The Skinnytaste Cookbook Sweepstakes – Win a 2-Night Trip For Two To Las Vegas with Dinner and a Show!

I'm SOOO excited about this amazing sweepstakes! To celebrate the release of The Skinnytaste Cookbook, I have partnered with Food & Wine to bring you this prize!

One lucky winner will have a chance to win TWO (2) round-trip airline tickets to Las Vegas, and a 2-night stay at the Luxor Las Vegas. PLUS you will get 2 tickets to the Jabbawokeez Show, dinner for two at TENDER Steak & Seafood, two signed copies of The Skinnytaste Cookbook, and a customized "skinnyfied" version of your favorite meal in Vegas!

To enter to win, click this link and fill out the form below. Good Luck!

The sweepstakes runs from October 1- October 31. Winners will be notified by November 15th.

Skinny Pumpkin Butterscotch Bars

These cookie bars are the perfect Fall dessert – moist and chewy, made lighter with pumpkin puree and studded with butterscotch chips. The topping is a simple, light cream cheese frosting drizzled with chocolate – so good!

I played around with my Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars and loved how they turned out. They have just the right amount of pumpkin spice for my taste, but if you really love those spices you could add a bit more. If you want to make these ahead, you can bake the cookie bar a day ahead and make the frosting, then assemble the day you're ready to serve them.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Buffalo Chicken and Bean Chili

This is chili with a buffalo chicken twist! So easy to make and SOOOO good – perfect for game watching or any night of the week!

And the best part is it doesn't need to simmer all day. This is ready in about 40 minutes, and most of that time is unattended. To thicken the chili and give you that texture like it's been simmering for hours, I added refried pinto beans to the mix which always works like a charm!

I like to serve mine with a handful of chips like Beanitos which are made from white beans, but any baked chip is great and of course, some carrot sticks and celery on the side. Hope you enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Crock Pot Sazon Pork Chops with Peppers, Olives and Potato

These pork chops are seasoned with Latin spices and slow cooked in a flavorful sauce with tomatoes, olives, peppers and potatoes. They literally fall of the bone when they come out of the slow cooker!
I love to serve them with just a little brown rice on the side, but totally optional!

My house was a little divided on this recipe. My husband thought it was good but not great, but my oldest daughter Karina thought it was AMAZING as she put it. I really liked this a lot too, and it was my first time making pork chops in the slow cooker believe it or not but won't be my last.

I weighed the pork off the bone and got 4 oz cooked, so that is how I calculated these since they are not always the same size and the bones vary in size. If you go with boneless chops, that about 5 oz raw for each one.

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!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Maple Pecan Banana Muffins

Moist and delicious banana muffins sweetened with pure maple syrup and topped with crushed pecans – so good you won't believe they are light!

This week has been a crazy week, for those of you who missed it I was on QVC Wednesday selling The Skinnytaste Cookbook!

Here's a link to the video if you want to see it. (I never realized I talked so much with my hands until playing this back!) I was a little nervous, but honestly David is such a great host, he made it so easy. After that I flew to Pittsburgh to visit the Delallo family (I will share more about that later this week) but it feels so good to be back home in the kitchen cooking and sharing recipes.

Madison, my youngest LOVES banana muffins, so whenever I have ripe bananas on my counter I always like to bake a batch for her. Whatever we don't eat that day is usually her breakfast the next day. In my house, these go pretty quick, but if you live alone, you can individually wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them for a later day, then pop them in the microwave – they taste just like you first baked them.

These muffins are slightly adapted from my low fat banana nut bread recipe. Here I wanted to use pecans, pure maple syrup and some maple sugar I purchased, but if you don't have maple sugar any sugar would work. What I love about making these banana muffins is that they come out so moist, and I only use 2 tablespoons of butter in the whole batch!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Turkey Picadillo Stuffed Sweet Plantains

These sweet plantains are baked in the oven and then stuffed with a savory turkey picadillo filling and topped with cheese – pretty hard to resist! Similar to a Puerto Rican Pastelón which is really more of a plantain lasagna, instead these are made as individual boats which are easy to make, filling and perfect as a main dish.

If you're not very familiar with plantains, they are similar to bananas only they need to be cooked. Green plantains are usually meant for salty chips or tostones, but when the plantains are very ripe, almost black, that's when they are at their sweetest! That's what you want here, not yellow because they won't be sweet and soft enough. They should be soft and the skin almost black (see photo below in the directions).

The recipe calls for 6, but as you see here I made the full amount of picadillo and only baked two, and froze the meat for another day. So if you are worried this makes too much, you can easily make what you need and freeze the rest. Hope you enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Applesauce Nut Bread

Moist cinnamon apple bread made with homemade applesauce, small chunks of fresh apples and walnuts in every bite. It's so moist and delicious, you won't believe it's low fat!

I'm going apple picking tomorrow upstate New York and I am totally planning on making my crock pot applesauce and this awesome applesauce bread so I thought I would revive this from the archives for anyone else out there who might also be apple picking. The scent of cinnamon and apples baking in the oven all morning makes my kitchen smell like Fall.

You can also make this with store bought apple sauce, but it is so much better with homemade so if you have lots of apples, I highly recommend you do so. I've made this with and without the apple chunks, but I love the extra sweetness and moistness the chunks add to the bread, I highly recommend them. Be sure to dice them small so they cook through.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Skinny Garlic Parmesan Fries

These delicious fries are baked in the oven with garlic, a little olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper, then sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan and parsley – to die for!

Inspired by a night out with friends, my girlfriend ordered something very similar although fully fried and I couldn't stop eating them – I knew I had to make them at home!

Yesterday I set out to see if I can recreate them, and luckily I had a houseful of people who helped me taste test them. BIG HIT with everyone in my house!! You don't miss the fact that they are not fried at all, and the garlic smells amazing while it's baking in the oven. I listed them here as 1 serving which is basically one potato per person, but you could share them if you were serving them as a side.

I made two batches and baked them on two baking sheets because the key to making them crisp is to make sure they all lay flay on the baking sheet, you don't want to crowd the pan.

To cut them, I used my mandolin and sliced them into 1/4-inch thick slices. Then I took a knife and sliced them into 1/4 inch thin strips. If you cut them thicker you'll have to adjust the cooking time. Next time I may try my paderno slicer and see how they work out spiralized.

And for those of you who are scared of potatoes, I just want to remind you potatoes are good for you! They are rich in fiber, potassium and magnesium, which are all listed as shortfall nutrients in the American diet. Plus, they are naturally gluten free and part of a clean eating diet!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

The Skinnytaste Cookbook: Get a 19-Page Bonus Pack, a 4-Week Dinner Plan Plus 3 New Bonus Recipes with Pre-Order

It's hard to believe in only a few weeks The Skinnytaste Cookbook will be hitting the bookstores – I'm beyond excited!! And have I mentioned how grateful I am for all your support?

Well this week, as an added bonus (and a thank you to all of you who have already pre-ordered the book!), if you pre-order The Skinnytaste Cookbook BEFORE September 30th, I will send you a FREE 19-page bonus pack with a 4-week dinner plan, a weekly shopping list, an early look at a few of the recipes from the book plus 3 new exclusive recipes that do not live on skinnytaste.com or in the cookbook:

Slow Cooker Harissa Chicken Tacos  (my new favorite taco!)
Lemon Basil Skillet Chicken  (so quick and easy!)
Roasted Pork Loin with Garlic, Dijon, and Herbs (succulent and delicious)


Here's a sample of the first week's shopping list:

All you have to do is pre-order the book from your retailer of choice (see links here) and send your proof of purchase to skinnytaste@penguinrandomhouse.com

If you already sent your proof of purchase the first time around, no need to do anything! You will automatically get this emailed to you this week!!

Chia Watermelon Fresca

If you've ever had a Mama Chia beverage and enjoyed it, then I think you will love this drink! The chia seeds in this refreshing watermelon beverage add a healthy dose of powerful antioxidants, omega-3s, dietary fibers, as well as complete protein, calcium and magnesium.

So many people are sharing pumpkin recipes this week, but it's in the 80's here in New York, and I'm still in denial that summer is coming to an end. I've been making this beverage all summer, and thought I would share it with you today – enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

BBQ Chicken Chili

A delicious twist on traditional chili – shredded chicken, beans and BBQ sauce are simmered in one big pot which has just a touch of sweetness that makes this meal Seriously Delish!

I'm sharing this wonderful chili recipe from my friend Jessica of How Sweet It Is, who just came out with her first cookbook – Seriously Delish.  I've always loved reading Jessica's blog, she's adorable and her book is just as fun to read, filled with beautiful photos and tons of great recipe ideas.

I really wanted to make everything in her book, but I figured since it's September, and the kids are back to school, this chili is perfect. A hearty, one pot meal that makes enough for several meals and leftovers are perfect to pack for lunch or can be frozen for another day. I didn't make any changes to her recipe, they only thing I adjusted was the serving size – I found 1 cup to be filling and the perfect portion size.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...