Skinny Mexican Pizza

     While I try and add roughly 1,000 previous recipes to my blog, I've noticed a demand for skinny recipes over and over again. I promise I have a good amount, but I guess they've just been pushed to the way-side since I've started trying to get my blog put together.

     Here is one I really like to hold some of you over in the meantime.

     If you're not familiar with Hungry Girl (which I suggest to anyone trying to eat healthier meals or lose weight), they do what they call a "swap," where they take a horribly fatty and heavenly meal and give it a health makeover. I was really hesitant to try a recipe with "fake meat" or vegitarian ground beef but it actually is pretty good I really liked it! One great thing for dieters is they typically list the Weight Watchers points directly on the recipe. Here is there makeover of  one of Taco Bell's popular meals.

Skinny Mexican Pizza

Two 6-inch corn tortillas
1/3 cup frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles (likethe kinds by Boca and Morningstar Farms)
1/2 tsp. taco seasoning mix
2 tbsp. fat-free refried beans
2 tbsp. taco sauce
3 tbsp. shredded reduced-fat Mexican-blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped tomato
small handful of chopped green onions

Makes one serving*

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Lay tortillas on the baking sheet, side by side, and bake for 6 minutes. Flip tortillas. Bake until crispy, about 6 more minutes. Leave oven on.

Meanwhile, bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add soy crumbles and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. taco seasoning. Cook and stir until hot and well mixed, about 2 minutes.

Spread 1 tortilla with refried beans. Top with seasoned soy crumbles, followed by the other tortilla.

In a small bowl, mix taco sauce with remaining 1/4 tsp. taco seasoning. Spread the top tortilla with seasoned sauce, and sprinkle with cheese and tomato.

Bake until sauce is hot and cheese has melted, about 3 minutes. 

Serve with fat free refried beans, blackeans, or anything else!

Calories: 254
Fat: 6.5g
Sodium: 803mg
Carbs: 34.5g
Fiber: 6.5g
Sugars: 3.5g
Protein: 16.5g

PointsPlus® value 6*

-Sweet Sarah




Found at Hungry Girl

Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

      I don't know about you, but the food I probably crave the most especially after a rough night is a cheeseburger. The other day I stumbled across these wraps, and knew I would love them. So, I summoned the George Foreman grill from it's bottom-of-the-closet grave, and went to work.

    The great thing about these, just like all my favorite Mexican dishes, is the versatility of the meal. You can customize the toppings and even the type of meat you use to fit your taste or waistline. For the meat, you can use ground beef, turkey, or meat replacements such as morning star's ground veggie mix.
 
     I chose to only top my wrap with onions and tomatoes, but feel free to reach for the stars on this one. You can add lettuce, jalapenos, mushrooms, or any other thing you typically eat with your burger. You could even mix it up and do swiss and mushroom!

   Well anyway, let's get down to the important stuff. Here is the basic cheeseburger recipe.

Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps 

1 lb ground beef

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (I used a little more to taste)

2 Tablespoons ketchup

pepper and salt to taste

5 flour tortillas (the larger ones)

approx.1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

diced tomatoes

diced Onions

yellow mustard

ketchup for topping

Directions

Brown ground beef in large skillet and drain. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and salt and pepper to the beef and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle shredded cheese down center of each tortilla. Add a few heaping tablespoons of the beef mixture on top of the cheese. Spread some mustard and/or ketchup on top of the beef along with onions and tomatoes. Add any favorite topping at this stage. Roll up tortilla burrito-style and place wraps on preheated indoor grill (I used my George Foreman). 

Roughly 10 Weight Watcher's Points+ per wrap, depending on the cheese and tortilla you use 

-Sweet Sarah 

Adapted from Semi-Homemade Mom

Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Ranch Florentine Tostadas

      If there's any specific type if dish I enjoy making the most, and usually do on a weekly basis, its tex-mex/mexican/anything involving cilantro and avocados. Recently I found a new take on tostadas and I was excited to try it. So last night, I had two hungry men over before we headed out to go see the Dictator and I made these bad boys.

      I didn't think I could eat these chicken enchiladas without some sauce or toppings to go with it, so I ammended this recipe to my likings. The great thing about this kind of stuff is that you can really do whatever it is you want with them! Sour cream, guacamole, cheese, whatever the case. Or perhaps, all three :)

Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Ranch Florentine Tostadas 

oozing guacamole, overflowing melted cheese....sorry what was I talking about again?

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 Cups chopped fresh spinach leaves

2 Cups cooked shredded chicken breast

1 Garlic clove

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

½- 1 tsp dry Ranch Seasoning

1/2 Chopped red onion 

1/2 Cup prepared salsa of choice

6 Corn Tortillas

Directions

  Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Saute spinach until leaves wilt.  Stir in chicken, garlic, cumin, salt, chopped onions, ranch seasoning and salsa.  Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through.

Three options for heating the tortillas:
Fry in a pan of oil 
 or

  Heat small skillet over medium heat.  When hot add tortilla.  Cook for 30 seconds then flip and cook second side for another 30 seconds.  When lightly browned on both sides remove.  Cook remaining tortillas.

Or my preferred method-

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Spray tortillas on both sides and arrange on baking tray. Bake for 2-4 minutes on each side or until done. If desired, add a handful of cheese to each tostado and bake until melted. This step can also be done after you top the tostada with the chicken mixture.

I suggest adding any guacamole or sour cream  directly on the tortilla and then topping with chicken mixture when done, and adding any other toppings,such as vegetables, on top of the chicken mixture. 
 Serve with salsa if desired.

6 servings

Update: 
I ran out of guacamole when I ate the leftovers, So I just did cheese and sour cream. They came out just as delicious! You really can do just about anything. 

-Sweet Sarah

Adapted from Picky Palate

White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

       These puppies are so sweet and so delicious. I didn't even like cranberries before this recipe. I now eat cranberries almost daily. My favorite trail mix did actually start this obsession but these blondies sure did catapult me over the cranberry wall.

    These are very sweet but you will find yourself coming back for more even after you think you couldn't bear another bite! 

White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

3/4 cup butter, cubed

1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dried cranberries

6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

FROSTING:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange peel, optional

6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Directions

In a microwave, melt butter; stir in brown sugar. Transfer to a large bowl; cool to room temperature. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to butter mixture. Stir in cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick).

Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and orange peel if desired until blended. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate; beat until blended. Frost brownies. Sprinkle with cranberries. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Cut into bars.

 Store in the refrigerator.

 Yields 2-1/2 dozen.

-Sweet Sarah  

Found at Taste of Home

Savory Spinach Bites

       Too....tired....to write post. must....couch.....

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 clove)

2 10-ounces packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 8-ounce bag of herbed seasoned stuffing mix* I ended up using almost double. Use your judgement based on the thickness of the mixture. It should be “clumpy” not runny, and easily form balls

6 large eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter.

 Add onion and cook until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes or so.

 Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.

 In the meantime, remove excess water from thawed spinach by pressing it between paper towels. **You do not need to cook the spinach.

  In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, spinach, eggs, Parmesan, salt and pepper, and onion/garlic mixture.  Combine well.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

 One at a time, using your hands, roll the mixture into individual 1-inch balls.  Place each one on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

 Bake the balls for about 15-20 minutes, or until very slightly browned.  

 Dipping sauces:  I used marinara, but you could use Ranch dressing, sour cream, horseradish, etc.  Whatever you like!

Servings: 18-24 spinach bites, depending on how big you make them

-Sweet Sarah 

Found at The Curvy Carrot  

Butterfinger Blondies

    Blondies are some of my favorite desserts ever. I love them even more when they become things like cake batter blondies or butterfinger blondies. This recipe is not for the weak hearted. These are intense. These are so sweet, your eyes want to jump to the ceiling.

They are super delicious. 

But also best in either small sections or just a few bites at a time. 

Butterfinger Blondies

1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coarse sea salt
2 cups coarsely chopped Butterfinger Bars (approx 16 “Fun Size” bars)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.
On low add your dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda) until just combined.
Stir in your chopped Butterfinger.
Spread in a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until center is JUST set.
Remove from oven and

cool completely.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

BUTTERFINGER BUTTERCREAM:

1/2 cup room temp butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped Butterfinger Bars (approx 4 “Fun Size” bars)

Instructions

Cream the butter and shortening together until smooth.
Add in you powdered sugar on low speed.  Turn speed up to medium and mix until smooth
Stir in your chopped Butterfinger. (I sprinkled mine on top rather than stirring them in!)
Spread on your cooled blondies

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

-Sweet Sarah

Found at Six Sisters' Stuff

Slow Cooked Smoky Chipotle Brown Sugar Chicken Sandwiches

         This recipe doesn't really need a story; it's just amazing. Well, maybe I should warn you that although chipotle peppers in adobo sauce smell delicious and more like candy, they are still hot. Only add more if you can stand the heat! 

Slow Cooked Smoky Chipotle Brown Sugar Chicken Sandwiches

1 Lb  boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 red onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic
1 (15 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro
1 tsp, or to taste,  liquid smoke

Directions:
 Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
 With a blender or a food processor, blend the remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour mixture over chicken.
 Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred using 2 forks and serve on sandwich buns, in tortillas, on salads, etc.

serves 4-6 

-Sweet Sarah

Found at The Sweets Life

Cinnamon, Toffee & Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Cinnamon chips. 

      How long of these existed? Why didn't I know? Why did I have to keep seeing recipe after recipe that involved them when the internet should know good and well that the commissary doesn't carry them? I literally had to have my people mail me these, and mail them they did. I was a giddy little girl the day I opened up the package with my Daddy's name on it because I knew what it was. And as they say, Dad knew best: He sent me three bags! 

So for my first cinnamon chip recipe, I chose these

Cinnamon, Toffee, & Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies 

½ cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

1 egg1 tsp. Vanilla

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Baking soda

1 1/4 c. flour

Dash of cinnamon

1 1/4 c. oats

2/3 Cup Cinnamon Chips*

2/3 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*

2 Heath bars-chopped

*You may need to eyeball these amounts. I did not write down my exact measurements so I don't exactly remember. Will update as soon as I figure out the perfect combination

Directions

Beat butter in mixer until soft. Add in sugars, eggs , and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the salt, baking powder, soda, flour, and dash of cinnamon. Add to wet ingredients. Mix it up! Add your oats and then your chips and Heath chunks.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes! Don’t let them get too done…they are better when they are soft and can get hard fast. 

Makes roughly 2 dozen.

-Sweet Sarah  

Found Modified from  Two Peas and Their Pod

Baked Cinnamon Bun Donuts with Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze

       Sometime last year, I discovered the existence of donut pans. Much like the bad boy in school, I tried to  steer clear. No way do I need a donut pan, it's nothing but bad news. But I couldn't stop daydreaming. I constantly found myself on Amazon browsing the donut pans and doodling "donut pan" in my notebook during 3rd period. It was a problem.

So naturally, I gave in and bought a donut pan. 

and these were my first donuts. dear. Lord. God help whichever of you decide to make these. 

Baked Cinnamon Bun Donuts with Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze 

For the Donuts:

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 Tbsp white sugar

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon (add more if you like cinnamon or want a stronger ‘cinnamon bun’ taste- I do)

1/2 tsp salt, optional

6 Tbsp buttermilk*

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp butter, melted

Yields: 6-7 donuts in this Wilton doughtnut pan.  Pans vary by size but this is not a “huge” recipe.  Double or triple, or halve (beat the egg and then divide in half) the recipe as desired.  For the extra bit of batter, rather than waiting for my one donut pan to come out of the oven, I made two small muffins in a muffin pan with it.  It took about 15 minutes for the muffins to cook through.

For the Glaze:

1/2 c (or more) powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (use more if you like a stronger vanilla flavor-I do)

1/4 tsp+ cinnamon

1-2+ tsp Water, Milk, Half & Half, Cream, Heavy Cream, Vegan Milk, etc. 

Directions:

For the Donuts

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease or cooking-spray the donut pan 

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon (and salt).

Add buttermilk, egg, vanilla and melted butter.  Whisk or stir to combine.

Use a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off) to pipe the batter into a 6-donut pan.  Or just be extra neat and do this with a spoon which is what I did.

Bake 8 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven, until doughnuts spring back when touched or until dough is set.  Donuts will not be golden brown, but should be springy.  (I always underbake my baked goods but in my oven, these took a good 10-11 minutes to fully set up)

Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan, about 5 minutes.

For the Glaze

While donuts are baking or cooling, make the glaze by combining powdered sugar, room temperature softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and milk/cream/water.  Whisk or stir to combine, adding the liquid, one teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Dip the donuts into the glaze while warm (or cool).

Add a final dusting of cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, or cinnamon-sugar mixture; sprinkles, or other extras at end, as desired.

-Sweet Sarah 

From Love, Veggies, and Yoga

Brown Sugar Banana Jam

      I don't know about you, but I find mason jars to be extraordinarily cute. I don't know what it is about them, but I love anything that can go inside mason jars.

     Since this jam fit the bill, sounds delicious, and is really easy I was excited to give it a try. Plus anything that not only requires brown sugar but uses it enough to be in the recipe's name is a automatic plus in my book. Trust me, this recipe does not disappoint! It does have a strong banana smell and flavor, but it does not overpower all the other flavors. You can give this as a cute little homemade gift!

Brown Sugar Banana Jam  

This recipe only makes enough for a 4 ounce jar, for an 8 ounce jar double the recipe. If you do end up doubling or tripling, you will need to make sure to cook the sugar enough to thicken it  and it will take much longer and more attention paid.

1 banana, the riper the better

1/4 cup dark brown sugar 

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons butter (see note)

Coarse sea salt, To taste

Directions

In a small pot combine banana, brown sugar, lime juice and butter. Whisk over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved and the the banana has softened. Adjust the heat as necessary to prevent burning. Using the whisk thoroughly smoosh the banana. Once the mixture is smooth-ish, you are simply thickening without burning. The mixture will bubble 3-4 minutes over medium heat and it should be about ready at this stage. Refrigerate and use within one to two weeks. 

-Sweet Sarah

found at Neo-Homesteading Blog

Bacon-Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapenos

    
       Whenever I first discovered Pinterest, I went insane. I would spend hours and hours pinning all these recipes I found, and it got is still a little out of hand. So after the anticipation of having literally hundreds of recipes to try became too great to bear, I decided to invite friends over to have a party just so I could make a couple of my new found recipes. Anyone knows that when you go to Sarah's house, you basically have to be rolled home. So even though I do not like jalapenos or anything spicy (I'm a mild to moderate, sometimes barely medium girl), I wanted to try my hand at something all the men in my life love.

     Now let me tell you something that no one mentioned to me:

 jalapenos burn. They burn you skin, and it is painful.

Burn burn burn.

           So when you touch 20 or so jalapenos, you should probably wear gloves. You have to cut these and half and then scoop them out, fill, wrap, and then arrange them. You will be spending a LOT of bonding time with these guys, and they will bond to you in a way you don't want to bond with them. 

          As a side note, milk helps take away the burn. So here I was, slaving away for these hungry men in my house, not only making something I wouldn't even eat but just out of the kindness of my heart, but I also burned my skin and had to casually hang out with all these guys while my hands soaked in a bowl of milk.

Awful. 

But the good news is these were a huge hit. So here they are: 

Bacon-Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapenos

This little piggy went OUCH OUCH OUCH

Yield: 40 appetizers

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Bake Time: 20 to 30 minutes

20 whole, fresh jalapeños
2 8-oz blocks of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 to 2 pounds of bacon

1-2 Garlic cloves*

1/2 - 1 Cup Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese*

1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder*

1/2 Tbsp Paprika*

*These can be left out completely, or altered to taste.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Cut the jalapeños in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds and membranes. Stuff each jalapeño half with cream cheese. Wrap each jalapeño half with bacon. Secure with a toothpick.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If after 20 minutes the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish. Just keep a close eye so they don’t burn! Serve immediately or at room temperature.

- Sweet Sarah

Adapted from cream cheese stuffed bacon wrapped jalapenos

Crock Pot Honey Chicken

     This is one of my favorite meals to make for dinner. It's super easy and way delicious! Crock pots are almost like magical little portals- you just through things in it, come back later, and the magic crock pot fairies have assembled a meal for you. My favorite kind of crock pot meals are ones that don't cook for 8,000 hours. I mean really, that is torture. so here is....

Crock Pot Honey Chicken

Honey Covered Heaven. That isn't 8,000 calories! Win!

1 pound chicken

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup honey (can be more generous with this)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup chopped onion (or 1/8 cup onion flakes)

1/8 cup ketchup

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes*

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours or on high 1 1/2 hours. Chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve over rice or noodles.

To bake chicken as a 30 minute meal:

Dice chicken and season both sides with salt and pepper, place in 8x8 pan. Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

Serves 4 (if you can stop yourself from eating more servings!)

- Sweet Sarah

From Mmm...Cafe

Hot and Sticky Wings

      To my knowledge, I have never had wings until I was approximately 21 years old. There may be one time in Oakland when I had just graduate high school that I might have had some, but I can't be too sure. These bad boys.....these were my inaugural wings. The flagship recipe. The most tasty things that delectably fall off the bone and slide their gooey way into your heart. They are

Hot Sticky Wings  

Couple more hours to go...

I don't have a picture of them completely cooked, because they didn't last that long in my house...so here is Food Network's picture.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken wings
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 (18-ounce) jar apricot-pineapple preserves (recommended: Smuckers)
• 2 tablespoons citrus herb seasoning
• 2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon chili seasoning
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced
• 1/4 Cup honey, optional or to taste
• 
  

Directions

Light broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Rinse wings with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place wings on baking sheet skin-side up.Broil wings for 8 to 10 minutes while preparing sauce. NOTE: this step can be omitted, but produces a better tasting wing.

Place wings in the crock of 4 quart slow cooker. In a bowl, stir to combine remaining ingredients. Pour over wings and stir to coat. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high setting for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.

-Sweet Sarah 

Adapted from Hot and Sticky Wings

S’more Dip

This Dip...... is incredibly sinful.....you should probably stay away. 

If you still here, here is the recipe for the most ridiculously sweet and sinful dip to serve at parties. People might start referring to you as a saint.

S’more Dip

Not my original picture, I made this recipe before I decided to become a crazy person

• 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
  1/2 cup marshmallow creme
  1 box (13 oz) graham cracker honey sticks, or other things desired to use as dipping devices 
  
  
                                                       
  DIRECTIONS
  1) In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and condensed milk on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chips are melted. Stir to mix well. Pour into 9-inch glass pie pan, spreading evenly.
  2) Drop marshmallow creme by tablespoonfuls randomly over chocolate mixture. Microwave on High about 30 seconds or until marshmallow creme is softened. Immediately with knife, make several small swirls through marshmallow and chocolate, creating a marbled appearance.
  3) Serve immediately with graham sticks for dipping.
  
  
  -Sweet Sarah
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  From S'more Dip