Recipe=Pumkin Cream Cheese Swirl Cake



Photo courtesy of A Few Shortcuts

 First off, let me just say.....this is not for you WW out there. I'm pretty sure that it would not fit in our daily Points Plus budget, but it looks soooooooooo good! Just go check out what A Few Shortcuts has in-store for this recipe! Oh my......it looks so good and so easy!

Thanks A Few Shortcuts!

Cheryl

Homemade......

Are you starting to think about the upcoming baking season. Well, I am. I, of course, will not be baking again this year (still a struggling Weight Watcher), but I can fantasize right? I was just checking out a couple of things that maybe you might be interested in trying.........

Homemade Powdered Sugar (I have a friend who is a cake decorator. I wonder if this would help her?) (Thanks About.com)

Place a cup of granulated sugar in the blender for each cup of powdered sugar needed.
Blend at high speed until the sugar turns to powder.
Use immediately, or store in an air-tight container.

Tips:
To prevent caking and improve thickening ability (important when making icing), add 1-2 Tablespoons of corn starch for each cup of sugar made.

Sugar may etch your blender pitcher, particularly if it's made of plastic. If this is a concern, use a coffee grinder or spice grinder instead.
 

Homemade Brown Sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1-2 tablespoons molasses (depending on how dark you want it)

In a medium-size bowl, add molasses to sugar and mix with mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, working up to high speed, until no big clumps of molasses remain. This will probably take a little while.

Then, you just store it in an air-tight container.

*I read that you can use most any type of granulated sugar. It just would affect the taste a litte.

There are sooooo many different recipes out there for homemade brown sugar and they are all pretty much the same. Happy Money Saver even had one. You might want to check hers out, if you are interested in make a bigger batch.

Happy baking...... ;)

Cheryl

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

Well, I have been in the baking way lately. As you know, I'm cheap frugal, so I am always looking for ways to cut costs too. I didn't share with you all, but last month was a REALLY tight month in THE Frugal Life of a Mom household. I did NOT make my monthly budget the month before, and to tell you the truth I was a bit nervous. As much as I worked and worked, I still came in at $500 UNDER budget for the month! NOT GOOD. We really tried to cut costs in all aspects of our money spending ways. I still did go out and get a few deals, but had to REALLY keep a close eye on what was going out, as not much was coming in. I really debated on sharing that with you all, but I know that I am not the ONLY one that has had these issues. I still did Rite Aid, but made sure that my totals were as close to ZERO as possible. Probably the reason why you didn't see very many shops posted. I did manage to make it to Winco and get a few things from their bulk section. Golly, I love their bulk section. Anyway, so one of the ways to cut costs around here was to make homemade bread for the kids' lunches. I must tell you......I got pretty good at it, via my breadmaker. I liked doing this because I knew what was going into the bread and it was soooo fresh. The problem being is that the smell of fresh bread is a trigger for me. I smell it and my brain says let's eat. ☺ So, needless to say I struggled, personally,  with that, but it felt good to make these loaves of bread for my kiddos. Anyway, I just recently came across a recipe for homemade hot dog buns and I made them yesterday. OH MY GOODNESS, THESE WERE SOOOOOOO GOOD! My son, Trent, even suggest that we make them a little bigger next time and use them for sub sandwiches. My daughter, Faith, who cannot stand hot dogs ate her hot dog, as she REALLY REALLY liked the bun. Anyway, I found a recipe and tweaked it to work for me. Here it is.....

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

Serves 8
1 cup warm water
1 and 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 and 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 and 1/2 cups of wheat flour

1 and 1/2 cups of white flour
3/4 teaspoon salt

1~Warm water to at least 110º F, pour into your bread machine, add the sugar, then add yeast. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes (until it gets foamy). Then, add your oil, flour, and then salt. Turn your bread machine on the "dough" cycle.
2~Preheat oven to 350.
3~After your bread machine is done with the "dough" cycle, you will then take the dough out and divide it into 8 equal sized balls. Then, you will "stretch" the dough about 6 or so inches. I rolled it in my hands like I was playing with playdough, to make a "snake." Then, place them on a greased cookie sheet or bar pan.
4~Cover them with a towel and let them rise for an additional 20 or so minutes.
5~Now they are ready to go in the oven. Put them in the oven at 350º and let them bake for 15 minutes or so.
6~Take them out and allow them to cool a little bit and then cut a "hot dog" slit in them and you are ready to go.

Really, these were really really easy and my kids loved them. I'm thinking you could use this recipe just to make then into rolls, subs, hamburger buns, bread sticks. This is an awesome recipe, but just remember to follow the directions exact as I now that yeast can be a bit touchy for some people. So far, I have had really good luck.

Anybody have any idea on how to make this bread dough without having a bread machine? I would love to share that with those who don't have a bread machine, but I have no clue.

I am on my way to go figure out how many points these are worth. So, I will be right back with that info.

Update....these are FIVE POINTS PLUS!!! That is actually quite a bit. It did not seem to make much of a difference if I made it all with white flour, wheat flour, or a little bit of both. Actually, I lied, if you make it with all white flour, then the point plus on it is 6.

Something else I figured out is that the Bar-S Jumbo Turkey Dogs are ONLY 3 pts. I really didn't think that was too bad. You can cut them in half and have TWO hot dogs. ☺

Thanks!

Cheryl

Recipe=French Toast Casserole

Yummm!! I was just checking out Money Saving Mom and saw one of the recipes she had posted. Boy, this looks pretty yummy! I think the kiddos would like it too! AND, it seems pretty "frugal" to make.

Go on over here to get the recipe and print it out!

Thanks for the heads up Money Saving Mom!

Cheryl

Homemade Play Dough

Here is an AWESOME recipe for some homemade play dough. The kids are going to be home pretty soon, for summer break......This is a "frugal" way to help occupy time.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Recipe=Tacos for The Weight Watcher or Anyone Watching Their Calorie Budget

Well, this isn't REALLY a recipe, but I wanted to share with you how our family eats tacos. You all know that I am a Weight Watcher and have been for a few years. Well, as a Weight Watcher, you can pretty much eat whatever you want you just need to watch portions mostly and make "healthier" choices. Well, being that I am a Mexican Girl one of my FAVES is tacos. Yep, grew up eating tacos and I LOVE THEM!! It's in my blood. :) One of the ways we ate tacos growing up and my most favorite, is frying a corn tortilla in a pan of grease. OH YUM!!!!! THEY ARE TO DIE FOR!!!! (literally and figuratively) Well, I'm sure that you are aware that eating this way is not really the healthiest for the human body, and I'm pretty sure that it is really frowned upon at Mr. Scale. ;) Anyway, I still eat these, just a more healtier version and they are really good. Of course, it is not the same, but they do the job. Here is what I use......


La Tortilla Factory Corn Tortillas $2.50



2 points per tortilla or 4 points for 2 tortillas



"Frying" the corn tortilla in a frying pan sprayed with Pam. Spray the tortilla before flipping over, so it gets brown on the other side too.



Done "fried" tortillas waiting to be topped/filled.



Ready-to-eat taco.



Okay, so here is what I did....

2 corn tortillas (4 points)

Pam

1 cup of Fat Free Refried Beans (1 points)

1/2 cup leanest ground beef (4 points)

2 Tablespoons Fat Free Sour Cream (0 points)

other veggie toppers of your choice

Coat your frying pan with some Pam. Let the tortilla brown. Spray tortilla before flipping. Brown that side too. Top your tortilla with 1/2 cup of beans, 1/4 cup of beef, veggies (lots of veggies make it really big), sour cream.

There you have it. You have two over-filled tacos for 9 points! Or you can half this and have one for 4 points! This is well worth it for me and I get my "bad" taco fix. :)

Alrightly, I hope you like.....

Cheryl

A Weight Watcher's Snack

I have not shared a recipe in a while, as I have been trying to still get my head around this whole new points system that my friends at Weight Watchers have changed up. Anyway, I don't know about you, but I tend to get stuck in a rut with the type of foods that I eat and sometimes I just get bored. I love it when I do go to Weight Watchers and somebody shares a "new" recipe to me or a snack idea. Sometimes we just get stuck! Well, anyway, I thought I would share one of my FAVORITE snacks. Some of you may say...."eewww," but I'm tellin' you it is sooooooo yummy and filling too. I tend to turn to it when I have a sweet tooth or when I want to "just" eat. I actually haven't had it in a while and decided to add it back to my diet this week. Anyway, this is my cottage cheese and grapes.....

So, this is my "recipe."

Grapes and Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup of Fat Free Cottage Cheese (2 points)

1 cup of grapes (FREE)

4 teaspoons of Splenda (I REALLY REALLY like sweet)

Mix up and enjoy for ONLY 2 POINTS!!

I'm tellin' you IT IS SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!! Seriously, if you like cottage cheese, give this a try. You just might like it. This has 15 grams of protein!!!

Enjoy!!!

Cheryl

Recipe=Homemade Doggie Treats

Just a quick, little, funny update:  Well..... my husband was not too happy with me when I told him that he was eating a dog treat! LOL! I thought it was funny. He came in and said, "oh, what's this?" So, I said, "give it a try." Well, he knows me and hesitated a little and I told him "well, go ahead. Try it." He did. I told him to go ask the kids what he was eating. He did. They told him he was eating a dog treat. Needless to say.....he was not too happy with me. :) BUT, he did say they were good. :)

Well, I had stated this morning that I wanted to spend some quality time with the kiddos today. I really really like to bake, but I don't normally do that as I will eat it ALL. I fell like baking with your kiddos can really help bring you together. It helps them to be more comfortable in the kitchen and gets them to see what goes into their food, and it makes them proud. So, our little Sadie is an older pup and is missing quite a few teeth. They pulled a bunch of teeth when we got her from the shelter, instead of spaying her, 'cause she was already spayed. Anyway, we have to be careful on the type of food and treats that we get for her because she doesn't have any teeth. We usually get her Mighty Dog Food in a can, with cut up little pieces of meat. She refuses to eat the mush food. She will, but she does not like it very well. Anyway, when we buy her treats we have to buy the soft ones and break them up into smaller pieces so she does not choke. Yes, really we have had that happen before with her and it was REALLY scary. She refuses to believe that she is not a young pup anymore and that she cannot eat what she used to, so we do have to be careful as evidenced by the night of her "escapade on the table." I get so ticked at her when she gets in the garbage and gets a chicken bone or a pork chop bone. :( It just scares the heck out of me.

Anyway, I was doing some thinking and thought......well....why don't we try to bake some doggie treats? So, here is what we came up with and, of course, I cannot find my specific source, but when I google the name of this recipe soooo many pages come up. Anyway, many thanks to the creator of this recipe....

Banana Mutt Cookies
1 1/2 cups ripe mashed bananas
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups of oats
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto an ungreased sheet, and press flat with a fork. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Then cool on a rack before serving. Store in an airtight container.

I did not have any applesauce and I did not feel like making it. So, I used peanut butter and a tad bit of water. I also did not add any nuts. (Remeber she has no teeth).

Anyway, I can't keep my kids out of these treats.  THEY ARE EATING THEM ALL!!!! I keep telling them that these are for Sadie. Anyway, she (Sadie) LOVES these treats!

I know, I cut Faith out of the picture, but I was just trying to hurry. Sadie was so excited about these treats!

Here is another picture of her begging me to give her some more treats....


I am sooo happy with this recipe. I think we will be doing this one again. Maybe next time we will try Tuna Brownies. ick.....

Thanks!

Cheryl

Recipe-Homemade Popcorn

Well, I was checking out Hip2Save just a second ago and she had her version of homemade popcorn, and it made me think of what I do, when I make my own at home.

Many of you know that I am a Weight Watcher and have been for almost 5 years, hence the reason why I am struggling these past two years. I was a PERFECT Weight Watcher before and now I am not so. I struggle BIG TIME now. Anyway, as a Weight Watcher or ANYONE who likes popcorn, this is great and "frugal." Here is what I do....

1 brown paper bag (you know, the kind that you would send a lunch in)
3 staples or 1 piece of tape
1/4 cup of popcorn (I buy my popcorn at Winco for like $0.38 a pound)

Pour your popcorn into the bag. Fold the top of the bag over two times, about 1/4 fold. Then, either staple it three times (one on each edge) OR tape it shut (about 2 inch long tape). Then, put it in the microwave for a good 2 minutes and 40 seconds or so. You will have to listen for the pop, as each microwave is different.

When it starts getting longer in between the pops, then it is time to pull it out. Viola, your homemade, mini bag of popcorn is done. Now, you can season it and do whatever you want to it.

This is how I do MY popcorn at home. This is especially good for those of you trying to watch your sodium intake. You actually have control of what is going on your popcorn.

I count this as 1 point. I also either use my "good" oil for the day for this. So, two teaspoons of Canola oil, then some spray butter and Kernal Seasonings. YUMM!!! You can even use Pam for some spray.

Anyway, this is how the popcorn is made in our house, unless we are making a whole bunch. It is really really convenient and super easy.

By the way, no flying sparks when using the staples. This is the way I did it for a longtime before I ran out of staples. :) Now, I just use tape.

Enjoy!

Cheryl

Recipe=7UP Biscuits

Wow, check this AWESOME recipe out that I just came across on My Litter! It looks soooo yummy and EASY PEASY!

7 UP (or Sierra Mist) Biscuits

Photo courtesy of My Litter.

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 cup melted butter
Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.
Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown.

Wow, thanks My Litter!

Cheryl

Recipe=Crustless Apple Pie in a Cup

I can't remember where I got this recipe from, but it is not my own. Anyway, for all you WW out there it is FREE in points and tastes oh soooo good.

1-Apple
Splenda-Enough to your liking
Cinnamon-Enough to your liking
FF Cool Whip-1 dollop

Peel and core your apple. Dice your apple up in bite size pieces. Place all of this in a cup.

Cook in the microwave until the apple gets a little soft. I did about 2 minutes. Take it out of the microwave and add Splenda (I used 3 to 4 teaspoons, but I like REALLY sweet stuff), and add some cinnamon.

Stir it up and add a dollop of FF Cool Whip on top.

This is soooooo good and it is just like an apple pie, JUST without the crust. AND very good on the calorie budget!

Enjoy!

Cheryl

Recipe=Homemade Oreos

I am sad to say that I will NOT be taking part in the making of this recipe as I am not sure that I would be able to limit myself and still be able to stay on plan, but I thought this looked SOOOOOO GOOD that you might want to make it. :) YUM!! I found this on My Baking Addiction. Wow, she can REALLY bake! :)

Homemade Oreos
makes 25-30 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa (I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note]
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used clear vanilla extract)
Optional- Gel dye

Method
1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy. (Optional: Blend in a tiny bit of gel dye until you reach the desired color.)
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.
Notes:
-I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder instead of Dutch Processed.
-I used Wilton Gel Dye to color the centers.
-Once I measured out a rounded teaspoon of dough, I rolled the dough into small balls before baking.
-This recipe is slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen and can be found at http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/my-kingdom-for-a-glass-of-milk/]

Wow, thank you for sharing My Baking Addiction!

Cheryl

Some More Recipes

Check out these two recipes that I just came across at A Thrifty Mom. These are so very yummy looking. Now, her original recipes are a little too calorie friendly for me, so I will probably "adjust" some of the ingredients, but they look like my mouth would like them. :)

Okay, here is the first one.......

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole (From Matts Mom)

6 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 /2 cup butter (I would use applesauce or FF Sour Cream)
2 eggs beaten  ( I would use 4 egg whites or Egg Beaters)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can sweet condensed milk (I would use FF Sweet Condensed milk)
Mix together and put in a baking dish.

Topping
1 cup brown sugar  (I would use Splenda Brown Sugar)
1/2 cup flour (I would use oatmeal)
1/3 cup butter (I would use 1/4 cup healthy oil like canola)
1 cup nuts (no nuts for me)
Mix well, sprinkle on top of sweet potatoes, Bake 350 for 25-35 min.

To cook sweet potatoes, cover with water in a large pot. Bring to boil, cook till middles are soft and a fork will insert easily.
I drain the water and let them cool a little.
Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off.
Mash with a fork or a mixer, mash them up.
Then mix in the butter, milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour into baking dish, add topping
Bake at 350 25-35 mins

Here is a link to the page of her recipe.

**The "I would use" portion on the recipe is how "I" would "skinny" is up. This is not part of her original recipe.

Here is another recipe for Veggie Penwheels...

You will need:
8-10 flour tortillas (I would use wheat carb balance or even La Tortilla Factory tortillas)
5 different veggies 2/3 cup each
8 oz cream cheese (I would use FF)
8oz sour cream (I would use FF)
1 ranch packet

Start out with 5 veggies…what ever your family likes. Cut up 2/3 cup of each into small bits. I used Green onions, broccoli, celery, carrots and tomatoes (seeded or they are too juicy).
In a mixing bowl add ranch packet, 8 oz soften cream cheese, 8 oz ( half big container)

Mix till well blended
Spread about 3 tablespoons on a flour tortilla…make sure you get it all the way to the edge.
Spread veggies on top of cream mixture. Make sure to leave about an inch on top with no veggies so it will stick closed.
Roll up
Place on a plate…cover with plastic wrap….and let chill for 2 hours till cream cheese is firm again
Cut….and enjoy. These are great made the day before.

Here is the link to the recipe on her site.

Again, the "I would" part listed next to her original recipe is just how I would modify it to make it more WW-friendly for "me." This was not part of her original recipe.

Thanks for sharing A Thrifty Mom!

Cheryl

Are You On A Calorie Budget Too?

Are you on a calorie budget too and wonderin' how you are going to handle yourself on Thanksgiving? Are you a pie eater? If you are, I have an awesome recipe that I try to make on different occasions. It is really really good and you can eat it just chilled in the fridge OR you can freeze it and eat it that way too (if you freeze it it makes you have to take your time). :) AND IT IS EASY PEASY TOO!

This makes 8 servings and it is only 3 points per serving

1-Reduced Fat Graham Cracker Crust
1-Tub of Fat-Free Cool Whip
1-Small packet of DRY lime Jello (Sugar-Free)
1-Key Lime Yogurt (I use WW yogurt), makes for cheaper calories and points

Directions:
Mix your dry Jello, FF Cool Whip, and your WW yogurt all together in a bowl. Then, you put in your crust. Chill for an hour or so OR freeze for a while. There you have it. It is all done now!

You can use different variations of this with the different Jellos and yogurts. It is fun and yummy. You could even make it into just 7 servings and it would be 4 points.

The kids could even make this one and this is great for the diabetic in your family too.

Okay, I hope you like it.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Target

FYI-I was just in Target last night (Sprague and Evergreen) and they had most of their Halloween stuff at 75% off. The candy was STILL at 50% off though. Oreos (Halloween ones), the ones with the orange in the middle were ONLY $0.74. Use the $1/2 Nabisco cookies Target coupon and/or use the Facebook coupon or the tear pad coupon found recently at Alberstons by the cookies for Save $1 when you buy Nabisco cookies and one gallon of milk.

Oreo deal:
Oreos $0.74 X2 ($1.48)
Milk $1.99 X1
-$1/2 Nabisco Cookies Target Coupon
-$1 when you buy cookies and milk (Manufacturer coupon)
= $1.47, making them JUST $0.49 EACH!!

Even without a coupon these Oreos are an awesome deal (if you don't mind the orange filling). I bought my for Christmas "baking." I know, I know the orange filling, but I am just going to crush them up and cover them in chocolate anyway.

Here is the recipe (not low-cal at all, but very yummy) that I will be using them in.

Homemade Truffles.....

1 package Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese, softened (just leave it out for a while before you start making this).
2 packages chocolate chips (I use whatever I have. I have even used M&Ms before).
Various items for toppings to make it look pretty (I have used crushed nuts and crushed candy cane)
1. Crush the oreos into fine crumbs (I just put in the blender).
2. Mix the oreo crumbs with softened cream cheese until it gets sticky and thick.
3. Roll into 1 to 2 inch balls (actually whatever size looks good to you).
4. Then, place them on a cookie sheet/cooling rack covered with wax paper.
4. Then, refrigerate for at least one hour.
5. While the truffle balls are chilling, slowly melt chocolate.
6. Drop one or two truffles at a time into the melted chocolate. (I used tongs to roll them and lift them).
7. Place on your wax paper.
6. You can now put your toppings on if you want to use toppings.
7. Now, chill them again and you are done.

These are so fun to make and SUPER easy.

This is a very well-liked recipe. If you try, I hope you enjoy.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Recipe=Cornbread

This is a super easy recipe and it is soooooo good.

Simple Cornbread

This picture is of the mixture after it is all mixed up and ready to go in the oven.

Ingredients:

One box of Jiffy Cornbread mix dry

One can of cream corn

Directions:

Stir and mix it all up.

Put in a small, square baking dish

Bake it for as long as it says on the box at the temperature suggested on the box. I usually bake mine a little longer.

That's it! Your done and it is only 2 points for one square. This makes 9 servings! You can even top it a little with some cheese. This batch that I have the picture of, I added some Jalepenos from my garden. It was really really good.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Apple-Oat Crumble

Check out this recipe. I just found it! Doesn't it look good. The really cool thing is it looks cheap in points from a WW perspective! I got the recipe from over here if you want to take a look around.

Apple-Oat Crumble
Surprise! Cheerios® cereal and oats top apples for dessert.

Ingredients:
4 cups sliced peeled or unpeeled red apples (3 to 4 medium)
2 cups Cheerios® cereal
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup firm butter or margarine

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Arrange apple slices in ungreased 8- or 9-inch square pan. Crush cereal. In medium bowl, stir together cereal, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter thoroughly. Sprinkle over apples.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 30 min; cover with foil. Bake 10-15 min longer.

Recipe provided by: Cheerios

Now, I haven't went and figured out how many calories or points this might come up to be. I probably would make a few adjustments. For instance, I would probably omit the butter (maybe even use a little bit of applesauce?). I would use Splenda Brown Sugar, maybe even cut it down to 1/4 and then add 1/4 Regular Splenda. Other than that, I would probably leave everything else the same.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Recipe=Turkey Chili Soup

Beware, this recipe makes a lot. It is very verry good and very filling. I had to use my big, huge pot. I think it is one of those older canning pots, you know, those black and white speckled pots. Anyway, just so you know it makes alot, but great for freezing too. I was also able to get most of the stuff from MY GARDEN!!! Yay!

Okay, now for the recipe.....

Turkey Chili Soup

Ingredients:
16 ounces of 99% FF ground turkey
2 mediium diced onion
2 (28 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
2 medium diced zucchini
2 medium diced yellow squash
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
2 (15 oz) cans FF beef broth
2 diced celery stalks
4 diced carrots
2 diced green bell peppers
1 (14 oz) package dry chili seasoning
1/4 cup instant brown rice
garlic to taste

Instructions:
Saute turkey until brown. All all other ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the veggies are soft and tender.

That's it!

This recipe is 22 servings and 1 point a serving. I believe the servings are of 1-1/2 cups.

I have made this recipe just like it says, but last night I made it a little different. I didn't add the turkey (I didn't have any and didn't feel like making "meat" or I would have added lean ground beef). I used chicken broth instead of the beef broth. Then, the other thing I changed was I used taco seasoning instead of the chili seasoning. The soup last night was REAL good! I figured it as FREE as there is nothing, but veggies in it.

I suppose you could even add a little cheese, maybe some tortilla chips, and some sour cream to make it a taco soup. You could really play around with this recipe. We ate it for dinner and I froze three bags for use at a later time.

I AGAIN did not make this recipe up and got iti years ago from the Weight Watcher chat board. So, A BIG THANK YOU to whoever made this up. It is an AWESOME recipe.

Oh, here some more pictures I took while prepping it. I am still new and trying to take pictures and cook, so please bear with me. ;)

I had to share this above picture. THESE ARE FROM MY GARDEN!!

This above picture is of all of the ingredients in the pot and ready to cook. See the big, black pot I'm talking about.

Okay, good luck. Let me know if you make and like it.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Recipe=Peanut Butter Spread

Okay, so this is REALLY good and VERY easy.

Peanut Butter Spread is 24 servings and FREE in points for 2 tablespoons

8 ounces of FF cream cheese
2 Tbls reduced fat peanut butter
1/4 cup of Splenda

and this is what it will look like.......

Okay, this is super easy....All you have to do is mix it up with a fork so it gets a thick, creamy consistency and it will look like this......

That's it! I have had this recipe for a few years and got it from the WW chat boards. So, I did not make this recipe up. I did check it in the WW Recipe Builder and at 24 servings this is FREE. Well, I also checked to see how much you could have for 1 point and you can have 3 SERVINGS for 1 point. One serving size is 2 Tablespoons, if I remember correctly.

I made this up last night and had it with an apple. It was sooooo good.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Home Made Baby Wipes

Check out this great recipe for making your own baby wipes. I got this (the pictures and the recipe) from Fistful of Coupons.

Ingredients:


1 Roll of Paper Towels (I recommend Viva as it has a nice cotton feel to it)
2 Cups Water
2 Tbsp. any Baby Oil, Apricot Oil, Mineral Oil, or Tea Tree Oil/ Malaleuca(anti-fungal)
1 Tbsp. Baby Wash (optional)
1 water-tight container (I love the Ziploc large round tub)

Directions:
Take the paper towel roll and cut in in half. You can take some large kitchen shears or a sharp knife. To the Water-tight container add your water, 2 Tbsp. any of the oils listed and optionally the baby wash. Gently mix the ingredients together and drop in the paper towel half. Seal the container and flip upside down. Within about 10-15 minutes normally the whole roll has been absorbed. Open it up and remove the cardboard paper towel holder and you can start using the wipes!

Baby Oil + other oils
I know from my baby shower I already had lots of baby oil that people had given me. I had NO IDEA what to do with baby oil, so I just didn’t use it. As for other oils you can find them at natural food stores or possibly even at Fred Meyer. My sister-in-law buys the Burts Bee’s apricot oil because she loves the smell. She doesn’t add the baby wash to her’s either. Another friend uses the J&J Lavendar baby oil to make her’s smell better. Other’s use the Tea Tree Oil/Melaleuca because it’s an antifungal/antibacterial which will help if your baby gets yeast infections.

Price Breakdown:
Typically you can get the Viva paper towels for around $1 per roll. I have seen them as low as $7.99 for a 10-pack at Target. This week at RiteAid you can get a 6-pack for $5.99 (or $1 per roll). The Viva rolls have 50 sheets, so when you cut the roll in half you get 100 wipes.

Baby oil + generic baby wash can be purchased as low as $1 at the dollar store or if you coupon you might score a great deal. The oil and wash hold enough 10+ batches of wipes..so it costs about .20 per roll.

So these cost about $1.20 for 100 Wipes!
Thanks Fistful of Coupons!

Cheryl