Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie

Healthy and only 4 ingredients.  Also, gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats and vegan if you use raisins in place of chips.  You may substitute any dried fruit, such as, dried cranberries or dates.  Either way, they are delicious!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 Cup Pumpkin
• 1 Cup Oats
• 1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips
• Dash of Cinnamon
• 1/4 Cup Raisins (Optional)

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.  Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Spoon mixture onto cookie sheet and press down. Bake for 15 minutes.  Let cool.  Makes 15 cookies.

NUTRITION INFO:

Serving Size = 1 Cookie (without raisins)

• 40 Calories
• 1 g Fat
• 0 Cholesterol
• 0 Sodium
• 7 g Carbohydrate
• 1 g Fiber
• 2 g Sugar
• 1 g Protein

Mini Eggplant Pizza’s

If you love pizza like I do but don’t want the calories that go with it, these mini pizza’s are the perfect alternative.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 Eggplant

1 Cup Pizza Sauce

1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, low-fat, shredded

1 Tablespoon Basil (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and slice eggplant in 1/4″ slices.  Place on baking tray sprayed with cooking spray.  Top each slice with sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.  Serve hot.

 

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup blueberries ( I used fresh)
• 6 oz container light vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

In a larger mixing bowl, add the first 3 ingredients and stir.  Stir in blueberries.  Mix in the remaining ingredients until blended.  Pour into lined muffin pans.  Bake @ 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.  Makes 18 muffins.

NUTRITION INFO:

• 82 Calories
• 1 gm fat
• 12 mg cholesterol
• 14 mg sodium
• 17 gm carbohydrate
• 2 gm fiber
• 3 gm protein

Red, White, and Blue Parfait

Just in time for the summer holidays, cook-outs, and picnics.  The red, white, and blue parfait is super easy to make and extremely healthy.  The best it is only 3 ingredients.  Moreover, these parfaits look pretty and taste awesome!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Light vanilla yogurt
• Strawberries, washed and cut
• Blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

In plastic parfait glasses, layer strawberries and yogurt twice.  Then top with blueberries.  Again, layer strawberries, yogurt, strawberries, yogurt, and top with a layer of blueberries.  Enjoy!!

Quinoa Banana Muffins

These muffins are filled with healthy ingredients and very satisfying.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup quinoa, dry
• 1-1/2 cup oats, dry
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup egg beater
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 medium bananas, smashed
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Cook quinoa (boil with 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes).  Mix all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, well and let sit.  Meanwhile, line muffin tin or spray with Pam.  Stir the chips into batter.  Fill muffin cups.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Yields 12 muffins.

NUTRITION INFO: per muffin

120 Calories; 2.5 g fat; 3.5 g protein; 21 g cho; 4 g fiber; 27 mg sodium 

Hummus

This ancient food, dating back to 3,000 B.C., is a new American favorite.  Hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea so a spread made from any other legume is not hummus.  Traditional hummus is a mixture of cooked chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, a dash of citrus or other acidic ingredients, and salt.  Tahini is an important part of the recipe and cannot be substitute; but, it can be omitted.  Hummus makes a very healthy snack that is high in protein and fiber.

Here’s a simple recipe from http://mideastfood.about.com/od/appetizerssnacks/r/hummusbitahini.htm

Ingredients:

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).

Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.

For a spicier hummus, add a sliced red chile or a dash of cayenne pepper.

Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Add a little olive oil if it appears to be too dry.

Halloween Candy for 100 Calories or Less

Here at GoGirlDiet.com the motto is to “Eat your cake and lose weight too”.  That also means halloween candy.  But we don’t want to sabotage the diet either.  Here are some picks for 100 calories or less (pay attention to package size):

• Almond Joy (snack size) -80 cal
• Butterfinger (fun size)- 85 cal
• Nestle Crunch (fun size)- 90 cal
• Hershey Kiss (4)- 100 cal
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (snack size)- 110cal
• Whoppers (10)- 100 cal
• Jolly Ranchers (3)- 70 cal
• Smarties (1 roll)- 25 cal
• Skittles ( 1 fun size bag)- 70 cal
• M&M’s ( 1 fun size package) -100 cal                           

Snack Attack!! Love This!!

My new snack passion is Edy’s Outshine Coconut Waters.  They are refreshing!  Have zero fat!  And only 60 calories!!  They come in 2 flavors!

Coconut Waters with Banana

Coconut Water with Pineapple

SKINNY TACO DIPS

INDIVIDUAL TACO DIPS

The great thing about these individual dips is that you can adjust it to your personal taste and they are portion controlled.   These would be great for watching a football game or for any type of party.  I found the original recipe on “The Girl Who Ate Everything Blog”; did some minor tweaking and renamed it.

Individual Taco Dips

Makes about 8 individual dips @ 150 calories per dip.

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning

1 cup guacamole 

1 (8 ounce) container fat-free sour cream

1 cup chunky salsa

1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 bunch of green onions, sliced

1 (2.25 ounce) can of sliced olives, drained

8 (9 ounce) plastic cups

tortilla chips

Instructions

In a small bowl mix taco seasoning with refried beans.

Here’s how the layers are assembled:

Layer 1: beans and taco seasoning; Layer 2: sour cream; Layer 3: guacamole; Layer 4: salsa; Layer 5: cheese; Layer 6: tomatoes; Layer 7: green onions and olives

In each plastic glass, layer about 2 Tablespoons of the beans, followed by 2 Tablespoons of sour cream, 2 Tablespoons of guacamole, 2 Tablespoons of salsa, and 2 Tablespoons of cheese.  Make sure you drain your salsa or pico to get the excess liquid out before you pour it on. Then top with about 1-2 teaspoons of tomatoes, olives, and green onion (If making ahead of time, wait to add these toppings until shortly before serving).

Garnish with one tortilla chip. Store in the refrigerator until serving and serve with chips. Makes around 8 individual dips.

Recipe and photo’s from:  http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/12/individual-seven-layer-dips.html

National Chocolate Candy Day

December 28th is National Chocolate Candy Day!  Go ahead and indulge a little!

Have a Hershey Kiss!  Only 22 calories each!
Or really treat yourself to a Lindt Lindor Chocolate Truffle for 73 calories each!