The Ducks

About a block away from our apartment, we have a small park that is infested with ducks.

There are anywhere from 50-100 ducks that live at this park....

And they are so cute!

Almost every Sunday if the weather is nice outside, Dusty and I like to go for a walk to the park. This week we decided to bring a loaf of bread and feed them. 

It was so much fun! I felt like a little kid again :)

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Pie

Last night I should have been focused and spending 110% of my time studying hard for my Acute & Chronic Illness Medical-Surgery exam. But instead.....

I made this!

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Pie!

There is something about the night before an exam, I don't know what it is, but I can never focus and all I want to do is bake! Last year when I lived in Missoula before finals, I made and decorated sugar cookies. I made gingerbread men cookies in December before finals too! I'm kinda weird like that. Maybe it has to do with relaxing my mind. I don't know. Or maybe I just have really bad attention deficit. Either way, I made this pie and it is to. die. for.

I found the recipe on Paula Deen's website. My mom called me one afternoon and told me about Bobby Dean's lighter recipes that he has taken and adapted from his moms, like his new show, Not My Momma's Cookin'. This pie is only 6 WW points and 214 calories per serving (yay! happy dance) and you definitely don't miss the extra 334 calories Paula had on there before. After reading this, you should go check out all the other recipes he has on Paula's website, they look good! It's called "The Deen Bros. Take It Lighter."

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Pie

{10 Servings}

-1 pre-baked 9 inch pie crust

-1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Chips

-1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

-1/4 cup Fat Free Milk

-2 tbsp Light Corn Syrup

-2 tbsp Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

-1 tsp Vanilla Extract

-2 tbsp Meringue Powder (Wilton-found at Michaels or any craft store)

-6 tbsp Water

-1-1/2 cups Fat Free Cool Whip

-1/8 cup of Mini-Chocolate Chips or shaved Chocolate (your choice!)-for decoration

Using a double boiler, melt both the chocolates and milk until smooth. Stir in the corn syrup, chocolate liqueur, and vanilla. Set aside and let the chocolate sauce cool completely.

With an electric mixer on high, beat the meringue powder and water in a bowl until glossy peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten meringue and whipped topping into the cooled chocolate mixture until no streaks of white remain. Spoon into the pre-baked pie crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips or shaved chocolate for decoration and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until frozen, at least 3 hours and enjoy!!!

Super Bowl Grub

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl! What are you making for the big game? I've pulled together some of my favorite recipes from my blog and other blogs for tomorrow and it's going to be so dangerously delicious, I can't wait!

The big debate for me when it comes to tomorrow is do I make my Football Spicy Wings or The Pioneer Woman's Wings. Dusty and I love PW's wings, especially since they are fried and drenched in a buttery hot sauce, but they aren't the best for you (fried + butter = growing gluteal region). Although I'm more of a fan of my Football Spicy wings, they are baked and super spicy...I love it. 

Football Spicy Wings inspired by Skinny Taste...

....Or PW's Wings?!?!?

Photo by The Pioneer Woman

Oh the choices! Maybe I'll make a little of both, who knows!

I'm also making some Jalapeno Poppers (to die for!)

And Simply Scratches "Better than Restaurant Guacamole" 

Photo by Simply Scratch

Fact: I eat this guacamole about once a week for lunch or as a snack. This stuff is more addicting than crack! It will change the way you feel about guacamole. Other guacamole's will never live up to this recipe...I can tell you that!

If you couldn't tell, I'm really excited about the food Dusty and I are going to eat tomorrow. I think I'm a little more excited about the food than the game, now that I think about it. Oh yeah, and I'm also looking forward to the half-time show with Madonna and commercials. Needless to say, tomorrow is going to be fun!

What are some of your favorite Super Bowl foods to chow down on?

Quinoa with Spinach

I made this for lunch today. It was so tasty that I had to jump on my computer before I head to class and my first shift on the Orthopedic floor for my new CNA job! Definitely nervous and excited for today, I hate being the new kid but I can't wait to learn and see so much.

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that I've adapted and it is delicious. Perfect side dish for only 3 points per serving! If you have never had Quinoa before, this is the way to start. The flavors are savory and wonderful :)

Quinoa with Spinach

{4 Servings}

-1-1/2 tsp Olive Oil

-1/2 Yellow Onion, minced

-1 clove of minced Garlic

-1/2 cup uncooked, pre-rinsed Quinoa

-1 cup Fat Free Low Sodium Chicken Broth

-1/8 tsp Pepper

-1/8 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

-2.5 ounces frozen chopped Spinach, thawed and liquid drained

-1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.

Add the minced onion and garlic, stir and cook until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the Quinoa to skillet. Cook while stirring frequently until Quinoa starts to turn golden brown. Then add the chicken broth, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. 

Cover the skillet and simmer for 13-15 minutes.

Waiting is the hardest part!

Stir in the chopped spinach. Cover the skillet and let the rest of liquid get absorbed, about 4 minutes. 

Season the Quinoa with 1/4 tsp salt and serve!

Remember...only 3 points per serving! 

Hello Again!

Long time, no see! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. When life and school are crazy, unfortunately the blog has to suffer. I'm sure those of you that are nurses or currently in nursing school can relate...care plans are crazy and take over your lives! Currently I'm taking Medical-Surgical nursing and Pharmacotheraupeutics (yikes!), and these two classes alone require about 20 hours a week from me outside of class. The exciting part is that I get to have a clinical rotation in the OR this semester...yay! Hopefully I get something really awesome and crazy, and not an appendectomy. That would be disappointing :(

Otherwise, since I last wrote, quite a few things have happened! I went to Hawaii with Dusty and his family for 10 days over New Years. It was my first time on a plane and I gotta tell ya, I loved it! Why haven't I flown before? 5 hours from MT to CA...that is 100x better than the 20 hour drive! I only freaked out once and that was on my first flight from MT to Denver. The plane was super tiny, like tin can tiny, and I was overwhelmed with this thought....

I'm in a little tin can in the middle of the air. I'm going to die!

Look at me, this is before take-off. So excited, so unaware of how terrified I was about to be.

But THANK GOD my anti-nausea patch kicked in after an hour so that I could sleep the rest of the way. After that little "moment" I was good to go for the entire trip. I'm now a veteran flyer and love it!

After 12 hours of flying, it was all worth it because Hawaii is gorgeous! I fell in love immediately with the Big Island and considered not coming back to freezing Montana. Here is why I loved it...

Black Sand Beaches...

Sea Turtles...

Luaus....

Volcanoes...

Waterfalls...

The tropical flowers....

And the ocean.

I could have lived here forever!

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip with Dusty's family. I became addicted to Macadamia nuts and eating seafood everyday. I also gained 5 pounds, but that's okay because I've worked it off already. It was a blast gaining that 5 pounds, let me tell you what, Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies are freakin' delicious!

But now I'm back to reality, eating light and working on endless care plans and drug dosage calculations. I worked hard yesterday so that Dusty and I could attend the Billings wedding fair today. Hopefully it's not a stinker like the one we went to in the fall. We haven't done much planning since I last updated you, but I've definitely been cutting out and bookmarking ideas I love! I'll leave this blog post today with some of my ideas I've found and love....

I'm in love with this dress and dying to find it and try it on!

Talk to you later!

Greek Frittata

Finals are over! I have a life again!

This also means that I can cook during the day, and not when it is dark outside like usual. It's nice to be able to take pictures of food again, I've missed it so much! The only problem now is that the lighting in my apartment is really bad, so I have to go outside to take any photos....therefore we have snow in my photos.

The recipe I'm sharing with you today is from Weight Watchers and it is one of my new favorite breakfast dishes. So easy, so healthy and so tasty!

Greek Frittata
{4 Servings}
-4 Large Eggs
-3 Large Egg White
-1 Tbsp Water
-1/4 tsp Salt
-1/4 tsp Pepper
-2 tsp Olive Oil
-1/2 cup diced Red Onion
-1 clove minced Garlic
-5 oz of Baby Spinach
-1/2 cup crumbled Reduced Fat Feta Cheese
-2 tsp dried Parsley

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, water, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the chopped red onion and cook/stir until softened. Add in the minced garlic and cook/stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the baby spinach and cook/stir until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Pour the egg mixture evenly into the skillet and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle the feta cheese and dried parsley evenly over the egg mixture. Reduce the eat to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes until the center is set. Cut into 4 wedges and enjoy!

Only WW 4 points {160 calories} per wedge!

Enjoy!

His & Hers Deviled Eggs

Man, where has the time gone?!?!? I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving break and finals are only 3 weeks away.

Life has been pretty crazy for Dusty and I with school and work. If I didn't tell you before, Dusty is getting his Masters in Health Administration. He is also the graduate assistant for the dean of the program, graduate student representative for the graduate committee and the school senate, not to mention he is on the financial board for the student senate....he is a busy guy!

I've been equally as busy with nursing school, hospital clinicals, care plans and work. Pretty much, we cherish any days that we get off from our busy lives. I love the days where I don't have to go anywhere and I can live in my sweats, it a wonderful thing. But let me tell you what, with hospital clinicals and school, I definitely know that being a nurse is the right choice for me. I'm in love with it. Every patient is so unique and has a different story to tell, it's never boring! It's always changing and fast pace...it's awesome and perfect for me!

In other news, I reached my weight loss goal!
On 11/11/11, I reached my 25 pound weight loss goal, talk about a great day and wishes coming true! Now I've switched over from dieting to maintaining. It's been difficult mentally telling myself I'm allowed to eat more, but to not go crazy. Like the other night I discovered Ben & Jerry's "Sweddy Balls," and oh man, I'm in love! Not only do I love the name, the SNL skit, but this is gooood ice cream! It took everything in me to spread the pint of ice cream over 4 days. It's just something I'm going to have to keep working on. But going from a size 10 to a size 4 is definitely worth it and I don't want to go back ever again (unless I'm pregnant someday)! Weight watchers has definitely changed my life. If you have ever wanted to start dieting, this is the way to go :)

But enough about Dusty and I, time for the food....
Dusty's parents are coming down for Thanksgiving to spend it with us and we wanted to make deviled eggs. The problem is that Dusty and I grew up eating completely different deviled eggs. He likes his savory and I like mine slightly sweet. So we compromised and made both!

Mine are on the outer rim and Dusty's are in the center.

Dusty's Deviled Eggs

-6 Hard boiled Eggs, yolks removed

-1/4 cup Mayonnaise (light or regular)

-1 Tbsp Taco Seasoning

-Paprika

Crumble the egg yolks in a bowl. Mix in the mayo and taco seasoning until the egg mixture becomes creamy. Scoop the egg yolk mixture into a gallon sized plastic bag, cut the tip and pipe the yolk mixture into the egg white. Sprinkle with paprika.

Haley's Deviled Eggs
-6 Hard boiled eggs, yolks removed
-2 tbsp Mayonnaise (light or regular)
-2 tbsp Sweet Pickle Relish
-1-2 tsp dried minced Onion
-Paprika
Crumble the egg yolks in a bowl. Mix in the mayo, relish and dried minced onion until the egg mixture becomes creamy. Scoop the egg yolk mixture into a gallon sized plastic bag, cut the tip and pipe the yolk mixture into the egg white. Sprinkle with paprika.

There you have it!
Two different types of Deviled Eggs. Hopefully, no one in his family likes mine...that way I get to eat them all!
Muahahaha! (evil laugh)
I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving break, and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Bloody Caesar

Back in August I posted this picture on my Facebook page and it created quite a buzz...

My favorite cocktail of all time....Bloody Caesar!

But according to feedback from posting the picture, only Dusty, his family, myself and people from Canada knew about this drink. So I'm here to share with you this delicious and refreshing drink.

If you love Bloody Mary's, then I dare you to try a Caesar. This drink has more tang, spice and kick to it. My favorite part about a really good Caesar is that when you have a sip of it, it causes a little tickle sensation with your soft palate from the spices. It's the only way to go! Once you try a Caesar, you'll never want to have a Bloody Mary again. If you hate tomato juice and don't like Bloody Mary's, then I apologize for this post.

Interesting little tidbit: According to Weight Watchers, a 5oz Caesar is only 4 points! Which makes it one of the lowest calorie mixed drinks along with Blood Mary's (same points), Jack & Coke, and a Whiskey & Coke. I don't even want to know the amount of points for a Bailey's & Cream! For just a casual night drink at home, I made my Caesar a "virgin" drink and it is only 1 point! Add in some celery sticks, peperoncinis and olives, and you've got yourself a salad! YUMMM.

I made myself one tonight to go with dinner and it was delicious and super easy. Perfect with seafood and any red meat, especially a juicy steak!

Bloody Caesar

{1 serving}

-4 ounces of Picante Clamato Juice (found in the juice section of your grocery store)

-1 ounce Water or Vodka

-1/8 tsp prepared Horseradish

-2-3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

-2-4 dashes of Tobasco

-Dash of Salt & Pepper

-Optional: splash of Jarred Jalapeno or Peperoncini Juice

-3 to 4 Ice Cubes

Combine all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, shake to combine and pour into your glass. Or you could just combine all the ingredients into your drinking glass and stir to combine. Enjoy!

*30 calories per serving*

1 WW point with Water
4 WW points with Vodka

Baked Mac & Cheese

I've done it again...

I've taken one of my favorite dishes of all time and made it healthier, but still absolutely delicious!

For this dish, I combined my Lobster Macaroni and Cheese with the Weight Watchers Mac and Cheese to create a scrumptious, lower calorie dish that makes eating better that much easier. The best part about this mac and cheese is that it tastes better the next day, but that always seems to be the case with mac and cheese!

Baked Mac & Cheese

{6 servings}



-8 ounces Penne Rigate

-1 Shallot, finely minced

-1 clove Garlic, finely minced
-2 tbsp Canola Oil
-2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
-1/8 cup White Cooking Wine
-2 cups Skim (Fat-Free) Milk
-1/4 tsp Paprika
-1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
-1 Bay Leaf

-2-1/3 cup Shredded Reduced-Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese

-1/2 tsp Salt

-1/4 tsp Pepper

-1 tbsp dried Parsley

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the penne pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside.

In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat and add the minced shallots and garlic. Saute until softened. Add 2 tbsp flour and stir to toast the roux for 1-2 minutes. Add the 1/8 cup of white wine and let it reduce for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the 2 cups of skim milk and whisk the sauce continuously to remove the lumps. Add in the paprika, cayenne pepper and bay leaf.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low. Allow the sauce to thicken for 5-10 minutes until the sauce coats the spoon. Remove the bay leaf.

Stir in 2 cups of the cheddar cheese slowly by the handfuls while continuously stirring and add in the salt and pepper. Add in the cooked penne pasta and stir well to combine. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper.

Pour the macaroni and cheese into a greased 8x8 baking dish and top with the remaining 1/3 cup cheddar cheese and parsley. Bake for 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Then remove the baking dish from the oven and let the macaroni dish set for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

*365 calories and 12.8 g fat per serving*
8 WW points

Buffalo-Style Chicken Salad

Oh. My. Goodness.

This is good. This is really good.

Dusty and I had this salad for dinner last night and for lunch today.

Whenever we go out to eat, one of my favorite salads to order is a Fried Buffalo Chicken Salad. Healthy, right? Fried chicken that has been soaked in Frank's Hot Sauce with blue cheese dressing. So good, but oh so bad. To make this healthier I baked the buffalo chicken so I can still enjoy one of my favorite salads, without the heavy fried stuff and guilt.

Buffalo-Style Chicken Salad
{2 servings}

-1/3 cup crumbled Blue Cheese
-1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Light Mayonnaise
-1/4 cup Light Sour Cream
-1 tsp Distilled White Vinegar
-3/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
-1 Chicken Breast
-2 tbsp Frank's Hot Sauce
-4 cups sliced/torn Romaine Lettuce
-1 large Tomato, chopped
-1 Green Onion, thinly sliced
-Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (F). Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray.

To make the blue cheese dressing, combine the blue cheese, 1/4 cup mayo, sour cream and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk together until blended.

Spread the panko bread crumbs out on some wax paper. Toss together the chicken tenders, hot sauce and 1 tbsp mayo in a bowl. Coat the chicken tenders, one tender at a time in the panko bread crumbs and place them in the baking dish. Bake for 5-7 minutes per side, until chicken is cooked through. Cut cooked chicken into bite sized pieces.

Toss together the lettuce, tomatoes and green onions in a bowl. Drizzle with the blue cheese dressing and serve the chicken on top. Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted & Inspired by Weight Watchers Complete Cookbook

Apple Sunrise Slaw

I use to swear that I would never ever eat anything that contained the words Light, Low-Fat, Reduced-Fat, etc. But then I gained weight eating, blogging and eating some more. So with doing Weight Watchers and watching every little calorie and gram of fat that has gone into my body, I caved in to the Lights and Low-Fat. I'm not going to lie, I don't notice the difference.

If I'm making a sandwich and want to spread on some mayo, I use the real stuff, but if I'm using larger quantities, I use the light stuff. Did you know that 1 tbsp of real mayonnaise is 3 points??? I have only 23 points to work with each day, I'm not going to waste it on mayo!

I found this recipe for Apple and Carrot Salad on Weight Watchers Kitchen Companion. I made it according to directions and took a bite.....bland! No taste! Uh oh! Then I suddenly remembered that Laurie from Simply Scratch made a similar Apple & Cabbage Slaw with a creamy dressing that looked delicious. I combined the two recipes and created Apple Sunrise Slaw!

Why the "sunrise"? 

Because I couldn't find pre-cut matchstick carrots at the grocery store and could only find a bag of "Sunrise Slaw" veggies which is a combination of carrots, red cabbage and broccoli. I'm sure I could have just bought carrots and cut them myself, but I'm a full time nursing student on a diet, I gotta have some convenience! Besides, I ended up loving the blend of colors in this dish from the sunrise mixture, but you could use pre-cut carrots too.

 Here is what you are going to need {4 servings}:
-1 Apple, cored, thinly sliced, cut into matchsticks
-2 tsp Lemon Juice
-1-1/2 cup Sunrise Slaw veggies (or matchstick carrots)
-1/8 cup chopped Chives
-2 oz. reduced fat Feta Cheese
-1/4 cup Light Mayonnaise
-1 tbsp Honey
-1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
-1/2 tsp Salt
-1/4 tsp Pepper

Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice. Add sunrise slaw, chives and feta cheese. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, honey, cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined. Pour dressing over slaw mixture and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

1 serving = 3/4 cup

106 calories and 4.8 grams fat

Only 2 points!

Recipe Inspired by Weight Watchers and Simply Scratch

Better-For-You Tailgaiting Tips

With football season in full swing, I'm sure we have all had our share of delicious game-time food. To me, it's not a game without some good grub. Although this year I've been on the search for healthier alternatives to my game-time dishes.

I was so excited when I was contacted by Crystal Light Pure, who gave me some "Better-For-You Tailgaiting Tips" and I want to share these awesome tips with you today too!

Better-For-You Tailgating Tips from Crystal Light Pure Spokesperson Molly Kimball, RD

1. Take dipping beyond chips and queso by making your favorite creamy dips low cal with plain lowfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and mayo. Liven up plain old salsa by adding freshly diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro, or – even better – make your favorite salsa from scratch.

2. Serve dips with whole grain crackers and grilled veggies (think marinated and grilled asparagus, red and yellow peppers, zucchini and squash, and Portobello mushrooms). I’ve found that a grilled veggie platter nearly always goes over better than just plain raw vegetables.

3. Make finger sandwiches better by using whole grain bread, lean meats like turkey, ham, chicken, or roast beef, with thinly-sliced cheese and light mayo. Or roll turkey and veggies into high fiber tortillas, and slice into pinwheels. Quesadillas can be another not-so-guilty indulgence – just stick with whole grain tortillas, lean meats, reduced-fat shredded cheese, and pile on the veggies.

4. Healthy grilling doesn’t mean you’re stuck with just plain chicken. Seasoned, grilled and sliced, pork loin can easily become finger food. No buns or rolls needed. Beef or chicken satay can be lean options. And kebobs are always a hit, made with lean meat or seafood and skewered with veggies like tomatoes, zucchini, onions and mushrooms.

5. And stay refreshed and well-hydrated by sipping on naturally sweetened Crystal Light Pure. It’s sweetened with sugar and Truvia, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant, and has no artificial flavors or preservatives. Just tuck a few packets into your purse or pocket and you’re good to go!

Kraft Foods sent me a sample of Crystal Light Pure, and I gotta tell you, I love it! I've never tried it before, and Dusty and I both love the Strawberry Kiwi and Grape flavors. They are so tasty! Plus they are perfect for my Weight Watchers diet....0 points for one 8 ounce serving!

Heck yes! Score!

I hope that these 5 tips from Crystal Light Pure help you out with tailgaiting this football season like it has helped me. Tonight I'm making some healthy Football Spicy Wings, and it is gonna be soooo good!

Happy Football Sunday!

*Information, tips, photo and sample of Crystal Light Pure provided by Kraft Foods.

Turkey Meatloaf with Cranberry Glaze & Giveaway Winner

First off, I want to thank you for sharing all of your wonderful holiday memories for the giveaway. There were a lot of really fun ones that I enjoyed reading. Most of you do a lot of baking! What is the holiday season without food and baked goodies?!?!?

Secondly, I'd like to announce the winner of Quick & Easy Christmas, by The Gooseberry Patch. The winner of this lovely cookbook is....

Cheryl Ogenbaug!!!

Congrats Cheryl! I love your holiday traditions, especially opening stockings...they usually have the best stuff! I might have to look into those croissants from William Sonoma for this year at Christmas, I bet they are good!

To claim your fun new holiday book, just email me your address at girlygirlcooks@aol.com and I'll get that out to you ASAP!

Lastly, I gotta share with you a recipe from this book. I loved it so much, I'm going to share this recipe when I teach a holiday cooking class this November at work. It's Penny Sherman's recipe for Turkey Meatloaf with Cranberry Glaze. It was like a little Thanksgiving dinner packed into one meatloaf.

DELICIOUS!

I didn't get to take any picture of it because I got home from work late and Dusty had already dug into it. Besides, we all know what meatloaf looks like, right? It looks like meatloaf, but the touch of cranberry sauce with the poultry seasoning added to it, makes it a great holiday season meal. You will love it!

Turkey Meatloaf with Cranberry Glaze

{6 servings}

-16 oz can Jellied Cranberry Sauce, divided

-1/2 cup Ketcup

-1-1/4 lb Lean Ground Turkey

-1/2 lb Ground Pork

-1 egg, beaten

-1 cup soft Bread Crumbs

-1 Onion, finely chopped

-3/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning

-1/2 tsp Salt

-1/8 tsp Pepper

Mix together 1/3 cup cranberry sauce and ketchup. In a bowl, combine turkey and remaining ingredients. Add 1/3 of cranberry sauce mixture. Mix until well blended. Spoon into an 8"x4" greased loaf pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for one hour. Top with remaining cranberry sauce mixture and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes beore slicing. Serve with remaining cranberry sauce.

Quick & Easy Christmas: Gooseberry Patch Review & Giveaway!

I know we have just entered the month of October and Halloween decorations are among us, but why not start prepping for Christmas???

If you're like my mom and myself, you start Christmas shopping in July and the Christmas decorations are up by Thanksgiving day. I don't know which holiday season I love more....Halloween or Christmas? The span from October to December is just so wonderful and magical. I can't choose! I love it all!

Today, I have the wonderful honor and privilege of introducing you to the newest and one of the most fantastic cookbooks from The Gooseberry Patch....Quick & Easy Christmas!

Over 220 Christmastime recipes...most 30 minutes or less! Plus simple decorating ideas & gifts. 

I was so thrilled when I received my copy of this cookbook in the mail on Friday, I couldn't put it down and tagged so many wonderful recipes to try out. Today I'm going to share with you two of them, Gooey Honey Biscuits and Jenn's Pistachio-Cranberry Cookies.

Gooey Honey Biscuits

By Cheri Emery

This recipe was the perfect breakfast this morning. It was so quick to put together and I had the biscuits ready to go in the oven before the oven was done preheating! The biscuits were soft, flaky and fluffy, not to mention delicious!

They look rustic and went great with a tall glass of milk. The only thing I would do differently is to maybe double the honey butter because the warm biscuits absorbed the initial honey butter I brushed over top, so I had to brush more on later (oh darn!). It only made them taste better ;)

Jenn's Pistachio-Cranberry Cookies

By Debbie Button

These cookies are pretty much going to be my new favorite holiday treat that I'm going to make every single year from now on. How cute is it that it is red, green and white? Green pistachios, red cranberries and white chocolate chips. Not only do they color coordinate, they taste fantastic together! I don't know about you, but my favorite way to have cookies recently is by using cake mix, they create the most soft and fluffy cookie, and these cookies don't disappoint! 

Just to show you how fun their decoration and gift ideas are, here are an example of a few...

*Dress up the beverage station at your holiday buffet. Fasten a festive ribbon around a punch bowl and set it in a fresh pine wreath...so pretty!

*Dress of plain pillar candles in an instant...press in fancy brass upholstery tacks or map pins to form spirals, starts, stripes or other simple patterns.

*Give your home a spicy holiday scent year 'round. Cover oranges with whole cloves, piercing the peels in circle and swirl designs or simply covering the fruit at random. Roll in cinnamon and ginger, then stack in a wooden bowl.

Now for the best part....the GIVEAWAY!

Gooseberry Patch was kind enough to send me another copy of this fantastic holiday book to share with you! All you have to do is....

Leave a comment on this post answering the following question:

What's your favorite holiday tradition?

Do you go shopping on Black Friday? Have a special treat you must make? Do you open Christmas present on Christmas eve or day? Tell me your favorite holiday traditions!

Winner will be chosen randomly and announced October 9th, 2011, so enter before it's too late!

Apple Pork Loin {Revisited}

As of today, it is officially the Fall season for me. I've got my favorite Fall dish of all time in the oven and my stomach can hardly stand the wait. The only difference this time, is that I've made tons of calorie cuts to make this dish diet friendly!

Here is the original list of ingredients....

-1-1/4 cup Apple Cider

-2-1/2 lb Boneless Pork Sirloin
-2 tsp Salt
-1 tsp Pepper
-3 tbsp Olive Oil
-2 small Onions-cut into 1/2 inch wide wedges
-2 Pink Lady or Honeycrisp Apples-peeled,cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
-2 cloves Garlic-sliced
-1/4 cup Chicken Broth
-2 tsp dried Thyme (or 4 fresh Thyme sprigs)
-2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
-4 tbsp cold Butter

Per serving (4 servings total) this is a whopping 645 calories and 34 grams of fat!

This dish isn't even on my point scale for Weight Watchers!

Yikes!

So here is the new and improved Apple Pork Loin {diet friendly}:

-1-1/4 cup Apple Juice

-1-1/2 lb Boneless Pork Loin Sirloin
-2 tsp Salt
-1 tsp Pepper
-Pam Canola Oil Cooking Spray
-2 small Onions-cut into 1/2 inch wide wedges
-2 Pink Lady or Honeycrisp Apples-peeled,cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
-2 cloves Garlic-sliced
-1/4 cup Fat-Free Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
-2 tsp dried Thyme (or 4 fresh Thyme sprigs)
-2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
-2 tbsp cold Butter

Let's go through the ingredients and talk about the changes I made, shall we?
1. Apple Cider to Apple Juice
-There was no real reason for this change. I couldn't find Apple Cider unless I wanted to buy a gallon of it, so I opted for a single serving Apple Juice bottle instead. I just wanted to save money and I've never seen a big difference in taste between the two with cooking.

2.  2-1/2 lb Pork Loin to 1-1/2 lb Pork Loin
Dusty and I do not need to be eating that much meat! There is only two of us and with Weight Watchers, I have learned about portion control and the proper size of meat per serving.

3. Where did the Olive Oil go?
I took out the olive oil because that was a lot of unwanted fat and calories. I achieved the same sear on the pork loin and was able to carmelize the onions, apple and garlic without 3 tbsp of olive oil and just a couple sprays of Pam Canola Oil instead. I promise, you won't notice the difference!

4. Regular Chicken Broth to Fat-Free Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
Who needs the extra fat and sodium? The dish is delicious without it and it's better for you too!

5. 4 tbsp Butter to 2 tbsp Butter
The purpose of the butter in this recipe to create creamy wonderfulness at the end. I'm sure I won't miss those 2 extra tablespoons as long as some butter is there! It's still going to be creamy and it's still going to be wonderful, just without the unnecessary grams of fat and calories.

So what is the grand total of calories now for this delicious dish?
Drumroll please....

345 calories and 13 grams of fat!
7 points per serving for all of you WW people out there!

YAY! Success!

I'm also enjoying a 9 oz baked potato with dinner that is only 4 points and I'm going to take some of the reserve apple/onion chutney from the dish to smother on my potato it instead of using butter and sour cream.