Miso Sesame Cole Slaw

 

Healthy Cole Slaw - Hungry Girl

Level of Difficulty:  Very Easy
Weight Watcher Points Plus: 1

Ingredients:
-  One bag cole slaw
-  Miso Sesame Dressing

Directions:
-  Mix 1 cup of cole slaw with 1 tbsp of dressing.
-  Refrigerate for about an hour before eating.

Food for Thought

Now that summer is approaching, the weather is very muggy and humid so I crave foods that are light and cold.  This recipe was perfect.  I mixed the whole bag of cole slaw which contained around 5 cups with the dressing.  I put it in the fridge and ate this with some vegetarian chili.  It filled me up and tasted light and refreshing.  Perfect for a hot day or warm night and so easy to make.  Two thumbs up.

Joe Cool Java Freeze

 

Joe Cool Java Freeze - Hungry Girl

Weight Watcher Points Plus: 2

Level of Difficulty: Very Easy

Ingredients

1/4 cup vanilla soymilk, cold

4 tsp Coffee-mate Sugar Free French Vanilla powdered creamer

1 tsp instant coffee granules

2 no-calorie sweetener packets

1 1/2 cups crushed ice

Directions

Combine powdered creamer, coffee granules, and sweetener with 1/4 cup hot water.  Stir until ingredients have dissolved.  Add 1/2 cup cold water and stir.

Transfer coffee mixture to a blender with soymilk and ice.  Mix at low to medium speed.  

Food for Thought

If you want something quick and on the go, this is perfect.  Like most of the recipes on the blog, you just mix together and cook/drink.  So easy but oh so good.  It was another hot morning and the first sip of the shake melted me.  I'm not a coffee drinker, but when I'm tired and the day starts off hot and humid, I'm down for something with caffeine, cold, blended and sweet.  Two thumbs up for sure and you can bet I'll be making this often as summer is approaching!

Italian Turkey Sausage Pasta

Italian Turkey Sausage Pasta 
                 - Ginna's Skinny Recipe

Weight Watcher Plus Points:  8 (for 1 1/2 cups)

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

                     

 

Ingredients:  1 pound Italian Turkey Sausage

                   12 oz wheat pasta

                   1 bell pepper (green or red)

                   1/2 onion, chopped

                   1 tsp olive oil

                   5 cloves garlic, chopped

                   3/4 bag of spinach

                   1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

                                                              1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese

                                                              salt and pepper, to taste

 

 
Boil the pasta

In a pan, heat up oil and stir fry pepper and onion.
Add garlic.

Remove sausage from the casing and add to pan.
Cook until meat is done.

Add spinach and crushed pepper.

Add the pasta and mix.

Put in a bowl and top with Parmigiano.

Food for Thought

I've never eaten pasta without some kind of sauce and I must say, this recipe did not disappoint.  This was the first time for me to eat Italian Turkey sausage and I was slightly hesitant to try it, but it was seasoned well and tasted great.  The crushed pepper added some flair and spiciness, however, it was just the right amount for me.  Be careful on how much crushed pepper you add in, unless of course, you want to sweat it out.   This recipe was easy to make, healthy, and very filling.  I ate around one cup and felt satisfied.  Two thumbs up!

Black and White Chocolate Chip Clouds

                                       

Black and White Chocolate Chip Clouds 

             - Gina's Skinny Recipes

                                                

Weight Watcher Points Plus: 1 point each

Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Ingredients:  3 large egg whites
                  1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
                  1/2 cup sugar
                  1 tsp vanilla extract

                  1/2 cup chocolate chips

                  1/2 cup white chocolate chips

 

Directions:   

1.  In a mixer, beat 3 egg whites and cream of tartar.  

     Beat on HIGH until it gets a bit fluffy.  It's important

     to beat on a very high speed, or it will not work.

2.  Gradually add sugar little at a time, still mixing on a high  

     speed.  

3.  Add vanilla extract.

4.  Mix on high until you get a fluffy substance.  Almost like

     marshmallows. 

5.  Fold in white and chocolate chips.

6.  Heat oven to 300 degrees
7.  Put parchment paper on a pan and spoon mixture on.

8.  Bake for 35-45 minutes.

Food for Thought

 "OH my goodness ", was the first thing that  came to my mind when I bit down into one of these divine clouds.  I wanted to gobble the whole pan.  These are so light when you first bite down and then you hit the warm white and chocolate chips and it becomes oh so heavenly gooey.  I will be honest and say these were not the easiest to make.  Batter number one was thrown away.  I think it was because the speed on the mixer was not high enough.  Also, if you are using regular size eggs, I would recommend using four egg whites.  I also had to mix a good while to get to the fluffy marshmallow consistency.  If you don't have much time, this isn't for you.  If you do have the time, you will not regret the outcome.  The taste was absolutely wonderful and you won't be able to stop popping these in your mouth.  Two thumbs up for taste, one thumbs up for the process.

Cap'n Crunch Shake

                                            Captain Crunch Shake - Hungry Girl

                                                   Weight Watcher Points Plus: 5

                                                         Level of Difficulty:  Easy

                               Ingredients:         2/3 cups soy milk

                                                         1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt
                                                         1/4 cup Cap'n Crunch cereal (original
                                                         1 tsp Coffee-mate powdered creamer
                                                         1/4 tsp vanilla extract
                                                         1 no-calorie sweetner packet
                                                         3/4 cup ice

                              Directions:          1.  In a small bowl, dissolve powdered creamer in 1 tbsp
                                                           warm water.  Add to blender.
                                                      2.  Add rest of ingredients and blend.
                                                      3.  Enjoy and cool down.
                                                       

Food for Thought
I made this shake for breakfast because it was a warm morning and after blending everything together, the shake was a perfect cool down.  Normally I would have used soy milk, but I had a little bit of 1% milk left that I didn't want to waste.  I also used only one sweetner packet instead of two (which the recipe called for) because Splenda is very sweet.  The original recipe also called for fat-free vanilla ice cream and 2 tbsp sugar-free vanilla syrup.  I have fat-free frozen yogurt and no vanilla syrup.  So as you can see, substitutions are always made but the taste was soooooooooo good.  I'm thinking with the vanilla syrup and the extra sweetner packet, the shake might have been a bit too sweet.  Overall, this shake was heaven.  I can eat Cap'n Crunch cereal alone, but blend it with some ice cream and it makes you want to drink it all day long. 

Grilled Steak Fajitas

Grilled Steak Fajitas - Ginas Skinny Recipes

Weight Watcher Points Plus:  7 (for 2 fajitas)

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Ingredients:
     Low in Carbs tortillas
     2 lbs Grass fed steak, trimmed of fat     Olive oil
     Salt
     1 onion
     1 bell pepper
     1 tomato
     Sliced mushrooms, fresh
     1 packet Fajita seasoning

 Directions: 
      1.  Chop vegetables
      2.  Heat olive oil in pan and stir fry vegies.  Add salt.

      3.  While vegies are cooking slice steak thinly.

      4.  Marinate the steak with some of the fajita seasoning.

       5.  Heat oil in pan and add steak.  
6.  Add the rest of fajita packet.
7.  Fry until well-done.

     8.  Heat up a tortilla in the microwave for a few seconds.

     9.  Add steak and vegies on top and wrap up.

   10.  Enjoy!

Food for Thought

The original recipe used salt and garlic instead of the fajita packet and didn't call for mushrooms, but how can one go wrong with mushrooms and steak. Ginas recipe recommended seasoning the steak with garlic and salt at least 10 minutes ahead of time, but I just used the fajita seasoning instead to save time.  The only time consuming thing was chopping up the vegies and steak, but other than that, it was easy to make - chop and fry.  The fajita packet was great on the steak and with the vegetables on the steak, the flavors came alive.  I also paired the fajitas with warm fat-free refried beans on the side.  This was a two thumbs up for me.  It was filling and made tons of leftovers.   

 

Totally Stacked Steak Style Hamburger

                                Hungry Girl's Totally Stacked Steak Style Hamburger

                                                Level of Difficulty:  Easy
                                                Weight Watcher Points Plus:5

 Ingredients:  
      1 egg white or egg beater

      1/4 cup onion

      1 boca burger

      1/4 cup Fiber one cereal - original

      garlic salt

      tomato

      spinach/lettuce

      1 thin bun or 1/2 a large bun cut in half
                                                           Hickory smoke bbq sauce


Directions:   

1. Put onions in a bowl and add egg white.  Make sure the onions are coated well.  
2. Put the fiber one cereal in a small plastic bag.  Crush the cereal really good or put in a food processor.  Add garlic salt.  
3. Add the onion to the bag and evenly coat. 
4. Put onions in a pan and fry for a bit.

 



                                                          

5.  Heat up the boca burger in the microwave. 

6.  Put boca burger on bun and spread on the bbq sauce.  (It's a must!!)

7.  Add tomatoes and spinach.

 Food for Thought

This was burger love for me.  I don't eat meat very much, and I can't even remember when I last ate a hamburger.  The key to this were the onions mixed with the Fiber one cereal and the bbq sauce.  The onion mix gave off a sweet flavor and the bbq sauce, need I say more?  I LOVE bbq sauce and that made the burger taste so much more delicious.   The true recipe calls for onion powder, A1 steak sauce, and a slice of cheese which made the weight watcher points at 6.  I skipped out on the cheese, added bbq sauce, and prefer garlic salt so I lowered the points to 5.  Every bite was so lovely and I give this recipe two huge thumbs up.  This is a definite repeat!!  You won't be disappointed. 

Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes

                                           Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes - Ginna's Skinny Recipes

                                                               Level of Difficulty:  Easy

                                        Weight Watcher Points Plus:  4 (1 cupcake with frosting)

                                                                        3 (no frosting)

Ingredients:  

    1 box super moist yellow cake mix

    2 cans crushed pineapple

    1 8 oz low fat cream cheese

    1 jar fluff marshmallow spread

Directions:  

    For the cupcake:

1.     Mix cake mix and one can crushed pineapple - do not drain.
2.     Using an electric mixer, mix on medium speed until moist.  

      3.    Pour into cupcake tins about 2/3 full.  Bake according to box. 

     4.    Let the cupcakes cool.

   

For the Frosting:

1. Drain the second crushed pineapple can very well.  (it will be too watery if not)
2. Mix pineapple with cream cheese and 3/4 cup marshmallow spread.
3. Frost the cupcakes.

    

Food for Thought                                          

Surprisingly the cupcake came out extremely moist despite not using any eggs or oil.  The cake was a bit sticky, so I would recommend  eating this with the frosting.  The frosting is my favorite part, but that's because I love anything with cream cheese.  I would probably add shredded coconut on top because that's another thing I love, but I made this for Mother's Day, and not everyone is a coconut fan.  This recipe was so simple and easy to make - dumping everything together and mixing.  If you love pineapple and more pineapple, this is for you.  Thumbs up!

Smokey Bean and Spinach Soup

                                     

Smokey Bean and Spinach Soup

                           - Healthy Girl's Kitchen

Level of Difficulty: Very Easy

Ingredients:

    4 cups vegetable broth

    2 cans of refried beans

    2 cans of pinto or black beans

    1 jar of salsa                                      

    1 bag of spinach

    1/2 bag of frozen corn (not in the photo)
    1/8 tsp Liquid smoke

 Instructions:   

In a large pot, add broth, both cans of beans and refried beans, jar of salsa and corn.  Let the soup come to a simmer.  

Add spinach and liquid smoke.

Food for Thought
This was SO easy to make and the taste was so warm, homey, and  extremely yummy.  The liquid smoke is a must for the recipe and you can taste all the flavors of the salsa and the beans.  This is one of my favorite recipes so far and I could make this over and over again.  This soup is probably best for a cold and rainy day, but if you want something hearty with good flavors and something easy and fast to make, this is for you.  Two huge thumbs up!!!

    

   

Maple Syrup Glazed Salmon

                                            

Maple Syrup Glazed Salmon - Health Magazine


Level of Difficulty:  Easy

What you need:    Piece of salmon (wild, not farmed)
                               1 1/2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
                               2 Tbsp Grainy Mustard
                                A clove of garlic
                               1/8 tsp Cumin




Instructions:  

• Preheat oven/broiler to 350 degrees.
• Mix syrup, mustard, garlic and cumin together.  
• Spread mixture on salmon
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until the sauce gets browned or salmon is done.

Food for Thought:                        

I would recommend soaking the salmon with the sauce longer to get a better taste.  I didn't particularly care for this recipe, but the reasoning could be because only the top layer of the fish had a sweet flavor.  When you put each piece in your mouth, you first taste the sweetness, and then as you munched more, the flavor got bland.  I don't think I am making this recipe again, but who knows...you just might like it.  Thumbs down for me.  :(

Tofu Patties

Co-worker's tofu patty idea

 Ingredients:  
                   1 block firm tofu
                   1 egg

                   Wheat crackers
                   Vegetables of choice (I chose Spinach)

                   Spices (I used garlic powder and salt)


Level of Difficulty:  Easy

                              

Step 1: Drain tofu.  My co-worker drains it over night.  I was too hungry, so I let it sit for 5 min.  I recommend draining it longer because when everything was mixed, it was a bit watery.

Step 2:  Cook the vegetables in a pan for a few minutes.  

                                  

Step 3:  Mash the tofu and add vegies, egg, spices and crackers.  For the crackers, I add a handful at a time, mashed everything, then added more as needed.   

Step 4:  Heat olive oil in a pan.  Make tofu patties and fry until golden brown. 

Suggestions:  I would add heavier vegies like chopped up bell peppers, onions, or carrots.  I like spinach, but just the spinach alone didn't make the patties as firm as I wanted it to be. 

You can eat this in so many ways.  I ate it in a sandwich and also with a salad.  You could also pair it with rice and gravy.  It can also be frozen to be eaten on another day.  It's light, healthy and yummy.

 

BLT Pizza

                                                                                            Hungry Girl's BLT Pizza                                                         

  Level of Difficulty: Easy


Serving:  Makes 6 slices
Weight Watcher Plus Points: 6 points/slice

 Ingredients:  

Pillsbury Pizza Crust

    6 slices bacon : I used Turkey bacon

        1/2 cup fat free mayonnaise :  I used 1/3 cup

          1/2 tsp dry ranch dressing : I used  1/8 cup

      Tomatoes and lettuce
         

I adjusted the recipe because the pizza dough wouldn't expand in the pan.  I am also not a mayonnaise fan, so even if the crust would have expanded, I wouldn't have used the 1/2 cup mayonnaise the recipe called for.  I did add more of the Ranch dressing because I like the flavor.

Basically, you bake the crust by itself for 15 minutes and let it cool.  Mix the mayonnaise and the ranch dressing and spread on the crust.  Everything else goes on top.  It tasted really good and the recipe made four slices, although if the dough had spread out more, it would have made six slices.  It's simple, easy and delicious.  Like a BLT sandwich, but in a pizza form.