Successful Together: April 2011

April 29, 2011

Green Grape Freeze

Ever have fruit laying around that you know if you don't do something with it soon, it aint gonna be pretty? I had some grapes that were headed that way so I froze them!

Ingredients:
1 cup of frozen grapes
water (leave grapes in cup and fill to 1 cup line with water)
sprinkle of ground ginger
1 packet splenda with fiber
a few ice cubes ( I didn't put these in but plan to next time!)

Put it all in the blender and GO!


Without the extra ice, I picked up on the grape skin pieces
which weren't bad but I do believe the ice would tend to 
give it a more slushie consistency


0 Points+

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Icecream

Sounds delish right? totally=)


Ingredients :
1 frozen banana, chopped
2 tablespoons Chocolate PB2
2 tablespoons water

Combine all in food processor, til smooth. Serve and Enjoy!!!




1 Points+

April 28, 2011

Sweet Potato Pineapple Oatmeal

Yesterday morning I made  Pineapple Crisp for breakfast and I was pretty impressed. It got me thinking about a recipe my grandmother-in-law had made at dinner one night. It was a side dish with sweet potatoes and pineapple in it. And I just so happened to have some sweet potatoes I could repurpose.

Ingredients: makes 1 serving
1/2 cup (130g) Sweet potatoes, canned in syrup, syrup drained, then mashed.
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits, canned in own juice, juice drained
1/4 cup quick oats
about 2 tablespoons of water
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 packet splenda with fiber

mix all of the ingredients together, stir to combine well. Since I noticed some of the moisture cooked out yesterday, I put a saucer over my bowl this morning before I heated it in the microwave to hold it in a bit. Heat in microwave for about 1-1.25 minutes. serve and enjoy =)




5 Points+ for all of it =)
Say hello to your breakfast with about 13% of you DRV Iron, 230% Vitamin A, and 55% Vitamin C.
:WOOT!:

I have linked up over at

April 27, 2011

Pineapple Crisp Breakfast

At this point, I am sure you guys have figured out I LOVE me some easy, cheap fast recipes. This one is no different. It was originally posted over at and adapted from  Delightful Country Cooking as a guest post by Tina from Mom's Crazy Cooking.


Ingredients: (makes 1 serving)
1 cup chunk pineapple in its own juice, drained
1/4 cup quick oats
1 packet of splenda
sprinkle of cinnamon (about 1/8 teaspoon)
about 1 tablespoon of water

Mix ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute. Serve and Enjoy.




2 points+
Note: if you don't like pineapple, you probably won't like this :)

April 24, 2011

Pineapple Angel Food Cake Bread

Easy Peasy!
Thank you TJ for reminding me of this recipe!

Ingredients:
1 box fat free angel food cake mix
1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple (or if you are like me and ACCIDENTLY used your can making something else!) grab a 20 oz can of slice pineapple, packed in its own juice, drain the juice and puree in blender or food processor until smooth.


Typically this is made in a bundt pan, but I don't have one so I used 2 x loaf pans.

Mix the Pineapple with the dry mix and follow directions on mix box for further preparation info.




1/12 (of 2 loaves or 1/6 of one)= 4 Points+
1/24 (of two loaves or 1/12 of one)= 2 Points+


I plan on freezing one of these loaves to have later!




Photobucket

Brownies with Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients:
Black Bean Brownies
1 frozen banana
enough milk (your favorite variety) to get the banana moving!

Put the banana with the milk (I started with a teaspoon) in your blender or food processor. puree til smooth and ice cream-ie. Top brownie with ice cream and serve.

I had frozen my brownies, so I popped them in the microwave for about 30 each, then topped. Delish!



the nieces enjoying their snack :)

each serving 1 brownie with enough ice cream to cover the top
4-5 Points+ depending on your choice of milk.


Happy Easter!!!

I hope you all have a great and happy easter!


Hard boiled egg = great snack =)
2 Points+ per egg.
( you know I had to sneak food in somehow!)

Graham Crackers with Chocolate PB2 & Strawberries

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker, broken at seams to create 4 rectangles
2 tablespoons dry chocolate PB2
1 tablespoon water
2-3 strawberries, stems removed and sliced

mix the water with the dry pb2, stir well to combine.
spread 1/4 of prepared pb2 on to each 1/4 of graham cracker. top with strawberries, serve!



this picture is totally worth a click to see it bigger. YUM!

eat all 4 and it is 3 Points+
Have a buddy around and want to share? you can have 2 for just 1 Points+

Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple and Broccoli

Ingredients: 
8.4 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast cut in to bite size pieces
1 cup of cooked broccoli florets, cut up
3/4 cup pineapple tidbits, packed in its own juice, drained
3 tablespoons teriyaki marinade
Garlic Pepper Grinder seasoning (or other garlic pepper combination)


In a ziplock bag, place chicken and marinade. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium/high heat (about 375-400). Make a grill packet with aluminum foil. (basically lay out a piece about 16 inches long, fold up the and but leave an opening in the middle to put in the ingredients.)

Put the broccoli in the packet, top with chicken and marinade straight from bag, then top with pineapple. Sprinkle with seasoning. Seal the top of the bag by gently folding over the top edges.



Cook for about 20 minutes

I cooked mine on the indirect grill rack for the first 15, then moved it to the direct heat for the last 5.



Serve this on its own
1 serving (eat all of it)= 7 Points+
2 servings( eat half of it)= 4 Points+

Or you can serve over brown rice!

Linked at:

Frozen Strawberry Cheese Cake Bites

These little bites are make using ice cube trays! You can get finicky like i did and weigh everything or you can eye ball it. Weighing will give you more uniform bites and more accurate Points+ calculations.
This recipe could be slimmed down some more, but I used ingredients I had on hand!
Adapted from SparkRecipes

Ingredients:
1/3 tub cool whip lite (about 75g), thawed
4 oz 1/3 less fat philadelphia cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons Smucker's Fat Free Strawberry topping

Mix cool whip and cream cheese until well blended. Spoon out evenly in to 12 sections of ice cube tray ( I used my food scale and divided the amount of mix I had by 12, less the weight of the bowl I was mixing in).

Tap a few times on the counter to settle.

Top each section with 1/12th of the strawberry topping (again, I weighed and put 1/12 on top of each)

Freeze for at least 2 hours. Serve and enjoy!



These are good, but I think they would be better less frozen. Of course you have to freeze them to get them to be able to pop out of the mold, but...I vote let it sit in the fridge or at room temp for a few minutes before eating.


1 cube = 1 Points+
2 cubes= 3 Points+
3 cubes= 4 Points+
4 cubes= 6 Points+
6 cubes= 9 Points+


I have linked up over @ 


April 21, 2011

Caramel Apple Salad

I saw this and KNEW I  had to try it especially since I had all of the ingredients on hand =)
Original Recipe credit goes to A Better Baker

Ingredients:
1 8 oz tub cool whip free or lite ( I had lite)
1 4 serving packet of instant butterscotch pudding
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple packed in its own juice, drained slightly ( drained mine until the juices stopped running freely, if that is vague enough for you!)
2 large apples, peeled, cored and diced ( recipe calls for 4 and i had 4 set out, but the two seemed to fill it well. Use your own discretion)


mix the pineapple with the pudding mix
( I put mine in an 8x8 pyrex dish)


then mix in the cool whip and apples, stir well!


The original recipe called for a garnish of peanuts but I didnt have any
so I sprinkled about 1/2 tablespoon of PB2 On top 

Since it is breakfast time, I only took a small taste and it was REALLY 
good. Plan on having a serving later today!

Points+ Values by serving size:
4 servings = 4 Points+ Each
6 Servings = 3 Points+ Each
8 Servings= 2 Points+ Each



April 15, 2011

Blueberry Banana Waffle

I wanted something different for breakfast, and then I spied the pile of bananas on my counter!


Ingredients:
1 serving of Blueberry Wheat Complete Pancake Mix
1 smushed banana
1/4 cup water
Sprinkle of cinnamon


Preheat your Waffle Iron.
Mix ingredients.
Before adding to iron, be sure to spray with pan spray!!

Cook til done!



Now, I wanted an egg with it, so in a microwave safe dish
spray with pan spray and beat an egg in the bowl.




Nuke on high for about one minute


tada!


This lovely waffle is 4 Points+
The egg is 2 Points+

:drools:
And it was ever so tasty!

as a side note, whenever I make waffles with fruit in them
well mushed fruit, it is hard to get them out of the iron in one piece!
Don't stress yourself, flip the iron over and drop the 
waffle on your plate.
Easy Peazy!

April 14, 2011

Creamsicle Mousse

Original recipe credit goes to IRENEAZ@ Sparkrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 8oz tub Cool Whip Free, Thawed
1 can mandarin oranges, pack in own juice, drained
1 4-serving box instant sugar-free orange jello
1 4-serving box instant white chocolate pudding mix




Mix Jell-O with 1 cup boiling water. Dissolve Jell-O completely. Add 1 cup cold water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Using electric beater, beat in pudding and mix until well combined. Fold in drained fruit and Cool Whip. Chill and serve.


The pictures aren't very flattering, but I am hoping it will be yummy for a snack tomorrow. the original recipe indicates 4 servings, but I made this in an 8x8 dish and it looks like 4 servings would be large.


water, jello and pudding mixed!
not so pretty but hopefully yummy! :)


I let it sit in the fridge over night and it firmed up well and was pretty 
tasty :)

1/4 of recipe = 3 Points+
1/5 of recipe = 2 Points+


i have linked up over @ 



and
Your Recipe...My Kitchen
and



Melon Balls

I L.O.V.E. melon balls :)
I made some with cantaloupe.

These are good for an out of fridge snack, or you can freeze them and eat that way, or drop in drinks. Totally versatile!


smilie fruit!



April 12, 2011

"Fried" Banana Snack

Easy Peazy.

Preheat pan over medium heat.

Grab a banana, peel it, slice it (thin if you want to end up with mush, thicker is you still want some chew texture to it!)

Spray your hot pan with pan spray.
dump bananas in to the hot pan, sprinkle some cinnamon
and a few drops of vanilla.
Stir and cook over heat for about 3-5 minutes!


Serve and enjoy!
0 Points+

Banana Cinnamon French Toast with Strawberry Sauce

So you start with the even so lovely recipe for Banana Cinnamon French Toast.
Pull you two slices out of the freezer and nuke them warm, or toast them (my toaster has a frozen toast button, YAY!!!)

Other ingredients:
3-4 strawbeerries, tops removed, cut in quarters
1 teaspoon milk of choice
(if your strawberries arent super ripe, you may want to add a partial pack of splenda)

put your strawberries and milk in the food processor, blend til smooth.
on a microwave save bowl/plate, warm the sauce, in 5-10 second invervals til warm.
Spread over your french toast and enjoy!







Delish!