Pumpkin Protein Power!

I love Pumpkin Pie
I discovered I love Pumpkin Smoothies too!
YOu can just tell by looking at the bright orange when you open that can that it is super good for you.
Not only is pumpkin loaded with vitamin A and antioxidant Beta carotene (anti inflammatory agent)
It is also a good source of vitamin C, K and E as well as loaded with minerals including magnesium potassium and iron.
This drink will actually help you build muscle, strengthen your immune system (shielding you from cancer causing agents), slow the aging process, improve bone density and much much more!
wow that is a lot to be great full for !

Ingredients:
1-2 Cups Ice
1/2 Banana
1 Cup Water or Milk
1/2 Cup Pumpkin puree (be sure to buy 100% pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie filling loaded with sugar!)
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg (OR 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
2 tsp peanut butter or almond butter
1 -2 tsp fat free butterscotch Jello pudding mix

Method:
Ice Cubes into blender...crush ice
next add the rest of the goodies and puree till smoooooth
Enjoy
Happy Thanksgiving everyone !

P.S.
Of course I made real pumpkin pie too !

http://ashiegirl.blogspot.com/

Crispy Chewy Choc Chip Cookies:

Health Food Blog....yes yes I know I know
WHy would I tempt you with a cookie recipe....well there is a Very good reason
because people love cookies
Food is wonderful
Cookies are Wonderful!
We just can't eat them and eat them and eat them
and have a six pack too
so this is my reason for posting a cookie recipe
my trick 
My SOn loves cookies and because they are wonderful ....
I do too
(although I  would much rather a chewy oatmeal raisin with lots of cinnamon)
If they are in my house I might just eat them.

This Recipe is perfect for making your batter, rolling into cute little balls then flash freezing on a cookie sheet in your freezer.  When they are very frozen transfer to a ziplock bag.
Now you can make only a few cookies when you need them for Juniors lunches or maybe just when YoU NEED a Cookie

Ingredients:

Dry:
2 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp salt
Wet:
3/4 Cup Melted Butter
1 Cup Packed Brown sugar
1/2 Cup white sugar

2 Tsp Vanilla
1 Egg yolk and 1 Egg
2 Cups Chocolate Chips

Method:
Mix Dry ingredients in a Large Bowl
In another Bowl mix butter and sugar till smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla mix till smooth again.
Add Dry ingredients to wet just till combined.  Add Choc chips.
Roll into balls and place on un greased cookie sheet
(OR onto your cookie sheet and into the freezer ;)   )
Bake for 15-17 minutes
If you freeze your cookie balls
simply heat your oven as usual transfer your frozen cookie balls to cookie sheet and bake the same way
only increase cooking time a little more like 20 -25 mins.

Healthy Zucchini Bread

The Apple sauce and the Yogurt as well as the Zucchini make this bread moist without all the oil 

Apple sauce also adds the sweetness making for a bread with much less sugar.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cup Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Powder 

1 tsp Cinnamon 

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1 Egg

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil 

1/3 Cup Apple Sauce (unsweetened)

2 Tbsp Plain Yogurt

1/2 Cup Sugar 

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Cup grated (and squeezed) Zucchini 

1/3 Cup Walnut pieces 

Method: 

Preheat Oven to 325 Spray an 8 Inch Loaf pan with natural Cooking Spray an set aside

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.  In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, oil, apple sauce, yogurt, sugar and vanilla.  Add flour mixture and stir just until combined (Very important!).
Fold in zucchini and walnuts then transfer batter to prepared pan.  Bake in oven till a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool in pan for 30 mins then remove bread from own and continue to cool on rack.

Bodee Ants On a Log

Mom I wanna blog too!
not to mention an extreme weekness for PB
Yummy snack give them a try !

Crispy Cheese Sticks:

These cheesy goodies are not so great for a figure gal menu...but they are a super hit for the kiddos
They are SO easy to make
Even BETTER the kiddos can help
AND you might never find yourself paying a buck per cheese stick at the store for your kids lunch
EvER AgAiN!

Combine until mealy:      
1/3 Cup Unsifted Flour
2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 Cup shortening

Add to dough:
1 Cup Shredded sharp cheese
3/4 Cup milk (use just enough milk for soft dough)


Knead dough onto lightly floured board.  Recipe sez it should yield about 20 sticks but I like to make mine a bit bigger.  So I like to make about 12 balls to roll into sticks.
BAKE on ungreased baking pan @ 450 for 10 minutes (I bake my bigger sticks for about 15 mins)
Cool and serve :)

Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

Savory Cheesecake !
Normally when we think cheesecake we think of something sweet.  But instead this cake is savory and built as a perfect summer side dish.  It is based with Ricotta cheese instead of Cream cheese so it has a much different texture.  The real trick is getting it to "set".  The first thing you have to do is grate the Zucchini sprinkle with salt and set in a colander for about 10 mins.  THen squeeze as much liquid out with you hands as you can.  One thing to consider is that smaller zucchini's are tastier  as well they hold less water so choose small when shopping for this recipe:)

Ingredients:
2 Cups Zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 1/2 Cups Ricotta cheese
1/2 Cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 Cup fresh dill
zest of one lemon
2 Large eggs beaten
1/3 Cup goat cheese, crumbled

                                                                                Method:
Preheat Oven to 325.  Butter/oil a 7 inch springform pan (I used my favorite pie plate)

In a Strainer, toss the shredded Zucchini with the sea slat and set aside for ten minutes.  Now Squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can.  Set aside.

In a Large Bowl combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, shallots, garlic, dill and lemon zest.  Stir in eggs.  Stir till combined.  Now stir in shredded zucchini.  Pour mixture into your springform pan and place on a baking sheet.  Place in oven and bake for 60 minutes.

                                                                                    Now sprinkle with goat cheese and return to oven.      
Bake for another 20 -30 minutes.  or until the cheese is melted and the cake barley jiggles in the center.  This cake will set up more as it cools.
Cool completely and serve at room temp.

BLueberry Crumb Bars

This is another one of those recipes that does not belong on a figure girl blog
BUT I love to bake
To be honest I sometimes don't even taste these yummy things I make for the people I love
maybe some day I will get over that
I made these Bars for a concession for a friend.  Managed to make enough to give my parents a taste too.  They went over so well I found myself making Blackberry crumb bars the next week:)
These are easier to cut once chilled and store best in the fridge.
Ingredients:
1 Cup Sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 Cups all Purpose Flour
1 Cup Cold unsalted Butter
1 Egg
1/4 tsp salt

Zest and Juice of One Lemon 
4 Cups Fresh Blueberries
4 tsp Corn Starch

1. Preheat Oven to 375.  Grease a 9x13 " Pan.
2. In a medium bowl stir together 1 Cup Sugar, 3 Cups Flour, and Baking Powder.  Mix in salt and Lemon Zest. Use a fork or a pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg.  Dough will be crumbly.  Pat 1/2 of dough into pan.
3. In another bowl stir together sugar, corn starch and lemon juice.  Gently mix in the blueberries.  Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over crust.  Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 45 mins or unitl the top is lightly brown.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.

ENJOY!

Salmon Loaf

Oven Temp: 350

Ingredients:
1 Cup Cooked Salmon
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Boiled Skim Milk
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
 Dash of Salt & Pepper

1 tsp Butter
1/2 Onion Chopped
1/2 Cup Celery Chopped
1 TBSP Fresh Dill

2 Egg Whites Beaten Till Stiff

Method:
In large bowl mix together Salmon, crumbs, milk, lemon juice, S & P

In medium sauce pan melt butter
saute onion & Celery till tender add to other ingredients.
Beat Egg whites and fold in last
Bake for One Hour in greased casserole dish

 

YUM! BlueBerry Bites

Ingredients: 

1 tsp Cinnamon 

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Water as needed

2 Large Whole Wheat Tortillas 

Preheat Oven to 350

On Cutting board use small canning jar to press circle into Tortilla use scissors to complete cut 

Cut 4 small slits in each circle at 12 o'clock 3 o'clock 6 o'clock & 9 o'clock

The slits should not meet they are just there to shape to muffin tin

Next use a pastry brush or small rubber spatula to brush each side of each circle with water 

Sprinkle Both sides with cinnamon/Nutmeg mixture 

Press circles into non stick muffin tin

Bake in oven till crispy about 15 mins 

Next make filling

Ingredients:

1 Cup Dry Curd Cottage Cheese 

1 Cup Fat free Plain Yogurt 

1/2 Cup Vanilla Fat Free Greek Yogurt 

Put all Ingredients into small Blender or food Processor blend till combined and lumps are mostly gone

add more yogurt if needed 

When tortilla Muffin Cuppies are done Spoon mixture into each

Add Blueberries 

Enjoy!!!

 

Quick Dinner Idea

Greek Chicken Pita with Low Fat Protein Tzatziki 


Veggies and fillings:


Whole Wheat Pita Shells
Red Pepper
Yellow Pepper
Green Lettuce leaves
Cucumber
Purple Onion
Lemon Wedges
Goat Feta
Blanched Asparagus Spears
Cooked Chicken Breast

Tzatziki:

2 Cups Fat Free Greek Yogurt
1 Clove Garlic Minced Finely
1/2 Cucumber, grated, and squeeze as much liquid out as you can
1 tsp Fresh Dill
1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice