Sweet Little Treats

I'm a notorious sweet tooth and being such I always need to find ways to get that little treat in somewhere.  As I am now trying to avoid things like candies and cookies, I've been looking for ways to substitute the sweetness I want with other things.  At this time of the year it's a great chance to get more fruits in and I do find that a nice sweet fruit is a great way to get that sugar without sacrificing.  Lately, I've been eating lots of watermelon and we've been finding great deals on strawberries, blueberries and other summer fruits at the store.  And last night I made this little yummy dessert...I so don't feel like I'm dieting!

Sweet Fruity Tart

Ingredients
Graham crackers
3 tbsp non-fat yogurt (any flavor)
3 tbsp Splenda (if desired)
1/2 cup berries (your choice!)
1 pkg non-fat, sugar free instant pudding (I used white chocolate flavor)

Graham cracker crust:  in a blender or food processor crumble the graham crackers until they are finely ground.  In a bowl you can mix with a spoon (I used my hands!) and press them into a pie pan to create the crust.

Mix the pudding as directed and spread it into the crust.  Mine didn't use all the pudding so I stored the rest for later.  Then, prepare your berries however you want and cover the top of the pudding with them. 

Really easy, really yummy, not expensive AND low fat!  PointsPlus value:  2 pts (if you cut the tart into 8 peices)

Enjoy!

Apple Spice Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Okay, so I'm going to claim this one as my own.  I took bits and pieces from other recipes but had to improvise a bit in the construction because of the ingredients I had on hand.  It turned out great and made me feel kinda fancy in the process!  And I think I will do a honey glaze on it next time for some added flavor...I suggest you do too!

Apple Spice Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients
3 5-6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup chopped apples (I used galas)
1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I eyeballed it so you can really add however much you want!)
2 oz shredded 2% cheddar cheese
olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a casserole dish for the chicken (I use an olive oil spray).  Chop up the apples so they are in smallish pieces.  Mix apples, cheese and spice together and set aside in a bowl.  With the chicken breasts either pound them out to an even thickness with enough room to roll or do what I did and slice them in half...this really depends on the original thickness of the chicken.  Then, take a handful of the apple-cheese-spice mixture and stuff it into the fold.  Wrap the chicken so it is encasing the apples and place the chicken in the casserole dish.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is well-done but not dry and enjoy!

We had this with salad and it was really yummy.  Like I said, next time I think I will do a honey glaze over top of the chicken for a bit of added flavor because they weren't super spiced, but the apples, cheese and spice was great!  I recommend playing around with the type of cheese for an even different flavor.

 

Black Bean Brownies

Okay, I swear I ran this recipe through the Weight Watchers recipe builder a couple times but it comes out as being a zero point brownie.  Score!!!  This recipe is an alternative to making brownies with the oil and the eggs and adds a bunch of fiber and goodness to them.  They might be slightly different texture but are not much different and are a great way to sneak in good stuff to your kids diet...seriously, they can't even tell.  If Justin will eat them, you know they work! 

Try them, they are really good a little heated up with some fat free whip cream, too!

Ingredients:
Any dry brownie mix
1 can black beans, pureed
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
a dash of cinnimon (if desired)

Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together until the dry mix is completely stirred in.  Bake according to the package instructions and enjoy!

Yum!