Angel Lush Cake

From: Cool Whip Free package

Prep: 15 minutes plus refrigerating. Makes 10 servings.

1 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Sugar Free Fat Free Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP FREE Whipped Topping
1 pkg. (8.5 oz.) angel food cake

Mix pudding mix and pineapple in bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping. Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers.
Place bottom cake layer, cut side up, on serving plate. Spread 1 1/3 cups of the pudding mixture onto cake layer; cover with middle layer. Spread 1 cup of the pudding mixture onto the middle cake layer; top with remaining cake layer. Spread with remaining pudding mixture.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Refrigerate left over dessert. Garnish with strawberries.

Nutritional Information per serving: (without garnish) 120 calories, 1 g. total fat, 0 g. saturated fat.

Meatloaf Muffins

Hey, this isn't gourmet by any means but I made this so quickly last night for dinner and my 14 yr. old ate a bunch! I think this is an ideal meal for families with little tots because your portion size is already made for you! I made baked sweet and idaho potatoes and fresh broccoli steamed to go with this.

1 lb. 95 % lean ground beef
2 egg whites
1 box Stove Top Stuffing Mix (I used the new Whole Wheat one)
1 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. You don't need to add salt and seasoning because the stuffing mix has plenty of salt already. You may want to add worcestershire sauce though.

2. Spray a little cooking spray (I always use olive oil because it's so good for you) into each cup of a 12 cup muffin pan.

3. Fill eat muffin cup in the pan with the meatloaf mixture.

4. Bake for 35 minutes.

So fast! So simple! Leftovers can be made into individual to-go meals.

Nutrition: WW 2 points per muffin.

Tex-Mex Summer Squash Casserole

Tex-Mex Summer Squash Casserole

From EatingWell.com
View Online: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tex_mex_squash_cass.html

Yield: 12 servings Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 1 1/2 hours Ease of preparation: Moderate

Chiles and cheese turn mild summer squash into a zesty, satisfying casserole. The jalapenos make this dish quite hot; if you prefer a milder version, use a second can of diced green chiles instead.

2 1/4 pounds summer squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (about 10 cups)
2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
1 4 1/2-ounce can chopped jalapenos (about 1/2 cup), drained
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 1/4 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (about 7 ounces), divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup mild salsa
4 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Combine squash, onion, chiles, jalapenos, salt and 3/4 cup cheese in a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour; toss to coat. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
3. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling and the squash is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Spoon salsa over the casserole and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake, uncovered, until golden and heated through, 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions and red onion.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: To make ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat, covered, at 350°F for about 40 minutes. Garnish just before serving.

Secret Baked Apples

I made these this week! I baked them in a Pyrex 9 x 13 glass dish that has a blue cover for refrigeration. After I baked the apples (and served some warm ones to family) I just popped the lid on and stored them in the frig. All week I've been having a delicious snack or dessert of one of these apples a day - they taste great cold too! And, I must mention the cinnamon has the added benefit of helping increase your metabolism - and it sure worked for me this week! Oh, did I mention they are only 1 POINT and CORE too.

1 bag apples - (I used Macintosh apples but my friend recommends Rome)
1/2 bottle of Fuze "Slenderize" melon-strawberry drink (only 10 cal. for bottle - next to Snapples)
cinnamon powder

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

2. Wash, core and peel all apples from the bag.

3. Place apples in a 9 x 12 inch baking dish. Pore 1/2 a bottle of Fuze into the pan - I did it by pouring a little in each center core area of each apple just to make sure each apple had some juice.

4. Sprinkle each apple with cinnamon on top.

5. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes in oven.

Serving size: one apple
Nutrition: 1 WW Point

Garden Vegetable Soup

Here's a WW recipe from one of their basic "Getting Started" books. I just got a chance to have some of this soup from my friend Debbie M. and it's delicious, filling, so healthy AND 1 cup is worth ZERO POINTS and is CORE!!

2/3 c. sliced carrot
1/2 c. diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 c. fat-free broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)
1 1/2 c. diced green cabbage
1/2 c. green beans
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. diced zucchini

1. In large saucepan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute the carrot, onion, and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add broth, cabbage, beans, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and salt; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until beans are tender.

3. Stir in zucchini and heat 3 - 4 minutes. Serve hot. Makes four 1-cup servings.

Per serving: 42 calories; 0 g. fat; 2 g. fiber

Penne with Meat Sauce Arrabiata

3/4 lb. 95% lean ground beef
2 Tsp. Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. ground fennel
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
4 c. whole-wheat penne (about 12 oz.)

1. Spray a non stick Dutch Oven with olive oil non stick spray and set over med-hi heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring frequently to break it up, until browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl.

2. Heat the oil in the same Dutch Oven over med-hi heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, basil, fennel, and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring occassionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the beef, tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring occassionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 15 - 18 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the penne according to pacage directions; drain in a colander. Return the penne to the pot and stir in a cup of the sauce. Divide the pasta mixture among 6 plates and top each with the remaining sauce.

PER SERVING: (about 1 2/3 cups): 354 cal., 6 g. fat, 9 g. fiber POINTS value: 7 CORE

Can serve with 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese increasing the points value by 1 and on CORE - you have to count the cheese in your weekly points allowance.

From: Weight Watchers Ultimate Flex and Core Cookbook.

My Notes:
Made the sauce ahead of time and froze. Also increased the red pepper a bit to make it a little hotter.
Day I served I used a bag of whole wheat rigatoni and then took the entire sauce and stirred into the pasta. Leftovers are even better tasting.
This pasta was liked by everybody and is very filling in one serving. I even gave some to my neighbors when they returned home from Brazil and were bone tired after flying and customs and they loved it!

Potato Pancakes

1/4 c. regular egg substitute
1/4 c. Matzo meal
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
3 large potatoes
1 large sweet potato
cooking spray to coat baking sheet & pancakes

Instructions:
Heat oven to 500 degrees. In large bowl combine eggsubstitute, matzo meal, onion, salt, and pepper.

In a food processor, grate the potatoes through the feed tube. Squeeze out any excess moisture. Combine with egg mixture. (Note: Do not grate potatoes ahead of time).

Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Place twelve 1/4 cups of pancake mixture on sheet; coat with cooking spray. Bake until pancakes are crisp, 30 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes.

Points Value: 1
Servings: 12

Thai Chicken Curry

1 c. sliced chicken breasts (I just chopped up a .70 lb. pkg of thin sliced skinless chicken breasts)
1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk LITE
2 T. curry powder (I used red curry powder)
1 c. frozen green peas
2 green chiles cut lengthwise (I bought a ton of thin hot peppers from produce)
2 T. fish sauce or Soy Sauce
2 T. veg. oil (I used EVOO)
2 tsps. corn startch

Heat oil over Med Hi heat in sauce pan. Mix in and stir fry curry powder for 1 minute. Add in chicken & fish sauce. Stir fry until chicken is cooked through. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add chili and peas. Stir well & serve. I added some cornstarch just to get the sauce a little thicker.

I made 1 c. brown rice in 2 c. boiling chicken stock and served the curry over the rice.

** Will get the Nutritional info and WW points up here next time I make it! But make some Brown rice to go with this and a little side salad and you'll have a great meal - both David and Adam like this one too!

Beef Stuffed Cabbage

From: Weight Watchers

1/3 head savoy cabbage, about 8 whole leaves
1/2 lb. uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1/2 cup water
1/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large egg white
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
29 oz. canned diced tomatoes, with basil, garlic and oregano

1. Wrap cabbage leaves in plastic wrap or moist paper towels and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes, until soft. Cut off the thickest, white portion of the spine of each leaf to make the leaves pliable and easy to fold; set aside.

2. Combine beef, rice, water, bread crumbs, carrot, onion, garlic, egg white, salt and pepper in a large bowl; mix well.

3. Spoon about 1/4 c. of the beef mixture onto the center of each leaf. Fold up bottom of leaf to cover filling, tuck in sides and then continue rolling to make loose rolls (rice will expand during cooking so it is important not to roll them too tightly).

4. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat; add rolls and saute until golden brown on all sides, turning frequently, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until cooked through, checking pot every 15 minutes and stirring to prevent sticking, about 1 hour. Yield: 2 rolls per serving.

POINTS VALUE: 6

Note: I used 5% fat lean ground beef so it was even healthier. The browning step adds some flavor but I found that turning the rolls sometimes spilled some of the ingredients out so be careful and use a big skillet! My son at 14 who tries everything did not eat all of his but my husband loved them. I talked with my friend, Jeannie, who makes her cabbage rolls without browning them and adds dried fruit and sour salt and lemon juice to the tomatoes - oh and a little brown sugar. I'm thinking of trying that next time and recalculating the serving nutritional information. Splenda makes a brown sugar by the way which would reduce calories but the dried fruit would add some more sugar and calories.

Spiced Lamb Chops w/cucumber & red onion salad

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 T. cider vinegar
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. chili powder
4 (5 oz.) loin lamb chops, about 1 inch thick, trimmed of visible fat

1. Spray the grill rack with nonstick spray; prepare grill.

2. Combine the cucumbers, onion, vinegar, cilantro, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl.

3. Combine the cumin, paprika, chili powder, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture over both sides of the lamb chops.

4. Place the lamb on the grill rack. Grill the lamb until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of each chop registers 145 degrees for med-rare, about 4 minutes on each side. Serve with the cucumber and red onion salad.

Recipe from Weight Watchers Cookbook.

PER SERVING (1 chop and 3/4 c. salad) : 147 cal., 6 g. fat, 2 g. sat. fat, 0 g. trans fat, 57 mg. Chol., 491 mg. Sod., 4 g. carb, 1 g. Fib, 19 g. Prot., 31 mg. Calc. POINTS VALUE: 3 & is CORE

Garlic Shrimp

1/4 c. olive oil
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled tails on, deveined and butterflied
5 cloves garlic, well mashed
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sweet Spanish paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
fresh lemon juice, for sprinkling
1 T. minced parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook one side about 1 minute until browned. Turn shrimp and cook 1 minute more. Add the garlic, salt, paprika and cumin and lightly toss the shrimp to coat. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant. Sprinkle the shrimp with lemon juice and parsley and serve hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Recipe from Florida Sun-Sentinel Newspaper. Discovered and tried by my friend, Debbie M., who makes brown rice to serve on the side with this.

Per serving: 111 calories, 8 grams total fat, .29 gram total fiber.