Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

These are definitely not as light as I usually prefer. However, sometimes you have to indulge to stay on track and these are AWESOME!! They are perfect for that once a month craving; if you know what I mean.

serves 24 cupcakes - eat 1 and take the rest to work or school

Ingredients:
1 box of Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme Devil's Food Cake Mix; you could also use the Sugar Free options in cake mix and frosting.)
2 whole eggs
1 egg white
1/3 C no sugar added applesauce
1 1/4 C water
1 C Reese's peanut butter chips
24 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped
non-stick spray
24 cupcake liners
1 container of Chocolate Frosting (I used Duncan Hines Creamy Milk Chocolate frosting.)
1 C smooth peanut butter (The BEST is JIF!)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the cake mix by adding the eggs, applesauce and water to the mix in a medium sized bowl. Mix on medium speed per the package directions for 2 minutes. Then, fold in the Reese's peanut butter chips.
Prepare your muffin tins by lining with the cupcake liners and spraying with non-stick spray.
Fill each cupcake liner two-thirds full with batter. Then, push a Hershey kiss into the center of each cupcake.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until done. (Test by inserting a clean toothpick into the side of the cupcake closest to the center of your oven. If it comes out without batter stuck to it; they are done.)
Let the cupcakes cool about 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the chocolate frosting with the peanut butter (does not need to be well mixed; just blended a little) and load into your icing bag or a zip top bag to frost your delicious smelling cupcakes. 
Frost each cupcake by any method you prefer and enjoy with a big glass of SKIM milk (like eating a Big Mac with a Diet Coke). ;)

Quick Pickled Sweet Squash

Makes about 4 - 16oz Mason Jars

Ingredients:
4 C - summer squash, sliced
4 C - zucchini, sliced
2 C - sweet onion, sliced
2 C - red, yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced
4 - jalapenos, sliced with seeds removed
4 - banana peppers, sliced with seeds removed
2 1/2 C - cider vinegar
1 1/4 C - sugar
1 Tbsp - kosher salt (any non-iodized salt)
1 tsp - celery seeds
1 tsp - mustard seeds

Directions:
Combine all veggies in a large pot. Sprinkle with salt and mix. Let stand one hour.
Spoon veggies into jars until full. Add vinegar, sugar, celery seeds and mustard seeds to the pot. Bring to a boil. Then, pour into each mason jar filled with veggies. Top jars with lids and rings; then either store in the refrigerator or process for long term storage.

To process jars, simply place them in a large pot covered with water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes or 10 minutes for altitudes of 1,001 ft to 6,000 ft. Over 6,000 ft, process for 15 minutes. When the time is up, remove jars with a jar lifter (or tongs with rubberized end) and place on the counter to cool. The jars have successfully sealed when the lid suctions down onto the jar and does not pop back up when pressed down. If any jars do no seal; store in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Info per 1/2C serving:
Calories - 91.1
Fat - 0.2g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 440.2 mg
Carbohydrates - 23.4g
Fiber - 1.9g
Sugar - 18.9 g
Protein - 1.2g

Pasta Salad

Adapted from Mantia's Italiano Rotini box recipe
serves 6-8 (1 Cup)

Ingredients:

• 1 - 16 oz box of whole wheat rotini pasta
• 1 C fat free Italian salad dressing
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced and de-seeded
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 C whole kernel corn (canned or frozen)
• 1 C sliced black olives (I used 1/2 a 16oz can of whole, pitted olives sliced in half)

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and let cool a few minutes. Add all the veggies and pasta together in a big bowl. Pour the Italian dressing and vinegar over the top and mix until well combined. (the vinegar adds a little extra kick)

Nutritional Info per serving:
Calories - 226.9
Fat - 1.4 g
Sodium - 241.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 48.7mg
Fiber - 8.1g
Sugar - 1.9g
Protein - 9.3g

Enjoy!

Sangria

It is Saturday and I want a drink...

Ingredients:
1 - 750 ml bottle of Sweet Red Wine (Sutter Home)
1 - 12oz. can of 7up
1/4 C Cointreau
1 - orange, sliced (Tangelo)
1 - lemon, sliced
1 - lime, sliced

Directions:
Pour the chilled wine and 7up into your favorite pitcher. Add the Cointreau or other orange flavored liquor. Add the sliced fruit.

Enjoy!

Spanish Chicken

This is one of my go-to meals pretty much every week. It is so simple, easy, delicious and the variations of how to eat it are plentiful. My grandmother originally gave me this recipe, but I recently saw it on another blog with the difference of adding salsa which sounded so good that I have tweaked it yet again…

Serves 4- 2 tacos/burritos per person

Slow-cooker time - 6-7 hrs. on Low, 3-4 hours on High;  ~10 minutes from the slow cooker to plate

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of chicken breasts or tenders (thawed or slightly frozen)
• 1 C chicken broth
• 1 C salsa or Rotel
• 2 Tbsp. low sodium taco seasoning
• I Pkg Whole Wheat tortillas (we keep a stash in the freezer so we always have them handy)
• Low-fat cheese of your choice
• Veggies of your choice – Lettuce, Tomato, Onion (red or green), Corn, Bell Pepper slices, Black Olives, etc.
• Rice (cooked according to package directions)
• Light Sour Cream
• Chipotle chilies in adobo sauce or Tabasco Chipotle Hot Sauce

Directions:

Combine the first 4  ingredients in your crock pot and set on Low to cook all day (6-7 hrs.) while at work or set to High and it will be ready in about 3-4 hours. Once you get home, all you have to do is shred the chicken with 2 forks and decide how to eat it.

Meal Variations:

Most of the time, I use the Spanish Chicken to make tacos or burritos. It can also be used for nachos or mixed with rice, corn, and black beans to create a one-pot meal.

Tacos/Burritos –

• Place 2 whole wheat tortillas on a microwave safe plate, cover with a damp paper towel and nuke for up to 30 seconds
• Smear about 2 tsp. of light sour cream on the left or right-hand side of your tortillas
• Sprinkle some low-fat cheese over the sour cream
• Spoon about 3 tbsp. of Spanish Chicken on top of the cheese
• Add any of your other favorite toppings…lettuce, tomato, corn, *chipotle hot sauce or chipotle chilies*, etc. (*If you currently do not cook with chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, I highly recommend that you add them to your grocery list (found in the ethnic aisle of your local super market)! They add a little spice and that awesome smokey, chipotle flavor to all Mexican dishes, chili and eggs.)
• Wrap into a burrito by folding the short side in as tightly as possible, then fold the bottom side up to form the pouch, then fold the longer side over…hopefully that makes sense :)

Nutritional Info per serving "all the way":

Calories - 344.4

Fat - 10g

Cholesterol - 83.5mg

Sodium - 658mg

Total Carbohydrates - 25.8g

Fiber - 4g

Protein - 37.9g

Perfect with a glass of red sangria...

Enjoy!

Perfect Carrot Cupcakes

The inspiration for these cupcakes came from a bag of shredded carrots that I purchased for another recipe, but did not use. I went into this with the plan of making a classic carrot cake, using pre-packaged spice cake mix and dried cranberries (craisins) instead of raisins as my hubby hates the later.  You can never go wrong with pre-packaged cake mix, it always turns out right, is quick and easily made light by using egg whites, applesauce and water instead of oil. (You can even add Flax seeds to the mix if you are feeling frisky.) I accidentally tossed dried cherries into the mix thinking they were craisins and it was the best mistake EVER! They are what make this cupcake awesome! Oh yea, and the lemony light cream cheese frosting.

Cupcake (serves 24)

Ingredients:

• 1 box of spice cake mix (even my weekend bites are pretty quick)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 C water
• 1/4 C applesauce
• 1 C shredded carrots
• 1/2 C crushed pineapple in juice 
• 1/3 C chopped, dried cherries
• 1/3 C chopped, roasted pecans 

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Prep your cupcake pan with paper-liners sprayed with non-stick cooking oil. Fill your cupcake liners two-thirds full with the batter.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Let cool.

Light Cream Cheese Frosting: 
Ingredients:

• 1 8oz package of light cream cheese (Neufchatel Cheese)
• 1 C confectioners sugar
• zest of 1 lemon 
• sweetened shredded coconut flakes

Directions:
Mix the first 3 ingredients together until well combined. Spread about 1 tbsp of frosting onto each cupcake, then sprinkle with shredded coconut.

Nutritional Info per serving:
Calories - 144.6
Fat -  4.7 g
Cholesterol - 7.2 mg
 
Enjoy! 

Inspiration

Inspiration for the day:
"The greatest wealth is health."- Virgil

Personal BBQ Chicken Pizza

serves 4
Prepared in about 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 - Whole Wheat Pita Pockets

• 2 - Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced (grilled over the weekend)
• 2 Tbsp - Your Favorite BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's)
• 1/4 C - Med Onion, Sliced
• 1 - Bell Pepper Sliced (pick your favorite color - red, orange or yellow)
• 1/2 C Part-Skim Mozzarella cheese
• Olive oil

Directions:
Saute the onion and bell peppers in a skillet with a small amount of oil for about 5 min until the veggies brown (I left mine unattended while I fed my baby his dinner). Meanwhile, prep 2 baking sheets by covering with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place 2 Pita Pockets on each sheet, spread each with a 1/2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce, divide the chicken breast slices up between each pita, sprinkle 1/4 of the onions and bell peppers on each pocket, and top with a sprinkle of cheese.
Broil on Hi for up to 5 minutes or browned around the edges.

Nutritional Info per serving:
Calories - 359.6
Fat - 6.7g
Cholesterol - 76.7 mg
Sodium - 503.2 mg
Total Carbohydrates - 38.6 g
Fiber - 5.6 g
Sugar - 1.5 g
Protein - 37.4 g

Quick Tips:

• Grill extra chicken on the weekend for use during the week.
• Buy red, orange and yellow bell peppers when on sell; wash, slice and store in the freezer till ready to use.
• Can also add mushrooms to the sauteed vegetables (I only buy them when they are on sale).
• Can use whole wheat torillas instead of the pitas for a very thin crust.

Serve with a side salad and a small glass of wine.
Enjoy!