.7 g (31 %)

Sundried Tomato Dip via Lexxiss's pastor's wife

Makes one cup

1 med/large tomato
1 package fresh basil
1 heaping t minced garlic
2 T olive oil
1 C sundried tomatoes
dash of lemon juice (optional)
garlic salt

Blend first 4 ingredients in a processor or blender. Then add sundried tomatoes and continue blending. Adjust flavor with lemon juice and garlic salt.


This is soooo good! I could not find plain sundried tomatoes, just the ones in olive oil in a jar, so I omitted the olive oil in the recipe and just added some from the jar instead. This dip is so fresh tasting!
Serve chilled, with veggies, crackers or sturdy potato chips.

Crock Pot Sloppy Guiseppe's (Italian Sloppy Joe's)

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian turkey sausage, removed from casing
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/3 cups crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

For serving:
6 whole wheat 100 calorie potato rolls**
6 slices reduced fat provolone (Sargento)
1 cup baby spinach

Directions:

In a medium non-stick skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up as it cooks into small bits until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Add onions and garlic, and cook another 2 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the bell peppers, crushed tomatoes, rosemary and fresh cracked pepper. Mix. Cook four hours on low.

My family loved it. DH and DS suggested using hot Italian sausage instead of the sweet Italian sausage I used. (too spicy for me with the hot). Use 1/2 the amount of peppers if they are quite large. It kind of taste like the sausage and peppers at a fair or street food. Yum.

Servings: 6 • Size: 1 sandwich • Old Points: 6 pts • Weight Watchers Points+: 8 pts*
Calories: 316 • Fat: 11.4 g • Protein: 27 g • Carb: 27.4 g • Fiber: 14 g • Sugar: 7.6 g
Sodium: 461.5 mg (without the salt)