Skinny Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

 

Cheesecake squares, lightened up with yogurt and light cream cheese, baked on a chocolate graham cracker crust drizzled with melted chocolate and topped with fresh raspberries.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, you NEED to make this cheesecake!

A few years ago I first attempted my first cheesecake with yogurt, and since then I never looked back. I adapted this from my very popular Strawberry Swirled Cheesecake with chocolate in mind, of course.

And since I always second guess myself when making skinny desserts, I gave this to some of my family members who couldn't give a darn about calories or fat, and they loved it! So, if you need an idea for Valentine's Day (or any day) give this dessert a try.

And just an FYI, if you need a fabulous breakfast idea, we LOVE these heart shaped chocolate chip banana pancakes!

If you want to make a super easy 2-ingredient dessert... chocolate covered strawberries always impress!

And if you're a bread pudding lover like myself, and don't mind splurging a few extra calories, I love this Dark Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding!

PS- Fabulous fork says it all... dessert first! You can find this on Etsy, From Such A Time Designs.

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Hot and Spicy Buffalo Shrimp Dip

Move over buffalo wings, this hot and cheesy shrimp dip will have everyone going back for more!

Superbowl Sunday is just a few days away! I have tons of skinny appetizer recipes you can make, but I wanted to add one more, because quite honestly, what's football without the buffalo dip!

This was inspired by my Buffalo Chicken Dip, I wanted to try a shrimp version topped with melted cheese, and we loved how it turned out!

Serve this with crudites to keep it light; celery and carrot sticks are the perfect vessel for scooping up the buffalo goodness! You can even add some baked chips to the table, baked pita chips work great. I minced some of the celery leaf for garnish for a little color. Enjoy!

***I made this a second time without the yogurt and I found I liked it better (less liquid), so I am removing the 1/2 cup of yogurt in the recipe below.

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Blueberry Banana PB Smoothie

After being on vacation for a week, it felt great to get back into my normal routine.  My morning started at the gym where I ran/walked 2 miles. Then I came home to make this purple smoothie with frozen blueberries, a banana, and a little Greek yogurt and PB2 for protein.

PB2, if you're not familiar, is a roasted peanut powder, made with just roasted peanuts, salt and sugar. No artificial ingredients, it's non-GMO, and 2 tablespoons contains just 1.5 g of fat so it's a perfect way to enjoy peanut butter, without the added fat. To make it into peanut butter, you simply add a little water.

Personally,  I love adding it to my smoothies but when I have a sandwich, I stick with the real thing. If you want to use regular peanut butter here, 1/2 tablespoon is the equivalent to maintain the same calories and weight watcher points.

Weight Watchers Note: I added the fruit in recipe builder, but I will leave it up to you if you want to count the fruit or keep it 0 points. Since I couldn't get a clear answer, and some Smoothie recipes on the Weight Watcher website include the fruit, while other recipes do not, I decided to count them.

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Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Orlando Florida

I just returned from a fun-tastic family vacation to Disney World. It was so nice to get away with the family for a few days and escape the cold here in NY.
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Pistachio Cinnamon Chicken Salad

I'm away in Orlando visiting Micky Mouse, so I asked my friend Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP, the Editor-in-Chief of www.TheHealthyApple.com; she is a Manhattan based Personal Chef, Culinary Nutritionist, Professional Recipe Developer, Food Photographer and Writer specializing in simple gluten-free ‘Clean’ recipes for the home cook. Amie recently healed herself from six years of chronic pain, exhausting every doctor in the country and Mayo Clinic; she shares her story of how Clean Eating saved her life and inspires you to Clean up your food, too. Amie lives in Manhattan, NYC where she cooks for a variety of clients including celebrities and people with busy lifestyles who enjoy healthy, fresh food.

Here's the easiest chicken salad recipe that will impress even the pickiest of eaters. In this recipe, cinnamon and pistachios are used to healthfully brighten up the dish, while adding fragrance and flavor. Serve this chicken salad as an afternoon snack with whole grain crackers or sliced vegetables; or for lunch atop a bed of mixed greens and whole grain bread. I've used Greek plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise to cut the fat and a bit more protein and flavor to each bite!

Amie's work appears on Martha Stewart, Fox News Health, WebMD, Prevention Magazine, Glamour Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Food Network, Clean Eating Magazine and many others. Visit Amie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
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Crock Pot Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup

If you love a slow cooker recipe that requires no pre-cooking, then you'll love this spicy black bean soup. Spicy black bean and chicken soup with tomatoes, chiles, peppers and spices is delicious served with cool avocado and a touch of sour cream. Top it with cilantro for freshness and your taste buds will want to do a mariachi dance.

This month I asked my facebook fans what kind of recipes they wanted to see more of in 2013 and Slow Cooker recipes topped the charts! Second place was main dish meals, so I've been keeping my slow cooker on my counter and have been keeping my promise!

I must confess, it's harder to develop recipes in the crock pot. First, I have to wait at least 4 hours to find out if it's even good and second, not everything works out as imagined. Take this recipe for example, first attempt went right in the trash. Not the first time I dumped a crock pot creation in the trash but one things for sure, they all had onions in the recipe.

I first made this with sauteed onions and there is no doubt in my mind it ruined the soup. Something about onions and crock pots just don't work together, and this is not the first time. Second attempt I did everything the same but replaced the onions with onion powder and it was perfect, delicious, even. Even better for all of you because there's no pre-cooking anything, so it's easy!

This makes a nice amount of soup, perfect for freezing and reheating for a second night, or for lunch on the go. I love this topped with avocado and sour cream to mellow the heat, but it would also be great with a little cheese on top why not!

It's mildly spicy, not over the top. If you want it milder you can leave the ancho chile powder out. I pureed one of the cans of beans to thicken the soup, and left the second can whole for texture. Next time I may even add some sweet corn! A filling, wholesome, high-fiber meal for only 300 calories, or Weight Watchers 6 points plus. Freezer friendly, and gluten-free.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

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Best Guacamole Recipe

 

Guacamole is one of my favorite appetizers, and my husband is usually the one who makes it. It's flavorful, clean, and healthy, but we eat it because we love it. His recipe is simple, but simple is good! He has converted many non-avocado lovers with this recipe.

The trick is to a good guacamole is leave large chunks of avocado; don't mash them thoroughly and having a perfect balance of lime juice, red onion and salt is essential. If you like it hot, you can certainly add some diced jalapeño, some people also like to add diced tomato which is fine, but we like it just like this!

I posted this recipe a while back, but the photos needed some updating so I figured I'd re-post in time for the Superbowl.

Avocados may be high in fat, but they have the good essential healthy fats which we should consume every day. They are also high in fiber, rich in vitamin B, E and K and have 60 percent more potassium than bananas. I love avocado so much I created an entire Avocado Obsessed Pinterest board in their honor. 

Guacamole is great with baked tortilla chips, lentil chips, baked plantain chips, chicken fajitas, or even on a wrap in place of mayonnaise. Sometimes we even make guacamole turkey burgers, I'll have to share the recipe when the weather warms up.

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Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

These twice-baked potatoes are so cheesy, and guilt-free that you'll never have to think twice about making them!

If you want to sneak some vegetables into your family's meal, this is the perfect side dish – great with chicken, steak or pork chops. I often add cauliflower to my mashed potatoes and no one really notices. My baked potato soup is the perfect example.

These cheesy twice baked potatoes were first cooked in the microwave (you can of course bake them), then scooped out and mashed with cooked cauliflower, buttermilk and cheese. Then they went back into the shells and topped with steamed broccoli and more cheese, delicious!

Kid-friendly, vegetarian, gluten-free and simple to make. This took under 30 minutes to make, you can easily prepare them ahead and heat just before serving. I served them with Garlic Lover's Roast Beef and I had one happy family!

For those of you on Weight Watchers, these are 3 points plus per serving. You can easily halve this recipe to make less.

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Crock Pot Italian Sloppy Joe

Turkey sausage, peppers and onions slow cooked in the crock pot with crushed tomatoes and spices for an easy weeknight meal. Serve this on a roll with baby spinach and melted cheese if desired for a sloppy yet delicious sandwich.

This is good stuff! We all gave it a thumbs up, and I will surely be making this again. Next time I may even serve this over spaghetti squash or pasta.

For those of you on Weight Watchers, the filling alone is 4 points plus, with the bun and cheese it comes to 8 for a filling complete meal; perfect for lunch or dinner. This is easy, inexpensive and perfect for football; you can double the recipe for more servings. If you want to do this on the stove top, simply simmer in a heavy pot for 30 minutes.

For a more traditional Sloppy Joe, made on the stove, try my Skinny Sloppy Joe Recipe! And for those of you who don't have access to turkey or chicken sausage, you can easily make your own with this recipe, homemade turkey sausage.

I've been getting so many emails asking me what slow cooker I use, I've had many bad experiences with crock pots cooking to hot and turning out strange tasting food... but my current Slow Cooker, the Hamilton Beach Set and Forget 6 Quart Slow Cooker is great and I've had good results each time. I'm sure there may be others that are just as good, but I can only vouch for this one.

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Blood Orange Endive Salad

A simple salad made with endive lettuce, blood oranges, Gorgonzola with a blood orange vinaigrette.

Yesterday I had the honor of being the Godmother to my beautiful niece, Mia Rose. After the church, there was a reception dinner where I totally indulged on some not-so-light dishes and of course, cake.

I need to brag about this cake for a minute because my very talented aunt made this, although my iPhone really doesn't do it justice... So pretty you almost don't want to eat it!

This morning I ran 2 miles and after my run I did some grocery shopping (best time to go food shopping BTW, I always make the best choices after working out) and found these beautiful blood oranges. I love the color of blood oranges and I seldom see them, so a salad is today's light lunch.

This is also great with goat cheese in place of gorgonzola, and you can use raspberries or strawberries in place of the oranges.

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Skinny Queso Dip

A zesty chunky cheese dip with chunks of tomatoes, hot peppers, garlic, onions, lime juice, cilantro and spices. Get the chips ready, this stuff is good while it's hot!

Skinny queso, it sounds like an oxymoron, right? This is a perfect appetizer to serve for the Superbowl, I'm adding this one to the list.

I stumbled on this recipe on Slender Kitchen and curiosity got the best of me so I decided to try it out. To be honest, while I was cooking it I had my reservations. It wasn't until I scooped some up with my chips that I found myself going for more. Luckily I had a house full of people to help me dip away, and they all gave it a thumbs up.

I served it with Beanitos black bean chips, love them! You can use any light baked chip you desire. For those of you on Weight Watchers, 1/4 cup of this dip is only 3 points plus which is pretty good considering how much cheese is in here!

A few things to note: I personally thought this was best right after making, it was all cheesy and stringy. Later I microwaved the leftovers to see how it would re-heat and it was no longer stringy like it was when I first made it so this is definitely something you want to make and eat right away.


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Crock Pot Picadillo Stuffed Peppers

 

Leftover picadillo and brown rice makes a super easy second meal, all in the crock pot. Top it with melted cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese and you'll have a delicious dinner without much fuss. Each pepper is a complete meal-in-one.
As I mentioned in my last post, we use leftover picadillo many ways in my home. Stuffed peppers are a great way to use leftovers and nothing goes to waste here –  the tops of the peppers get diced and are added to the filling.

The slow cooker is the perfect appliance for making stuffed peppers, I've also included oven directions below.

When buying bell peppers for the slow cooker, I look for peppers that have flat bottoms that can stand upright on their own.

You can double the recipe to make 6, which would fit perfectly in a 6 qt slow cooker. And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

BTW, we love stuffed peppers in my home and I've posted other variations:

Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Santa Fe Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Chicken and White Bean Stuffed Peppers

and there's even a stuffed pepper soup. Enjoy!

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Crock Pot Picadillo

 

Picadillo, a flavorful Cuban dish made with ground beef and a sauce made from simmering tomatoes, green olives, bell peppers, cumin, and spices is one of my family's favorite weeknight meals.

Trust me on this one, if you want a recipe the whole family will love, this is it! I grew up on this dish and my friends used to love eating over when my mom made it for dinner. This was probably one of the first recipes I ever learned how to cook and I make it at least once a month, although usually on the stove. (stove top version here) It's inexpensive, kid-friendly, freezer friendly and gluten-free.

I knew this would adapt nicely for the slow cooker, and I was right! In fact, I think it's even better since the lean beef cooks longer and becomes very tender the longer it simmers.

This makes a lot, so you'll get several meals out of it. We serve it over brown rice, we make tacos with the leftovers, and I am going to post a second recipe using the leftovers. Don't you love a recipe that can serve as two different meals!

Anytime you use ground beef in the crock pot, you'll need to brown it first on the stove. Since the skillet is already out, I threw the onions, peppers and garlic in with the meat to let the flavors bloom.

If you want to prep this the night before, the meat is fully cooked, so you can add all the ingredients into the crock pot, then refrigerate. The next morning plug it in and go to work, or go on with your day. When you come home, you'll just have to make some rice and a salad and dinner is ready!

By the way, lean beef is the meat of choice for this dish in my house, but you can also use lean bison or ground turkey if desired. Raisins are commonly added to this dish, but we prefer this without.

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Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

 
Hot and spicy cauliflower bites, battered and baked and smothered with hot sauce. Serve this with skinny blue cheese dressing and celery sticks on the side for a hot and spicy meatless appetizer.

I stumbled on a vegan version of this recipe on Peta and thought they looked good so I made some slight changes and gave it a try. I tested it out on some of the cauliflower-averse people in my home, and they gave it a thumbs up.

One thing to note, if you are watching your sodium, you'll have to look for a lower sodium hot sauce, or use half of the sauce. Frank's is my favorite for buffalo sauce, but it's not low in sodium. If anyone knows of a lower sodium buffalo sauce, kindly share!


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Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Squash Boats with Grilled Chicken

Roasted spaghetti squashed topped with marinara sauce, grilled chicken, melted mozzarella and some fresh basil. I had a hard time naming this one, but I think you get the point.

I was craving something cheesy for dinner last night, and I had spaghetti squash sitting in my counter without a plan, so I came up with this tasty dish. When my husband heard what I was making, he didn't sound too excited, but after he ate he thought it was pretty good.

If you've never had spaghetti squash before, it's a winter squash that has spaghetti-like strands when you cook it and fluff it with a fork. Does it taste like spaghetti? Well no, it's kind of neutral in flavor, so it takes on the flavor from whatever you season it with. I always have homemade marinara sauce on hand, either in the refrigerator or freezer, which makes quick weeknight meals a snap.

If you want to speed this up, you can microwave the spaghetti squash instead, I provided both instructions below.

For those of you on Weight Watchers, each boat is only 6 points plus and it filled me up. In fact, because it's so light, I may use fresh mozzarella next time I make this so it's even cheesier, this recipe can afford it!

There are so many delicious types of winter squash, including acorn, butternut and spaghetti. Whichever gourd you go for, you can be assured you’re making a healthy choice. Winter squash is loaded with vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber. They also contain some folate and thiamin, a B vitamin that helps the body turn carbs into energy. Look for squash with a think, hard skin that’s free of blemishes. Make sure it feels heavy for its size—that’s a sign of freshness. You can keep squash for up to a month in a cool, dry place.
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Open Faced Tuna Sandwich with Avocado

Tuna with minced vegetables on a toasted slice of multi-grain bread with avocado and sprouts. A quick and easy, satisfying lunch.

I grew up with avocados in my home way before they became popular here in the States, and squeeze them into my diet every chance I can. Avocados are a regular part of a South American diet, and my mom always served them along side a hearty bowl of hot soup or rice and beans.

Avocados are also good for you, loaded with heart-healthy fats and antioxidants. According to Bodybuilding.com, avocados are listed as one of the 15 Best Fat Burning Foods. I'd love to tell you I buy them for all those reasons, but quite frankly we just love them. In fact, I created an entire Pinterest Board in it's honor!

To make the tuna salad quickly, I throw all the vegetables in my chopper and pulse a few times. If I am eating one sandwich, I keep the rest refrigerated for the next day. Easy peasy!

Just under 250 calories and for those of you on Weight Watchers, 6 points plus.

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