This Month's Routine: Know What You're Having for Lunch
Meeting Topic:  What Do Your Food Choices Say About You?

Skinny Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

 

Ingredients

	Skinny Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
1	box angel food cake mix- the 1 step kind
1	15oz can Pumpkin
¾	Cup water
½	teaspoon cinnamon ...
1	8oz pkg. reduced fat cream cheese
	few tablespoons of water, to be mixed with cream cheese

Directions

I let the cream cheese soften on the counter for a while then I added it to my stand mixer & beat it with a couple of tablespoons of water until smooth. I just wanted it to thin out a little bit. In a separate bowl, mix the cake mix, pumpkin, water, & cinnamon together until it is smooth & well mixed. In a 9x13 pyrex dish- sprayed with PAM- add HALF of the cake –pumpkin mix. Then smooth it out with a rubber spatula. Drizzle half of the cream cheese over the top of it and take a small spatula to smooth it over the top. Add remaining cake-pumpkin mix & also the remaining cream cheese just making layers. Finally take a butter knife- stick it into the mix and go back & forth over the top of the cake making figure “8’s” - to blend it a bit. Bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees OR until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cut into 20-24 bars. Each bar = 3 points plus values. 
If you cut into 16 bars they will = 4 Points plus values each. 
They are really good!

Be patient and kind to yourself and others TGIF

Chocolate-Fudge Cookie Bites


Weight Watchers Recipe


1PointsPlus Value

Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 8 min
Other time: 10 min
Serves: 40
Just the right mouthful of chocolaty goodness. Freeze extras and defrost at room temperature.
Recipe
Read All Reviews (152)
Ingredients
4 spray(s) cooking spray  
3/4 cup(s) sugar  
1/3 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa powder  
4 Tbsp regular butter, softened  
      4 oz unsweetened applesauce  
1 tsp vanilla extract  
1 3/4 cup(s) all purpose flour  
1 tsp baking powder  
1/4 tsp table salt  
2 Tbsp powdered sugar  
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat two nonstick cookie sheets with cooking spray or cover with parchment paper.

Place sugar, cocoa powder and butter in a medium bowl; beat with an electric mixer. Add applesauce and vanilla; beat to blend.

In another small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into cocoa batter with a wooden spoon.

Shape batter into 40 marble-size balls with your hands; place 1-inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to stand for 1 minute. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Yields 1 cookie per serving.
Notes
The dough is a little sticky. If it's too difficult for you to work with, chill the dough in the refrigerator first.

Store cookies in a tightly covered container to maintain freshness.

Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinegar

Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinegar


Weight Watchers Recipe


3PointsPlus Value

Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 30 min
Other time: 30 min
Serves: 6
If you’ve never had farro, give it a go. It has a nutty flavor, slightly chewy texture and is packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Recipe
Read All Reviews (3)
Ingredients
      3/4 cup(s) uncooked, farro  
1/2 tsp table salt, for cooking farro  
3 cup(s) water  
      2 medium fresh tomato(es), diced  
1/2 cup(s) fresh parsley, coarsely chopped  
      3 Tbsp (chopped) uncooked red onion(s), or diced  
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar  
1 Tbsp olive oil, extra virgin  
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste  
Instructions
Combine farro, salt and water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until farro is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes; drain well and allow to cool slightly. (Pearled/semi-pearled farro cooks in 20 to 30 minutes while whole farro cooks in 45 to 60 minutes – make sure to check your package carefully.)

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, parsley, onion, vinegar, oil and salt.

Add farro to tomato mixture and toss to coat; cover and chill at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.
Notes
Crumbled feta cheese or ricotta salata and chopped, toasted almonds would make nice additions to this salad (could affect recipe’s PointsPlus value).

trader joes find

I

Found these at Trader Joe's today. They are only 1 Point + for 1 tortilla,  and they taste great too!

This Month's Routine: Know What You're Having for Lunch
Meeting Topic:  Secrets of Successful Weekends

Snickerdoodles

Skinny Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles

Whole wheat skickerdoodle cookies coated with cinnamon, spice and everything nice! If you have plans to do some baking this weekend, these cookies are a must!

I absolutely loved these cookies which I adapted from Cooking Light magazine. I swapped the flour for white whole wheat and the corn syrup for agave and they turned out too darn good if you know what I mean!

When I was in DC a few months ago, I met Matthew Petersen, the executive Pastry Chef of CityZen and Sou'Wester at the Mandarin Oriental and "chef'testant" on Bravo's Top Chef Just Desserts, and he was a huge fan of King Arthur flour. I've been using it since and always love the results.

Skinny Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 42 • Size: 1 cookie • Old Points: 1 pts • Points+: 1 pts (3 pts+ for 2)
Calories: 50.9 • Fat: 1.3 g • Carb: 9.5 g • Fiber: 0.7 g • Protein: 0.8 g • Sugar: 5.9 g
Sodium: 20.2 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tbsp agave
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 3 tbsp sugar*
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon*
• cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line two baking sheets with Silpat mats and spray with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine 1 cup of sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.  Add the agave, vanilla and egg; beat well.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, beating just until combined.  Cover and chill for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine 3 tbsp sugar with cinnamon, stirring with a whisk to combine.  With moist hands, shape dough into 42 (1-inch) balls.  Roll balls in sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Place balls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets (I slightly flattened them).   

Bake 375°F for 5-7 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft).  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.  Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.  Enjoy!

Keep The Beet Alive: 12 Ways To Preserve Your Produce

Zucchini:  Store zucchini unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer for three to four days and do not wash until you are ready to use. At the first sign of softness, use immediately.
Tomatoes: The first thing I learned in the produce business was to never refrigerate tomatoes. So, the best place to store tomatoes is, indeed, on the counter at room temperature out of the sunlight. They continue to develop flavor until maturation peaks a few days after picking.
Strawberries: Local strawberries have no shelf life. Eat them fast or freeze them!
Spinach: Refrigerate unwashed spinach in a loosely wrapped plastic bag.  Like with many vegetables, moisture can speed decay.

Scallions: Place your green onions in a jar and fill with a small amount of water to cover the roots. Place the onions near your kitchen window. The scallions will continue to grow.  You should change the water if it becomes cloudy. You can also put the onions in the fridge in a glass jar.

Peaches: Store peaches on the kitchen counter at room temperature out of the sunlight until they reach the softness/ripeness you desire. To quicken the ripening process, place peaches in a paper bag. When they are ready they will become softer and more fragrant. When ripe, you can store in the crisper bin of your refrigerator if you aren’t eating them that day.

Golden Beets: You can keep the beet greens attached if you are going to eat them. The greens are very nutritious and can be prepared like spinach or swiss chard. If you choose not to eat the greens, remove them (cut them 2 inches from the beet) immediately or they will continue to draw needed moisture from the beet. Do not wash beets before storing. Place the beet in a plastic bag in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 10 days.

Cucumbers: Store in the refrigerator. Eat within 3 to 4 days.  

Corn: Eat it soon! But, if you are not going to eat it quickly, keep the husks on and store in the refrigerator to slow the sugar to starch conversion process.

Carrots: First, immediately remove the greens/tops.  They will continue to draw away moisture from the carrot.  Carrots love the cold, so place unwashed carrots in a plastic bag in the coolest part of your refrigerator.  Carrots will begin to become soft if they are exposed to warm air or their tops draw away the moisture.

Broccoli: Store broccoli unwashed in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator. You can add holes to the bag to allow for some air circulation.

Blueberries: Keep blueberries in their original container in the refrigerator if eating in a few days. Do not wash.  For slightly longer storage, remove any damaged berries and add a paper towel to your sealed container.