Carrot cake with cream cheese

This recipe is from my Eat Great lose weight cookbook! I am not really aiming for weight loss anymore but I still want great tasting treats without the added calories.  The majority of the recipes in this book has been really good and this one is too.

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded carrots (about 2 or 3 large carrots)
3/4 cup of sugar
1 can 4 oz crushed pineapple
1 jar of carrot puree (this can be found in the baby food section or you can google how to make your own.. It was easy.

4 large egg whites or 1/2 cup of liquid egg substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/4 cups oat bran
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 package ( 8 oz) fat free cream cheese, softened.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Coat a 9 inch round cake pan with non stick spray.

In a large bowl, mix carrots, 1/2 cup sugar, pineapple with juice, carrot puree, egg whites, vanilla extract, and salt.

In another large bowl, combine flour, oat bran, baking soda, and cinnomon. Fold in carrot mixture just until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Cool in the pan on rack for ten minutes. Remove from the pan.

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Spread evenly over cake.

Serves 12.  164 calories. , 7 grams protein, 27 grams carbs, 1 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 361 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

 Diet exchanges. 0 milk, 1 veg, 1 fruit, 1 bread, 0 meat, 0 fat

This recipe will for sure be a keeper and it was so easy to make.

Chocolate Chunk cookies

This recipe is brought to you by one of my favorite cookbooks called Eat Great. Lose Weight.  I was really cravnig something sweet and looked thru my cookbook. I love it when I see something that looks good and I actually have everything to make for it.

I will make this one again.

Ingredients

1 cup of unbleached or all purpose flour
1 cup of whole- wheat flour
1/2 cup of quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1/3 cup of butter or margarine
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons of 1% milk.  (i used 2% cause it's what I buy)
1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract
6 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips.  It mentions chunks of chocolate can be hard to find so use normal ones will be good too.

Preheat oven to 375 F, Coat two baking sheets with non stick spray.

In a large bowlm combine both flours, oates, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, combine sugar, brown sugarm butter, egg whites, milk and vanilla extract.. I personally felt like the cookie dough was dry so next time I will melt the butter.

Add flour mixture and stire until moistened. Stir in chocolates.

Drop by rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart, on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned by the edges.  Remove cookies to racks to cool.

This recipe makes 48 cookies but I only got 47. :(  The cookbook says 77 calories per cookie but my recipe builder came out to 68 calories.

These were very tasty right out of the oven.

Blueberry Brunch cake

Cake:

1 1/2 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 cup (8 oz) fat free yogurt
2 tablespoons of Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

Topping:

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of butter or margerine softened
1 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 by 8 baking dish with non stick spray.
  In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and sugar
 
In a medium bowl, combine egg, yogurt, oil, and vanilla extract. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture, just until moist. Stir in blueberries. Spoon batter into the prepared bakind dish.

To make the topping:

In a small bowl, using a forkm combine flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over cake. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings.  280 calories per serving.

This recipe came from my cookbook called Eat great lose weight. I have found most of the recipes very good and spot on with the calorie counts.  Most of them have been Tad and Tyler approved. 

Zucchini bread

Zucchini bread  (yummy)

Makes two 9 by 5 loaf pan  oven 325 degrees

3 eggs
1 cup of oil
2 cups shredded zucchinni
3 Tbsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups of sugar ( I have actually started using one)
2 cups of flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. baking soda
Chocolate chips.. I use about 45 grams

Prep:

1. Cream sugar, oil and eggs.
2. Add zucchini, vanilla, and dry ingredients.
3. Grease and flour loaf pans well.
4. Pour into 2 loaf pans.
5. Bake one hour at 325 degrees.

I typically freeze the second loaf or give it away.

Homemade mac n cheese

Barilla - Plus Elbows, 9 oz	945	171	9	45	113	18
Aldi / Clancy's - Cheese Melt (Block Cheese), 9 oz (28g)	720	18	54	36	3,780	0
Milk - Reduced fat, 2% milkfat, 0.33 cup

Ignore the numbers.. heats up well. may need to add a little mlk..

Also,, homemade mashed potatoes freeze and heat back up well. 

Chicken & roasted garlic Risotto

ingriedents

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves (about one pound)
1 tablespoon butter
1 can cream of cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of Mushrrom with roasted garlic soup  (sure could find an alterntive to cream of mushroom soup)
2 cups of water
2 cups of uncooked instant rice
1 cup of frozen peas and carrots

1.  Season chicken

2. Heat butter in skillet. Add chicken and cook 10 minutes or until brown. Remove chicken.

3. add soups and water.  Heat to a boil. Stir in rice and veggies. Top with chicken. Cover and cook over low heat 5 minutes or until done. Remove from heat.  Let stand 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

I haven't actually tried this yet but I am sure it will freeze well.

Pizza casserole

ingriendents

1 pound of hamburger
diced green pepper ( leave that out Michelle)
diced onion
Shells and cheese
Jar of pizza sauce
cheddar cheese

Saute onion and green peppers with the hamburger, in another pot cook the shells and cheese as directed..
Preheat oven to 350
Spray a casserole pan.. combine hamburger mixture, shells and cheese and pizza sauce and mix well.

Cook about 30 minutes,, add as little or as much cheddar cheese on top and cook until melted.