Whip it up Wednesday

Today I am going to share with you one of my favorite Weight Watchers breakfasts. I love it because in one low cal meal you are getting heart healthy oil, a serving of veggies and tons of protein. For fellow weight watchers people this is only 4 points!

You need:
2 Tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup cut up various colored bell peppers ( I use the frozen kind)
3 egg whites
3 slices of Canadian bacon or one piece of low fat ham, cut to bite size pieces

Put the oil in pan over med heat and saute bell peppers. Add remaining ingredients and cook until eggs are thoroughly cooked.

For a splurge top with grated cheese for 2 more points! Or add salsa for 1 point.

Super Yummy! If you try this let me know. I would love to hear other people's reaction to this.

Whip it up Wednesday

When I saw these a year ago I thought they were the most adorable back to school treat. It is that time again and I wasn't here for my kids first day back as I was traveling back from my brothers wedding. Hopefully this catches some of you before that big day.





Ingredients

* Yellow, green, and white frosting
* Cupcakes
* Red Skittles or M&M's
* Small plastic bag

* Rubber band or twist tie
* Chocolate-covered graham crackers
* White Good & Plenty candies



Instructions

1.Cover the cupcakes with yellow frosting and allow them to sit for an hour before decorating. Dab each red Skittle or M&M with a bit of green frosting for the apple's leaf, then set them aside.

2.Put a tablespoon or two of white frosting into a small plastic bag for piping. Cut a very small hole in a corner of the bag, twist the top of the bag closed, and secure it with a rubber band or twist tie. Piping the frosting gently out of the hole, write messages on the chocolate-covered graham crackers. Leave space at the bottom of the cookie, where it'll be stuck into the cupcake.


3.Cut a groove in the cupcake's frosting with a knife, then fit a blackboard into the groove. Add one Skittle or M&M apple and a piece of Good & Plenty chalk, as shown.

My inner geek is screaming!!!

And who can blame me when I found these little beauties?
I first saw these wonderful toys on this post from Bakerella. I was so bummed. I had no idea where to hunt down a William Sonoma ,where they are exclusive, of course. I did look at the web site but Chris is tired of me saying let's go to Austin. Everything I want is in Austin LOL.
Well he only had himself to blame because coming back from San Antonio he wanted to stop at a mall there. I had forgotten there was a store in there , and I almost walked pass, because I wasn't paying attention. Then like a becon of light my eye caught the word Sonoma. People let me tell you I sprinted saying ya I'll be in here, my inner geek is screaming. I was so excited the sales person helping me didn't remember who Bobba Fett was , and I got so involved telling her Chris had to tell me to stop. While i don't have time to use them right now I will so be playing soon. So now that I have rambled on about how much of a geek I really am how bout a sugar cookie recipe?

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Hope to be sharing pics soon!

Whip it up Wednesday

Lemon-Raspberry Mousse Squares

What You Need

48 NILLA wafers , divided

3/4 cup boiling water

1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Gelatin

1 cup Ice cubes

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup Sugar

2 tsp. Lemon zest

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

1/3 cup Raspberry preserves

1-1/2 cups Fresh fruit

Make It

STAND 16 wafers around edge of plastic wrap-lined 8-inch square pan. Add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in ice until melted.

BEAT next 3 ingredients in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gradually beat in gelatin. Whisk in 2 cups COOL WHIP.

POUR half the gelatin mixture into prepared pan; cover with 16 wafers. Microwave preserves on HIGH 15 sec. or until melted; brush onto wafers. Top with remaining gelatin mixture and wafers.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Invert dessert onto plate; top with remaining COOL WHIP and fruit.

Whip it up Wednesday

Staying on an ice cream kick ,I saw this on Family fun , the 4th being this Sunday I thought it would be a fun treat to pass along.

Uncle Sam Ice Cream Cones

1. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a plate and return it to the freezer to harden. Meanwhile, construct an Uncle Sam hat out of a wafer ice cream cone.

2. Use frosting to attach a blue band of fruit leather around the bottom of the cone. Squirt vertical stripes of red decorating gel down the sides and blue gel on the top.

3.Using a star tip, squirt on white frosting stars around the blue fruit leather, if desired. TIP: To avoid smudging the Uncle Sam hat design, have your child hold the cone from the inside while decorating it with fruit leather and icing.

4.Remove the ice cream-scoop "head" from the freezer and top with the Uncle Sam hat. Working quickly so the ice cream doesn't melt, add blue M&M's eyes and a red M&M's nose. Finally, add a whipped cream beard. To do this, have your child hold the canister upside down while squirting on a long white beard.

5.Serve up your Uncle Sam ice cream cone immediately.

Whip it up Wednesday

We are on a severe Ice Cream trip in this house. I don't think it has anything to do with the 100+ degree weather, but here's another delious treat to try from the Pilsbury website.

Cookie-Peanut-Ice Cream Pizza

INGREDIENTS
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies
1 jar (16 oz) hot fudge topping
1/2 gallon (8 cups) vanilla ice cream
1 cup salted Spanish peanuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. Break up cookie dough onto pan. Press dough in bottom and up side of pan to form crust. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

2.Stir hot fudge topping to soften. Spoon and spread about half of topping over cookie crust. Cover with scoops of ice cream, leaving 1/2 inch around edge.

3. Drizzle remaining topping over ice cream, heating topping if necessary. Sprinkle with peanuts. Freeze 30 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve.

Whip it up Wednesday

How about a fun cool looking drink to share at that next BBq party?

Lemonade with Berry Ice Cubes

Ingredients

* 1 11.5-oz. can frozen concentrate strawberry or any berry mix juice
* 24 raspberries or 8 strawberries, sliced (optional)
* 2 quarts water
* 1 1/3 cups sugar (or more, to taste)

* 1 1/3 cups fresh lemon juice
* 8 lemon slices
* 8 mint sprigs

Instructions

Pour the juice concentrate and 1 can of water into a pitcher.
Mix to combine, then pour the juice into two ice cube trays, adding raspberries or sliced strawberries if you wish. Freeze.
Combine the 2 quarts of water and the sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir to combine.
Reduce to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Strain the lemon juice through a fine sieve into the sugar syrup. Chill. Slit each lemon slice once, from center to rind, then press the slits onto eight glasses. Fill each glass with 3 berry ice cubes and the lemonade. Garnish with a mint sprig. Makes 8 glasses.

Whip it Up Wednesday

These are on my to try list for the grill..I just love summer!

Grilled Chicken Tostadas From Family Fun

Ingredients

• MARINADE:
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 to 4 limes)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (plus more for brushing the tortillas)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

• TOSTADAS
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 ounces each)
• 8 small corn tortillas (5 to 6 inches in diameter)
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack, or more if desired
• 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
• OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, green onions

Place the chicken thighs in a gallon-size zip-lock bag and add all the marinade ingredients. Press the air out of the bag and seal it. Turn the bag to thoroughly coat the chicken, place it in a bowl, and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight), turning the bag occasionally. Remove the meat from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you want to start grilling.


Prepare a charcoal fire or set a gas grill to medium-high, close the lid, and heat until hot -- about 10 to 15 minutes.


Remove the thighs from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill the chicken until it's no longer pink inside, about 4 to 5 minutes per side on a gas grill. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes before cutting it into 1/2-inch strips.


Lightly brush both sides of the tortillas with vegetable oil. Grill them on each side until they turn slightly brown, about 1 minute on a gas grill. Before removing the tortillas from the grill, sprinkle each one with 1 tablespoon of cheese.


To serve, layer the tortillas with shredded lettuce, the chicken strips, the remaining cheese, and any additional toppings. Serves 6 to 8.

Whip it up Wednesday

What You Need!
2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, softened
1/4 cup finely chopped green peppers
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
1 cup spaghetti sauce



Make It!

HEAT oven to 400°F.

MIX first 4 ingredients until well blended; stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella.

PLACE chicken, top-sides down, on work surface; top with cheese mixture. Starting at one short end, tightly roll up each breast, tucking in ends of chicken to completely enclose filling. Place, seam-side down, in 9-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Top with spaghetti sauce; cover.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is done (165°F). Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella; bake, uncovered, 3 to 5 min. or until melted.

Whip it up Wednesday

I am becoming one of the most spoiled women on the planet, fast. You see until recently I have done ALL the cooking in my house. Every bit of it.
My husband isn't a guy's guy who is a whiz at the BBQ. Nope I bought him a man book to learn to use the grill. He likes it so much he is grilling every weekend now. My daughter's have shown an interest in cooking and baking. So they have been scouring the libraries for kids cook books.
So today I am sharing a great older kids can cook recipe that my daughter made for breakfast Monday morning. She even got up an hour earlier just so she could. (Gotta take advantage of this while I can.) And Look I even got a picture~

Banana Bread

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 med. bananas
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
1 c. walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly butter or spray bottom and sides if 9 inch loaf pan.

Place butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer on low for 1 min, add eggs and mix for 1 min. Add bananas and mix 1 min, the batter will be lumpy but banana pieces should be no bigger then 1/2 inch.

Add baking soda and salt and mix on low setting. Add flour and mix for 1 min, making sure to get sides and bottom of the bowl. Add walnuts stir in with spoon.

Pour batter into a loaf pan and bake 15 min. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 45 min or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove bread from pan and place on cooling rack. If you let it cool in the pan bottom becomes soggy.

There you have it, something easy tweens can make on thier own and something younger kids just need help measuring. And yummy to boot.

Whip it up Wednesday

It's getting warmer out so how about a grill recipe?

Lemon Oregano Chicken
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 T. dried oregano
1T. minced garlic
2 t. paprika
1 1/2 t. Kosher salt
1/2 t. black pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

In med. bowl whisk marinade ingredients
Place breasts on lg. rim plate (pie plate will work) Spoon or brush marinade over the meat turning to coat evenly. cover and refridgerate 1- 2 hours.

Grill chicken over direct medium heat with lid closed as much as possible for 8- 12 min turning once or twice.

Whip it up Wednesday

OK I know you hate recipes without pictures, but for some reason I never make what I am sharing with you so I never get the chance to take a picture. I promise though this one is yummy, even my kid who HATES Mexican food will eat it.

Christina's Steak quesadillas

3 cube steaks , cut into bite size pieces

1 pkg. of your favorite fajita seasoning

1 pkg. of Mexican shredded cheese

Hormel crumbled bacon bits (use Hormel, if you use hard bacon bits it doesn't taste as good)

8 flour tortillas

Marinade the cube steaks in the mixed fajita seasoning for about 2 hours. Transfer to a skillet and cook until steak is tender and cooked throughly, set aside.

On another skillet , tortilla stone, quesadilla maker , or open flame if you are bold
heat one side of 2 tortillas, this will be the insides of the quesadilla.

On one tortilla layer cheese, 1 tsp. bacon bits, and steak top with other tortilla.
Heat up the outsides until you get a nice golden color appear and the cheese is melted.

cut into 4 triangles and enjoy!

This make an excellent quick lunch as well even if you don't marinade the steak for long. It'll be a bit tougher but still just as good.

Whip it up Wednesday

I got this recipe from Jeannie courtousy of Kraft foods. It looks super yummy but I haven't had a chance to make it yet. I promise to let you know how it is when I make it or if you make it soon let me know your thoughts.

Creamy Chicken with Bacon & Penne

4 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
3/4 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, chopped

WRAP 1 bacon slice around each chicken breast. Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 5 to 7 min. on each side or until chicken is done (165ºF). Remove chicken from skillet; cover to keep warm. Discard drippings in skillet.
COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook cream cheese spread and broth in skillet until cream cheese is melted and sauce is thickened and well blended, stirring constantly with whisk. Stir in tomatoes and onions; cook 2 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
DRAIN pasta; return to pan. Add sauce; mix lightly. Serve topped with chicken.

Whip it up Wednesday and a challenge

Today's recipe comes from pampered chef.

I recently made this when my husband did some cooking on the grill.

He said it was so awful he had to punish himself with a second piece LOL

Now if you know anything about pampered chef all the recipes come with slightly altered directions for their cookware. But they are not needed to make the recipe. So I will share the recipe for thier cookware and as you can imagine you can just alter it for normal cookware.

Banana Sundae Brownies

1 pkg. of brownie mix + ingredients to make them

1 pkg cream cheese , softened

1 8 oz can crushed pinapple ,drained

2 T sugar

2 bananas sliced

1 c. strawberries sliced

chocolate ice cream topping

1/2 c nuts optional

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare brownie mix as directed.

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit 15" round baking stone. ( I have a 13" . It worked fine I just had left over batter. DO NOT USE WAX PAPER OR THE BATTER WILL RUN OFF!)

Cool brownies completely. Mix cream cheese, pinapple and sugar together. Spread over brownie.

Arrange fruit over cream cheese mixture and drizzle with chocolate.

Refrigerate till you serve ,cut with a pizza cutter.

In an effort to get my mojo crackin again Bridgett offered me up 2 challenges.

The 1st was to make a project everyday this week. Just one a day.

Ok I have started that but I will not be posting those till friday.

The 2nd one was to use this sketch today to make a card. ..

Here is my take on it. ..

I used some new K& Co. poppy seeds paper and the True Beauty TAC stamp set that was gifted to me by my pal Jeannie. (Thank You girlfriend you know I love you!)
The sentiment is from Cloud 9 simple thoughts- laughter acrylic stamp set.
So see I am trying to get back in gear. Let's just hope it lasts!

Whip it up Wednesday

Have you ever heard of Sparkpeople?
It is a really awesome weight loss site that has a section where people can post low-fat weight loss recipes.
Finding good recipes my family loves and that fit in with my goal is a huge accomplishment so today I am going to share with you one of my families favorites from that site.

Creamy Italian Chicken

1 can each of low fat cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup
1 8 oz. package of low fat cream cheese
1 pkg. of Italian dressing seasoning (dry)
4 chicken breasts

Mix all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low for 8 - 10 hours.
Shred chicken and serve over rice.
Good with side salad or stemmed veggies.This picture was taken after I loaded the left overs into my container and if you look carefully you will see the one change my family makes with this recipe is that they like it over pasta instead of rice.

Whip it up Wednesday

My youngest daughter has been on a serious cookbook/cooking kick. So when she came home with a cookbook from her school library she asked me if she could prepare dinner. Well I didn't want to be a bad momma and say no and so she set off to cook for her family. Chris was shocked and amazed that it was actually really good so I figured I would share the fun easy , but yummy recipe even a kid could make.

Spicy Chicken burgers

2 lg chicken breasts hut in half

1/2 c flour

1/4 t chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

veggie oil for frying

your favorite buns

lettuce

salsa

sour cream

Flatten chicken breasts using palm of your hand or heavy rolling pin

Put flour, chili powder, and Chicken in large plastic bag Close the top and shake well.

Take chicken out of the bag and add salt and pepper

Heat oil in frying pan until hot Fry the chicken about 8 min each side until firm and golden brown.

Open buns and leetuce, chicken , sour cream, and salsa. Serve.

to go along with it my kids also fixed...

Funky fries

6 med potatoes

5 T sunflower or olive oil

Pre heat oven to 475

Scrub potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise then into narrow wedges.

Brush the baking sheet with oil. Lay the wedges in one layer on top, then brush them with oil and season ( We use Lawry's all season salt, but dried herbs work for a more meditrrianean flavor.)

Bake wedges on top oven rack about 20 min or until crisp , golden brown and puffy.

Whip it up Wednesday

We all know how cold it has been outside and we are probably going through gallons of hot chocolate. Well my pal Bridgett sent me the link to this craft here ( I am showing hers as I haven't made one yet.)That include these yummy peppermint marshmallow treats that you stir into you cocoa.To make these yummy treats the supplies you'll need: marshmallows, almond bark melt, leftover candy canes (or starlight mints) and lollipop sticks (we also used coffee stirrers).

Melt the almond bark in a double boiler.
Crush the candy canes.
When the candy is melted, place a stick in each marshmallow and dip in almond bark melt (be careful--marshmallows can melt), then dip in crushed candy cane.
Place on wax or parchment paper and cool in refrigerator. (As soon as they are firm, seal in a zip top bag to keep the marshmallows soft.)

To view awesome pics go to the original website here and check out the step by step photos.

Whip it up Wednesday

I recently got this off of the Campbell's Kitchen Website. Man is it super yummy even Chris ate left overs.

Crockpot chicken and dumplings

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

2 cups whole baby carrots

2 stalks celery, sliced (about 1 cup)

2 can (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1 cup water

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups all-purpose baking mix

2/3 cup milk

* Place the chicken, potatoes, carrots and celery into a 6-quart slow cooker.
* Stir the soup, water, thyme and black pepper in a small bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken and vegetables.
* Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours* or until the chicken is cooked through.
* Stir the baking mix and milk in a medium bowl. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the chicken mixture. Increase the heat to HIGH. Tilt the lid to vent and cook for 30 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked in the center.
* *Or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

Whip it up Wendesday

I don't know about you but my week is going by way to fast for my liking. I didn't even realize that I had not scheduled for my blog at all this week until 10:30 last night and was to tired to be concerned. So here I am at 6 am trying to get this up !

The recipe today is for french dip subs. This is something I always saw my husband eat when we were dating so I decided to start making them at home

you need:
3 pound boneless chuck roast
1 1/2 c. water
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 t. dried rosemary
1 t. dried thyme leaves
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 dried bay leaf
3 peppercorns
hoagie rolls or french bread

Place Beef in crock pot after trimming fat. Mix all ingredients except bread and pour over the beef

Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or until beef is tender ( because if you are like me more then likely the beef is only half thawed)

remove beef slice thinly and place in bread.

Serve with the au jus for dipping!

YUM!

Whip it up Wednesday

This is a big favorite with my 10 year old and a perfect crockpot meal.Broccoli and beef pasta
2 c. or 1 10 oz package of frozen Broccoli florets
1 onion thinly sliced
1/2 t. basil leaves
1/2 t. oregano leaves
1/2 t. thyme leaves
1 14 1/2 oz can of italian style diced tomatos undrained
3/4 cup beef broth
1 pound hamburger
2 cloves garlic
2 T tomato paste
2 c. cooked rotini pasta

Layer broccoli, onion, basil, oregano, thyme. tomatos, and broth in slow cooker. Cover cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Combine beef and garlic in skillet, cook on high 6 to 8 min so meat is no longer oink, drain add to crockpot cover and cook 2 hours

Stir in tomato paste . add pasta . Cover and cook 30 min

top with Cheddar cheese and serve.

Enjoy!