Light Peanut Butter Cookies

I love baking for others. I also love baking for myself, but because of my lack of willpower when it comes to fresh baked goods, I try to only bake when I have somewhere to bring (and leave) the treats. So when we made plans to visit my in-laws last weekend, it was the perfect excuse to pull out the mixing bowls. 

I craved peanut butter cookies, but I wanted to make a diabetic-friendly recipe, so I found a great flour-free recipe. I swapped out the regular sugar for Splenda, and I had the perfect, healthier peanut butter cookies. I used my new Silpat liner, which created a perfect, lightly browned bottom to each cookie.

My in-laws were excited to see us, and was perhaps equally excited to see the peanut butter cookies that we brought for them! I may be required to bake this recipe any time we make the trip to Pennsylvania :)

The only mistake I made was in forgetting to keep any cookies at home for Rick and I to eat!

Light Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups Splenda
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir peanut butter and Splenda together in a bowl until mixed together well. 
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until mixed, then add in baking soda, salt, and vanilla.
4. Roll the peanut butter mixture into one-inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. 
5. Press the back of a fork into each ball, flattening and creating a criss-cross shape in each cookie. 
6. Bake 7-9 minutes, until the cookies are slightly browned. 

*Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Light Potatoes Au Gratin

For the first time this year, Rick and I decided to cook Easter dinner at home, just the two of us. I have been traveling for the past couple of weeks, and we have family coming into town for the next couple of weeks, so we needed a quiet weekend for two. 

We bought a spiral ham for the main event, but it's always a little sad celebrating a holiday without the rest of our family, so I thought of something that might make our holiday at home a little less sad - potatoes au gratin. I mean, how can you feel like you're missing out when there are cheesy potatoes on the table? And since I was in charge of making the meal, I could make a healthier recipe, and still have room for dessert.

As I typically do when I want a healthy recipe that's guaranteed to be delicious, I checked out the Skinnytaste website. And sure enough, there was a recipe for potatoes au gratin! I made a few minor tweaks - primarily, adding additional cheese - and was very happy with the end result. I served the ham and potatoes with a side of cinnamon roasted butternut squash (recipe to come shortly!).

The best part of cooking Easter dinner for two? Plenty of leftovers! I can't wait to reheat the leftover potatoes and we have enough ham to last us for a month - does anyone know of any good leftover ham recipes?

Light Potatoes Au Gratin

(adapted slightly from Skinnytaste) 

Ingredients:

2 lbs all-purpose potatoes (approximately 4-5 potatoes), peeled
2 tbsp Country Crock or other light butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups reduced fat/skim milk
pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp thyme

Directions:

1. Slice potatoes into thin rounds.
2. Add potatoes, melted butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a large bowl, and mix together well.
3. Add 1/2 of the potato mixture to a greased 9x12 inch pan, distributing the potatoes evenly across the pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese. Add the other 1/2 of the potato mixture.
4. In a small saucepan, bring the milk, nutmeg, and thyme to a boil over high heat. Pour boiling mixture evenly over the potatoes.
5. Top with the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese.
6. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 45-50 minutes. (*I was cooking the ham at 325 degrees, so I baked the potatoes at 325 for 40 minutes, then increased the oven temperature to 425 degrees for another 20 minutes.) Serve hot!

*Makes 6-8 servings

Light Shrimp and Asparagus Orzo with Feta and Tomatoes

My coworkers were discussing orzo recently, and it got me thinking that while I have loved orzo any time it has been served, I have never actually made it myself. Inspired by this conversation, I bought a box of orzo the next time I was at the grocery store. Next, I needed to figure out what to do with it!

I found a recipe for a shrimp, feta, and asparagus orzo on Pinterest, and knew I had found a winner. Shrimp and asparagus is a favorite combination of mine, and cheese is always delicious! Honestly, the feta cheese was a nice bonus, but I think you could easily leave it out if you aren’t a fan of feta or want to lower the calories in the dish. I wanted a bit more flavor and liquid in the dish, so I decided to add in a can of Italian stewed tomatoes - they were the perfect addition!

The one thing I forgot as I was cooking this meal is that if you try to cook garlic and red pepper flakes with vegetable oil in a higher temperature, you run the risk of burning the kitchen down and choking simultaneously. Lesson learned. Luckily Rick was there to help me open some windows and turn on the kitchen fan, so no permanent harm done! Learn from my mistakes, and don’t cook the garlic and red pepper flakes above anything more than low to medium heat.

The finished product was colorful, flavorful, and yummy. Aside from the garlic/red pepper mishap, it was very easy to make and took only 20 minutes or so from start to finish. The orzo is very light but filling, and I think this will be a great dish to add to my rotation this spring!

Light Shrimp and Asparagus Orzo with Feta and Tomatoes (adapted from Serious Eats)

Ingredients:

4 ounces orzo
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil, and a little more for the pasta
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
1/2 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and chopped into 2-inch pieces 
salt and pepper
3/4 - 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or more to taste)
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook orzo according to package instructions until cooked al dente. Drain and return to the pot, and toss with a little vegetable oil to keep from clumping.
2. Add oil to a skillet on low-medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Cook about 3-4 minutes, until the asparagus is tender but crisp. Move the asparagus to the sides of the skillet and add the shrimp. Cook approximately 2 minutes per side, until pink and opaque. Add the tomatoes (including most of the juice in the can) to the skillet and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Add the orzo to the skillet, along with the basil, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil and feta. Stir to combine, allow orzo to heat through, then remove from heat and serve immediately.

*Serves 3-4

Light Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Is anyone else sick of the cold weather? We finally got a joyous reprieve from the cold in DC yesterday, but I know not to trust that it's here to stay - especially since we still have snow piles from Monday's snowstorm! I decided to take advantage of the cold weather and a snow day last week, though, and try out a casserole recipe that I've had my eye on for awhile.

This chicken parmesan casserole met my basic requirements for a good recipe - few steps, little preparation time, one dish, and lots of cheese! I also knew that I have a busy couple of weeks coming up, so I wanted to load up my freezer with some easy-to-reheat dishes, and I love casseroles for that purpose.

The original recipe seemed a little weak on the flavor front, so I thought it would be good to add some additional Italian spices to the dish. I was suspicious about how the croutons would taste, but they added a nice, buttery crunch to complement the dish! I served the casserole with a side salad, which made for a delicious meal. I look forward to having these leftovers soon!

Light Chicken Parmesan Casserole
adapted from Emily Bites

Ingredients:

2 lbs raw chicken breasts, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 cups marinara sauce 
1 1/2 cups 2% reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
3 1/2 oz garlic croutons (such as New York Texas Toast brand Garlic & Butter), roughly crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay the cubed chicken pieces on a lightly sprayed 13x9 inch pan, so that they fully cover the bottom of the pan in one, even layer.
3. Spread the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and basil evenly over top the chicken. Pour the marinara sauce evenly across the chicken and seasonings. Then add half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese over the casserole. Top with an even coating of croutons, and finish the casserole with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
4. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Take the casserole out of the oven, remove the foil, and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy!

*Serves 8

(Healthier) Cake Mix Cookies

My mom is quite an excellent baker, but one of my favorite of her recipes is one of her simplest - cake mix cookies. 3 ingredients and less than half an hour is all you need to make this delicious dessert!

The initial recipe called for 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, but I wanted to make them a bit healthier so I swapped out the oil for unsweetened applesauce. In my opinion, the swap doesn't change the taste at all, although it does make the cookies slightly chewier. My taste testers certainly didn't complain!

I was making these for Valentine's Day, so I made a few of the cookies much larger than the others, baked them, and after letting them cool for 2 minutes I used a heart-shaped cutout to turn these into a fun Valentine's-themed dessert. I topped the cookies with powdered sugar and they were ready to serve!

One thing I love about cake mix cookies -besides how easy they are to make- is that you can make an endless number of variations. You can use any type of cake mix to bake cake mix cookies. This time I used devil's food cake, but I also love using yellow cake mix, and I'm guessing that red velvet cake mix would turn out equally delicious. You can also mix in any toppings that suit your fancy - I love to use M&Ms and chocolate or peanut butter chips, but nuts or dried fruits (such as Craisins) would also be good. 

(Healthier) Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite kind of cake mix (I used Devil's Food Cake)
1/2 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or other toppings of choice, including nuts, candy pieces, or dried fruit)
Powdered sugar for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix ingredients together in a large bowl until well blended.
3. Drop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake cookies for approximately 8 minutes, until the edges start to brown.
5. Let cool, and enjoy!

*Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies

Mango Turkey Burgers

I know what you're probably thinking - "Mango? In a turkey burger?" I was thinking the same thing when I first stumbled across this recipe. I decided to give it a try, though, and I was very glad that I did! 

I am not a huge fan of red meat, but I do love burgers. Typically I'll choose a turkey burger over a regular hamburger, but turkey burgers often taste very plain and sometimes dry. I was drawn to this recipe because I figured that the mango preserves would add some flavor and moistness to the burgers - and mozzarella cheese makes everything taste better!

Finding mango chutney wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but I found mango preserves in the second grocery store I tried and it was worth the hunt. The mango adds a perfect amount of sweetness to the ground turkey. I'm not sure whether any other flavor of chutney or preserves would work as well, but you can certainly try.

It took less than 10 minutes of prep work to mix the ingredients and form the patties, then I had an excuse to use my new grill pan for the first time (there was no way we were grilling outside during the polar vortex!).  I charred the outside of the burgers a bit more than I would have liked, but that's more a symptom of not knowing how to use the grill pan settings properly.

The end result was exactly as I hoped it would be - the burger was juicy, and flavorful enough that we didn't need to add any condiments. Homemade sweet potato fries were a perfect compliment to the burger, and I think it was a much tastier meal than your standard burger and french fries (and healthier, as well!).

Mango Turkey Burgers

(Recipe Credit: The Dinner Mom) 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella 
• 1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup mango chutney/preserves 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 lb. ground turkey breast
• Hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Add the first 6 ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.
2. Add the ground turkey to the bowl and fold in the other ingredients so that they are evenly distributed. Don't overmix.
3. Shape patties into 4 equally sized burgers. 
4. Grill over medium heat until cooked through.
5. Serve in a hamburger bun.

*Makes 4 patties

Light Chicken & Waffles

I have a real affinity for Southern style cooking, and luckily in the DC area we have a number of amazing restaurants that specialize in Southern cuisine. Soul food is not exactly known for being healthy though, so I have to limit how often we eat out at Southern style restaurants.

So imagine my delight when I stumbled across a healthy chicken 'n waffles recipe in my other new Hungry Girl cookbook! Chicken 'n waffles is one of those meals that always looks so delicious in restaurants, but typically too calorie-laden for me to justify ordering. (Instead, I make Rick order it so that I can sneak bites off of his plate!)

I was skeptical that this shortcut healthier version would taste good, especially when I picked up the box of Fiber One bran cereal at the grocery store - it honestly looked like something I would put in a bird feeder. I trust Hungry Girl though, so I followed her recipe and was very happy that I did!

The bran cereal made for a delicious, crispy coating for the chicken, and the flavor worked perfectly with the waffles and syrup. I often have difficulty with cooking chicken on the stove, because it seems to take forever for the chicken to cook through, but the key here was to use very thin-cut chicken breast cutlets (you can also pound the chicken very thin if the grocery store doesn't sell the thin-cut ones). 

This recipe only made 2 servings, but you can easily double or triple the recipe. I made 4 servings, and Rick enjoyed the meal so much that he agreed to have the leftovers the very next night, which is rare! The entire meal took less than half an hour to make, and while I won't claim that it is a match for the chicken and waffles at Marvin, it is definitely healthier and worth making!

Light Chicken & Waffles

(from Hungry Girl "300 Under 300" Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 5oz raw boneless skinless thin-cut chicken breast cutlets (the thinner, the better!)
2 tbsp. liquid egg whites
2 frozen low-fat waffles
1/2 cup lite pancake syrup (I used Aunt Jemima lite syrup)

Directions:

1. Place cereal in a Ziplock bag and seal. Crush cereal with a meat mallet until it is a breadcrumb-like consistency. Add 1/8 teaspoon each of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to the crumb mixture and shake well. Pour the crumbs onto a plate and set aside.

2. Place chicken cutlets in a bowl and season with remaining 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Pour liquid egg whites atop of chicken, then flip cutlets over to evenly coat. Transfer cutlets one at a time to the breadcrumb plate and evenly coat with the mixture on both sides.

3. Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and bring to medium-high heat on the stove. Add breaded chicken and cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the outside is crispy, approximately 4 minutes per side.

4. While the cutlets are cooking, toast the waffles and place each on a separate plate. Pour syrup over each waffle, and when finished, place one of the chicken cutlets atop each waffle. 

Light Caramel Apple Cupcakes

One of the things that I love most about the fall is apples. I typically eat an apple every day, and I enjoy applesauce and apple butter, but I also love the not-so-healthy apple desserts. Apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake...my mouth is watering just thinking of the options!

This fall though, after a month of pretty unhealthy eating, I am on a mission to find apple desserts that won't be so detrimental to my waistline. My sister got me the Hungry Girl "Just Desserts" cookbook as an early birthday present, so I figured that I would start my search there. (Side note - I highly recommend the Hungry Girl cookbooks; the author is all about easy-to-make recipes with few ingredients.) And my first recipe attempt was a success!

Inspired by my in-laws' purchase of caramel apples during our recent apple picking adventure, I decided to try the Caramel Apple Cupcakes. The most time-consuming part of the recipe was peeling and dicing the apples, but otherwise it was a very easy process. Hungry Girl called for the cupcakes to be topped with chopped peanuts, but I didn't think they would add much so I left them off of the recipe, and I didn't hear any complaints! 

The result was delicious, low-cal cupcakes with just the right amount of apple flavor and enough sweetness to satisfy my dessert craving.

Light Caramel Apple Cupcakes

(adapted from Hungry Girl "Just Desserts: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories")

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled and diced apples (approx. 2-3 apples; I used a combination of sweet and tart apples)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 3/4 cups moist-style yellow cake mix
1/2 cup egg whites
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. fat-free, low-fat, or light caramel dip

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with foil baking cups, and spray with nonstick spray. *Note - don't forget to spray the cups with spray, because otherwise the cupcakes will stick!

2. In a medium bowl, sprinkle apples with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and toss to coat.

3. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, egg whites, baking powder, vanilla extract, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 3/4 cup of water. Whisk until smooth. 

4. Stir in the apple mixture. Evenly distribute mixture among cups in the muffin pan.

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, approximately 14-16 minutes.

6. Let the cupcakes cool completely (about 10 minutes in the pan and 30 minutes after being removed from the pan).

7. Spread cupcakes with caramel dip.

*Makes 12-14 cupcakes

Lamb Chops with Yogurt Sauce

I decided to make this meal after getting some inspiration from a French cookbook. There was a recipe for rack of lamb that sounded delicious, but we quickly discovered that (a) rack of lamb is difficult to find in the grocery store, and (b) if you do find rack of lamb, it is very expensive! So that recipe didn't happen.

So I opened up the old cookbooks, and came across this easy-to-make recipe that used lamb chops rather than rack of lamb. When I saw that lamb chops were on sale at the grocery store (much cheaper than rack of lamb), I was sold! I was a little nervous about cooking lamb for the first time, but it was as easy as making pork chops, just with more flavor. The yogurt sauce had a unique flavor with the mint, and complemented the lamb perfectly. 

I served the lamb chops with a side of smashed potatoes (flavored simply with olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice), which also tasted delicious dipped in the sauce. One thing I look for in recipes is whether it reheats well in the microwave, since I like to make several servings in one batch. I can say with confidence that the lamb chops do reheat very well, and the yogurt sauce kept for a few days without a problem. Recipe success!

Lamb Chops with Yogurt Sauce

(adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook)

Ingredients:

¾ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

mini cucumber, peeled and chopped

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

3 scallions, sliced

1 garlic clove, chopped

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp salt

4 bone-in loin lamb chops

¼ tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Spray broiler rack with nonstick spray and preheat broiler.

2. To make the sauce, stir together yogurt, cucumber, mint, scallions, garlic, pepper flakes, and ¼ tsp of the salt in a blender or food processor and puree.

3. Sprinkle lamb with remaining salt and all of the black pepper. Place the lamb chops on the broiler rack and broil 5 inches from heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 145 degrees for medium (approximately 6 minutes per side).

4. Serve with a side of the sauce.

*Makes 4 servings (1 lamb chop and about ¼ cup of sauce)

Light Chicken with Tomatoes & Artichokes

The other night, I found myself with some chicken breasts that needed to be cooked, as well as a can of artichokes and a can of diced tomatoes. I did some googling and found a few recipes that combined those three ingredients, looked easy to make, and sounded good. I chose the recipe that was the quickest to throw together (it had been a long day at work!), made a few small changes, and came up with a new, delicious chicken dinner to add to my repertoire.

I can’t even explain how ridiculously easy this chicken was to make. You mix together a handful of ingredients (all of which I typically keep on hand), pour the mixture over the chicken breasts, and bake. And the best part was - it tasted great!

The chicken had an Italian taste to it, so I served it over a side of pasta, which was a perfect complement to the meal. I didn’t add any additional sauce, assuming that the tomato and artichoke mixture from the chicken would be enough flavor to coat the pasta. The next time I make this, I may add some additional tomato sauce to the dish, but it wasn’t really necessary. Also, I used a thin-sliced provolone cheese because that is what I had in the refrigerator, and it melted perfectly and tasted great, but I’m sure that mozzarella cheese would be really good as well.

Light Chicken with Tomatoes & Artichokes

(adapted from http://aaronandjillw.blogspot.com/2011/08/italian-chicken.html)

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. sugar

2 tbsp. flour

Salt and pepper, to taste

Thin-sliced provolone cheese

Fresh or dried basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 baking dish, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Mix the remaining ingredients (except for the provolone cheese and basil) together in a medium-sized bowl.

4. Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken breasts.

5. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.

6. Take the chicken out of the oven and top each piece of chicken with a slice of provolone cheese. Put back in the oven for another 2-3 minutes on the top rack, until the cheese has fully melted.

7. Sprinkle with basil and serve!

Light Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Have you figured out yet that I'm crazy about all things lasagna? I previously told you about my love for lasagna, and my need to find ways to keep my portion sizes in check. So when I saw this Skinnytaste.com recipe for spinach lasagna rolls, of course I was hooked. (As a side note, Skinnytaste is one of my favorite blogs for healthy recipes - I haven't gone wrong with a single one of her recipes yet!)

Making this meal was a little time-intensive, but the upside is that it makes about 11-12 rolls, and since 1-2 rolls is the perfect amount for dinner, it means that while I'm putting in a lot of time, I'm ending up with a lot of leftovers. And the lasagna rolls are much easier to freeze than a pan of lasagna would be. Besides, it's pretty fun to roll up the lasagna noodles!

The most frustrating part of the preparation is in draining the frozen spinach, but I discovered a tip that makes it much more manageable. When you take the spinach out of the freezer, put the frozen spinach block into a microwaveable bowl and microwave for approximately 2 minutes. Then wrap the spinach in 3 layers of paper towels, and over a colander (in case the paper towel rips), gather up the paper towels around the spinach and squeeze the water out. 

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

(adapted from Skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients:

Lasagna noodles, cooked (approximately 12 noodles)

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese (you can also use fat-free ricotta, but I think it's lacking in taste

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

salt and pepper, to taste

32 oz. tomato sauce

3 oz. part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Combine spinach, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. 

2. Coat the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish with 1 cup of tomato sauce.

3. Spread lasagna noodles in a row on a piece of wax paper or tin foil. Pat lasagna noodles dry. Spread 1/3 cup of the spinach mixture evenly over a lasagna noodle, leaving some space at the end of the noodle. Roll the noodle up carefully and place the roll seam-side down into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles.

4. Ladle remaining sauce evenly across the top of the lasagna rolls, and top evenly with the mozzarella cheese. 

5. Wrap the baking dish with tin foil and bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the cheese melts.

*Makes approximately 12 rolls.