Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa

serves 4 ( 1 filet with 1/4 c. salsa = 4 points +)

Salsa:

• 1 c. chopped, fresh pineapple
• 2 T. finely chopped onion
• 2 T. chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 T. lime juice
• salt to taste

Fish:

• 4 ( 4 oz) tilapia filets
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• salt to taste

For salsa, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
For fish, season with salt, cumin and chili powder. Heat a nonstick skillet coated with spray. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add fish and cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

adapted from "Cooking Light"

Roasted Acorn Squash with Dried Cranberries and Slivered Almonds

Winter Squash is so healthy and there are a variety of ways to make it. I loved roasting this squash and then topping it with a combination of sweet and salty items.

serves 4 ( 4 points +)

• 2 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 3 T. dried cranberries
• 2 T. slivered almonds
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1 tsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash, cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes or until very tender.
Place cranberries in a microwave safe dish, cover with water and microwave 1 minute. Drain water. 

Melt butter in a saucepan until lightly browned. Stir in olive oil.

Sprinkle squash with salt and pepper, top with plumped cranberries and almonds, drizzle with butter mixture.

Harvest Apple Salad

We love this salad in the fall. The original recipe came from my friend at 
Cupcakes and Crablegs, but I have lightened it and changed a couple of the ingredients. I hope you like it!

serves 8 ( 4 points+)
Salad:

• mixed salad greens ( about 10 c.)
• 1/4 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 c. dried cranberries
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• 2 T. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Dressing:

• 2 T. light mayonnaise
• 2 T. sugar-free maple syrup
• 1-1/2 T. tarragon vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• salt and pepper

For dressing, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.

For salad, place lettuce on a large platter. Top with remaining ingredients. Drizzle with dressing.

Almond Joy Cookies

For those of you who do not know me, I am an extreme chocoholic! This is a trait that is inherited on my maternal side and the gene is dominant and runs quite strongly in our family! All of the females have inherited it and occasionally there has been a male known to love chocolate as much as we do!

One of my favorite candy bars is Almond Joy. I love the flavor combination of coconut and chocolate. In fact, last year when I visited Italy, my favorite gelato flavors were ciocolata and coconut! I saw a similar recipe on Pinterest, but decided to try cutting some of the amounts of ingredients to cut points value.

These cookies are somewhat similar to a chocolate chip cookie recipe, but use all white sugar instead of using half brown sugar. This recipe made 52 large cookies. You could make them half the size and cut the points by half as well, but then you may have more cookies than you know what to do with and you may be dealing with quite a bit of irresistible temptation. I suggest when making these cookies to have a party, pass them out to neighbors, give them as gifts, etc. They are delicious!

Makes 48-52 cookies ( 4 points + each)

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1-1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2-1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 c. flaked, sweetened coconut
• 1 c. peeled, slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. 
Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture. Add chocolate chips, coconut and almonds, mixing until a thick dough forms. ( do not overmix)

Using a cookie scoop ( about 2 T.) drop dough onto cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden. These cookies will firm upon standing, so do not overbake. 

Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Makes 32 ( 4 points +)

• 1 c. + 1 T.  flour, divided
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 c. light stick butter
• 6 eggs, divided
• 2-1/2 c. sugar, divided
• 1 T. lemon zest
• 1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
• 2 ( 8 oz. ) packages reduced fat cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and coat a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray.

Whisk together 1 c. flour and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of the baking dish. Bake 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

Whisk together 4 eggs, 1-12/ c. sugar, 1 T. flour, lemon zest and lemon juice in a bowl. Pour over crust.

Mix cream cheese and 1 c. sugar in a mixing bowl until blended. Whisk in 2 eggs and carefully spread over lemon mixture.  

Bake about 30 minutes or until the center is nearly set. Remove and let cool Chill and cut into bars.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Today is Memorial Day. I wanted to make something fitting ( All American, red, white and blue). What better than blueberry breakfast cake served with fresh srawberries? This cake was wonderful served warm. Let me know how you like it!

serves 16 ( 4 points +)

• 1/2 c. light stick butter
• 1 T. grated lemon zest ( about 1 large lemon)
• 3/4 c. + 1 T. sugar, divided
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour, divided
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk
• 2 c. fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9 inch square pan with nonstick spray.
Combine blueberries with 1/4 c. flour and set aside.

Place butter and 3/4 c. sugar, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Beat until creamy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Whisk together 1-3/4 c. flour, salt and baking powder. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Fold in blueberries.
Spread in prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1 T. sugar. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. 
Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Light, soft and melt-in your mouth, it will be hard to eat just one of these!

Makes 12 ( 4 points +)

• 1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c. white- whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1-1/4 c. low-fat buttermilk
• 1 T. canola oil

Preheat oven to 450
Combine flours, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.
Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave 1 minute or until melted. Add cold buttermilk, stirring until butter forms small clumps. Add oil, stirring to combine,
Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir until just incorporated.
Drop batter in mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 11 monutes or until golden. Serve warm.

adapted from "Cooking Light"

Sirloin in Red Wine Sauce

While looking for a recipe for a special dinner for my parents' anniversary, I came across this one in a "Cooking Light" magazine. I adapted it slightly for the amount of people I was serving. It was a real treat and at 4 points +, it was thoroughly enjoyed!

Serves 8 ( 4 points +)

• 1 T. canola oil, Divided
• 2 ( 1 lb. sirloin steaks)
• salt and pepper
• 3 T. finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 c. red wine
• 1/2 c. fat-free beef broth
• 1-1/2 tsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

In a large nonstick skillet or cast iron pan, heat oil.  Season steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks to pan and cook 3-4 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Remove and let stand 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.
Meanwhile, add onion and thyme to pan and cook until tender. Stir in red wine; cook until liquid almost evaporates ( 2-3 minutes). Add broth to pan and cook 3 minutes or until mixture is reduced by half. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Pour red wine sauce over steak.

Italian Power Breakfast Sandwich

This yummy breakfast can be made in about the time it takes to toast an English muffin!

serves 1 ( 4 points +)

• 1 low fat English muffin, toasted
• 1 T. low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 c. egg beaters
• 1/2 small plum tomato, sliced thinly
• 1/4 c. fresh, baby spinach leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Season ricotta with salt and pepper. Spread over one half of the English muffin.
Top with spinach and sliced tomatoes.
Coat a nonstick skillet with spray. Cook egg beaters. Place on top of tomato. Top with remaining English muffin half.

Creamy Butternut, Blue Cheese and Walnut Cavatappi

This dish is a main dish, but could easily be a side dish too. A side dish serving of 1/2 c. would be 4 points +)

serves 6 ( 1 c. = 8 points +)

• 4 c. ( 1/2 inch) cubed, peeled butternut squash
• 2-1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 oz. uncooked cavatappi
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 1 T. crushed garlic
• 1 c. (2%) milk, divided
• 1 tsp. flour
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 c. blue cheese, crumbled
• 3 T. chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 425 and spray a jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
Combine squash with 1-1/2 tsp. oil, salt and pepper. Place on the jelly roll pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until tender, stirring once.
Cook pasta; drain and keep warm.
Heat a medium saucepan over med-high heat. Add 1 tsp. oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic an cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat. Stir in 1/2 c. milk, salt and pepper.
Combine remaining 1/2 c. milk with flour and egg yolks. Slowly add to mixture in saucepan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 5 minutes or until thickened.
Combine squash, pasta and milk mixture in a large bowl; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts.

adapted from "Cooking Light"

Creamy Turkey Rice Soup

This soup is quite amazing. It makes great use of your left over turkey too. My husband loved it so much that he ate three bowls in one sitting! It is thick and rich. It will thicken more upon standing, so if you reheat it, you may add some water to achieve desired consistency.

Serves 12 ( about 1 c. = 4 points +)

• 1 large onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 celery rib
• ¼ c. light butter
• ½ c. flour
• 8 c. fat free chicken broth
• 1 c. uncooked Jasmine or white rice, cooked according to package directions
• 2 c. turkey breast, cooked and cubed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 c. (2%) evaporated milk

Place onion, carrot and celery in a food processor and process until finely chopped.

Heat butter in a large nonstick pot or Dutch oven. Add vegetables and cook until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually whisk in chicken broth.

Cook and stir until starting to thicken. Add turkey, cooked rice, salt and pepper. Cook until thickened. Stir in evaporated milk and heat through.

Apple Crostata

You will love this dessert that looks fancy, yet is simple and easy to make. The best part is that it is only 4 points + !

Serves 6 ( 4 points +)

• 3 T. butter, melted
• 2 medium  apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced and halved
• 6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• 2 T. sugar

Preheat oven to 400 and spray a 9 inch glass pie pan with nonstick spray.

Lay one phyllo sheet in the pie pan and brush with butter. Overlap with a second sheet. Brush with butter. Leave edges overhanging the pie plate.
Repeat with the remaining four sheets of phyllo in the same fashion. 

Fan out the apple slices in a concentric circle with the largest slices at the outer rim and the smallest slices in the center. Brush apples with lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar.

Loosely roll the edges of phyllo up to make a 1 inch border around the top rim of the pie plate.
Brush the phyllo with butter and drizzle the remaining butter over the apple slices.

Bake until apples are tender and crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Slide the crostata out of the pan onto a serving dish. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

from the cookbook "Fast and Fit" by Theresa Guidice

Grilled Raspberry Thyme Chicken

The marinade for this recipe is very different. Your chicken may look a little pink and after grilling, may even look like pork! The chicken will turn out moist and tender. Everyone in my house loved it!

serves 4 ( 4 points +)

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves ( 4 oz. each)
• 2 T. seedless raspberry preserves
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• ½ tsp. dried thyme

Place chicken in a large ziplock bag. In a small bowl, combine the preserves with the remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove chicken from marinade. Grill until chicken is cooked through, basting with left over marinade. 

Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Parfaits

Every so often, I like to make a treat for my dad who is a diabetic. For this recipe, I used Xylitol, which is a natural sweetener. I buy it under the name "Ideal".

serves 6 ( 4 points +)

• 6 T. Ideal brand Xylitol ( or use regular sugar if you like)
• ¼ c. baking cocoa
• 2 T. cornstarch
• dash of salt
• 1-½ c. skim milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• 6 Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies, crushed
• 2 large bananas, sliced
• 12 T. light whipped cream

In a heavy saucepan, combien the first four ingredients. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook on medium high, whisking constantly until mixture thickens. Place mixture in a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled.
Layer parfait cups with pudding, bananas and crushed cookies. Repeat. Top each parfait with 2 T. light whipped cream.

Tomato, Squash and Red Pepper Gratin

Tomatoes and yellow summer squash are in abundance in my garden right now. This recipe makes great use of them!

serves 8 ( 4 points +)

• 3 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 c. chopped red onion
• 1-½ c. chopped red bell pepper
• 3-½ c. sliced yellow summer squash
• 1 T. crushed garlic
• ½ c. brown Minute Rice, cooked
• ¼ c. chopped fresh basil
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• ¾ tsp. salt, divided
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ½ c. ( 2 % ) milk
• ¾ c. shredded Swiss cheese
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1-½ oz. bread, torn
• 1 ( 12 oz) beefsteak tomato, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 and spray an 11 x 7 baking dish with nonstick spray.
In a large nonstick skillet coated with spray, heat 2 tsp. oil. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook another 3 minutes. Add yellow squash and garlic and cook for 4 minutes. Place vegetable mixture in a large bowl. Stir in cooked brown rice, basil, thyme, ½ tsp. salt and pepper.
In another bowl, combine eggs, milk and Swiss cheese. Stir egg mixture into vegetable mixture. Transfer to the 11 x 7 pan.
Place bread in a food processor and pulse until crumbs form. Stir in remaining 1 tsp. olive oil. 
Slice tomato and place on top of casserole. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture. Bake 35-40 minutes or until topping is browned.

adapted from "Cooking Light"

Bacon Cheddar Sliders

serves 8 ( 1 slider = 4 points+)

• 3 T. finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 12 oz. ground beef (93% lean)
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ c. reduced-fat shredded cheddar
• 8 slider buns ( 2 points each)
• 3 T. low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 8 lettuce leaves
• pickle slices
• 4 slices, fully cooked bacon, quartered

Combine first 4 ingredients. Form into 8 patties. Grill until desired doneness. Top with cheese and let melt. Serve on buns with toppings.

Plum and Blackberry Cobbler

Plums and blackberries are two more fruits that are in season right now. I came up with this recipe using 2 different kinds of plums for added color and variety of taste.


serves 9 ( 4 points+)

• 4 medium plums, sliced thinly
• 1 c. blackberries
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• ¼ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 6 T. sugar, divided
• ¾ c. flour + 1 T. flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 2 T. chilled butter, cubed
• 3 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
• ¼ c. low-fat buttermilk
• 1 T. turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 375 and spray an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Stir in 2 T. sugar and 1T. flour. Transfer mixture to prepared pan.
Place remaining ¾ c. flour, ¼ c. sugar and baking powder in a food processor. Pulse until mixed ( about 3 times). Add butter and cream cheese and pulse until crumbs form. Add buttermilk and process until blended.
Carefully spread dough by spoonfuls on top of filling. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top is golden and filling is bubbly.

Crescent Strawberry Napoleons

Today I went strawberry picking with this dessert in mind. My neighbor, Christynna, sent me this recipe last week. She had tried it and really liked it. I adapted it to make it points friendly. This dessert was amazing…simple to make, light and tasty ( although a bit messy… you will have to eat it with your hands). I will definitely make this recipe regularly!


serves 8 ( 4 points +)

• 1 can Pillsbury reduced-fat crescent roll dough
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 c. skim milk
• 1 pkg. sugar-free, instant vanilla pudding
• 1-½ c. Cool Whip Free
• 1-½ c. sliced strawberries

Heat oven to 375. Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. 
Cut each rectangle into quarters. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and press each rectangle into a 3 x 2 inch rectangle. Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on the bottoms. Cook completely.
Meanwhile, beat pudding with milk until thickened. Fold in Cool Whip.


Just before serving, place 8 rectangles on a serving platter or tray. Reserve ½ c. pudding mixture. Spread remaining pudding evenly over rectangles. Top with sliced berries. Top with remaining baked rectangles. Garnish each with 1 T. reserved pudding mixture and 1 small strawberry.

Bacon and Cheese Custards

serves 6 ( 4 points +)

• 4 Oscar Mayer thick sliced fully cooked bacon
• ⅓ c. finely chopped red bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ½ c. finely chopped red onion
• ⅓ c. reduced-fat shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 c. (2%) milk
• ¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
• ⅛ tsp. ground red pepper
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 and spray 6 individual ramekins with nonstick spray.
Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. With remaining bacon grease, cook peppers, onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Return bacon to pan. Remove from heat and stir in Swiss cheese. Spoon mixture evenly into ramekins.


Heat milk in a saucepan until tiny bubbles appear around the edges.


In a large bowl, whisk together milk with remaining ingredients. Spoon evenly over bacon mixture.


Place ramekins in a large baking dish and add hot water to the pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake for 32 minutes or until the center barely moves. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


adapted from "Cooking Light"

Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs

serves 4-8 ( 1 thigh = 4 points+ or 2 thighs = 7 points+)

• 1/3 c. Dijon mustard
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 3 T. maple syrup
• 2 T. yellow mustard
• 1 T. cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• salt

Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Place half of the mixture into a large ziplock bag; reserve remaining mixture. Add chicken to bag; seal. Chill 2 hours.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from bag and sprinkle with salt. Place chicken on grill and cook for 7-8 minutes per side or until done. Serve with reserved mustard mixture.

adapted from "Cooking Light"