October 7, 2016
by Ashley
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Pumpkin Scones

I love making scones. They are such an easy breakfast, yet they feel like you are eating something special. Best of all, the kids love them!

Pumpkin Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
6 tbsp cold butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp molasses
3 tbsp half and half
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add in cut, cold butter and mix until butter is in small pieces. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until it just comes together. Cut in biscuits. Will make about 18 scones.

These have a point value of 4 smartpoints for anyone doing weight watchers.

August 18, 2016
by Ashley
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Quinoa Granola

My second granola of the day. I am posting as I am baking.

Quinoa Granola

3 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour wet ingredients over the dry and mix well. Pour granola onto a baking sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper. You will need two prepared baking sheets for this entire recipe. Spread out evenly and bake at 325F for 20 minutes. Stir and bake another 20 minutes or until crunchy.

20 servings in this recipe. 1/4 cup per serving for 4 points.

August 18, 2016
by Ashley
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Applesauce Granola

This was a fun experiment. I decided to try to make a granola that wasn’t as heavy as some oil ladened granolas. So I played with this recipe and it came out pretty well. I personally liked it, but I think that next time it needs to be baked without the craisins. They became hard and crunchy (which I like the texture of) but a little too crunchy for a normal person. Maybe adding them in for the last 10 minutes of baking would be enough.

Applesauce Granola

3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoon wheat germ
1 cup dried cranberries, 1/3 less sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix all dry ingredients together. In a seperate bowl, mix maple syrup, corn syrup, applesauce and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and bake at 325F for 20 minutes. Stir and bake another 20 minutes or until crispy. Let cool and store in an air tight container.

Makes 20 servings. A serving is 1.24 ounces or 1/3 cup for 4 points.

August 16, 2016
by Ashley
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Lightened Up Pad Thai

I love Pad Thai and have found a good way to still enjoy it while I am keeping track of points. Here is a great full flavored meal, that can be beefed up with veggies to make it more filling.

Pad Thai

8 oz cooked rice noodles
1/2 cup water
12 oz House Foods Tofu, Extra Firm
3 tbsp Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups bean sprouts
½ cup chives
4 Tbsp sambal oelek
1/4 cup Tamarind Paste
3 medium uncooked carrots, shaved
2 cups cabbage, cooked down

cilantro

Place 8 oz rice noodles into a large bowl and cover with cool water. Let sit for 1 hour.

Put the tamarind paste in a seperate bowl and pour 1/2 cup boiling water over it. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Measure out fish sauce, lime juice, sambal oelek and sugar into another bowl. Once tamarind paste is ready, use a sieve to press out the paste from the seeds. Discard seeds and add paste to the fish sauce mixture.

When you are ready to make the pad thai, warm up 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok. Saute garlic and tofu for about 1 minute. Add in rice noodles and let cook 30 seconds. Add in fish sauce mixture and carefully stir all ingredients until it is well mixed.

Add in chives (or green onions) and bean sprouts. If you want to make this a little heartier, add in shaved carrots and cabbage that has been cooked down a little.

Garnish with cilantro.

When I make this for the kids, I leave the sambal oelek out and let the adults add as much as they desire.

Serves 4 people for 6 smartpoints per serving.

August 8, 2016
by Ashley
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Overnight Banana Oatmeal

To be completely honest, oatmeal isn’t my favorite. I like it in cookies, energy bites, muffins…but when I make it just in its regular form, it doesn’t do much for me. I have noticed all over pinterest a new form of oatmeal however. I thought it worth a try. So I bought some jars with reusable lids, and everyone put their own oatmeal concoction together. After some trial and error, this one is our favorite so far.

Overnight Banana Oatmeal

1/2 cup oats
1/2 banana, mashed up
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp slivered almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp JIF Peanut Powder
1 tsp honey

Mix all ingredients in a container and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, I topped my oatmeal with blueberries. This felt like a light breakfast, that was filling.

Smart Points – 6 points

August 2, 2016
by Ashley
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Spring Minestrone Soup

I check a book out at the library recently. There are many recipes that looked fasinating and since I am such a soup lover, I had to try it. I did change a few things according to my own diet, rather than going by the actual recipe.

Spring Minestrone Soup

3 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup white wine
2 -3 cups white beans
1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinced and drained
1 cup chopped sugar snap peas
4 cups chicken stock
1 handful spinach

Place the first four ingredients in a dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 – 10 minutes. Add in white wine and let cook another minute. Add in beans, rinced quinoa, peas and stock. Let cook covered for 20 minutes. Throw in the handful of spinach and taste. Add salt & pepper according to taste.

I also took a suggestion from the original recipe and made a pesto for the top.

1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups spinach
5 basil leaves
1/4 cup chives
1 – 2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice (half a lemon)
Kosher salt

I used a small blender to mix all ingredients together.

August 2, 2016
by Ashley
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Venison Kofta

During hunting season, we are very fortunate to be gifted different cuts of venison. Coming up with different recipes has been fun, and I have found that I enjoy the taste of the meat and look forward to dinners made with it. This I made up and baked in the oven to cook through. I put the meat in a 375°F oven for around 35 minutes. This would be great with ground beef, turkey or chicken as well.

Venison Kofta
Servings: 6

1lb uncooked venison
½ cup dried plain breadcrumbs (I use homemade)
½ cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic clove, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
1 Tbsp fresh parsley

2 points per serving

Mix together all ingredients and make 12 balls or rolls of meat. Place in a baking dish and bake for 35 minutes.

May 22, 2016
by Ashley
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Grilled Camembert

We had a neighborhood cookout the other night. Since I started weight watchers, I have been limiting myself on my cheese intake. But cheese is my very favorite. So when I found a similar recipe for grilled camembert in my Cooking Light magazine, I decided that this was my opportunity. I would get to try the cheese out, but share as well!

This was fantastic. I will definitely make it again. If you don’t have brandied cherries available (we made ours), you can just use pitted cherries instead with the rosemary, salt & pepper and heat the mixture so it becomes softer. Enjoy!

Grilled Camembert with Brandy Cherry topping

1/2 cup brandied cherries
2 tbsp cherry jam
2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 wheel camembert (8oz)
Cooking spray
Crackers

Combine cherries through pepper and let sit to meld together for about 1 hour.

Spray camembert with cooking spray and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes or until rind is soft. Flip onto a serving dish and cover with cherry mixture. Serve with crackers.

May 15, 2016
by Ashley
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Whole Wheat Pancakes with Panfried Apples

My kids are pretty much spoiled rotten. They has started into making requests of what they would like for breakfast. Many of these requests include items I need to actually make or have in the freezer. I really like these pancakes, as they are a little healthier for them, and a light breakfast for me. Win win!

Today I made panfried apples that are 0 points and really pretty good as a topping. I added the recipe below.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 eggs
4 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 cup 2% reduced fat milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup water

Mix everything together. Warm up skillet on stovetop or use an electric skillet. Since we own an electric skillet, that has been my choice for pancakes, otherwise it takes me a lot longer to make a batch.

Cook evenly on both sides and serve with fruit to make this a little lighter breakfast. Maple syrup and peanut butter are also always nice additions as well.

SmartPoints™ value: 3 per serving pancake
Servings: 2 pancakes

Panfried Apples

Two peeled and sliced apples
Cooking Spray
Cinnamon

Heat skillet and spray with cooking spray. Add in apples and let brown. Flip and sprinkle with cinnamon. If they aren’t cooking fast enough add a little water to the pan to soften them. Enjoy with your pancakes!

My finished plate. I did add 1 tsp maple syrup as well, which is one extra point. So in total, this is only a 4 point breakfast.

May 14, 2016
by Ashley
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Nitro Lamb Stew

We had some stew meat left in the fridge that needed to be used. This is what I came up with. Finnegan asked me to make it again and Paul thought we should save the recipe. Guess it was good!

Nitro Lamb Stew

12 oz Lamb Stew meat, trimmed
4 pieces bacon, chopped
1 tsp olive oil

4 medium onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
3 tbsp tomato paste
6 tsp orrington beef soup dry broth
6 cups water
1 cup Nitro beer, or Guiness
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
1 bay leaf

2 parsnips, peeled and diced
5 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
10 small carrots, peeled and chopped (about two cups)

In a dutch oven, saute lamb meat and bacon in a little oil. Saute until bacon is crisp. If there is a lot of water in the pot, remove and reserve. Remove meat when crisp and reserve. Add onions and garlic into the pot with the reserved liquid from the meat or 2 tsp water. Saute until softened. Add tomato paste and let cook 3 minutes. Add meat back into dutch oven and flour and let cook another minute or so until the flour is incorporated.

Add water, beef stock, beer, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then cover and let simmer for 1 hr 30 minutes or so. Add in chopped parsnips, potatoes and carrots and let cook another 30 – 40 minutes covered. Remove cover and let simmer for 20 minutes or until soup has thickened.

Serves 8 – Smart points 7