Peanut Butter Cookies

"Lightened up" Peanut Butter Cookies

I usually try to lighten up all the recipes that I try, but so far the "Best Light Recipes" cookbook has the Peanut Butter Cookie recipe nailed down.

Chewy, peanutty - crip on the outside and chewy on the inside!

The breakdown goes from 110 cal for a regular peanut butter cookie to 90, 6g down to 3.5g fat, saturated fat goes from 2.5 to 1.5 (carb 14, prot 2)

Crisp, chewy, peanutty, yummy!

"Lightened Up" Peanut Butter Cookies:

- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/4 teasp baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablesp. chunky peanut butter
- 1/4 cup lightly salted dry roasted peanuts, chopped coarse

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk the butter, egg and vanilla together. Stir in the brown sugar and peanut utter until smooth and smush any remaining brown sugar lumps against the side of the bowl. Stir in the flour mixture and peanuts until blended.

Using one level tablespoon of dough, roll each into a 1" ball. If the dough is too sticky to roll, put in fridge to make rolling easier. Put them on the prepared pan and be sure to give them 2 1/2 inches between balls so that they will spread properly... Approx. 12 to a sheet.

Bake one tray at a time till the edges are golden amd the centers are just set. Don't overbake them! Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack.

* They freeze well as long as they are in an airtight container - then a few seconds in the microwave makes them as good as if they were just baked.

Interesting Blog

Check out this diet blog, interesting stuff about how much dieting actually costs.

David's Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made With Real Butter, Sugar, Flour and Eggs All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim

I made these last week, they are REALLY good, they taste close to the real thing, which is surprising since there is only 4 Tablespoons of butter, instead of the usual cup in most chocolate chip cookie recipes.

. I used the cookie scoop, that thing is "da bomb!" ~ Jan

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (leveled with a spoon)

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (about 3/4 of a 12-ounce bag)

2 cookies sheets lined with parchment paper or foil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

Beat butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until well-mixed, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and milk until they are absorbed, followed by the vanilla. Don't worry if mixture looks curdled; the flour mixture will smooth it out.

Scrape down the bowl and beater and beat in flour mixture on low speed. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate chips.

Chill dough in the bowl for 15 minutes to keep cookies from spreading too much while baking.

Form dough into 1 1/2-inch balls or use a small ice cream scoop to form the cookies. Arrange balls of dough 2 inches apart all around on the prepared pans.

Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes, or until they look dull on the surface, have spread and are still quite moist. Cool cookies on pans on racks for 5 minutes. Slide liners to racks to continue cooling cookies.

Keep stored between sheets of wax paper in a tin or plastic container. Makes about 30 cookies.

Per cookie: 114 calories, 5 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 2 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 11 milligrams cholesterol, 85 milligrams sodium

Crazy-Creamy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

(Entire recipe: 135 calories, 3g fat, 975mg sodium, 12g carbs, 2g fiber, 4g sugars, 16g protein = 3 Points)

These make both an awesome appetizer and a hot 'n cheesy snack!

Ingredients:
12 small-to-medium-sized (1 - 2" wide) brown mushroom caps (stems removed)

2 oz. drained white crabmeat - can substitute canned or use Louis Kemp fake crabmeat

2 tbsp. celery; minced

2 tbsp. red pepper; minced

1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Cheese (any Light flavor)

1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream

1 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese

2 tsp. fat-free cheese flavor sprinkles (like the ones by Molly McButter)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel and then dry them. Place with the rounded sides down on a baking dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Combine all other ingredients and stir until well mixed. Evenly distribute crab mixture among the mushroom caps. Place in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes, until hot. Enjoy the creamy, crab-tastic goodness! Makes 12.

Lots of fiber -

Fiber-licious Bean Dip
(*1/4th recipe without garnish or cheese: Approx. 110 - 120 calories, 0.5g fat, 935mg sodium, 31g carbs, 13g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 6g protein = 1 - 2 Points)

Although beans are naturally a good source of fiber, adding Fiber One cereal to this dip gives it an extra fiber boost. No one will ever guess that there is cereal in this creamy dip! This is delicious served with baked tortilla chips and cut-up veggies.

Ingredients:

1 15-oz. can of black beans

1 cup Fiber One cereal

1 cup salsa

2 garlic cloves; chopped

1⁄4 tsp. each salt, cumin, chili powder

1 tbsp. fresh cilantro

Garnish: fat-free sour cream, chopped scallions and tomato

Optional: 1⁄2 cup fat-free shredded cheese

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well mixed; if you prefer the bean dip cheesy, add shredded cheese to the mixture once it’s blended. Place the mixture in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 2 minutes, or until hot. Serves 4!

Blueberry Pancakes

Blue Ribbon Batter!
	It's no secret that HG LOVES breakfast (it IS the most important meal of the day -- that's NOT a rumor). But don't think for one second we're gonna be satisfied with some lame-o boring b-fast. Nuh-uh. We want pancakes. With blueberries! STAT! Check out our simple recipe... An oat-y take on p-cakes makes 'em hearty, filling, and delicious! Ingredients: 1/3 cup regular oats (not instant or steel cut) 1/4 cup blueberries 3 tbsp. egg whites 1 tbsp. nonfat milk 1 tbsp. fat-free cottage cheese 1 tbsp. flour 2 tbsp. water pinch salt Directions: Combine all ingredients except for the blueberries and stir until well mixed. Gently fold in blueberries. In a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray, drop batter into pan to form 3 pancakes (or 1 big pancake). Once pancakes begin to look solid (about 3 minutes), gently flip (if possible, re-spritz the pan with nonstick spray as you flip 'em to prevent sticking). Cook for approximately 3 additional minutes, or until both sides are lightly browned and insides are cooked through. Now plate those suckers and enjoy. Serves 1. (Pssst...we like 'em drizzled with sugar-free maple syrup!)
	Serving Size: Entire recipe Calories: 195 Fat: 2g Sodium: 295mg Carbs: 32g Fiber: 4g Sugars: 6g Protein: 13g *3 Points

Salad Blaster

I've had a Salad Blaster for a few years now. I bought mine from Avon, of all places for $10.00, they have them online at The Container Store for $3.99. The only difference is mine came with an insulated bag to keep the salad cold. I just went to Avon's site, searched and they have now replaced their salad shaker with a Curves Salad Chiller. Same idea except it's a bowl. Here's the link if you want to see what it's like.

Personally, I like the Blaster better. It's more compact, easier to travel with and it's cuter. Gotta love that eye candy!

But anyhoo this is the way the Shaker works - you put the salad dressing in the lid, put the salad in the cup. When you're ready to eat it, you push on the lid, the dressing dispenses over the salad, shake it up and you're good to go... I've used it in restaurants, on trips, great if you work...

Check it out here, ladies, it's a good thing, and a good price even if it doesn't have the insulated carrier...

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
About 36 cookies

Adapted from Nick Malgieri's book, Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs (HarperCollins).

1 cup flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup dark raisins (or dried cranberries)

2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper, foil, or silicone mats

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and set the rack on the lower and upper thirds of the oven.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Mix in the brown sugar, then the egg, applesauce, and vanilla.

4. Stir in the dry ingredients, then the oats and raisins.

5. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoons 2-inches apart on the baking sheets and use a fork to gently flatten the dough.

6. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they "look dull on the surface but are moist and soft", according the Nick. Rotate baking sheets during baking for even heating.

(I made mine bigger, so whatever size you make them, just bake them until they look as directed by Nick.)

Storage: Once cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

UPDATE FROM JAN:

These cookies were AWESOME. My family gave them a 10! Here's how I tweaked the recipe - I used Cinnamon Applesauce instead of plain, I added an additional 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and I added more oatmeal because I thought batter was a little thin - I probably added an additional 1/2 cup of oatmeal -

Actually, I doubled the entire recipe when I made these, so I don't know exactly how much oatmeal I added, but 1/2 cup for the original recipe sounds about right...

You will love these - amazing cookies for only 2 tablespoons of butter....

Oh, I baked them on a Silpat liner on my cookie sheet - those liners are wonderful, cookies turn out perfectly baked every time!

Just in from HungryGirl this morning - healthy grocery list...

Dairy, Dairy Alternatives and Eggs Kraft Free Singles (fat-free cheese slices) The Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges Egg Beaters (Better'n Eggs, etc.) Veggie Slices (soy-based cheese), Swiss Shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese Reduced fat grated parmesan cheese Light string cheese Yoplait Light Yogurts Dannon Light & Fit Yogurts & Smoothies Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt 8th Continent Light Vanilla Soymilk (or any other light vanilla soymilk) Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened non-dairy beverage, Vanilla and Chocolate Fat Free Reddi-wip Cool Whip Free (in the freezer aisle) Coffee-Mate Original Fat Free (liquid creamer) Coffee-Mate Sugar Free French Vanilla (powdered creamer) Fat-free cream cheese Fat-free sour cream I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray Fat-free cottage cheese

Cereal Fiber One bran cereal Puffed wheat Puffed rice Shredded wheat Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs Kashi Vive Barbara's Bakery Puffins Quaker Instant Oatmeal packets

Meat & Seafood Applegate Farms sliced turkey breast (or the freshest sliced turkey from the deli counter) Applegate Farms sliced ham (or the freshest sliced ham from the deli counter) Canned tuna in water Bumble Bee Prime Fillet Albacore Steak Entrées Hormel Turkey Pepperoni Skinless, boneless chicken breast Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks Jennie-O Lean Turkey Burgers Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey Bacon Imitation crabmeat Shrimp (frozen or fresh)

Veggies Giant romaine lettuce leaves (great for wraps!) Salad greens Frozen veggies Butternut squash (for HG's special fries) Onions (for our ROCKIN' onion rings) Fresh vegetables (your choice) Baby carrots Pickles Cabbage Canned pure pumpkin (technically a fruit, we know!)

Fruit Fresh fruit (we love red seedless grapes, fuji apples, navel oranges, melons, bananas, etc.) Canned fruit in its own juice (like pineapple, mandarin oranges, peaches, etc.) Frozen strawberries No sugar added applesauce

Soups Campbell's Soup at Hand Campbell's Select Gold Label Soups Progresso 99% Fat Free Soups Low sodium chicken or vegetable broth Amy's Light in Sodium Soups Amy's Chunky Tomato Bisque Tabatchnick Soups (located in the freezer) Miso soup packets

Packaged Snacks, Bars, Cookies, Crackers, Chips & Popcorn Quaker Rice Snacks (Quakes, Multigrain Minis, Mini Delights, etc.) Sugar Free Jell-O Gelatin Snacks Sugar Free Jell-O Pudding Snacks Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs (you choose the variety) Keebler Right Bites South Beach Diet Snack Bar Delights Nature Valley Fruit Crisps, Cinnamon Apple Guiltless Gourmet Potato Crisps and Tortilla Chips Soy crisps (Quaker, Genisoy, Glenny's) 94% fat-free mini microwave popcorn bags (Jolly Time Healthy Pop, Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop!, Pop Secret) Fiber One Chewy Bars Gerber Fruit Puffs & Veggie Puffs

Breads Light English muffins La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Low Fat Tortillas Wonder Light Bread and Buns Western Bagel Alternative Bagels and Alternative Pita Bread

Ice Cream & Frozen Novelties Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice Creams The Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches & Bars Smart Ones Giant Bars (Fudge and Cookies & Cream) Healthy Choice Premium Fudge Bars Sugar Free Popsicles

Sauces, Dressings & Spreads Hellmann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise Girard's Fat Free Dressings Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers Kraft Free Italian fat-free dressing Smucker's Sugar Free Preserves Land O Lakes Whipped Light Butter Sugar-free maple syrup Salsa Low-calorie, low-fat (or nonfat) tomato sauce

Frozen Foods & Meals Boca Meatless Burgers (Original) Boca Meatless Lasagna Boca Meatless Chili Boca Meatless Ground Burger Gardenburger Veggie Burgers Boca Meatless Chik'n Patties Morningstar Farms Corn Dogs (meatless) Lean Cuisine Brick Oven Style Pizzas Lean Cuisine Panini sandwiches Amy's Kitchen Mexican Tamale Pie Amy's Kitchen Burritos Cedarlane Low Fat Garden Vegetable Enchiladas Kashi All Natural Entrees South Beach Diet Breakfast Wraps

Beverages Coke Zero SoBe Adrenaline Rush, Sugar Free Diet Rite Pure Zero Fresca Swiss Miss Diet Hot Cocoa Mix Crystal Light (On The Go, tubs and ready-to-drink) Millstone Coffee

Source: HungryGirl

Jiffy Cornbread

2 boxes jiffy cornbread mix
1 15.5 oz can crushed pineapple

Mix the 2 well, will be like regular cornbread batter, spoon into sprayed mini muffin tin, bake 10 to 12 min @ 350 - makes 12 muffins - 2 points each

Broccoli Cheese Corn Muffins

1 1/2 c. frozen broccoli cuts
1 large egg
1/3 c. skim or low-fat milk
1/2 c. finely shredded Cheddar cheese
8 1/2 oz. package Jiffy corn muffin mix

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with cooking oil spray. Place the broccoli in a 2-cup glass measuring container and microwave, uncovered, on high and beat with a whisk or fork to break it up. Add the milk and beat well to blend. Stir in the cheese. Stir in the muffin mix until the dry ingredients are moistened. Strain broccoli thoroughly, pressing out any excess water. Finely chop the broccoli and add it to the batter. Fill the prepared muffin cups about two-thirds full. When the batter is used up, fill the unused cups halfway with water to prevent burning. Bake according to muffin package directions.

Makes 12 muffins. Each serving has 70 calories, 3 grams of fat and 12 grams of carbohydrate.

Make ahead oatmeal

Oatmeal (old fashioned)
start with 4 1/2 cups COLD water
Stir in 2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
STIR (do not put on heat yet) until water turns a milky color, about a couple mins
sprinkle a TINY bit of salt (to tenderize oatmeal)
turn on heat med high
let oatmeal come to soft boil 2-3 mins
turn off heat and cover
let oatmeal sit until cool, then place in tupperware container and put in fridge. this is good to last 1 week or so.

for individual portions you can heat it up with just a litle liquid either water, or nonfat (nondairy for me) creamer, I used french vanilla. you can also add 1 tsp vanilla extract. heat in micro 1.5 mins and stir in optional add ins, fruit, splenda, I used 1 T. splenda brown sugar blend.

I've been looking for these, no luck yet...

Have you seen the new chocolate-covered Altoids yet? People are OBSESSED with these things. You can eat 2 of 'em for just 15 calories, and they actually contain a satisfying amount of chocolate. Really -- they do!

This is so cute...

A must see little video from Lean Cuisine - we can ALL identify with these girls....

Watch it HERE!

Subway Tuna Salad, a nono...

Despite what people think, tuna salad is typically EXTREMELY high in fat and calories. That's due to the oily condiments it's often mixed with. At Subway, the 6" Classic Tuna sub packs in a whopping 530 calories and 31g of fat (7 of them saturated!)! That's WAY more than either the 6" Steak & Cheese sub (400 cal., 12g fat) or the very low-calorie 6" Roast Beef sub (290 cal., 5g fat). So the good news is that you're right (hope you won something good)! The bad news is that tuna, which has always been considered a "diet" food, can contain shockingly high amounts of fat & calories once mixed with mayo. HG Tip: To avoid tuna salad with mystery ingredients, prepare it at home, where you can carefully monitor what's in it. And try using Best Foods/ Hellmann's Dijonnaise instead of mayo - it's totally creamy, fat-free and has just 15 calories per tablespoon!

Source: HungryGirl