Pomegranate Jellies

Alright so my little break turned into a big break. And I would be lying if I didn't tell you that what inspired me to write another recipe post is how beautiful this picture looks. Oh and by the way, the jelly tastes amazing too!

The process for these can take a bit of time. I chose to use fresh pomegranates so they needed to be deseeded and juiced.

To get the seeds out of the pomegranates, cut them just skin deep around the middle. Pry the halves apart. Over a large bowl of water, hold a half in your hand with the seeds facing your palm. Then bang the back of the half with a wooden spoon until all of the seeds are expelled. Doing this over a bowl of water will separate the membranes and the seeds. Then just skim the membranes off the top.

Next is getting the juice. I loaded about a cup of seeds into a food processor (a blender will work too) and pulsed 2-3 times. Then pour the broken up seeds into a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl or pitcher of water. At first I was squishing the seeds against the strainer to get the most juice out, but I ended up breaking it. So then I just used my hands to squeeze the juice (still over the strainer to catch any seeds that fell out). It was such a pain to get the seeds out of the skin that I was going to get every last drop of juice out of them I could to save having to deseed more of them!

FINALLY,  I could start with the jelly. Pomegranate jelly does not double well. So if you have a bunch to make, only cook a recipes worth at a time.

For just the Pomegranate Jelly, I used the recipe on the Sure Jell website, The first round tasted great but a little too sweet for me. This is how I modified it.

POMEGRANATE JELLY

3 1/2 cups juice
1 box Low Sugar Sure Jell Pectin
1 tsp butter
4 cups white sugar

Sterilize 6 half pint jars with lids in boiling water.
Put a small plate or bowl in the freezer.
Pour the juice into a second large stock pot. While whisking the juice, sprinkle in the Pectin. Then add the butter. Stir until it comes to a rolling boil (the bubbles will not dissipate when you stir). Add the sugar all at once and continue to whisk until it comes to a rolling boil again. Let it boil for 1 minute, stirring as needed.
Remove the jars and lids from the boiling water and set on a towel on the counter next to the cooking jelly.
Take the plate out of the freezer and place a small spoonful of jelly on it to check for consistency. It should be thick.
Ladle the jelly into the jars. Wipe the rim of the jars of any jelly and place the lids on them. Try not to touch the underside of the lids. Screw on the rings.
Return the jars back into the large pot of boiling water, making sure that there is 1-2 inches of water above the tops of the jars. Boil for 5 minutes then remove and place back on the towel. Let the jelly cool. The lids should pop as they are cooling. Once the jelly is room temperature, push on the tops of the lids. If they are solid and do not give, they are ready to be stored in a cool dark place. If you can push the lid in just store the jelly in the fridge.


POMEGRANATE CHAMPAGNE JELLY (originally from HERE)

After my first batch of jelly, I didn't have quite enough juice left to make a second batch, and I just happened to have half a bottle of champagne in the fridge. Perfect! The original recipe used POM juice which I replaced with the fresh juice. If you are going to be using POM juice, make sure you get the unsweetened kind or use less sugar.

3 Cups Pomegranate Juice
1 1/2 Cups Champagne
Juice of 1 lemon or 3 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 tsp butter
1 box Low Sugar Pectin
3 Cups White Sugar


Sterilize 6 half pint jars with lids in boiling water.
Put a small plate or bowl in the freezer.
Pour the pomegranate juice, champagne and lemon juice into a second large stock pot. While whisking the juice, sprinkle in the Pectin. Then add the butter. Stir until it comes to a rolling boil (the bubbles will not dissipate when you stir). Add the sugar all at once and continue to whisk until it comes to a rolling boil again. Let it boil for 1 minute, stirring as needed.
Remove the jars and lids from the boiling water and set on a towel on the counter next to the cooking jelly.
Take the plate out of the freezer and place a small spoonful of jelly on it to check for consistency. It should be thick.
Ladle the jelly into the jars. Wipe the rim of the jars of any jelly and place the lids on them. Try not to touch the underside of the lids. Screw on the rings.
Return the jars back into the large pot of boiling water, making sure that there is 1-2 inches of water above the tops of the jars. Boil for 5 minutes then remove and place back on the towel. Let the jelly cool. The lids should pop as they are cooling. Once the jelly is room temperature, push on the tops of the lids. If they are solid and do not give, they are ready to be stored in a cool dark place. If you can push the lid in just store the jelly in the fridge.

ABCD Eggs

Avacado Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs!!

I the inspiration for these from Skinnytaste.com. I have been making Bacon Cheddar Deviled eggs for quite awhile. They are always a hit. When Skinnytaste posted a recipe for avocado deviled eggs I couldn't wait to mix it with my deviled eggs. And they were a perfect green appetizer for St. Patricks Day! And as a bonus I got to use my new egg serving platter that I got from Kohl's last week.


ABCD Eggs

Ingredients


12 eggs 
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 medium avacado 
4 slices bacon 
2 tablespoons finely shredded Cheddar cheese 
1 tablespoon mustard 
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper


Directions

Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10. Remove from hot water, and place in an ice bath to cool. 

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. You can also wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside. 

Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with avacado until smooth and creamy. (If the avacado is still a little stuff, you can microwave for 30 seconds before adding to the yolks.)  Add the remaining ingredients, using the salt and pepper to taste. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving. The easiest way to fill the eggs is to load up a ziploc bag with the mixture, cut the top off of one end, then pipe the filling into the eggs. 

Vacuum Seal Meat Labeling

Usually we buy a good chunk of meat when it's on sale, then use a vacuum sealer to prevent freezer burn.  When we remember, the bags get labeled with a sharpie, which eventually ends up disappearing somewhere in the freezer. Like socks from a dryer......... POOF just gone. Then finally lightening struck! Just tear off the label from the original packaging and stick it in the bag with the meat. Instant label!! It includes much more information too: how many pounds, date it was bought, and details cut info.

Apple Spice Glazed Scone - Low Calorie

This morning I was craving a sweet breakfast and needed  something quick and yummy. I started browsing one of my favorite blogs, skinnytaste.com. I found this wonderful scone recipe. I didn't have all the ingredients but I had enough and what I didn't have, I could substitute. After figuring out the calorie count, it ended up being only 186 calories per scone! So enjoy two, and enjoy feeding your sweet craving!


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cold 1% milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• cooking spray 
• 2 cups all purpose flour  
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp chilled butter (must be cold) cut into small pieces
• 2 cups diced apples, peeled (I used Granny Smith and Red Delicious)

For the glaze: 

• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• 2 tbsp cold fat free milk (plus 1/2 tbsp if needed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375.

Mix the milk, applesauce, sugar, vanilla and egg in a large bowl.  Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to a food processor. Pulse until mixed. Add butter and and pulse until the mixture is grainy. Add the flour mixture and the apples to the milk mixture and stir until combine. 

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead just until it's not sticky, adding flour if needed. 

Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Lay dough on the cookie sheet and flatten until it's round and about half an inch thick. Cut the circle into 12 even wedges.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are just turning brown.

Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

While the scones are cooling, mix all the ingredients for the glaze. Dip the top of each slice in the glaze and return to cooling rack. (Make sure the rack is over a cookie sheet to catch the drips). 

Let glaze set, then enjoy!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

It's that time of year again. Time for everything pumpkin. These soft pumpkin cookies sandwich a light and fluffy cream cheese filling. They are delicious. The original recipe is for mini whoopie pies but in order to maintain a consistent size, I used the ice cream scoop I already had. These came  out to be good sized cookies. I used a piping bag to easily add the filling to the back of half the cookies. If the filling is too soft, just refrigerate the cookies for about 20 minutes to firm it up. Recipe from cooks.com.

COOKIES:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line four baking sheets with parchment paper.COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets. (A total of 72 cookies are needed for the recipe.)

BAKE for 10 to 13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

BEAT cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.SPREAD a heaping teaspoon of filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

I found the recipe for this bread here during a recent pinterest browse. It was mid afternoon and I had already been planning to make Italian for dinner, this fit perfectly. I didn't have all the ingredients in the original recipe but subbed for what I had and it turned out wonderfully! Very simple and quick. Warm right out of the oven with butter - delicious!!

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water (100-110 F)
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (or pinch of each ground garlic, dried oregano, and dried basil)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. High quality extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups AP flour 
1/2 cup bread flour + extra for kneading
1 egg, whisked + 1 Tbsp. water, for egg wash
dried rosemary, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes to proof.

2. Stir in the salt, rosemary, seasonings, olive oil, and whole wheat flour. Add the bread flour and stir until the dough forms a ball. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until smooth.

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about1 hour.

4. Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Place it on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel or parchment paper; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, preheat oven (and pizza stone) to 400 F. Once the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with dried rosemary.

6. Bake on preheated stone for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Makes 1 round loaf.

Skinny Brownies

Yup. Skinny.Brownies. Fudgy moist sweet 103 calorie brownies. I don't know how Gina at skinnytaste.com does it but YUM

Brownie Bites

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Old Points: 2 pt • Points+: 3 pt

Calories: 103.9 • Fat: 4.3 g • Protein: 1.3 g • Carb: 15.6 g • Fiber: 0.6 g 

• 2 tbsp margarine
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 tsp powdered sugar

In a small saucepan melt margarine, remove from heat. Stir in sugar, vanilla and water. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in chopped nuts.

Spray the bottom of a 8x4x2 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray coating. Pour batter into pan.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly. Remove from pan. Cut into 8 bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Low Calorie Swedish Meatballs

Another recipe from skinnytaste.com! Did I tell you these were good recipes or what. Swedish Meatballs for only 213 calories for 5 big meatballs. Flavorful and tender your may not go back to the fat filled ones!

Swedish Meatballs
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 5 meatballs • Old Points: 4 pt • Points+: 5 pt
Calories: 213.5 • Fat: 10 g • Protein: 25.1 g • Carb: 8.5 g • Fiber: 1 g • Sugar: 2 g
Sodium without adding salt: 346 mg  

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 celery stalk, minced
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• 1 lb 93% lean beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 2 cups reduced sodium beef stock
• 2 oz light cream cheese

In a large deep saute pan, heat oil on medium heat, add onions and garlic; sauté until onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add celery and parsley and cook until soft, about 3-4 more minutes. Let cool a few minutes.

In a large bowl combine beef, egg, onion mixture, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and allspice. Mix well and form meatballs with your hands 1/8 cup each (fill 1/4 cup then divide the meat in half).

Add beef stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and slowlydrop meatballs into the broth. Cover and cook about 20 minutes. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside in a serving dish. Strain the stock, add to blender with cream cheese and pulse until smooth. Return to pan and simmer a few minutes to thicken, then pour over meatballs. Garnish with parsley and serve over noodles or with toothpicks if you want to set these out as an appetizer.

This makes 22 meatballs, nutritional info is based on 5 meatballs with gravy.

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

Less than 300 calories a serving! There is broccoli and cheese and potato in this wonderful soup. It is so delicious no one would guess it is low calories. I made up a huge batch and froze up servings for a quick lunch or dinner. I got this recipe from skinnytaste.com. My new favorite recipe site. Since trying to cut back calories I had no intention of cutting back on tasty foods. This site is my go to place for dinner and ever incredible desserts!

I like my broccoli soup a little chunky but if you prefer yours smoother, feel free to use a stick blender to smooth it out even more than I did.

And not that you really need to but because this soup was so good, sometimes I wanted more than one serving.  So in my original big batch to freeze, I left out the cheese. Then when I heated it up, I sprinkles some on the top, let it melt then stirred it in.

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes  
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1-1/4 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 281.6 • Fat: 8.0 g • Carb: 33.0 g • Fiber: 5.0 g • Protein: 20.4 g 

Ingredients: 
 

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
• salt and fresh pepper
• 4 cups (about 2 heads) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
• 1-1/2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar
• 2 slices 2% American cheese
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Directions:

Chop onion, carrot, celery, garlic in a chopper or mini food processor.

In a large soup pot, melt butter.  Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, salt and pepper to the pot and stir until smooth.

Add chicken broth, milk and potatoes and set heat to high until it comes to a boil, thencover and cook on low until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Add broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, and stir well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add cheddar and American cheese, stir well and remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, quickly blend part of the soup for a quick second or two. If you don't have an immersion blender, remove about 1-2 cups of potatoes and broccoli, place it in your chopper, then add it back to the soup. This helps thicken it a bit.

Roasted Potato

Do you love those delicious crispy edges of fried potatoes? I got the idea for this from another pinterest pin. I am loving this site! The original recipe (here) was alot more food that we needed for our little family dinner. So I scaled it way back and added some different herbs.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 medium russet potatoes

1/4 onion, thickly sliced 

Coarse salt

Pepper 

1 spring rosemary, chopped

1 sprig thyme, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray two small loaf pans with nonstick spray. Slice potatoes very thinly crosswise, I used my food processor.

2. Arrange potato slices vertically in dish. Wedge onions throughout. Drizzle with olive oil Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 30 minutes.  Add herbs and bake until potatoes are cooked through with a crisp top, about 15 minutes more.

Zucchini and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast

Another DELICIOUS recipe from Skinny Taste. You read that right. Mozzarella AND breaded crust for 171 calories a serving! So reasonable you won't feel guilty have more. Moist chicken breast with ooey gooey mozzarella and zucchini inside. I pounded the breasts a little too thin in some spots so there were some holes, but once they're breaded you can't really tell. I think I could have even let them sit under the broiler for a minute or two to really crisp up the breading. I might also try spraying it with cooking spray to see if it crisps it up too.

And here is a neat trick I use often for chopped garlic. Instead of spending time trying to chop garlic, I just use my microplane to grate it right into the pan.



Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 cutlet • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 4 pts  
Calories: 171.9 • Fat: 6.3 g • Protein: 20.3 g • Carb: 7.9 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Sugar: 1.3 g Sodium: 280.7 mg (without salt)  


Ingredients: 

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups (1 medium) zucchini, shredded
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Romano cheese (or parmesan)
• 3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and fresh pepper
• olive oil non-stick spray 

Directions:

Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 450°. Lightlyspray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add oil when hot then saute garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper and saute about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, addmozzarella cheese and mix to combine.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 3 tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spraywith oil spray. 

Bake 25 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Low Calorie Pumpkin and Cream Bread

If you're anything like me, bread doesn't last long in your house. Especially fresh baked bread. I love baking and I love eating bread. The problem is that is doesn't love me back. Pumpkin and Cream Bread to the rescue. This entire loaf is only 500 calories. That's right the ENTIRE loaf. And even better is tastes as great as it looks.

I found this recipe through pinterest on Sunday Baker. I couldn't get mine to double layer as nice as she did, but at only 46 calories per slice, I'll be trying, trying again.

Yield: 2 loaves (14 slices each)

Batter:

1-1/2 c. pureed pumpkin

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 whole egg

3 egg whites

1 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. Stevia Cup For Cup sweetener

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

Cream filling

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 T. all-purpose flour

2 egg whites

1 t. vanilla extract

1. For the Batter: With an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin, applesauce, egg, and egg whites on medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, Stevia, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

2. For the cream cheese filling: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg whites and flour until creamy and smooth.

3. Grease 2 8x4x2" loaf pans. Divide half of the batter between the two pans. Pour half of the filling in one pan and the other half in the second pan and smooth with the back of a spoon. Top with the remaining batter.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Don't overbake or your bread will be dry on the edges. Cool and remove from pans. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

One serving (2 slices) = about 100 calories